Fishing Report - 04/07/07

GREETINGS FROM THE TROPICS,

POPPER FISHING WAS NUMBER ONE ON THE AGENDA THIS WEEK AT PESCA PANAMA.  FROM FRANCE WE WELCOMED ANGLERS;  PAUL CHEBILLE, GILLES LEBOBINNEC, GERARD LEBOBINNEC, TANGUY PERENNES AND ERIC LAUVRAY.   FROM SWITZERLAND WE WELCOMED ANGLERS; ALAIN BERGER, RICHARD WIDMER, FRANSOIS JAQUENOND, ERNEST JAQUENOND AND GERALD WIDTIER .  FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH EUROPEAN ANGLERS, THESE FISHERMEN WILL TRAVEL THE GLOBE TO GO POPPER FISHING. TO SAY THEY ARE ACCOMPLISHED POPPER FISHERMEN WOULD BE CORRECT!
 
FISHING STARTED OFF  SLOW AS THE ANGLERS ENCOUNTERED RED TIDE IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS.  BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY THE FISHERMEN WERE ABLE TO TALLY UP 45 FISH THAT HAD BEEN CAUGHT ON POPPERS.

THE NEXT DAY THE BOATS WERE FISHING AT MONTUOSA ISLAND WHERE, NOW READ THIS, THE CUBERA SNAPPER AND JACK CREVELLE WERE RUNNING WITH THE PORPOISE.  IT WAS FAST ACTION AS SCHOOLS OF FISH WERE RUSHING TO ATTACK THE POPPERS.  DURING ALL THIS CAPTAIN TATIN'S ANGLERS HOOKED UP A HUGE TUNA THAT THEY FOUGHT FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE THE LINE GOT CUT AS THE TUNA DOVE UNDER THE BOAT.  AFTER THIS THE SAME FISHERMEN WERE CASTING WHEN AN ESTIMATED 300 TO 400 LB BULL SHARK STRUCK THEIR POPPER.  THE ANGLERS LOOKED ON IN AMAZEMENT WHEN THE SHARK MADE A BIG LEAP OUT OF THE OCEAN WITH THE POPPER HANGING FROM ITS JAWS.  IN SHORT TIME THE SHARK CHOMPED DOWN ON THE MONOFILAMENT LEADER AND THE SHARK AND THE POPPER WERE GONE!

LATER IN THE WEEK THE ANGLERS GOT INTO SOME GOOD YELLOWFIN TUNA ACTION.  MOST OF THE FISH WERE IN THE 15 TO 50 LB RANGE WITH THE LARGEST WEIGHTING 120 LB.  THE ANGLERS FOUND THE TUNA  SCATTERED FROM JICRON ISLAND TO ISLA MONTUOSA.  ONE DAY, WHEN THE ANGLERS RETURNED TO THE BARGE AND THE TALLY WAS MADE, 114 YELLOWFIN  HAD BEEN CAUGHT AND MANY RELEASED, ALL ON TOP WATER POPPERS!  CAPTAIN TATIN'S ANGLERS HAD ALSO LANDED THEIR SECOND 65 LB ROOSTERFISH OF THE TRIP, AGAIN ALL CAUGHT ON TOP WATER.

THE TUNA JUST KEPT COMING AFTER THE POPPERS.  CAPTAINS TATIN AND TOMMY GUIDED THEIR ANGLERS TO A 110 LB TUNA AND ANOTHER BROKE OFF THAT WAS ESTIMATED AT 160 LBS, PLUS 5 MORE TUNA THAT WEIGHTED AROUND 50 LBS  EACH PLUS A 60 CUBERA! CAPTAIN MACHO'S ANGLERS TOOK A 120 LB YELLOWFIN ON A POPPER AND SO IT WENT. BY THE END OF THE TRIP SOME OF THESE FISHERMEN'S ARMS WERE JUST ABOUT TO FALL OFF!

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING NEWS: THIS WEEK PANAMA TV REPORTED THAT STARTING THIS MONTH WE SHOULD SEE THE BEGINNING OF THE "LA NINA".  THIS IS AN OCEAN  CURRENT OF COOLER WATER THAT USUALLY IMPROVES THE FISHING IN THIS AREA. SO GRAB YOUR FISHING ROD AND HANG ON!