Fishing Report - 05/16/09

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

RETURNING TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA THIS WEEK WERE ANGLERS; CHUCK BYARD, TAD HALL, ELI RUONAVAARA , ROD JORDON AND NICK BORGWAT. FIRST TIMERS FISHING WITH US INCLUDED; TERRY ECKHARDT, ERIC BIRKHOFER, GREG BUSER AND BOB SMALLEY.

ERIC GOT TO TELL THE FIRST BIG FISHING STORY OF THE WEEK. ON DAY ONE CAPTAIN TOMMY HAD PULLED THE THROTTLES BACK ON HIS BOAT AS HIS GPS SHOWED THEY WERE ON TOP OF ROCK PILE THAT HAD 40 FEET OF WATER COVERING IT. ERIC WAS HANDED A SHIMANO TIAGRA 16 BAITED UP WITH LIVE BAIT AND TOLD THEY WERE GOING TO TRY SOME BOTTOM FISHING IN THE SHALLOW WATER. ERIC DROPPED THE BAIT TO THE BOTTOM AND "WHAM" HE WAS HIT. BUT INSTEAD OF THE FISH RACING FOR THE ROCKS IT BLASTED FOR THE SURFACE AND MADE A SPECTACULAR LEAP. ERIC HAD JUST HOOK HIS FIRST EVER MARLIN! THE SURPRISED ANGLER BATTLED THE FISH FOR THE NEXT FOUR HOURS AS HIS BUDDIES TERRY AND GREG GOT SOME GREAT PHOTOS. AS THE BLACK MARLIN CAME TO LEADER FOR THE LIVE RELEASE AN EXHAUSTED ERIC KNEW THIS WASN'T LIKE FISHING HE HAD EVER DONE BEFORE. WELCOME TO PANAMA!

OUR CAPTAINS HAD A REPORT OF A TUNA BITE NEAR PUNTA HERMOSA SO THE FOLLOWING DAY TWO OR OUR THREE BOATS FISHING THIS WEEK RAN TO HAVE A LOOK. SURE ENOUGH THERE WERE HUGE SCHOOLS OF TUNA AND FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS OUR ANGLERS LANDED 4O YELLOWFIN TUNA IN THE 40 TO 80 LB RANGE. SOME OF THE ANGLERS GOT THE TUNA TO BITE ON PITCHED LIVE BAITS WHILE OTHER ANGLERS HAD GOOD LUCK HOOKING UP ON POPPERS.

ERIC WAS AGAIN IN ON THE ACTION ALONG WITH TERRY AND GREG. THEY HOOKED A HUGE TUNA ON LIVE BAIT THAT HAD BEEN PITCHED OUT ON HEAVY SPINNING GEAR. FOR THE NEXT 2 1/2 HOURS THE THREE OF THEM AND THE TWO CREW MEMBERS WOULD FIGHT THE FISH UNTIL THEY COULDN'T REEL ANY MORE AND THEN PASS THE ROD OFF. THIS "BAD BOY" WAS KICKING THEIR BUTTS! FINALLY THE FISH WAS WITH IN GAFF RANGE AN THE MATE WAS STANDING BY TO MAKE THE GAFF SHOT. MAX PRESSURE WAS BEING APPLIED NOW, WHICH I'M NOT SURE WAS THE THING TO DO, THE FISH WAS WITHIN 10 FT OF THE BOAT WHEN THE 80 SPECTRA LINE PARTED!

NICK WAS NEXT TO HOOK-UP ON A BIG YELLOWFIN. THIS TUNA WAS AGAIN HOOKED ON HEAVY SPINNING GEAR BUT THIS TIME THE FISH HAD HIT A POPPER. NICK WAS FOLLOWING THE FISH AROUND THE CENTER CONSOLE WHEN IT THEN MADE A DIVE RIGHT UNDER THE BOAT. HE HELD HIS ROD DOWN AND THOUGH HE HAD THE LINE AROUND THE BOW WHEN HE NOTICED THE ANGLE OF THE LINE WAS WRONG. LOOKING DOWN HE SAW THAT HIS LINE HAD CAUGHT ON THE ONLY THING STICKING OUT ON THE BOW OF THE BOAT, THE BOW EYE. THE 80 POUND SPECTRA LINE PARTED AND THE BATTLE WAS OVER. NOW WE STOOD A 2 AND O ON EXLARGE YELLOWFIN TUNA.

HANNIBAL BANK LAID IN HIBERNATION FOR MOST OF THE WEEK BUT CHUCK, TAD AND ELI JUST KEPT FISHING UNTIL THEY GOT ON THE BITE. WHEN THE BANK LITE UP CHUCK CAUGHT AND RELEASED AN ESTIMATED 400 LB BLACK MARLIN CAUGHT ON LIVE BAIT, TAD BOATED A 180 LB YELLOWFIN CAUGHT ON LIVE BAIT AND ELI LANDED A 130 LB YELLOWFIN THAT ATE HIS POPPER.

THIS WEEK'S ANGLERS FISHED IN SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WEATHER AND CALMEST SEAS WE HAVE HAD ALL YEAR. AFTER HOURS JAMIE OUR BARTENDER WAS POURING THE DRINKS STRONG AS WE SAT ON THE BOW OR THE BARGE. A LOT OF JOKES WERE TOLD ALONG WITH SOME GREAT FISHING STORIES. SOME OF THE STORIES WERE OLD AND SOME HAD JUST BEEN MADE!

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK. WHEN POPPING FOR EXLARGE YELLOWFIN TUNA WE HAVE FOUND THE FOLLOWING GEAR WORKS THE BEST FOR US. FIRST WE USE NOTHING BUT THE FINEST SPINNING REELS MADE, THE SHIMANO STELLA. RIGHT NOW WE ARE BUYING THE NEW 18,000 MODEL THOUGH WE ARE STILL USING SOME OF THE OLDER 10,000 AND 20,000. FOR RODS WE ARE USING A ONE PIECE, 7 FT, CALSTAR GRAFIGHTER BLANK THAT IS CUSTOM TIED FOR US BY CROWDER ROD. FOR LINE US USE SEVERAL DIFFERENT BRANDS OF SPECTRA LINE THAT IS RATED AT 80 LBS. THE SIZE OF THE TERMINAL TACKLE OFTEN DEPENDS ON HOW PICKY OR AGGRESSIVE THE TUNA ARE FEEDING. OH, AND PRACTICE YOUR KNOT TYING. IF YOU DON'T TIE THEM RIGHT THEY WILL COST YOU FISH. IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO TIE THEM OUR CREW MEMBER WILL TIE THEM FOR YOU AND BE HAPPY TO TEACH YOU IN THE PROCESS.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


ERIC HAD THE HOT STICK THIS WEEK AND HERE HE IS AGAIN WITH A LITE UP BLUE TREVALLY


NICK AND ROD WITH A MATCHING PAIR OF DORADO


TERRY WITH A NICE LAST DAY ROOSTERFISH


ERIC WITH A ROOSTERFISH


TERRY WITH TUNA


NICK WITH ONE OF THIS WEEKS MANY YELLOWFIN


ROD CAUGHT A MIXED BAG OF FISH THIS WEEK


A NICE AJ LANDED BY ROD


TAD TRIES TO LOOK LIKE HIS CATCH, KINDA SCARY


CHUCK WITH ONE OF THIS WEEK'S MANY TUNA