If you’ll have some time before, after or during ICAST, and you’d like to fish, you’re in luck – what may be the best bass fishery in the country is right nearby. The Headwaters are loaded with giant grass-based bass, so if you like to frog and flip they’re calling your name.

One or both of us have traveled to Anglers Inn Lake El Salto every May or June since 2013, but this year’s trip was the latest in the season – we were there from June 22 through June 29. Here’s a trip report.

If you’ll be in Panama City, make a detour to the Canal Zone for Maagoo’s Fish Tacos — a bar/restaurant with great food, fishing tackle and a thirst for adventure.

After three trips to Panama, we figured we had the process down pat, but every trip presents its own challenges. Fortunately, the travel aspects of fourth trip were remarkably smooth. Because it wasn’t eventful, it may not be extremely helpful to document it, but if our experiences help any future travelers avoid problems, it’ll be worth it.

We took our fourth trip to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge in May of 2024 and the tuna fishing for giant yellowfin on topwaters was exceptional. Here are a few notes about our trip.

If you’re likely to fly on a trip anytime starting in May of 2025, you’re going to need to have a Real ID. You’ll also need one to enter most Federal buildings like military bases and Federal courthouses. That’s a capital R, as in, not the opposite of “fake ID.”

Anchorage is the first stopping point when we head to Bear Trail Lodge, and the airport there is a great flying experience – more than half of the people are carrying rod tubes and wearing Xtratuf shoes and boots. If you’re headed up this summer, here are some newsy tidbits that might inform your trip. 

Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge provides the seclusion of a private island with all of the convenience and safety of a major metropolis like Panama City. That starts with Tocumen International Airport, a thoroughly modern, welcoming and generally efficient point of entry and exit.

Last month we told you that the fishing at Casa Vieja Lodge was off the chain in March, and that it was critical to book asap if you wanted to get in on it the same time next year. April was just as good, if not better, and the boats are already filling up for spring of 2025.

We traveled a bit in the first quarter of the year, but less than usual. That means that we’re gearing up for a lot of go time over the next few months. We hope you’ll be adding notches to your belt, too. Here are some links that may inform or inspire your travel plans and goals.

The Brazilian government has been trying to reinstate visa requirements for travelers from certain countries. It has been pushed back multiple times. Due to continuing troubles getting the system to function properly, now they have announced that the date will be moved back a year – to April 10, 2025.

I have been speaking to David Leiffer about his stupendous idea of taking his son Ryan to Anglers Inn El Salto for his graduation present from high school close to a year. Based on how it went I think they both wish there was another graduation around the corner.

Despite T.S. Eliot’s warnings, I’ve never found April to be particularly cruel – the winter is in the rear view mirror, the bass are biting, and summer is close. You may be too busy to follow relevant travel news. Never fear – we take care of that for you. Here are some links that might impact or interest you.

Even after many years of traveling to fish, the whole process of tipping my fishing guide still makes me nervous. Like most of you, I don’t want to be known as a cheap sonofabitch, especially since I intend to return to many locations. Even if I don’t intend to make repeat visits, a sense of fundamental fairness leads to believe that tipping generously is the right process. No one ever made the world a worse place by tipping too much.

March is prime time for sailfish (and other species in Guatemala), with a realistic chance at a 20-50 (or more) fish day. Just be sure to book early if you want to be guaranteed a boat.

Brian Jackson and friend Paul Teagle had an incredible time on their first trip to Anglers Inn. The two Texas natives have experienced plenty of great bass fishing in their home state, but they were still amazed by the fishing on Lake Picachos and El Salto. In fact, Brian told me he is going through withdrawals upon his return.

Come join us in Panama in January of 2025 — on an island oasis with incredible food, fun people, and otherworldly fishing.

On our 2nd trip to Casa Vieja Lodge we fish on The Hooker. It’s a 48 foot G&S, and a fabulous fishing platform, but at the time we didn’t realize that it held a storied legacy. If you think that The Hooker might be for you, but you’re still on the fence, there’s a wide range of media that might put it over the top.

The city of David is our gateway to the great fishing in the Gulf of Chiriqui, but if you’re looking to make it a longer layover — or possibly even a retirement spot — here are some resources to get your research started.

Delta will resuscitate its MSP-MZT direct flight route, making it much easier for northern anglers to escape to Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos during the coldest times of year.