Fishing Report - 03/19/10

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

JUST AS THE RED ROBINS RETURNING NORTH IS A SURE SIGN THAT SPRING IS SOON TO FOLLOW SO IT GOES WITH ANGLERS BILL MARTIN AND GREG KRESSE AS THEY HAD RETURNED THIS SPRING TO ONCE AGAIN FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA. THIS TIME THEY BROUGHT BROTHERS BILL AND CHARLIE GOFORTH WITH THEM. BILL AND CHARLIE WERE ON NUMEROUS CHARTERS WITH ME YEARS AGO IN ALASKA. LATER THEY MADE SEVERAL TRIPS TO FISH ON THE AMAZON RIVER. WE WERE GLAD TO WELCOME THEM. EVERYONE ENJOYS THE HOME SPUN YARNS THESE, "TWO PEAS IN A PODS" CAN WEAVE. KEVIN, BUD AND JIM CRAGER WERE FISHING WITH US FOR THE FIRST TIME. FATHER STEVE AND SON CONNER ESTRICK, BOTH ARDENT FISHERMEN, WHO HAD FISHED PANAMA PREVIOUSLY WERE ON THEIR FIRST TRIP WITH US. TRAVELING THE FARTHEST TO FISH WERE RETURNING ANGLER BRUNO GABRIEL AND HENRIQUE SATKANAS FORM BRAZIL. THEY WERE HERE TO POPPER AND JIG FISH!

IN THE PAST THREE TO FOUR WEEK OUR FISHING HAS SEEMED TO DEVELOPED A FAIRLY CONSTANT PATTERN. SO THIS FISHING REPORT IS GOING TO BE WRITTEN A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THAN THE PREVIOUS ONES. INSTEAD OF BREAKING THE FISHING ACTION DOWN INTO DAYS FISHED AND THE ANGLERS FISHING IT IS GOING TO BE MORE OF AN OVERVIEW.

OFFSHORE, YELLOWFIN TUNA ACTION

THE YELLOWFIN TUNA FISHING IS STILL HEADING UP THE MAJORITY OF THE OFFSHORE FISHING ACTION. BIG TUNA BOILS ARE BEING ENCOUNTERED FROM BETWEEN THE SECAS ISLANDS AND ISLA MONTUOSA, ON TOP OF HANNIBAL BANK AND SOUTH TO JICARON ISLAND. YOU NEVER KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THE BIG SCHOOLS OF YELLOWFIN ARE GOING TO BE FOUND AS THEY ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND THEM. THIS WEEK THE TUNA WERE MOSTLY IN THE 20 TO 80 LB RANGE AND WERE ACTIVELY ATTACKING THE TOP WATER BAITS. THESE ARE A GOOD SIZE FISH TO CATCH AND PLAY ON POPPERS. THE LARGEST YELLOWFIN OF THE WEEK WAS A 6 FOOTER THAT GREG AND BILL LANDED. BY FORMULA THE TUNA WOULD HAVE WEIGHTED IN AROUND 245 LBS THOUGH EVERYONE THAT SAW IT THOUGHT IT WOULD WEIGHT MORE. ANY WAY, IT MADE A LOT OF TUNA STEAKS. CONGRATULATIONS ANGLERS!

THERE WERE SEVERAL BIG DORADO CAUGHT THIS WEEK WITH YOUNG CONNER BEING THE ANGLER THAT CAUGHT NOT ONLY THE BIGGEST BUT THE MOST DORADO. NOW IT WAS NOT A WIDE OPEN DORADO BITE BUT SOME BIG DORADO WERE LANDED.

SAME GOES FOR THE SAILFISH. NOT A BITE BUT SOME BIG SAILS WERE ADDED THIS WEEKS CATCH.

