Fishing Report - 09/30/07

GREETINGS FROM THE TROPICS

WHAT A GREAT WEEK OF FISHING TO START THE SEASON HERE AT PESCA PANAMA. THE WEATHER WAS RAINY FOR MOST OF THE WEEK BUT THE BITE WAS ON!

DIANE AND EBAN HUSTON HAD RETURNED FOR THEIR THIRD FISHING TRIP WITH PESCA PANAMA. THEN WE HAD FIRST TIMERS JON WHEAT, BRIAN HEADRICK AND ERIC JAHDE. ALL THREE FLATLANDERS BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP THEM FROM CATCHING FISH. NEXT WAS A GROUP OF ANGLERS FROM BRAZIL. LUIS CARLOS FONSUCA (LULA), FISHED WITH US LAST MAY. HE WAS JOINED BY ALBERTO WINDMULLER, ORIVALDO RUI MARCHI (TUCA), VICENTE LIMA, MAERCIL SAMPAIO, ENZO DI GENNARD AND FERNANDO GARCIA.

SOME OF THE HIGH POINTS OF THE WEEK WENT LIKE THIS. CAPTAIN TOMMY WAS JIG FISHING WITH A GROUP OF FOUR BRAZILIAN ANGLER NEAR COIBA ISLAND WHERE THEY LANDED 12 DIFFERENT SPECIES AND OVER 200 FISH IN ONE DAY. NOW THAT IS WHAT I WOULD CALL A "HOT JIG BITE." OUR WATER TEMPERATURE THIS WEEK WAS 79 DEGREES AND THAT IS COOL FOR HERE. I REALLY THINK THE COOLER WATER TEMPERATURE THIS TIME OF YEARS MAKES FOR BETTER JIG FISHING. OF COURSE WE ALSO HAVE TO TIP OUR HATS TO THE AHGLERS. GREAT JOB GUYS!

LOTS OF YELLOWFIN TUNA IN THE 40 TO 60 POUND RANGE WERE CAUGHT NEAR MONTUOSA ISLAND. BUT THE BIGGEST YELLOWFIN OF THE WEEK WAS CAUGHT ON HANNIBAL BANK. FERNANDO WAS POPPING WITH A PURPLE, YO ZURI GT BULL WHEN THE TUNA INHALED THE POPPER. SIXTY FIVE MINUTES THE FISH WAS IN THE BOAT. IT MEASURED 71 INCHES LONG WITH A GIRTH OF 49 INCHES. BY OUR FORMULA THE TUNA WEIGHTED AROUND 308 POUNDS. THIS WOULD MAKE IT THE LARGEST TUNA WE HAVE CAUGHT ON A SPINNING ROD AND REEL. BY THE WAY THE REEL WAS A SHIMANO STELLA 10,000 AND THE ROD WAS ONE OF OUR CUSTOM CROWDER RODS TIED ON A CAL STAR GRAFIGHTER BLANK. YOU GOT TO LOVE IT!

WHILE WE ARE AT HANNIBAL BANK I NEED TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE MARLIN BITE. EBAN AND DIANE WERE FISHING WITH CAPTAIN MACHO WHEN THE CAUGHT AN ESTIMATED 500 POUND BLACK MARLIN. SINCE EBAN HAD NEVER CAUGHT A BLUE MARLIN THIS WAS NEXT ON HIS LIST AND SURE ENOUGH THEY CAUGHT A 200 BLUE MARLIN THE NEXT DAY. NOT A BIG MARLIN BUT IT SURE PUT A SMILE ON EBAN´S FACE. LULA CAUGHT AND RELEASE AN ESTIMATED 350 POUND BLACK MARLIN WHILE FISHING WITH CAPTAIN TOMMY. CAPTAIN TATIN´S ANGLER BRIAN CAUGHT AND RELEASED A 400 POUND BLACK MARLIN AND JON BATTLED WITH A 350 BLACK MARLIN AND MADE ANOTHER LIVE RELEASE ON THIS FISH.

