08-19-2012, 07:00 PM
Panama Fishing Report- August 5th 2012
By Come Fish Panama Lodge
Having beautiful sunny days for offshore sports fishing in the month of August can't be beat in the Republic of Panama. This is supposed to be the rainy season, but during the past two months, the weather has been very cooperative. This week’s anglers Nate, Joe, Steve and Ryan from Folsom, California have fished many spots in Baja and other favorite spots in Mexico. They were excited to be here after having heard and read so many stories about the awesome bottom fishing in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panama.
Bottom Fishing Adventure
These anglers came to Panama with bottom fishing on their mind, so after an early morning wake-up call, we were off and running. After hitting two pots on the way out, we finally found the jackpot. Mullet Snapper were hitting on almost every drop, not caring much whether we served them live bait, dead bait or a metal jig. As always at Come Fish Panama, we only kept what we planned to consume and released the rest to give someone else a thrill.
Do we have a world record?
On one of the drops, Joe hooked up with something powerful, so we all paused to see what was going to come up. Was it an Amberjack at the end of the line? The tough battle certainly suggested it. Excitement filled the air as we guessed what had eaten the live Blue Runner. When it surfaced, we saw a monster Mullet Snapper. Once the fish came over the rail, I realized that this could very well be a record Mullet Snapper, so after a few photographs, I pulled out the scale. Joe’s fish weighed 38.2 pounds. Back at the lodge that evening, I looked up the current IGFA All-Tackle Record and discovered that it was a whopping 45.8 pounds, so obviously we were well short of the record. Joe didn’t set a new world record today, but was thrilled to have caught the beautiful fish anyway.
Tuna Ride Home
During the ride back to the lodge, we noticed a flock of birds and pod of Dolphin working an area, so we quickly rigged up a live Blue Runner and tossed it overboard to see if the Yellowfin were lurking below. WOW! Almost instantly the Shimano 30 Wide started to scream and we were hooked up with what could be a very big fish. I mean big! The largest fish this group of anglers had ever caught in their lives was 40 pounds, so this fish could be a lifetime adventure for them. Nate, Joe, Steve and Ryan took turns working the beast up to the surface. After a 1 hour and 40 minute battle, we finally saw color and the outline of a monster Yellowfin Tuna. What we thought was an expended fish ready for the gaff at boat side turned out to be a fish with one final boost of energy. The huge Yellowfin flapped his tail and that was it. The fish got his freedom and we ended up with a broken rod and heads looking down in disappointment. When I got the chance to review the video of the action later, the Yellowfin looked to be in the 250 to 275 pound range. Well, you know the old saying of why it’s called fishing and not catching!
Our Thanks As Always
Come Fish Panama would like to thank these wonderful and good-natured guys for choosing to fish with us. We will all have wonderful memories of all the Mullet Snapper caught and released and especially of the BIG ONE that got away.
Tight Lines from Tropical Panama,
Capt. Kerry H. Leggett
Avid Angler/Owner
www.ComeFishPanama.com
Tel. (414) 484-6131 U.S.
Tel. -1 (507) 65-30-9669 Panama
Boca Chica, Republic of Panama
CFP- Ryan's Mullet Snapper.....jpg 159 KB Inline
CFP- Joe's Monster Mullet Snapper.jpg 47.3 KB Inline
CFP- Monster Mullet Snapper .jpg 117 KB Inline
CFP- Mullet Snapper action.jpg 116 KB Inline
[signature]
By Come Fish Panama Lodge
Having beautiful sunny days for offshore sports fishing in the month of August can't be beat in the Republic of Panama. This is supposed to be the rainy season, but during the past two months, the weather has been very cooperative. This week’s anglers Nate, Joe, Steve and Ryan from Folsom, California have fished many spots in Baja and other favorite spots in Mexico. They were excited to be here after having heard and read so many stories about the awesome bottom fishing in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panama.
Bottom Fishing Adventure
These anglers came to Panama with bottom fishing on their mind, so after an early morning wake-up call, we were off and running. After hitting two pots on the way out, we finally found the jackpot. Mullet Snapper were hitting on almost every drop, not caring much whether we served them live bait, dead bait or a metal jig. As always at Come Fish Panama, we only kept what we planned to consume and released the rest to give someone else a thrill.
Do we have a world record?
On one of the drops, Joe hooked up with something powerful, so we all paused to see what was going to come up. Was it an Amberjack at the end of the line? The tough battle certainly suggested it. Excitement filled the air as we guessed what had eaten the live Blue Runner. When it surfaced, we saw a monster Mullet Snapper. Once the fish came over the rail, I realized that this could very well be a record Mullet Snapper, so after a few photographs, I pulled out the scale. Joe’s fish weighed 38.2 pounds. Back at the lodge that evening, I looked up the current IGFA All-Tackle Record and discovered that it was a whopping 45.8 pounds, so obviously we were well short of the record. Joe didn’t set a new world record today, but was thrilled to have caught the beautiful fish anyway.
Tuna Ride Home
During the ride back to the lodge, we noticed a flock of birds and pod of Dolphin working an area, so we quickly rigged up a live Blue Runner and tossed it overboard to see if the Yellowfin were lurking below. WOW! Almost instantly the Shimano 30 Wide started to scream and we were hooked up with what could be a very big fish. I mean big! The largest fish this group of anglers had ever caught in their lives was 40 pounds, so this fish could be a lifetime adventure for them. Nate, Joe, Steve and Ryan took turns working the beast up to the surface. After a 1 hour and 40 minute battle, we finally saw color and the outline of a monster Yellowfin Tuna. What we thought was an expended fish ready for the gaff at boat side turned out to be a fish with one final boost of energy. The huge Yellowfin flapped his tail and that was it. The fish got his freedom and we ended up with a broken rod and heads looking down in disappointment. When I got the chance to review the video of the action later, the Yellowfin looked to be in the 250 to 275 pound range. Well, you know the old saying of why it’s called fishing and not catching!
Our Thanks As Always
Come Fish Panama would like to thank these wonderful and good-natured guys for choosing to fish with us. We will all have wonderful memories of all the Mullet Snapper caught and released and especially of the BIG ONE that got away.
Tight Lines from Tropical Panama,
Capt. Kerry H. Leggett
Avid Angler/Owner
www.ComeFishPanama.com
Tel. (414) 484-6131 U.S.
Tel. -1 (507) 65-30-9669 Panama
Boca Chica, Republic of Panama
CFP- Ryan's Mullet Snapper.....jpg 159 KB Inline
CFP- Joe's Monster Mullet Snapper.jpg 47.3 KB Inline
CFP- Monster Mullet Snapper .jpg 117 KB Inline
CFP- Mullet Snapper action.jpg 116 KB Inline
[signature]