BLACK AND BLUE MARLIN CATCHES ARE STILL SCARCE. YOU WOULD THINK WITH ALL THE SMALLER YELLOWFIN TUNA AND SCHOOLS OF BAIT FISH IN THE AREA THAT THE MARLIN WOULD BE HERE FEEDING, BUT THEY AREN'T. IT COULD BE THE HIGH WATER TEMPERATURES WE ARE EXPERIENCING THAT ARE KEEPING THEM AWAY. WHO REALLY KNOW? I DO THINK THE MARLIN FISHING WILL PICK BACK UP WHEN THE WATER STARTS COOLING OFF IN THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS WITH THE STARTING OF THE RAINY SEASON. I ALSO JUST SAW A REPORT ON THE PANAMANIAN NEW THAT A COLD WATER CURRENT IS HEADED OUT WAY. IF THIS HAPPENS I WOULD PREDICT THE MARLIN FISHING TO IMPROVE.

INSHORE, CUBERA SNAPPERS ARE STILL THE KING

THE WINDWARD SIDE OF CUBERA ISLAND IS STILL PRODUCING SOME HUGE CUBERA CATCHES. MANY OF THE UNCHARTED REEFS AND ROCK PILES SURROUNDING JICRON AND JICARITA ISLAND ARE ALSO PRODUCING BIG SNAPPERS. THIS WEEK OUR ANGLERS FROM BRAZIL, BRUNO AND HENRIQUE, WERE TUNED INTO THE POPPING ACTION LANDING SEVERAL X-LARGE SNAPPERS.

BOTTOM FISHING THIS WEEK PRODUCED SOME STRONG CATCHES OF AMBERJACK. BROTHERS, CHARLIE AND BILL, WOULD FIND OUT AS THESE FISH WOULD MAKE REPEATED RUNS, BURNING OFF LINE AS THEY HEADED BACK TO THE BOTTOM. BILL SAID," I HAVE JUST NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT AND I AM POOPED!"

OUR ANGLERS TOOK SOME GREAT PHOTOS THIS WEEK. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM. THANKS TO ALL OF OUR ANGLERS THIS WEEK, BOTH YOUNG AND OLD, REPEATS AND NEW COMERS FOR FISHING WITH PESCA PANAMA.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THE SEASONS CHANGE AS IT HAS STARTED RAINING SOME. REMEMBER TO PACK YOUR RAIN JACKET. ALSO REMEMBER TO BRING KNEE PADS. I HAVE BEEN SEEING SUN BURNS ON SOME OF OUR ANGLERS. BE SURE TO PACK PROTECTIVE CLOTHING TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE TROPICAL SUN. A GOOD SUN BLOCK LOTION IS A NECESSITY AND AN AFTER SHOWER SKIN CREAM IS A GOOD IDEA. YOU WILL ALSO SMELL BETTER FOR THE REST OF US FISHERMEN WHEN WE ALL SIT DOWN FOR COCKTAILS AND A FRESH SEAFOOD DINNER.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


HENRIQUE WITH A ROOSTERFISH CAUGHT ON A POPPER


BRUNO WITH A BIG BLUE TREVALLE


CHARLIE WITH AN AMBERJACK


GOFORTH BROTHERS WITH TWO CUBERAS. LOOKS LIKE TWO PAIR TO ME.


CHARLIE AND BILL WITH A COUPLE OF COIBA ISLAND "REEF DONKEYS"


CONNER WITH ONE OF HIS BIG DORADOS


JIM WITH A NICE SAIL CATCH IS ASSISTED BY CAPTAIN LUCHO


JIM, BUD AND KEVIN WITH THREE YELLOWFIN THEY CAUGHT FROM A BIG TUNA BOIL


GREG AND BILL WITH THE LARGEST YELLOWFIN OF THE WEEK. THE TUNA WAS BOATED NORTH OF MONTUOSA ISLAND AFTER FIGHTING THE FISH FOR 2 1/2 HOURS. NOW THAT MY FRIENDS IN A NICE TUNA! CONGRATULATIONS


STEVE, IN CENTER, WITH ONE OF THIS WEEK'S SAILFISH CATCHES