ANGLERS RETURNING THIS WEEK TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA INCLUDED JIM BUTTERWORTH, BILL BOTELER, PETER GUSTIN AND BRAD OAKS. FIRST TIMERS INCLUDED TYSON OAKES, CHRIS UBER, KEN GARCIA, SCOT SMITH, BILL ECKERT, ROD KINNEY, AL MARHUS, LOREN CLONINGER AND MIKE STIER.

BLACK MARLIN BITE AT ISLA MONTUOSA

ISLA MONTUOSA LITE UP THIS WEEK FOR SOME OF OUR ANGLERS. WHILE FISHING WITH CAPTAIN TATIN, BILL AND ROD DOUBLE TEAMED A BLACK MARLIN THAT UPON RELEASE LOOKED TO BE IN THE 500 LB CLASS. NEXT ROD FOUGHT AN EVEN LARGER BLACK MARLIN THAT WAS LOST 20 FEET FROM THE BOAT WHEN THE LEADER BROKE.

CAPTAIN MACHO WAS FISHING NEAR ISLA MONTUOSA WITH CHRIS AND KEN WHEN THEY GOT IN ON THE MARLIN BITE. CHRIS WAS ABLE TO RELEASE A 600 POUND BLACK MARLIN AND KEN RELEASED A 350 POUND BLACK MARLIN. BOTH FISH WENT FOR, WHAT ELSE, A SLOW TROLLED LIVE BONITA.

AL, WHO IS 78 YEARS OLD, WAS FISHING WITH CAPTAIN SERIGO AT ISLA MONTUOSA WHEN HE HOOKED UP HIS BLACK MARLIN. WHEN THE FISH WAS RELEASE IT WAS ESTIMATED TO WEIGH 450 POUNDS. AL TOLD ME, "THIS IS A DAY IN HEAVEN!"

BRAD ALSO GO IN ON THE MARLIN BITE. WHILE FISHING WITH CAPTAIN LUCHO NEAR ISLA MONTUOSA HE CAUGHT AND RELEASED AND ESTIMATED 450 LB BLACK MARLIN. IT WAS GOING ON AT ISLA MONTUOSA THIS WEEK.

CAPTAIN TATIN HAD TAKEN HIS ANGLERS TO HANNIBAL BANK TO FISH FOR BLACK MARLIN. NOT BY COINCIDENCE THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES IN THE WORLD TO FISH FOR THEM! SCOT WAS THE ANGLER THAT WAS UP AND ON DECK WHEN THE BLACK MARLIN, "ATE THE BAIT." AFTER FIGHTING THE MARLIN ON STAND UP TACKLE, CAPTAIN TATIN WAS ABLE TO MAKE THE RELEASE. THE CREW ESTIMATED THE MARLIN'S WEIGHT AT AROUND 450 POUNDS. THAT EVENING, BACK AT THE BARGE, SCOT TOLD ME IT WAS HIS FIRST MARLIN EVER. CONGRATULATION SCOT!

SHARKS, SHARKS, SHARKS

TYSON WAS WANTING TO HOOK INTO SOME GOOD SIZED SHARKS THIS WEEK. WHILE THE BARGE WAS ANCHORED NEAR COIBA ISLAND WE USUALLY HAVE UP TO EIGHT HUGE NURSE SHARKS FEEDING AROUND THE BACK OF THE BARGE. SO TYSON BAITED UP AND PROCEEDED TO FIGHT ONE OF THESE EIGHT FOOTERS. WITH THAT FINISHED HE THOUGHT HE WAS DONE WITH SHARKS. THE NEXT DAY AT ISLA CANALES TYSON AND HIS DAD, BRAD, LANDED A 300 POUND HAMMERHEAD SHARK AND A BULL SHARK THAT WAS ABOUT THE SAME SIZE. THEN CAPTAIN LUCHO SPOTTED A BULL SHARK THAT MADE THESE TWO SHARKS LOOK SMALL. I DON'T THINK THESE GUYS WILL BE SWIMMING AROUND THE ISLAND FOR QUITE A WHILE.

AMBERJACK ATTACK BUTTERFLY JIGS

CAPTAIN TOMMY WAS RUNNING ABOUT A MILE OFFSHORE OF COIBA ISLAND WHEN HE PULLED THE THROTTLES BACK AND TOLD HIS ANGLERS; BILL, JIM AND PETER TO DROP IN THEIR JIGS. FROM THE SURFACE IT WAS NOT EVIDENT THAT 100 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE WAS ONE OF THE HUNDREDS OF UNCHARTED ROCKS THAT ARE IN THE AREA. AS SOON AS THE BUTTERFLY JIGS NEARED THE BOTTOM THE "REEF DONKEYS" JUMPED ON THEM. FOR THE NEXT HOUR ALL THREE ANGLERS HAD RODS BENT OVER AS THEY WOULD WRESTLE THE FISH TO THE SURFACE. ON TWO OCCASIONS BOTH BILL AND JIM CAUGHT TWO AMBERJACK ON ONE LURE, A FISH ON EACH HOOK! MIXED IN WITH THE AMBERJACK WERE NUMEROUS CUBERA SNAPPERS AND BIG POMPANO. WHEN THE BITE SLOWED DOWN THERE HAD BEEN 30 AMBERJACK BROUGHT TO THE BOAT, WITH 24 OF THE FISH RELEASED. NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL A HOT BITE!

YELLOWFIN TUNA AND ROOSTERFISH

YELLOWFIN AND ROOSTERFISH MADE UP A BIG PART OF THE ACTION THIS WEEK. ONE DAY AT, WHERE ELSE, MONTUOSA ISLAND WE HAD THREE BOATS CATCH 79 YELLOWFIN TUNA. NOT BIG TUNA, BUT TUNA IN THE 50 TO 80 LB CLASS. THIS DAY THE ACTION WAS ON JIGS WITH MANY OF THE HOOK UPS MADE WHEN THE JIGS WERE FALLING. ROOSTERFISH WERE TAKEN IN MANY AREAS THIS WEEK BUT THE LAST DAYS FISHING AT PARDIAS ISLAND WAS THE BEST. BRAD, TYSON AND CHRIS CAUGHT AND RELEASE FIVE BIG ROOSTERFISH. WHAT A GREAT WAY TO END AND GREAT WEEK.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: THIS WEEK'S ANGLERS BILL, JIM AND PETER ALL BROUGHT "LIGHT WEIGHT" FISHING TACKLE WITH THEM. AS EACH ONE OF THESE ANGLERS HAD FISHED WITH PESCA PANAMA BEFORE, THEY WERE AWARE OF THE FUN THAT CAN BE HAD FISHING WITH THIS LIGHTER TACKLE. NO, THIS LIGHTER TACKLE WON'T WORK FOR CATCHING BIG YELLOWFIN TUNA. BLACK MARLIN OR CUBERA SNAPPERS FOR THAT MATTER. BUT WHAT IT WILL DO IS MAKE CATCHING A FIVE OR TEN POUND FISH THE BEST FIGHT OF THE DAY.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


BRAD WITH A BLUE TREVALLE



TYSON WITH HIS FIRST ROOSTERFISH



NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT, BUT THE SAIL IS COMING IN



ROD WITH A "SMALL" SNOOK FROM THE "SNOOK HOLE"



AL BAGS A DORADO



MIKE AND LOREN HOIST A HEAVY CUBERA



CHRIS WITH A LAST DAY ROOSTER



BRAD WITH ONE OF THE FIVE ROOSTERFISH THEY CAUGHT ON THE LAST DAY FISHING



BILL AND ANOTHER NICE ROOSTERFISH



SCOT IS EXCITED!