Fishing Report - 12/27/08

SEASONS GREETINGS FROM THE TROPICS

NOT TO RUB IT IN, BUT AS YOU ARE SITTING IN THE ECONOMICALLY DEPRESSED, DARK AND GLOOMY, FROZEN NORTH LAND WE ARE DOWN IN THE SUNNY TROPICS, CATCHING LOTS OF FISH AND HAVING THE TIME OF OUR LIVES. WISH YOU WERE HERE AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

AFTER EXTENSIVE PLANNING OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THIS WEEK'S ANGLERS WERE ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER THEIR FISHING TRIP WITH PESCA PANAMA. THEIR MOST LIMITING FACTOR HAD BEEN FINDING A TIME WHEN EVERYONE COULD GET AWAY FROM THEIR BUSY WORK AND SCHOOL SCHEDULES. SEE, THIS WAS A FATHER AND SON FISHING TRIP ALONG WITH A COUPLE OF FISHING BUDDIES COMING ALONG. FISHING THIS WEEK WITH PESCA PANAMA WERE GLEN AND TOMMY HACKER, RICK AND JAKE ANGELO, EDWARD AND CAM CALDWELL, CARLOS AND HIS TWO SONS CHARLIE AND JOE, CHRISTIAN AND ROB BRITT, JOHN ROGER LAKE, JR AND JOHN ROGER LAKE III, CRAIG KEHOE, ALEX PERU AND HAYDEN REYNOLDS. THOUGH NOT FISHING WITH THIS GROUP, WE HAD PETER REGAN FISHING WITH US FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER NOT BEING ABLE TO SECURE A CHARTER DATE LAST YEAR.

PETER WAS FISHING WITH CAPTAIN LUCHO WHEN HE CAUGHT THE FIRST BLACK MARLIN OF THE TRIP. THE FISH ATE A SLOW TROLLED LIVE BONITA WHILE FISHING NEAR ISLA LADRONES. WHEN RELEASED THE BLACK MARLIN WAS ESTIMATED TO BE THE THE 350 LB RANGE. PETER WAS PUMPED! NUMEROUS ROOSTERFISH, DORADO, CUBERA SNAPPERS AND SEVERAL OTHER SPECIES OF FISH WERE ALSO CAUGHT THE FIRST DAY OUT. I LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD WEEK OF FISHING IN PANAMA!

ON DAY TWO I WAS PILOTING THE BARGE OUT TO THE FISHING GROUNDS AT COIBA ISLAND. THIS IS SOMETHING I DO ALMOST EVERY WEEK. BUT THIS WEEK WHEN I REACHED THE SECAS ISLAND I SAW THE WATER CHANGE TO THAT DEEP COBALT BLUE COLOR THAT INDICATES GREAT FISHING. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, "I JUST BET THE FISHING THIS WEEK IS GOING TO BE FANTASTIC!"

TUNA TIME AT ISLA MONTUOSA

STARTING FROM THE TIME WHEN I PICKED THESE ANGLERS UP AT THE AIRPORT THEY WERE ASKING ME ABOUT THE TUNA ACTION. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT WE HAD BEEN CATCHING A FEW YELLOWFIN TUNA BUT THE REAL TUNA BITE HAD NOT STARTED AS OF YET. WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW WAS THAT WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE! WHILE FISHING WITH CAPTAIN TITO, YOUNG ANGLER CHARLIE FONTS LANDED THE BIGGEST YELLOWFIN TUNA OF THE DAY WITH THE WEIGHT ESTIMATED AT 250 LBS. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY COMBINED TUNA CATCHES WEIGHING 220, 200, 200, 180, 160, 130, 130, 130, 100, 100, 80, 80 AND 60 POUNDS. A TOTAL OF 14 YELLOWFIN TUNA THE SECOND DAY OUT. I THINK YOU COULD SAY THE TUNA ARE HERE!

