Fishing Report - 04/04/09

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

OUR REPEAT CLIENTS BROUGHT THEIR FISHING BUDDIES TO MAKE UP THIS WEEK'S GROUP OF ANGLERS. WE HAD MR. BILL LAMADUE, OUR SENIOR ANGLER, JOINED BY CHUCK EBERLY AND JAY DEPNER FISHING IN ONE BOAT. THE NEXT BOAT HAD SIX YEAR PESCA PANAMA VETERAN ANGLERS LARRY, "MEAT FACE" AND MATT SCHMIDT ALONG WITH DREW REGER. THE NEXT THREE BOATS WERE FISHING WITH ANGLERS RANDY, DREW AND SCOTT PAULEY, PAT AND BOB MCMAHAN, MIKE INSCORE AND PAUL SKIPPER.

WOW, WAS THE WORD FOR THE WEEK!!!

LOTS OF EXCITING FISHING TOOK PLACE THIS WEEK. IN FACT SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPENED THAT I COULD FILL AN ENTIRE MAGAZINE WITH JUST THIS WEEKS FISHING STORIES!

CAPTAIN LUCHO AND HIS ANGLERS WERE WATCHING FOR MARLIN ACTIVITY AS THEY WERE FISHING AROUND ISLA LADRONES WHEN A BLACK MARLIN CAME RIGHT UP BEHIND THE BOAT CHASING A SCHOOL OF BLUE RUNNERS. NOT YET HAVING CAUGHT ANY LIVE BAIT THE CAPTAIN INSTRUCTED HIS ANGLERS TO QUICKLY THROW A POPPER AT THE HUNGRY MARLIN. DREW GRABBED THE SPINNING ROD HE HAD BROUGHT AND MADE THE PERFECT CAST. THE MARLIN STRUCK THE YO-ZURI SASHIMI BULL LURE AND THE FIGHT WAS ON! THE 80 LB SPECTRA LINE WAS FLYING OFF OF DREW'S SHIMANO STELLA 8000. FORTY MINUTES ONTO THE FIGHT AND DREW'S ROD BROKE BUT HE WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE BATTLING THE FISH. WHEN THE FISH CAME TO LEADER IT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE IN THE 400 LB AND OVER CLASS. "MEAT FACE," AN ACCOMPLISHED PHOTOGRAPHER, WAS ABLE TO GET SOME GREAT PHOTOS. THIS IS OUR FIRST BLACK MARLIN ON A POPPER BUT YOU CAN BET IT WON'T BE THE LAST! CONGRATULATIONS DREW ON YOUR MEMORABLE CATCH!

LATER IN THE WEEK "MEAT FACE" WAS GOING TO GET HIS CHANCE AT A BLACK MARLIN. WHILE FISHING NEAR ISLA MONTUOSA HE SUCCESSFULLY LIVE BAITED A BLACK MARLIN. AT ITS' RELEASE THIS FISH WAS ESTIMATED TO WEIGH AROUND 250 LBS BUT IT WAS A REAL FIGHTER. THE MATE HAD THE FISH TO LEADER FOUR TIMES. ON THE FOURTH AND FINAL TIME TO LEADER THIS 'BALLISTIC MARLIN" ALMOST JUMPED IN THE BOAT. THE CAPTAIN STEPPED IN TO LEND A HAND BUT IN THIS CASE HE HAD A KNIFE IN HIS HAND AND CUT THE LEADER BEFORE THE FISH OR THE ANGLERS GOT INJURED.

CAPTAIN TATIN AND HIS ANGLERS WERE THE "JIG MASTERS" THIS WEEK! MIKE WAS JIGGING WITH A SUMO JIG WHEN HE GOT SLAMMED! THE FISH RIPPED DRAG FROM THE REEL AS IT RACED TO ESCAPE IN THE ROCKS. MIKE ON THE REEL AND CAPTAIN TATIN ON THE WHEEL, FOUGHT TO GET THE FISH OUT OF THE ROCKS KNOWING THEY COULD BE CUT OF AT ANY MOMENT. THE FISH RELUCTANTLY WAS BROUGHT TO THE BOAT. IT WAS WAS GUESSED TO WEIGH AROUND 100 LB. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE FISH AS A GULF GROUPER BUT WE ARE NOT SURE OF THIS. THE SAME DAY MIKE AND FISHING PARTNER PAUL CAUGHT 14 MORE GROUPER AND WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY RELEASE MOST OF THEM BACK TO THE SEA. THE FOLLOW DAY CAPTAIN TATIN AND MIKE WERE AGAIN JIGGING WITH SUMO JIGS AND AGAIN IT GOT SLAMMED! TO EVERYONE SURPRISE IT WAS ANOTHER GULF GROUPER. THIS GROUPER, WEIGHTED 75 LBS.

RANDY WAS JIGGING WITH CAPTAIN TOMMY WHEN HE LANDED A BEAUTIFUL BROOMTAIL GROUPER THAT WEIGHED 78 LBS. AGAIN THE HOOK-UP CAME ON A SUMO JIG, THESE SUMO JIGS WERE THE "HOT TICKET" THIS WEEK. TODAY I ORDERED 60 MORE TO BE SURE TO HAVE PLENTY ON HAND.

A BLACK MARLIN WAS ALSO PUNCHED OUT ON RANDY'S TICKET WHEN HE CAUGHT AND RELEASED A 350 LB FISH ON HANNIBAL BANK. SON, SCOTT WAS TROLLING PLASTIC AT HANNIBAL BANK WHERE HE CAUGHT AND RELEASED AN ESTIMATED 500 LB PLUS BLACK MARLIN.

THE DEEP PURPLE WATER AROUND HANNIBAL BANK WAS ALIVE THIS WEEK WITH MARINE LIFE! OUR ANGLERS COULD LOOK DOWN INTO THE TRANSLUCENT WATER AND SEE THE BRILLIANT YELLOW AND BLUE COLORS AS HUGE SCHOOLS TO BIG YELLOWFIN TUNA SWAM BY. IT WAS HERE THAT SCOTT LANDED A 226 LB YELLOWFIN CAUGHT ON A SLOW TROLLED LIVE BONITA BRIDLED TO A CIRCLE HOOKED.

UNDER THESE IDEAL FISHING CONDITIONS THE MARLIN WERE ALSO FEEDING AT HANNIBAL BANK. CHUCK WAS FISHING WITH CAPTAIN TITO WHEN A BLACK MARLIN ATE THE LIVE BONITA HE HAD IN THE WATER. AT THE RELEASE THIS FISH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE IN THE 450 LB CLASS.

THE SCHMIDT FAMILY AND DREW REGER MAKE UP "TEAM BROCHO." WHILE FISHING AT HANNIBAL BANK THIS WEEK THEY HOOKED-UP A MARLIN THAT SOUNDED AND STAYED DOWN FOR 6 HOURS AS THEY PASSED AROUND THE 50 LB STAND-UP TACKLE. JUST AS THEY WERE ABOUT TO GET THE LEADER FOR A LIVE RELEASE THE EXHAUSTED FISH GAVE UP THE GHOST AND COULDN'T BE REVIVED. WE PROCESSED THE 733 LB BLACK MARLIN AND DONATED IT TO 83 SMILING FACES AT THE LOCAL GIRLS ORPHANAGE IN DAVID. THIS IS GOING TO MAKE A LOT OF FISH TACOS!

WAHOO, DORADO, ROOSTERFISH, CUBERA SNAPPERS, SNOOK, A BIG RAINBOW RUNNER AND SAILFISH WERE ALSO CAUGHT THIS WEEK IN WHAT STACKED UP TO BE A GREAT WEEK OF FISHING!!! THANKS TO ALL OF OUR ANGLERS FOR FISHING WITH PESCA PANAMA.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: I THINK I HAVE WRITTEN THIS BEFORE BUT IF I HAVE IT IS WORTH REPEATING AND IF I HAVEN'T YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT. DREW REGER, ONE OF OUR REGULAR FISHERMEN, IS THE OWNER AND OPERATOR OF THE GPS STORE. HE IS A MAJOR SUPPLIER OF QUALITY MARINE ELECTRONICS TO THE FISHING COMMUNITY. PESCA PANAMA BUYS ALL OF OUR ELECTRONICS FROM DREW. HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AVAILABLE TO ADVISE US ON WHAT ELECTRONICS TO BUY AND MAKE THEM AVAILABLE AT A GOOD PRICE. CALL ANY OF THEIR STAFF AT 1-800-477-2611 OR VISIT THEM ON THE WEB AT WWW.THEGPSSTORE.COM

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


MIKE WITH WHAT WE THINK IS A GULF GROUPER


RANDY IS HIDING BEHIND A BIG BROOMTAIL GROUPER


SCOTT WITH A NICE YELLOWFIN


JAY WITH THE BIGGEST RAINBOW RUNNER ANY OF US HAVE EVER SEEN


A HAPPY PAT WITH A COLORFUL RED SNAPPER


SCHMIDT'S MARLIN DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE RELEASE BUT IT DID MAKE IT TO THE ORPHANAGE


LARRY AND DREW WITH A PAIR OF CUBERA SNAPPERS


CAPTAIN LUCHO AND MEAT FACE WITH A SAIL


CAPTAIN TOMMY WITH FATHER AND SON FISHERMEN SCOTT AND RANDY


PAT WITH A ROOSTER