WE FIRED UP THE ENGINES, CAST OF THE LINES AND DEPARTED DOWN RIVER. AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS OF BEING TIED TO THE DOCK IT WAS GOOD TO AGAIN BE GOING FISHING. THIS MARKED THE BEGINNING OF PESCA PANAMA'S TENTH YEAR OF FISHING IN THE COIBA ISLAND, HANNIBAL BANK AREA OF PANAMA. AS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE SAYS, "WE ARE LUCKY PEOPLE."

OUR FISHERMEN THIS WEEK INCLUDED BROTHERS ANDY AND BEN SIEGEL AND THEIR FISHING PARTNER ANDY DICK. THEY WERE FISHING WITH CAPTAIN TOMMY AND MATE CARLOS. HANK SZOPINSKI AND JOE WOFCHUCK WERE FISHING IN THE SECOND BOAT WITH CAPTAIN LUCHO AND MATE CHI CHI. ALL OF THIS WEEK'S GUEST ARE ACCOMPLISHED ANGLERS AND IT WAS ALSO THERE FIRST TIME TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA. I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE AN EXCITING WEEK OF FISHING FOR ALL OF THEM!

ROOSTERFISH AND CUBERA SNAPPER

THE FIRST DAY OUT AND ALL OF THE ANGLERS CAUGHT THEIR FIRST EVER ROOSTERFISH. THIS WAS A GREAT WAY TO START THE TRIP. ON DAY TWO JOE HAD TWO ROD AND REELS YANKED FROM HIS HANDS BY SOME FEISTY FISH. MATE CHI CHI WAS ABLE TO DIVE IN AND RETRIEVE ONE ROD AND REEL AND THE OTHER ROD AND REEL IS NOW IN THE ROD AND REEL COLLECTION OF DAVY JONES. NOT TO BE OUTSMARTED BY A FISH, ON DAY THREE JOE HAD A NEW PLAN. HE WAS SMILING WHEN HE DISPLAYED THE SAFETY LINE HE HAD MADE AND ATTACHED AROUND HIS WAIST. NOW IF THE ROD AND REEL WAS GOING TO BE PULLED OVERBOARD HE WAS GOING WITH IT. I COULD ONLY CROSS MY FINGERS HOPING THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN. IT MUST HAVE WORKED FOR WHEN HANK AND JOE RETURNED THEY HAD FOUGHT SEVEN BIG CUBERA SNAPPERS AND WITH NO EQUIPMENT LOSSES.

MEANWHILE THE TWO ANDYS AND BEN HAD BEN CATCHING THEIR OWN CUBERA SNAPPERS ALONG WITH A WHOLE MIXED BAG OF OTHER FISH. BUT GET THIS, A WHALE SHARK SWAM UP RIGHT ALONG SIDE OF THEIR BOAT AND ANDY SIEGEL GRABBED HIS DIVING MASK AND JUMPED OUT OF THE BOAT AND RIGHT ON THE BACK OF THE WHALE SHARK. THE BIG ANIMAL DIDN'T SEEM ALARMED AT ALL AS ANDY LOCKED HIS LEGS AROUND IT, GRABBED HOLD OF ITS' DORSAL FIN AND TOOK ANDY FOR A RIDE. AT FIRST IT STAYED NEAR THE SURFACE BUT THEN IT STARTED TO SLOWLY SWIM DEEPER. AS ANDY LOOKED BACK HE COULD SEE HIS FISHING BOAT GETTING SMALLER AND SMALLER, IT WAS TIME TO SAY GOOD BYE TO THE WHALE SHARK AS HE RELEASED HIS GRIP AND THE WHALE SHARK DESCENDED INTO THE DEPTHS.

WAHOO AND DORADO

THOUGH THE WEATHER WAS ROUGH THIS WEEK, THE ANGLERS RODE IT OUT TO GET TO JICRON ISLAND. THERE THEY FOUND GOOD WAHOO FISHING.

DORADO TO 50 LBS. WERE TAKEN ON POPPERS WHEN A BIG TRASH LINE WAS ENCOUNTERED AROUND THE SECAS ISLANDS. DORADO WERE TO BE CAUGHT EVERYWHERE AND ONE EVERYTHING THAT WAS THROW AT THEM. POPPERS, JIGS, CHUNK BAIT, IT DIDN'T SEEM TO REALLY MATTER. THESE FISH WERE HUNGRY!

A GREAT FIRST WEEK OF FISHING! THE WEATHER COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BETTER AS WE FELT THE EFFECT OF THE LATE TROPICAL STORM THAT WAS CROSSING THE CARRIBEAN. BUT THE FISHING WAS GREAT AND EVERY ANGLER SAID GOOD BYE WITH A SMILE ON THEIR FACE AND A PROMISE TO QUICKLY RETURN TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: YOZURI SASHIMI POPPERS FISHED ON LIGHTER SPINNING TACKLE WERE THE TICKET THIS WEEK. THOUGH WE HAVE THE BEST IN HEAVIER SPINNING TACKLE YOU MIGHT WANT TO BRING ALONG SOME OF YOUR LIGHTER TACKLE. IT SURE UPS THE FUN FACTOR.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: