HARRY'S BACK, THAT IS HARRY LOWELL AND HIS HEARTY GROUP OF ANGLERS RETURNING TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS SEASON. THE VETERAN ANGLERS IN THIS GROUP INCLUDED ROSS HOOKER, STEVE DINKEL, MARK FIRING AND PAUL PFAFF. NEW COMERS INCLUDED WADE "HOOP" HOOPER, ROB STALVEY, SKIP RUCK AND GET THIS, KEN MARLIN AND HIS 84 YEAR OLD FATHER ELMER MARLIN. WITH NAMES LIKE HOOKER AND MARLIN YOU WOULD THINK WE WOULD BE INTO THE FISH.

BIGGEST BLACK MARLIN OF THE YEAR CAUGHT AT THE BANK

IT HAPPENED WHEN CAPTAIN MACHO TOOK HARRY AND SKIP TO HANNIBAL BANK TO FISH FOR BLACK MARLIN. HARRY HAD JUST TAKEN A TUMBLE BEFORE HE CAME TO PANAMA AND AS A RESULT HAD BROKEN THREE RIBS. SO IT WAS SKIP THAT WAS GOING TO BE THE ANGLER THIS DAY. NOW SKIP IS A FLORIDA NATIVE AND NO NOVICE TO SALTWATER ANGLING. BUT WHEN THE BIG BLACK MARLIN ATE ONE OF THE LIVE BONITA HE HAD OUT, HE DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS GOING TO BE THE HARDEST FIGHTING FISH OF HIS LIFE! AFTER THE INITIAL HOOK-UP THE MARLIN, IN TYPICAL BLACK MARLIN FASHION, SOUNDED. THE FISH WENT DOWN AND STAYED DOWN, DOGGING ON THE LINE AS SKIP PUT ON MAX PRESSURE FOR THE NEXT THREE HOURS. DURING THE FIGHT HIS 50 TO 80 POUND CLASS ROD SNAPPED. THE MATE AND CAPTAIN MACHO EXPERTLY TIED THE LINE ON TO ANOTHER ROD AND REEL AND THE FIGHT CONTINUED. WHEN THE HUGE FISH FINALLY NEARED THE SURFACE THE MATE GRABBED THE LEADER AND IT WAS A CAUGHT FISH. CAPTAIN MACHO GUESSED ITS' OVER ALL LENGTH AT ELEVEN FEET AND THE WEIGHT AROUND 700 POUNDS. THIS WOULD MAKE IT THE LARGEST BLACK MARLIN PESCA PANAMA HAS CAUGHT THIS SEASON. WHEN AN EXHAUSTED SKIP WATCHED THE STILL QUITE ACTIVE FISH SWIM AWAY HE KNEW HE HAD JUST FOUGHT THE BIGGEST AND HARDEST FIGHTING FISH OF HIS LIFE!

THIS WAS ABOUT IT FOR THE FIRST THREE DAY OF FISHING. ALL FIVE OF PESCA PANAMA'S BOATS WERE CONCENTRATING ON CATCHING MARLIN BUT OTHER THAT SKIP'S BIG MARLIN, THE BITE JUST WASN'T HAPPENING. OH, WE WERE CATCHING A FEW FISH. ROB CAUGHT HIS FIRST EVER PACIFIC SAILFISH. CAPTAIN TOMMY'S ANGLERS LANDED ELEVEN YELLOWFIN ONE EVENING WITH ROSS LANDING THE LARGEST TUNA THAT WAS A GOOD SOLID 150 POUNDS. KEN AND ELMER HAD ALSO LANDED A COUPLE OF SMALL TUNA. THEN ELMER HOOKED A BIG YELLOWFIN TUNA THAT PROMPTLY DUMPED ALL THE LINE FROM HIS REEL! BUT WHAT WE REALLY WERE NEEDING WAS, "A LITTLE LESS TALK AND LOT MORE ACTION!"

ACTION AT HANNIBAL BANK HEATS UP!

ON DAY FOUR EVERYONE WAS ANXIOUS TO SEE IF THE BITE WAS GOING TO TURN ON. CAPTAIN MACHO WAS FIRST BACK TO THE BARGE WITH THE REPORT THAT AFTER OVER A TWO HOUR BATTLE, ROB HAD CAUGHT AND RELEASED HIS FIRST BLACK MARLIN. THE FISH WOULD HAVE EASILY WEIGHED OVER 500 POUNDS. A GREAT FIRST MARLIN IN ANYONE'S BOOK.

NEXT IN WAS CAPTAIN SERGIO WITH HIS FISHING REPORT. ELMER, 84 YEARS OLD AND AN INSPIRATION TO ANY MAN THAT FISHES, HAD LANDED A BIG BLUE MARLIN! SON KEN AIDED HIS FATHER IN FIGHTING THE FISH, SO WE CAN DEFINITELY CALL THIS A FAMILY FISHING AFFAIR. DURING THE FIGHT THEY HAD THE "BIG BLUE" NEAR THE BOAT NUMEROUS TIMES BUT THE FISH WOULD SURGE AWAY. FINALLY THEY WERE ABLE TO BRING THE FISH TO LEADER AND WHEN IT WAS RELEASED THE WEIGHT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 600 POUNDS. WAY TO GO ELMER!

NEXT WAS CAPTAIN TATIN WITH THE REPORT THAT "HOOP" HAD CAUGHT A BLACK MARLIN AT HANNIBAL BANK. WHEN THIS MARLIN WAS RELEASED IN WAS ESTIMATED AT 300 LBS. NOW WE HAD IT GOING AGAIN!

THE FOLLOWING DAY STEVE WAS THE ANGLER WITH THE LUCK. FISHING WITH CAPTAIN LUCHO, HE CAUGHT A BLACK MARLIN THAT AT RELEASE WAS ESTIMATED TO WEIGH 450 POUNDS. THIS BLACK MARLIN WAS "AERIAL" AS HE MUST HAVE JUMPED 15 TIMES. WE SHOULD HAVE HAD SOME GREAT ACTION SHOTS OF THE MARLIN MAKING SPECTACULAR LEAPS THROUGH THE AIR. BUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER, ROSS, DURING ALL THIS ACTION DROPPED HIS CAMERA IN THE OCEAN. ANOTHER ARTIFACT FOR "DAVY JONES' LOCKER."

THE SAME DAY THERE WAS SOME YELLOWFIN ACTION. MARK CAUGHT A NICE 130 POUND TUNA ON A POPPER AND MANY SMALLER TUNA WERE BROUGHT TO THE BOAT.

AT THE END OF THE CHARTER ROB SAID HE ONLY WANTED TO FILE ONE COMPLAINT, "I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT A WONDERFUL TIME!"

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: PATIENCE PAYS OFF. THIS IS TRUE WITH MANY THINGS IN LIFE, BUT SPECIALLY TRUE IN FISHING. I THINK DUE TO ALL THE "FISHING SHOWS" THAT ARE NOW RUNNING ON TV 24 HOURS PER DAY, THAT MANY FISHERMEN GET THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY PAY THEIR MONEY AND THE FISH ARE JUST OUT THERE WAITING TO JUMP ON THEIR HOOK. IF THIS IS ALL YOU ARE WANTING THEN I SUGGEST YOU VISIT YOUR LOCAL TROUT HATCHERY. THE TRUE SPORTSMEN UNDERSTANDS THAT IT TAKES PATIENCE AND THEN SOMETIMES THIS ISN'T ENOUGH. BUT JUST LIKE THIS WEEK, WHEN THE FISHING IS SLOW, KEEP FISHING. THOSE FISH HAVE TO EAT SOMETIME.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


ELMER WITH A BLUE TREVALLE



PAUL WITH A ROOSTER FISH PULLED FROM THE ROCKS



ROSS WITH A NICE TUNA. NOW WHY IS HIS MOUTH LIKE THAT?



MARK WITH ONE YELLOWFIN ON THE DECK AND THE NEXT ONE ON THE LINE



HOOP AND PAUL WITH SOME MULLET SNAPPER



HOOP WITH A DORADO



MARK AND A CUBERA SNAPPER



STEVE WITH HIS BLACK MARLIN



STEVE WITH A BIG ROOSTERFISH



ROB AND A ROOSTERFISH