LADRONES ISLAND AND JICRON ISLAND HELD SCHOOLS OF WAHOO THIS WEEK. THE PARDIAS ISLAND WERE FULL ON LARGE AFRICAN POMPANO. THE LARGE SCHOOLS OF POMPANO IS SOMETHING I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. SEVERAL LARGE ROOSTERFISH WERE TAKEN ON POPPERS AS WERE LOTS OF CUBERA SNAPPERS.

SO AS YOU CAN TELL WE HAD A FANTASTIC WEEK OF FISHING. THANKS GUYS FOR PUTTING IN A GREAT FISHING EFF0RT.

OTHER NEWS FROM PESCA PANAMA. WE HAVE DETAILED ALL FIVE OF THE OCEAN MASTER BOATS AND THEY ARE ALL IN TIP TOP CONDITION. THREE OF THE BOATS ARE SPORTING NEW OUTBOARDS. THE BARGE IS READ FOR THE FISHING SEASON. WE HAVE ADDED 5000 GALLONS IN NEW FUEL TANKS, INSTALLED ALL NEW AIR CONDITIONING, A NEW 45 KW GENERATOR HAS BEEN SHIPPED AND IS ON ITS´WAY, ADDED A SATELLITE PHONE, PUT IN NEW WATER TIGHT HATCHES GOING DOWN BELOW DECKS AND ADDED 20 INCHES OF FREEBOARD ON THE BOW. WE ARE SHIP SHAPE AND READY TO GO FISHING.

TO HELP WITH THE FISHING WE HAVE A NEW CAPTAIN FISHING WITH US THIS YEAR. HE IS CAPTAIN TRAVIS ROLIN FROM KEY WEST FLORIDA. TRAVIS HAS GUIDED IN THE FLORIDA KEYS FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS AND IS AN AVID FLY FISHERMAN. I KNOW HE IS GOING TO BE A REAL ASSET TO PESCA PANAMA. OH, TO HELP KEEP FROM CONFUSING THIS TRAVIS WITH OUR OTHER TRAVIS IT WILL NOW BE REFERRED TO AS TRAVIS 1 AND TRAVIS 2.

OTHER SMALL ITEMS OF INTEREST, AFTER I WROTE THIS WEEKS FISHING REPORT AND HAD SOME GREAT FISHING PHOTOS MY LAP TOP JUST UP AND DIED. REWRITING THE REPORT WAS NOT A PROBLEM THOUGH I MUST ADMIT MY AGING MIND COULD NOT RECOUNT JUST EXACTLY WHAT ANGLERS LANDED WHICH FISH. BUT WITH THE "CRASH" WE LOST MOST OF THIS WEEKS PHOTOS AND WE HAD A LOT OF GREAT SHOTS. THE GOOD NEWS IS 1200 DOLLARS LATER AND WE ARE BACK UP AND RUNNING. HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS YEARS FISHING REPORTS. BETTER YET WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE LETS GO FISHING. IT IS A LOT LIKE THE DIFFERENCE IN WATCHING A PORN MOVIE AND STARRING IN ONE!

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: WE ARE NOW USING OWNER BARBLESS TREBLE HOOKS ON ALL OF OUR POPPERS. THESE ARE 5/0, 3X STONG HOOKS THAT WE ARE GETTING FROM OWNER. SINCE WE ARE DOING SO MUCH CATCH AND RELEASE THIS SHOULD HELP US TO RELEASE THE FISH MUCH EASIER. IT ALSO IS NOT GOING TO HURT QUITE SO BAD IF YOU ACCIDENTLY GET A HOOK IN YOU AND IT HAS TO BE REMOVED. JUST ANOTHER FORM OF CATCH AND RELEASE.



ALBERTO LOOKS ON AT A CUBERA CAUGHT BY MAERCIO


MAERCIO WITH A BIG ROOSTERFISH READY TO RELEASE


ENZO WITH A "REEF DONKEY"


ALBERTO WITH A LITTLE YELLOWFIN...GREAT SIZE FISH TO CATCH ON A POPPER


TUCA WITH A NICE SIZED WAHOO