Fishing Report - 05/26/07

GREETINGS FROM THE TROPICS

ROOSTERFISH, CUBERA SNAPPERS, BLACK MARLIN
 
THIS WEEK PESCA  PANAMA WAS HOST TO A GROUP OF INTERESTING ANGLERS FROM NEW ENGLAND.  THEY INCLUDED RETURNING ANGLERS GEORGE BABIKIAN AND DON ENDRIZZI ALONG WITH NEWCOMERS TED RINTEL AND HIS 83 YEAR OLD FATHER -IN -LAW  THADEOUS THORNE.  THAD HAD WORKED AS A FORESTER IN PANAMA WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN BACK IN 1954.  HE HAD A LOT OF INTERESTING STORIES TO SHARE FROM 50 YEARS AGO.  THEN THERE WAS LARRY BONE AND HIS SON CHRIS WHO HAD RECENTLY RETURNED FROM TWO TOURS OF MILITARY SERVICE IN IRAQ WITH THE 101ST ARMY DIVISION.  NEXT WERE BROTHERS CHUCK AND DAVID DE SIEYES AND DAVID'S SON MALCOLM, ALONG WITH WILLIAM HANSON AND SEAN CROTHERS.

RIGHT FROM THE START CAPTAIN LUCHO'S ANGLERS; DON, BILL AND SEAN, STARTED CATCHING ROOSTERFISH AROUND PARIDA ISLAND.  THEY LANDED SEVEN ROOSTERFISH IN THE 20 TO 40 LB RANGE, ALL CAUGHT ON POPPERS. THE NEXT DAY THEY CAUGHT AN EVEN LARGER ROOSTERFISH, WEIGHING AROUND 60 LBS, WHILE FISHING IN THE SECAS ISLANDS.  THE FOLLOWING DAY THEY WERE FISHING AT CANALES ISLAND WHERE THEY CAUGHT AN EVEN LARGER FISH THAT WEIGHED AROUND 70 LBS.  PHOTOS OF THEIR ROOSTERFISH CATCHES ARE IN THIS WEEKS REPORT.

CAPTAINS BARTOLO AND CHI CHO DECIDED TO RUN OFFSHORE AND TRY FOR TUNA AT ISLA MONTUOSA,  THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL IN FINDING THE TUNA AND LANDED 34 OF THEM, BUT THEY FOUND THE SEAS WERE ROUGH BY PANAMA STANDARDS.

BY THE SECOND DAY I HAD DECIDED TO TRY AND RUN THE BARGE TO THE CONTREAS ISLANDS WHERE I COULD ANCHOR IN A CALM ANCHORAGE AND OUR GROUP OF HARDY ANGLERS WOULD USE THIS AS THEIR BASE AND TRY FISHING FROM THERE.  AT THIS TIME WE WERE AWARE OF THE HEAVY WEATHER WE WERE EXPERIENCING BUT WERE UNAWARE THAT A TROPICAL DEPRESSION WAS FORMING IN THE CARIBBEAN AND WE WOULD BE FEELING IT'S EFFECTS FOR THE WEEK.  BANDS OF RAIN AND WIND WOULD BE SWIRLING OFF THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND FINDING IT'S WAY TO OUR FISHING GROUNDS IN PANAMA.

BY THE THIRD DAY OUT MIKE ALONG WITH TED AND THAD HAD DECIDED TO TRY FISHING ON THE LEEWARD SIDE OF COIBA ISLAND.  CAPTAINS TATIN AND TOMMY GUIDED THE FISHERMEN AT THE "SECRET BEACH" WHERE MIKE REPORTED GOOD FISHING ACTION AS THEY HOOKED AND RELEASED ABOUT EVERY SPECIES OF SNAPPER, GROUPER AND JACK THAT SWIMS IN THE SEA.

THIS ADVENTUROUS GROUP OF THREE WANTED TO TOUR THE NOW CLOSED PENAL COLONY ON COIBA ISLAND.  WITH A CASE OF BEER FOR THE GUARDS THAT STAND WATCH OVER THE FACILITY THEY EMBARKED ON THEIR TOUR.  AFTERWARDS THEY LEFT INSPIRED AND WERE GLAD TO HAVE MADE THE VISIT. WHILE IN THE AREA THEY ALSO GOT TO SEE A COUPLE OF THE WILD SCARLET MACAWS THAT LIVE ON COIBA ISLAND.

MALCOLM WAS FISHING WITH HIS DAD, DAVE AND UNCLE CHUCK AT HANNIBAL BANK WHEN HE HOOKED-UP A BLACK MARLIN.  THE BIG MARLIN  SKY ROCKETED RIGHT AT THE SIDE OF THE BOAT. AFTER A GOOD FIGHT THE CREW WAS ABLE TO MAKE A LIVE RELEASE ON THIS ESTIMATED 600 LB BLACK MARLIN.  THIS WAS THE FIRST MARLIN MALCOLM HAD EVER CAUGHT.

THE FOLLOWING DAY THE WEATHER HAD SETTLED DOWN AND THE CAPTAINS SET THEIR COURSE FOR HANNIBAL BANK.  GEORGE LANDED A BLACK MARLIN IN 30 MINUTES.  LARRY CAUGHT AND RELEASED ANOTHER BLACK MARLIN 20 MINUTES.  CHRIS PUT IN 40 MINUTES OF ROD TIME AND WAS ABLE TO RELEASE STILL ANOTHER BLACK MARLIN.  LOTS OF YELLOWFIN TUNA WERE ALSO CAUGHT ON THIS DAY.

WE ENJOYED GOOD FISHING THIS WEEK AND ALSO ENJOYED FISHING WITH A  GREAT GROUP OF ANGLERS.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK:
THIS WEEK WHILE GEORGE WAS FLY CASTING FOR YELLOWFIN TUNA HE HOOKED UP TO A FISH IN THE 100 LB RANGE.  WHILE PUTTING ON THE PRESSURE HIS FLY LINE PARTED AND THE YELLOWFIN DEPARTED. IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE FLY FISHING FOR BIG FISH IN A REMOTE AREA IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO BRING A COUPLE OF EXTRA FLY LINES.



CAPTAIN BARTOLO LEADERS IN LARRY' BLACK MARLIN


THAD HAS HIS HANDS FULL WITH A BIG ROOSTER


TED AND A ROOSTER CAUGHT NEAR THE ROCKS


MIKE AND A RARE GOLDEN JACK


GEORGE WITH THE SMALLEST ROOSTERFISH OF THE WEEK.  GEORGE DOESN'T LIKE CATCHING "BIG FISH"


LARRY LUGGING AROUND A REEF DONKEY


CHRIS AND A COLOSSAL CUBERA


SMILING BILL AND DON WITH A PAIR OF CUBERAS


BILL HAS LOTS OF HELP WITH HIS ROOSTERFISH


SHAWN AND CHI CHI HEFT A ROOSTER