FROM BRAZIL, ROBERTO VERGAS OF PESCADVENTURA HAD A LARGE GROUP FISHING WITH PESCA PANAMA THIS WEEK. ABOUT HALF OF THE ANGLERS HAD FISHED WITH US LAST YEAR. IN BOAT NUMBER ONE, CAPTAIN SERIGO WAS FISHING WITH ANTONIO CARLOS, PEDRO DAVID, EGAS ISAC AND PAULO RENATO. IN BOAT NUMBER TWO, CAPTAIN TATIN WAS FISHING WITH NETO HEZS, GILBERTO FOGLIANO, LUIZ FAVA AND PAULO FAVA. IN BOAT NUMBER THREE, CAPTAIN LUCHO WAS FISHING WITH RENAN HEZS, JOAO CALLAS, GUSTAVO SANTOS AND JUM MATSUSHIMA. BOAT NUMBER FOUR SAW CAPTAIN TOMMY GUIDING RETURNING ANGLERS RON SMITH, ROGER BRIT AND PETE TURNER. THESE THREE AVID ANGLERS ALL CLAIM TO BE FROM FLORIDA BUT PETE IS REALLY A RETIRED "REDNECK" BANKER FROM KENTUCKY.

THE FIRST DAY OUT AND OR ANGLERS FOUND LOTS OF RED TIDE INSHORE. SO NOT MUCH FISHING ACTION THIS DAY TO SAY THE LEAST. BUT ALL THE ANGLERS WERE IN GOOD SPIRITS KNOWING THAT BETTER DAYS WERE AHEAD WHEN WE COULD GET OUR BOATS OUT TO CLEAN, CLEAR WATER. GUSTAVO HELPED SAVE THE DAY WHEN HE LANDED A GOOD SIZED GROUPER WHILE JIGGING IN THE SECAS ISLANDS. THE ONE FISH WAS ENOUGH TO FEED ALL 16 OF US FRESH GROUPER FILLETS FOR DINNER. IT WAS, "MELT IN YOU MOUTH GOOD!"

CLEAN WATER ENCOUNTERED OFFSHORE

I WAS RUNNING THE BARGE FROM THE SECAS ISLANDS TO ISLA COIBA WHEN I HEARD CAPTAIN SERIGO COME ON THE RADIO TO ALERT ALL THE OTHER CAPTAINS TO CLEAN WATER OFFSHORE. SURE ENOUGH HIS ANGLERS STARTED POPPING FOR YELLOWFIN AND IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME THEY HAD 8 IN THE BOAT. THOUGH THE 50 LB CLASS TUNA WERE NOT LARGE BY OUR STANDARDS, THEY WERE LOTS OF FUN WHEN CAUGHT ON SPINNING TACKLE AND POPPERS.

AT THE END OF THE DAY THE FISHING REPORT WAS GOOD FOR ALL FOUR BOATS. A MIXED BAG OF FISH HAD BEEN TAKEN USING A COMBINATION OF POPPERS, JIGS AND LIVE BAIT. SPECIES CAUGHT INCLUDED DORADO, WAHOO, BLUE JACK, AMBERJACK, HORSE EYE JACK, CUBERA SNAPPER, YELLOW SNAPPER, ROCK SNAPPER, MULLET SNAPPER, MANGROVE SNAPPER, BIG ROOSTERFISH, SIERRA MACKEREL, RAINBOW RUNNERS AND LOTS OF AFRICAN POMPANO. WHEN I TALLIED UP THE CATCHES 25 POMPANO HAD BEEN CAUGHT THIS DAY. THE TWO BEST CATCHES OF THE DAY WERE PETE'S 50 LB CUBERA SNAPPER WHICH FELL FOR A SLOW TROLLED BLUE RUNNER AND JOAO'S 80 LB PLUS ROOSTERFISH TAKEN ON A POPPER AND 30 LB TEST LINE! CAPTAIN LUCHO SAID, "IT WAS THE LARGEST ROOSTERFISH HE HAD EVER SEEN!" CONGRATULATION JOAO!

HOT BITE REPORTED AT JICARITA ISLAND

WAHOO, DORADO AND YELLOWFIN TUNA WERE GIVING OUR ANGLERS A REAL WORKOUT AT JICARITA ISLAND. CAPTAIN SERIGO'S ANGLERS FOUGHT A HUGE YELLOWFIN FOR OVER TWO HOUR AND THEN JUST WHEN THEY COULD SEE IT, IT MADE A QUICK TURN AND RAN UNDER THE BOAT AND GOT CUT OFF BY THE PROPELLERS. I HATE IT WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND OF COURSE IT IS ALWAYS WITH A LARGE FISH! RON, ROGER AND PETE WERE IN ON SEVERAL GOOD WAHOO BITES AND CAUGHT WAHOO IN THE 50 LB RANGE WITH THE LARGER WAHOO WEIGHTING AROUND 60 LBS.

BITS AND BITES

WITH THE RETURN OF CLEAN WATER THE CUBERA SNAPPER ACTION WAS BACK TO BETTER THAN NORMAL. MANY LARGE LARGE CUBERAS WERE CAUGHT AND RELEASED THIS WEEK. THE LARGEST WAS A 65 LB CUBERA CAUGHT BY GILBERTO WHILE FISHING WITH CAPTAIN TATIN. THE "SNOOK HOLE" WAS PRODUCING THIS WEEK AND A HAND FULL OF NICE SIZED SNOOK WERE CAUGHT AND RELEASED. BIG PACIFIC SAILFISH WERE FOUND OFFSHORE AND SEVERAL WERE HOOKED-UP ON POPPERS AND LIVE BAIT. THIS TIME OF YEAR THE JUNGLE RIVERS ARE FLOATING LOTS OF LOGS INTO THE OCEAN THUS PROVIDING STRUCTURE FOR THE DORADO TO HANG AROUND. OUR ANGLERS REPORTED SEEING HUNDREDS OF SMALL DORADO AROUND THE LARGER LOGS AND BIG DORADO WERE CAUGHT UNDER THE LOGS WHEN JIGS WERE DROPPED DOWN TO 75 TO 100 FT. OH, THERE WERE ALSO YELLOWFIN TUNA LURKING BELOW THE SMALL DORADO. WITH THIS KIND OF ACTION A FISHERMAN DOESN'T NEED A PACEMAKER OR THE PLAYBOY CHANNEL TO GET HIS HEART PUMPING!

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER QUALITY! THIS ONE THING CAN EFFECT YOUR FISHING AS MUCH OR MORE THAT ANYTHING ELSE!

I AM PREDICTING THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO ARE GOING TO PRODUCE SOME EXCELLENT FISHING. BIG CUBERA SNAPPERS ARE COMING BACK INTO THE AREA. THERE ARE A LOT OF SMALL DORADO AROUND AND THE ONES THAT DON'T GET EATEN ARE ONLY GOING TO GET LARGER BY THE DAY. WE ARE CATCHING BIGGER THAN USUAL WAHOO IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS. SOME RECORD SIZED ROOSTERFISH WERE ALSO CAUGHT AND RELEASED THIS WEEK.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: