Fishing Report - 03/20/10

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

PESCA PANAMA WELCOMED 13 ANGLERS THIS WEEK. RETURNING FISHERMEN JIM BUTTERWORTH AND BILL BOTELER, BOTH 5TH YEAR RETURNING ANGLERS WERE FISHING WITH MIKE NEWBERRY, HIS 2ND YEAR FISHING WITH US. JOINING THEM WERE RUSS DEVILBISS, ART CRUM AND MARK HEINTZELMAN. ANGLERS RICHARD CAMBRIA AND HIS TWO SONS DAN AND MATT WERE HERE ON THEIR FIRST TRIP. JOE AND MIKE CASEY WERE FISHING WITH GARRETT HUME AND BOBBY MERRITT. IT WAS ALSO THEIR FIRST FISHING TRIP WITH PESCA PANAMA. WE WELCOMED THEM ALL AND HEADED TO ISLA MONTUOSA.

MAYHEM AT MONTUOSA

THE YELLOWFIN TUNA BITE CONTINUES AT MONTUOSA ISLAND. THE CAMBRIA'S FAMILY CAUGHT 40 YELLOWFIN IN THE 30 TO 130 LB RANGE ON POPPERS. OLE DAD, RICHARD, LANDED 3 TUNA; 35, 45 AND A 100 LB PLUS ON A 15 WEIGHT FLY ROD AND A FLY HE TIED. CAPTAIN TOMMY'S ANGLERS; JOE, MIKE, GARRETT AND BOBBY LANDED OR NEARLY LANDED 7 YELLOWFIN IN THE 50 TO 150 RANGE. THEN CAUGHT 11 MORE TUNA THE NEXT DAY. MONTUOSA WAS DEFINITELY THE PLACE FOR TUNA ACTION THIS WEEK!

FISHING AT ISLA JICARON AND JICARITA WAS OFF THIS WEEK. A STRONG CURRENT HAD MOVED COOLER, GREEN WATER INTO THE ISLANDS AND I DON'T THINK THE FISH LIKED IT. LIKE WISE HANNIBAL BANK WAS NOT PRODUCING THIS WEEK. BUT THEN WITH THE TUNA BITE GOING OFF AT MONTUSOA ISLAND, OUR ANGLERS DIDN'T SPEND MUCH TIME AWAY FROM THIS ACTION.

CAPTAIN TATIN'S ANGLERS; JIM, BILL AND MIKE WERE STILL ABLE TO CATCH AND RELEASE 10 BIG CUBERA SNAPPERS UP TO 70 LBS IN ONE DAY WHILE FISHING AT JICRON. THEY ALSO CAUGHT 12 TUNA IN ONE DAY AT MONTUOSA WITH 3 OVER 100 LBS. THESE ANGLERS WERE SUCCESSFUL IN LANDING OVER 20 DIFFERENT SPECIES ON THIS TRIP.

ART, RUSS AND MARK ALL CAUGHT BIG CUBERA SNAPPERS THIS WEEK THEY ALSO WERE IN ON THE SEVERAL "HOT TUNA" BITES. RUSS'S CATCHES THIS WEEK INCLUDING A LARGE ROOSTERFISH. JOE WAS WANTING TO CATCH A ROOSTERFISH ALL WEEK AND WAS SUCCESSFUL ON HIS LAST DAY OF FISHING. SEVERAL OTHER ROOSTERS WERE ALSO CAUGHT AND RELEASED BY OUR ANGLERS. GARRETT WAS OUR OLDEST ANGLER THIS WEEK AND HE HUNG IN THERE JUST LIKE A YOUNG PUP. CONGRATULATIONS GARRET!

TO SUM UP THE WEEK, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY WE HAD OUTSTANDING YELLOWFIN TUNA ACTION. I CAN NOT INCLUDE ALL THE TUNA STORIES FROM THIS WEEK IN THIS FISHING REPORT, THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY. ANGLERS AND CREW ALIKE WERE AMAZED AT THE AMOUNT OF BAIT THAT THE TUNA HAD BALLED UP. CATCHING BIG CUBERA SNAPPERS WAS ALSO HIGH ON THE LIST OF FISH CAUGHT. WE ARE STILL IN THE TUNA, SNAPPER PATTERN. WE HAVE SOME GREAT PHOTOS FROM THIS WEEK. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM AND THANKS TO ALL OUR ANGLERS FOR CHOOSING TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: WE PURCHASED SEVERAL MORE SHIMANO STELLAS SPINNING REELS THIS WEEK. OUR CAPTAINS SEEM TO PREFER THE 10,000 MODEL FOR THE BIG FISH WE HAVE HERE IN PANAMA. THE STELLA 18,000 WITH ITS' LARGER LINE CAPACITY IS ALSO A TOP CHOICE FOR YELLOWFIN TUNA.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


DAN WITH A COLORFUL ROCK SNAPPER


RICHARD WITH A "HOG" OF A CUBERA SNAPPER


MATT AND DAN WITH A YELLOWFIN CAUGHT ON A POPPER


BOBBY WITH A CUBERA SNAPPER


MIKE, JIM AND BILL, THREE OLD MEN AND THREE OLD FISH


JIM WITH A "HOG" SIZED CUBERA HE CAUGHT THIS WEEK


MIKE WITH A TUNA


ART, RUSS AND MARK WITH A NICE YELLOWFIN


ART ASSISTED BY MATE CHI CHI WITH A CUBERA CATCH


MICHAEL AND HIS DAD, JOE, WITH A NICE CUBERA SNAPPER