Fishing Report - 07/10/10

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

PESCA PANAMA GREETED AN INTERESTING AND MIXED GROUP OF ANGLERS THIS WEEK. FROM ENGLAND WE WELCOMED BACK RETURNING BRITISH ANGLERS PETER THOMAS AND PAUL SHERWOOD. SCOTT COOPER, HEADED UP OUR KANSAS CONTINGENT, RETURNING TO FISH WITH HIS TWO SONS, CAMERON AND CARSTON AND SCOTT'S FATHER JIM COOPER. FROM BRAZIL WE FISHED WITH ANGLERS SAMUEL AVILA, SANDRO AVILA, HERIQUE ARAUJO TEIXEIRA AND CARLOS ALBERTO TEIXEIRA. FROM CANADA WAS FISHERMEN PETE GUSTIN. NO MATTER WHERE FISHERMEN COME FROM THEY ALL WANT TO DO THE SAME THING, CATCH FISH!

FISHING AT ISLA LADRONES PRODUCED A FEW FISH ON THE WAY OUT. BUT THE REAL FISHING ACTION STARTED AT ISLA MONTUOSA WHERE PETER AND PAUL REELED IN 9 WAHOO AND THEN FOLLOWED THIS UP WITH 6 YELLOWFIN TUNA IN THE 30-60 LB RANGE.

OUR BRAZILIAN ANGLERS WERE KEPT BUSY JIGGING. IN FACT THEY REELED IN FISH UNTIL THEIR ARMS ACHED. MY RECORDS SHOW THEY CAUGHT 18 BIG MULLET SNAPPER, 53 JACK CREVALLE, 4 YELLOWFIN TUNA, A 60 LB GROUPER AND A WHOLE HANDFUL OF OTHER FISH.

TALES OF TWO TUNA
AFTER A GREAT DAY OF FISHING IN HANNABAL BANK, THE LAST CAST LED TO ALL THE EXCITEMENT AS THE DAY CAME TO AN END. CARSTON COOPER SPENT ALMOST TWO HOURS REELING IN A BIG TUNA. AFTER A LONG HARD FIGHT, THE 260 POUND TUNA STILL WOULDN'T GIVE UP. FINALLY THE TUNA CAME INTO SIGHT AND WITH THE HELP OF A GREAT CAPTAIN AND MATE, IT MADE IT POSSIBLE TO FINALLY CATCH THE BIG BEAUTIFUL FISH.

PETE GUSTIN AND PETER THOMAS' DAY STARTED WITH CALM SEAS AND SOME SUN. THIS WAS A WELCOME CHANGE AS WE HAD BEEN FIGHTING THE WEATHER FOR THREE DAYS BUT HAD CAUGHT A LOT OF FISH . WE ARRIVED AT ISLA MONTUOSA AND CAPTAIN TATIN SET FOUR LINES TO TROLL FOR WAHOO. WE HOOKED AND LANDED TWO WAHOO OF ABOUT 35 LB. WE ALSO CAUGHT 6 FALSE ALBACORE TUNA BUT THE BITE SLOWED AND TATIN MADE THE CALL. WE WOULD CATCH BONITO, THEN GO TO HANNIBAL BANK. WE ARRIVED ON THE BANK, SET TWO BAITS OUT AND WERE REWARDED WITH AN IMMEDIATE TAKE ON PETE'S ROD. THE FISH RAN OUT A LOT OF LINE, NO JUMPS OR GOING DEEP. WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS. SUDDENLY AFTER 10 MINUTES IT REALIZED IT WAS HOOKED AND LEAPT INTO THE AIR TO SHOW US IT WAS A 250 LB BLACK MARLIN. IT TOOK A LOT OF LINE - JUMPED AGAIN AND SADLY THREW THE HOOK!

