Panama — How Many Species Can You Catch?
On our adventure to Africa, I was determined to see the “Big Five” -- lion, cape buffalo, elephant, rhino and leopard. Unfortunately, we got all of them except a rhinoceros. That just means we will need to return.
In the Gulf of Chiriquí, where Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge is located, there are as many as fifty species of sportfish available. If you read my blog about goals prior to the trip my five targets were as follows: yellowfin tuna, marlin, roosterfish, blue trevally and wahoo.
The tuna were plentiful and the hardest-fighting fish I have ever caught. Pete, who probably has more species under his belt than I do, agrees.
While on the hunt for tuna we also trolled for marlin. When we finally got a marlin to take the bait, it was as if time stood still…… and then POP, it came off. Captain Johnny was beside himself. I don’t know that he did anything wrong, but he took it personally. As hard as Pete and I are on ourselves on the water, the captains who are out there daily don’t like to miss opportunities, either.
There was always a chance a wahoo would appear, but it wasn’t quite the right season, so I didn’t have my hopes up too high.
I had kind of forgotten about blue trevally, but one morning as I was reeling in my swimbait one followed and nipped at it, but did not commit. I threw back out but I missed my chance…at least for this trip.
While our primary goal was to catch tuna on poppers, I was equally motivated by my quest to catch a roosterfish. I did it twice!
Some of the other species we caught were Almaco Jack, Crevalle Jack, Cubera Snapper, Yellow Snapper, Sierra Mackerel, Bonito, Asian Bonito and Lane Snapper.
Fishing is so unpredictable -- we signed up for four days of fishing, four random calendar days that our bosses agreed to let us take. We didn’t know what the weather or the tides would be, or if the fish would be in a funk. Fortunately, the trip exceeded expectations, so much so that we’re already planning our return so that we can catch more tuna and the other 40-plus species swimming around waiting for our bait to flash in front of their faces. Let us know if you need to add to your species list, whether it’s at zero or five hundred. Our return dates will be early November or December 2021 and we’d love to have you join us. Email me with your own bucket list and let’s get you moving on them.
In the meantime, check out this video from our trip:
