Panama Bluewater

Originally published in 2010.

In May's Tropical Roundup for the traveling Florida angler, FS reviews basic requirements for boating to The Bahamas. Plus, writer Jim Anderson, our Northeast Florida Action Spotter author, spot checks offshore fishing in Panama. His visit to Panama Sportfishing Lodge, located on the northern Pacific coast in Boca Chica, produced an array of great fishing and catches, photos of which follow below.

At the Panama Sportfishing Lodge, the day begins with catching bullet bonito which will get the interest of the black and blue marlin, large yellowfin tuna and sailfish. Mid-day periods are used to target cubera and mullet snapper, rooster fish or deep dropping for grouper.

 

Anderson and his group caught and released black marlin up to 400 pounds.

 

Anderson, left, and his friends had no shortage of grouper after deep dropping.

 

Bring your coolers. Yellowfin tuna to 200 pounds are in the vicinity, and hooking up on popping plugs is a favorite pursuit.

 

Cubera snapper, left, and amberjack are not lightweights in Panama. The Panama Sportfishing Lodge has the quality gear to handle these fish.

 

One of the trip's bigger yellowfin, about 150 pounds, gets the gaff by the mate.

 

Anderson with a smaller yellowfin. Notice the tuna tubes on the stern for keeping bullet bonito baits lively.

 

For a change of pace, inshore trips focused on catching big roosterfish, weighing up to 70 pounds.

 

Mullet snapper were also on the catch menu, targeted at mid-day along with the grouper, cubera and amberjacks.