HOURS PASSED AS WE WATCHED OTHER BOATS HOOK UP ON BIG TUNA AND WONDERED IF WE WOULD HOOK UP. THE OTHER BOATS LEFT AND THEN SUDDENLY THE SEA EXPLODED AS A SCHOOL OF 250 LB TUNA CRASHED A SCHOOL OF BAIT! CAPTAIN TATIN NEEDED ONLY TO MOVE THE BOAT AHEAD ABOUT 50 YARDS AND THE FISH WOULD BE IN CASTING RANGE. I TOOK ONE SECOND TO LOOK AT MY ROD TIP AND MY GT BULL, THEN I MADE THE CAST OF MY LIFE. MY POPPER LANDED NEAR THE TUNA, I CLOSED THE BAIL ON MY STELLA 1800 AND STARTED MY RETRIEVE. INSTANTLY I WAS HOOKED UP ON THE LARGEST TUNA I HAVE EVER SEEN ! THE FISH RAN OUT HARD AND MY 80 LB BRAID WAS ALL BUT GONE IN 20 SECONDS. I YELLED FROM THE BOW OF THE BOAT, GO TATIN GO! I WAS ABLE TO GAIN LINE AND THE FISH CHANGED TACTICS AND WENT DEEP, FORTUNATELY THE SCHOOL WAS STILL UP AND TATIN THREW OUT A LIVE BAIT AND WE WERE INTO A DOUBLE ON 250 LBS TUNA. I FOUGHT MY FISH HARD FOR ONE HOUR, MY SPOOL WAS FULL AND I HAD HIM TO WITHIN 50 YARDS. THEN AS FAST AS IT STARTED IT WAS OVER FOR ME. THE REAR HOOK ON MY GT BROKE. I SAT FOR A FEW SECONDS, GRABBED A WATER AND TURNED MY FOCUS TO PETER. HIS 30 SHIMANO WIDE WITH 50 LB LINE WAS ALMOST EMPTY. BUT WITH MY FISH GONE WE COULD NOW GAIN LINE ON HIS FISH. TATIN WORKED THE BOAT EXPERTLY AND AFTER ANOTHER 30 MINUETS PETER WAS ABLE TO BRING THE FISH TO GAFF RANGE. WE GOT TWO GAFFS IN THE FISH AND THE THREE OF US MANAGED TO PULL IT OVER THE GUNNELS. THE CHEERS WENT OFF AND A FEW HIGH FIVES AS PETER HAD HIS LARGEST TUNA EVER. PETER LATER TOLD ME THIS WAS HIS THIRD TRIP WITH PESCA PANAMA AND HIS THIRD TUNA OVER 200 LBS, WOW! PETER'S FISH WEIGHT WAS 244 LBS. MINE, WELL IT'S THE ONES YOU DON'T GET THAT BRING YOU BACK!. WRITTEN BY FISHERMAN PETE GUSTIN

EARLIER PETE LOST A BLACK MARLIN WHILE FISHING AT HANNIBAL BANK AFTER THE HOOK PULLED AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES. THE NEXT DAY PAUL WAS ABLE TO CATCH AND RELEASE AN ESTIMATED 300 BLACK MARLIN ON HIS LAST DAY FISHING AT ISLA LADRONES, ALONG WITH 6 MULLET SNAPPER AND A CUBERA SNAPPER.

THIS FISHING REPORT IS GOING TO PUT THE WRAP ON PESCA PANAMA'S 2010 FISHING SEASON. THANKS TO ALL OF OUR FISHERMEN FOR FISHING WITH US. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU FISHING WITH US AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND AGAIN THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA

TIGHT LINES
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN AND ALL THE CREW

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: DON'T PUT OFF UNTIL TOMORROW WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY FOR TOMORROW MAY NEVER COME!


CARSTON COOPER WITH HIS 260 LB YELLOWFIN TUNA


COOPERS WITH THEIR HANDS FULL OF MULLET SNAPPER












PETER WITH HIS 244 LB YELLOWFIN


PAUL WITH A POMPANO


CAMERON AND CAPTAIN LUCHO WITH A BIG SAILFISH