THE NEXT DAY THE ANGLERS WANTED TO GIVE THE TUNA FISHING AND THEMSELVES A LITTLE REST AND DECIDED TO TRY THEIR FISHING LUCK AT JICRON AND JICARITA ISLANDS. THIS IS AGAIN OUR NORMAL FISHING SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK. BUT THE FISHING WASN'T NORMAL. IT WAS OFF THE CHARTS! YOUNGER BROTHER JOE FONTS WAS FISHING WITH CAPTAIN TITO WHEN HE HOOKED UP A BLACK MARLIN THAT ATE A SLOW TROLLED LIVE BONITA. THIS WAS JOE'S FIRST TIME TO BATTLE A MARLIN AND THE TOUGH, YOUNG ANGLER HUNG IN THERE. AFTER A 90 MINUTE FIGHT ON 50 LB STAND-UP TACKLE, JOE WAS ABLE TO CLAIM A LIVE RELEASE ON AN ESTIMATED 550 POUND BLACK MARLIN. THIS WAS A FISH OF A LIFE TIME FOR ANY YOUNG TEENAGER. AS THE MARLIN SWAM AWAY TO FREEDOM IT DECIDED TO GIVE THEM ONE LAST THRILL AND MADE A JUMP RIGHT OFF THE BOW OF THE BOAT. JOE'S FATHER, CARLOS, WAS READY WITH HIS CAMERA AND WAS ABLE TO CAPTURE A PHOTO OF THIS MAGNIFICENT FISH.

BUT JOE'S MARLIN WASN'T THE ONLY ACTION TODAY. INSHORE THE OTHER FOUR BOATS WERE POUNDING THE WATER WITH POPPERS AND JIGS. IT SEEMED JUST ABOUT EVERY KIND OF LURE YOU THREW AT THE FISH THEY WOULD HIT! WHEN THE DAILY TALLY WAS TAKEN OF FISH CAUGHT AND MOST OF THEM RELEASED, IT INCLUDED AN IMPRESSIVE; 10 MULLET SNAPPERS, 19 CUBERA SNAPPERS, 2 GRAY THREADFIN BASS, 37 JACK CREVALLE, 33 BLUE JACKS, 2 AFRICAN POMPANO, 13 AMBERJACK, 11 DORADO, 10 ROOSTERFISH, 2 ROCK SNAPPER, 1 BLACKFIN TUNA, 1 BROOMTAIL GROUPER AND 4 YELLOW SNAPPERS. NOW THAT WOULD BE A LOT OF FISH IF YOU WERE FISHING WITH DYNAMITE!

SOME OF THE OTHER GREAT CATCHES THIS WEEK INCLUDED ROB'S CATCH OF A 200 LB YELLOWFIN TUNA, A 350 LB BLACK MARLIN, A 90 LB SAILFISH AND 4 ROOSTERFISH. CHARLIE WAS BACK IN THE ACTION WHEN HE ADDED A 250 LB BLUE MARLIN TO HIS LIST OF FISH CAUGHT. CHRIS CAUGHT A COLOSSAL CUBERA THAT WAS IN THE 70 LB CLASS.

DAY NUMBER FIVE AND WE SAW THE BITE SLOW DOWN BOTH OFFSHORE AND INSHORE. IN WAS FUNNY IN THAT YOU COULD SOMETIMES EVEN SEE THE FISH, PRESENT THE BAIT, AND THEY JUST WERE NOT EATING. I GUESS THEY MUST HAVE HAD THEIR FILL! BUT LET ME SAY, "BABY WHEN THE FISHING WAS HOT, IT WAS HOT!" I WANT TO THANK ALL OF OUR ANGLER THIS WEEK FOR CHOOSING TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA. WHAT A GREAT WEEK WE HAD!

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: YOU CAN'T CATCH FISH IN A SNOW BANK! BUT YOU CAN CATCH BIG FISH ON HANNIBAL BANK!

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK AND WE HAVE LOTS OF GOOD ONES: