Fishing Report - 05/23/09

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

PESCA PANAMA WELCOMED BACK MASTER GUIDE MIKE AUGAT THIS WEEK ALONG WITH THREE DIVERSE GROUPS OF ANGLERS THAT HAD ACCOMPANIED HIM. THE FIRST GROUP WAS COMPRISED OF EBEN AND DIANNE HUSTON AND THEIR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER ALICIA. THIS WAS THEIR FOURTH TRIP TO THE TROPICS TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA. ALICIA WANTED TO CATCH HER FIRST ROOSTERFISH WHICH SHE DID THE FIRST DAY OF FISHING. THEN AT ISLA MONTUOSA SHE LANDED A 350 LB BLACK MARLIN. THIS WAS THE SECOND BLACK MARLIN SHE HAS CAUGHT WHILE FISHING HERE. THEY HAD BEEN TROLLING FOR WAHOO, HAD HOOKED THREE AND PUT TWO IN THE BOAT WHEN EBEN NOTICED A BLACK MARLIN FEEDING ON THE SURFACE NOT 25 FT FROM THE BOW OF THE BOAT. HE GRABBED A POPPER AND THREW IT AT THE FISH WHILE MATE CARLOS WAS BUSY RIGGING A LIVE BAIT WHICH HE PUT IN THE WATER. THE MARLIN IGNORED THE POPPER BUT CRUISED JUST BELOW THE SURFACE AND TEN FEET FROM THE BOAT IT WENT STRAIGHT FOR THE LIVE BAIT OFFERING. ALICIA FOUGHT THE FISH FOR 50 MINUTES TO GET IT CLOSE ENOUGH FOR PICTURES AND A LIVE RELEASE. CONGRATULATIONS ALICIA! BUT THE DAY WAS NOT OVER AS THEY LANDED 8 YELLOWFIN TUNA FROM 50 TO 120 POUNDS.

OUR SECOND GROUP OF ANGLERS WAS THE DE SIEYES FAMILY. IT WAS THE SECOND TIME FOR THE FATHERS TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA AND THIS TIME THEY HAD BROUGHT THEIR SONS. CHUCK WAS FISHING WITH SONS EVAN AND NICK. DAVID WAS FISHING WITH HIS SON MALCOLM. CHIP BRANNON, POSSIBLE FUTURE FATHER IN LAW OF NICK, WAS INVITED TO JOIN THE GROUP OF ANGLERS. I DON'T KNOW WHO WAS SIZING UP WHO.

THE THIRD GROUP OF GUESTS ARE VETERAN ATLANTIC SALMON ANGLERS. FISHING IN PANAMA WAS GOING TO BE A WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE FOR THEM. READY TO GET ON THE WATER AND INTO THE FISHING ACTION WERE DICK ANDERSON, BRIAN NOYES, JAY AND BUD NOLAN, CHARLIE HARRIMAN AND TOM SAWYER. I DON'T THINK THIS IS THE SAME TOM THAT MARK TWAIN WROTE ABOUT, BUT I AM NOT FOR SURE.

FOUR MILES WEST OF PUNTA HERMOSA, COLLIDING OCEAN CURRENTS HAD AMASSED A SEA FULL OF LOGS AND FLOATING OCEAN DEBRIS. WHEN OUR CAPTAINS CRUISED INTO THE AREA THE ANGLERS REPORTED BOTH DORADO AND YELLOW TUNA FREE JUMPING IN THE AIR. IT WAS A FEEDING FRENZY AND A PAGE RIGHT OUT OF MOTHER NATURES NOTEBOOK!

YELLOWFIN TUNA ON A RAMPAGE

OUR BOATS GOT IN ON THE ACTION AND WERE SUCCESSFUL IN LANDING 37 YELLOWFIN ONE DAY. THE FISH PROVED TO BE PICKY EATERS AND LIVE BAIT WAS THE HOT TICKET FOR GETTING BITES THIS DAY, UNLIKE THE FOLLOWING DAYS OF SURFACE POPPER ACTION. WHEN THE TUNA WERE LANDED AND HIT THE DECK ONE COULD SEE WHY THEY WERE SO PICKY. FROM THEIR GULLETS THEY WOULD DISGORGE A STREAM OF DEAD AND PARTIALLY DIGESTED SQUID. MOST OF THE TUNA CAUGHT WEIGHED IN THE 50 TO 80 LB RANGE WITH THE LARGEST WEIGHING IN AT 160 LBS. WE CAUGHT TUNA ALL WEEK LONG. NOW WE ARE TALKING FISHING ACTION!

DORADO EXTRAVAGANZA

WHILE MOST OF THE ANGLERS WERE BATTLING TUNA SOME OF ANGLERS WERE CONCENTRATING ON CATCHING DORADO. BRIAN, FISHING WITH BOTH A LIGHT SPINNING ROD AND FLY ROD LANDED OVER 30 DORADO IN ONE DAY. WHAT A GREAT FLY ROD FISH! SEVERAL DORADO WERE CAUGHT THAT WEIGHED BETWEEN 40 AND 50 LBS BUT THE NORM WAS 15-25 LBS. THIS GREAT FISHING ACTION WENT ON FOR THREE DAYS AND OUR ANGLERS CAUGHT FISH TILL THEIR ARMS ACHED. PICTURE A TYPICAL MORNING OF STARTING THE DAY WITH A HANDFUL OF BULL DORADO THAT LEAP HIGH ENOUGH TO LOOK THE ANGLER IN THE EYE, THEN MOVING A FEW MILES TO FIND SKIPJACK TUNA (POUND FOR POUND, PERHAPS THE TOUGHEST TUNA OF ALL), THEN CHASING FEEDING PODS OF YELLOWFIN UNTIL THE ANGLER'S STRENGTH FINALLY WANED, AND FINISHING THE DAY CASTING SHORELINES WITH LIGHTER GEAR FOR A MULTITUDE OF SPECIES!

WAHOO IN THE WAKE

THE WAHOO FINALLY SHOWED UP ON TIME IN GOOD NUMBERS THIS WEEK AS MAY IS GENERALLY CONSIDER THE BEGINNING OF WAHOO SEASON. THIS WEEK THE COBALT BLUE SPEEDSTERS WERE CAUGHT IN JUST ABOUT EVERY LOCATION THAT IS KNOWN FOR GOOD WAHOO FISHING. BETWEEN THE TUNA BITE, THE DORADO BITE AND THE WAHOO ARRIVING, IT WAS A WEEK OF FISHING THAT THESE ANGLERS WILL NOT SOON FORGET!

ISLA COIBA AND ITS' SURROUNDING WATERS IS FLOURISHING. NOW THAT THE POWERS THAT BE IN THE PANAMANIAN GOVERNMENT ARE STRICTLY ENFORCING A BAN ON INSHORE NETTING AND COMMERCIAL FISHING, THE ISLAND'S SHALLOWS AND TIDAL RIVERS ARE SIMPLY TEEMING WITH SCHOOLS OF FISH. SURELY A SIGN THAT FUTURE CATCH AND RELEASE ANGLING WILL ONLY GET BETTER AND BETTER. MIKE AUGAT AND OUR GOOD FRIEND AND WIZARD MECHANIC, CHI CHI, SPENT AN AFTERNOON FISHING A RISING TIDE ONLY A FEW MILES FROM OUR ANCHORAGE AT COIBA ISLAND. THEY REPORTED SEEING MASSIVE SCHOOLS OF THE BIGGEST LADYFISH MIKE HAD EVER SEEN THAT WERE EAGER TO EAT A SMALL FLY AND THEN SPEND MORE TIME OUT OF THE WATER THAN IN, SCHOOLS OF SEVERAL SPECIES OF MINNOWS, PACK AFTER PACK OF AGGRESSIVE 2-5 LB SNAPPERS, POD UPON POD OF DOUBLE DIGIT JACK CREVALLE EAGER TO KILL ANYTHING NOISY ON THE SURFACE AND SCATTERED ROOSTERS THAT SURELY HAD NOT SEEN A LURE IN A VERY LONG WHILE, IF EVER. THEY LANDED 20-35 LB FISH OUT OF FIVE HOOKED AND MISSED SEVERAL OTHERS.

THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH US, DIANNE. AND THANKS TO THE REST OF THIS FUN GROUP FOR FISHING WITH US. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU BACK AT PESCA PANAMA AGAIN.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN
CAPTAIN MIKE AUGAT

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: SOME OF THIS WEEKS ANGLERS TOOK TO THE WATER IN OUR NEW KAYAKS. THEY NOT ONLY WERE SUCCESSFUL IN CATCHING LOTS OF FISH, THEY REALLY ENJOYED THIS NEW ANGLING EXPERIENCE. SEVERAL OF THE DE SIEYES CLAN PADDLED A MANGROVE AND ORCHID LINED RIVER AFTER TOURING THE OLD PRISON CAMP AND REPORTED CATCHING "ENDLESS NUMBERS" OF 10 LB AND UNDER JACKS. THIS MIGHT BE SOMETHING SOME OF OUR ANGLERS MIGHT WANT TO START THINKING ABOUT FOR THEIR FUTURE TRIPS.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: