How to Physically Prepare to Battle Big Fish in Panama
Is fishing a physical sport? Does it require strength and stamina?
Maybe not if you’re sitting on a bucket waiting for a bluegill to take down your cork, but for much of the fishing we do, if you’re not physically fit you won’t maximize your success. You might even get injured.
Even tournament bass fishing requires discipline and fitness. You have to wake up early, dump the boat off the trailer, stand up all day, throw cast after cast, get up and down in the boat, deal with all types of weather, eat gas station snacks, put the boat back boat on the trailer and then drive home in the dark.
Geez, I'm exhausted just writing this.
Our next big adventure is a return to Panama to fish for hard-pulling species including Cubera snapper, roosterfish, marlin and yellowfin tuna. We learned last time how brutal it can be. If you want to make the most of such a trip, and be able to survive 4 1/2 days of it, I suggest a couple months of training.
As I get older, I realize the proper sleep, eating right and exercise are even more important than before. I work out three to four times a week and eat really carefully. I get at least seven hours of sleep most days. I have all of those things together for over four years and I still found it difficult to pull in a 25 pound yellowfin tuna. Remember, when you go on a trip like this it may be the first and only opportunity you get, so why not be completely prepared, mentally and physically?
On many of the trips we take my fellow anglers start off strong, but by day two or three many of them get to the breakfast table later and later and really start slowing down. The boat rides in Panama start at 7:00 a.m. and we come back to the island around 5:00 p.m. It's hot, it could rain and it may be windy. You are standing for the majority of the day (not that you can't sit down but who sits down to fish?), the rods are longer than what we use for bass and take precision and strength to cast. Once you’re hooked up to a tuna, that’s only the start of your torture/fun. The fight is brutal and exciting all at the same time.
So if you’re considering a trip to Panama (or any other taxing angling experience) here are my suggestions on how to get ready and fit:
It takes 21 days to make something become a habit. Get up and go to sleep at the same time each day for at least 2 months.
Try and be on your feet for as much of the day as you can. Do you have a stand-up desk? Use it!
Walk, jog or run. During your lunch break walk the neighborhood, the parking lot or the stairs.
The guides tell you to squat and pull to get leverage on big fish, so do squats either right before you go to bed or immediately upon waking up.
Although your legs do all of the lifting, you still need to strengthen your arms. From casting to the reel and pull action you really use every muscle in your body, but you’ll struggle if your arms don’t have good old-fashioned muscles. Form matters, too, but without some strength you don’t have a fighting chance. Perhaps getting tagged out when having to pull in a hundred plus pound tuna would be acceptable but let's try not to do that with a 40 pounder.
Although it tastes amazing, I have learned that sugar is poison. Carbs wear you down. Protein and vegetables, prepared correctly, taste great! Even on vacation I stay away from the bread, rice, potatoes and pasta but I will indulge a little when it comes to chips and a good looking homemade dessert, although not the whole portion because adding back sugar hurts the tummy. Although the alcohol is usually included and encouraged, cutting back so you can get a good night's sleep helps tremendously.
As you've read in my other blogs, we maximize our days for vacation so taking a day or two to recoup from vacation -- a vacation from your vacation -- is not an option. Following these steps will help you out during and after your trip. Before your trip you'll inevitably be cursing me out but I bet your belt and pants will fit a little bit better. Then you can indulge a little on dessert. Again, remember, you came to fish and have fun and it may be the only time you get to do so, so do it right from the beginning.
Here are some exercise routines for your arms, legs and your overall cardio and endurance. You don’t have to belong to a gym or have a gym in your basement to work out.
You can use household items as weights, including 5-pound bags of flour as, a gallon water bottle weighs 8.34 pounds, small jugs of laundry detergent are about 3.75 pounds each and a 16 ounce bottle of water is 1 pound.
Use a chair for your squats -- make sure your booty hits the seat and then rise and remember to squeeze it at the top. If you don’t squeeze it no one else will.
Get an app for your fitness tracking. I use Runkeeper. The free versions give you guided workouts and you can track your goals.
Make it FUN so that you’ll keep doing it, and try not to overexert yourself before you get into a rhythm. The goal should be to improve your fishing trip and to prolong your life so that you can travel more.
