Fishing Report - 04/17/10

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

WHAT A FANTASTIC WEEK OF TUNA FISHING WE HAD THIS WEEK. JUST AS I THOUGHT THE TUNA BITE WAS STARTING TO SLOW DOWN WE GOT INTO A "RED HOT" TUNA BITE. GETTING IN ON THE BITE WERE RETURNING BRAZILIAN FISHERMEN CABE MOTA, BRUNO CAMPOS, PAULOS MARQUES, MARCOS AKIRA, ALEXANDRE ANTUES AND SERIGO SANTOS. THEY HAD BROUGHT BRAZILIAN NEW COMERS MARCIO BALEEIRO, MILTON NAKATA, PAULO CASANOVA, ROGERIO GOMES, JOAO "FRED" PINHEIRO AND RICKARDO ANTUNES. AS ALWAYS THESE ANGLERS BROUGHT AN AMAZING ASSORTMENT OF THEIR OWN FISHING TACKLE THAT INCLUDED 27 BAGS AND ROD CASES. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THE ANGLERS, " WERE PREPARED TO GO FISHING!"

IN WHAT I CALLED THE "GRINGO GREEK" SECTION, JOHN COMET AND BROOKS MARSH WERE WELCOMED RETURNING ANGLERS ALONG WITH FIRST TIME ANGLERS TO PESCA PANAMA, JAMES SOBESKI AND BRIAN SCHMUCHER TO ROUND OUT THEIR FOURSOME. WE HAD THE BARGE LOADED AND WE WERE GOING TO CATCH A BOAT LOAD OF TUNA!

THE HISTORIC TUNA ATTACK

DAY ONE AND NEW COMER MILTON NAKATA CAUGHT THE TWO BIGGEST TUNA OF THE DAY, 100 LBS AND 140 LB YELLOWFINS, BOTH CAUGHT ON POPPERS. BRUNO, PAULO AND FREDDY LANDED 60 SMALL YELLOWFIN ON POPPERS IN THE 15 LB TO 30 LB RANGE. THEN BETWEEN THE BOATS A DOZEN DESCENT SIZED DORADO IN THE 25 LB TO 35 LB HIT THE DECK AND WERE HEADED TO THE DINNER TABLE. WE WERE OFF TO A GOOD START.

POPPER FISHING FOR YELLOWFIN TUNA WAS PRODUCING SOME GREAT ANGLING ACTION AS THE TALLY FOR DAY NUMBER TWO CAME IN. A TOTAL OF 104 YELLOWFIN WERE CAUGHT WITH 6 OF THE TUNA WEIGHING OVER 100 LBS. ALL THE TUNA WERE CAUGHT ON POPPERS WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE FISH RELEASED. THE TWO LARGEST TUNA TODAY WERE BRUNO CAMPOS LANDING A 120 LB YELLOWFIN AND PAULO CASANOVA LANDING A 140 YELLOWFIN.

DAY THREE AND A HUGE DRIFT LINE HAD FORMED JUST A COUPLE OF MILES OUT FROM PUNTA HERMOSA WHERE THE BARGE WAS ANCHORED. THE START UP OF THE SPRING RAINS HAD WASHED ALL KINDS OF DRIFTWOOD IN THE OCEAN AND BIG BAIT BALLS HAD TAKEN UP RESIDENCE UNDER THE DRIFT. HUGE SCHOOLS OF YELLOWFIN TUNA MIXED IN WITH DORADO WERE FEEDING ON THE BAIT AND CRASHING THE POPPERS. ANOTHER SPECTACULAR DAY OF FISHING WITH 136 TUNA BROUGHT TO THE BOAT AGAIN WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE FISH RELEASED. THE TWO LARGEST FISH IN THE 120 LB TO 13O LB CLASS. I THINK YOU COULD SAY THE TUNA BITE WAS ON!

THE BEST WAS YET TO COME ON DAY NUMBER 4 WHEN CABE, BRUNO AND FRED LANDED 127 TUNA ON POPPERS. THIS SET A NEW BOAT RECORD! WHEN ALL FIVE BOATS REPORTED IN WITH THEIR CATCHES WE HAD CAUGHT 267 TUNA ON POPPERS THIS DAY WITH MOST OF THEM BEING RELEASED, AMAZING! TO TOP THE DAY OFF CABE HAD PLANNED FOR A BEACH PARTY. A GREAT ENDING TO AN INCREDIBLE DAY OF FISHING.

FISHING STARTED GETTING BACK TO NORMAL ON DAY NUMBER 5 WITH 43 TUNA CAUGHT. THE HOT TUNA BITE WAS OVER! IN 5 DAYS A TOTAL OF 610 TUNA HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO THE BOAT. ALL CAUGHT ON POPPERS AND USING SPINNING TACKLE. NOW I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE GOING TO CALL "BULL SHIT" ON THESE NUMBERS. IF I HAD NOT BEEN THERE I WOULD PROBABLY SAY THE SAME THING. MOST OF TUNA CAUGHT WERE UNDER 25 LBS AND THE LARGEST WAS 140 POUNDS, SO THESE WERE NOT XL-TUNA BUT PROVIDED LOTS OF GREAT TOP WATER FISHING ACTION. THE BEST NEWS IS, MOST OF THESE FISH ARE STILL ALIVE, SWIMMING AROUND, FEEDING AND GETTING BIGGER FOR THE NEXT TIME WE MEET. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR ANGLERS AND THEIR SPORTSMAN'S LIKE CONDUCT.

WITH ALL THE TUNA ACTION NO ONE HAD BEEN FISHING FOR MARLIN. AFTER THREE DAYS OF TUNA ACTION THE "GRINGO GUYS" DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO TRY FOR A BIG MARLIN. SO OFF TO HANNIBAL BANK AND BANG, THEY ARE HOOKED-UP TO TO A NICE SIZED BLACK MARLIN. BROOKS AND JAMES HAD TO TAKE TURNS ON THE STAND-UP TACKLE BUT IN AN HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES THEY WERE ABLE TO RELEASE A BLACK MARLIN THAT WOULD BE IN THE 500 PLUS POUND RANGE. CONGRATULATIONS TO A COUPLE OF CATFISH GUYS FROM ILLINOIS.

IT WAS A HISTORIC WEEK OF FISHING HERE AT PESCA PANAMA. I DON'T KNOW IF WE WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN. BY RELEASING THE FISH THERE ISN'T ANY REASON WE WON'T. THE TUNA SHOULD JUST BE BIGGER NEXT TIME.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: