May - June 2007 Panama Big Game Sport Fishing Report


  • Tuna fishing with surface poppers was all you wanted but smaller fish running from 10 to 80 lb. The first week in May we got some tuna over 100 lbs. and a few over 200 lbs. Black Marlin still good with 4 out of 5 groups catching a black. Fair wahoo action but they will pick up with August being the first real strong month for them. Had a few sails and some smaller dorado (dolphin) also. Inshore action was very good with snapper, rooster fish, serra mackerel, blue jack and amber jack in good numbers. Capt. Lee Campbell



    There is something about tracking fish by sight that activates the adrenalin flow like nothing else. We had hot and cold moments on the trip but the image of two and three hundred pound yellow fin tuna hurling themselves airborne, intent on murder or adultery upon anything in their path…baby it’s just too much. Man and boy I’ve fished those things on both the Atlantic and Pacific but the supreme numbers of big fish right in front of your beak made this a very special opportunity, what most would call a “once in a life time.” Standing on the bow of the boat and throwing them top water plugs was really sweet, as well as productive. We jumped on a red hot marlin bite one morning with a double hook up and hooked a third immediately afterwards. It’s fair to say we had some slow times but even the inshore fish were real trophies. This included a seventy-pound amber jack, eighty-pound roosterfish and a wondrous blue trevalle. These fish get big down in Panama, bigger than in Costa Rica, bigger than in Guatemala. The Panama Big Game Club lives up to its reputation. Riley Love - May 2007

  • That update and photographs really brought back memories.


    As Lee described those YFT blitzes are absolutely incredible to see - huge numbers of big fish leaping out of the water and beating the surface to a foam. There're usually Dolphin - the mammals - 'mixed in' with them.


    At times it's quite odd you'll see the Dolphin 'messing around' on the surface, just playing, and can 'see' the YFT on the sounder holding deep. But trying to get strikes from that at that time is next to impossible. However as soon as the Dolphin echo locate a school of Black Skipjack the mood changes completely. The Dolphin line up and start porpoising towards the bait and, if you get in front of them, you'll find the YFT will readily strike at the lures. However the bigger fish tend to run at the front of what may be 'mixed' shoals and a bridle rigged live Black Skipjack will often get nailed by those larger 100lb plus fish.


    It's a strange relationship between the two species - Yellowfin Tuna and the Dolphin. The YFT obviously associate the Dolphin (ultimately) with 'food'. But what do the Dolphin get out of it? Um....I suspect nothing! And whilst, if you've seen footage of Dolphin effectively 'coralling' bait collectively then one of their number zooming in and seizing a fish whilst the other keep the shoal packed together, this doesn't happen when the YFT are present. Then it's 'every man for themself' - the bait shoal split and you get that feeding happening over a vast area.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Hi Lee
    Good to see the fishing's as good as ever! I had planned to run down to Coiba earlier in the year in a friend's boat - it's berthed up at Los Suenos, in Costa Rica - but that 'dying' El Nino seemed to upset the start of the rainy season. I understand it started nearly a month early.


    So instead I'm going to run north, to the Bat Islands, Gulf of Papagayo, in August. Hopefully there'll be some Blue Marlin around, as well as the excellent inshore fishing.


    But come next January/February we're intending to run down to Coiba to fish the run of Blacks. We might well see you out there.


    All the Best.
    Dave

    Dave
    Honorary Life President
    Sportfishing Club of the British Isles

  • fantastic
    and top images, too.
    sorrily our yellowfins in the area don't reach that size, at least i never got one that sized, but i know what great strong fighters they are with just 50lbs of weight, so i can imagine what it means to get them 100lbs+.
    thanks for great reports and pictures
    Mike

  • Just for anyone unfamiliar with those Tuna frenzies one of the crew I've fished with in Ascension Island (South Atlantic) - and also in the Cape Verde Islands - Olaf Grimkowski captured an excellent shot of them on his web site. (From Olaf's home page click on Ascension and then scroll down to the entry for 23rd March 2007.) The YFT, some jumping out of the water, are competing with the Gannets.

    Dave
    Honorary Life President
    Sportfishing Club of the British Isles

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