Big Game Fishing Journal March/April 2005 Issue
Panama Big Game Fishing Club
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Blue Trevally linger near the
rocky outcroppings in Panama and will readily crash a well-placed
surface lure. |
Our Captain, ChiChi Gonzales, the son of a
commercial fisherman, and himself a 30 year charter boat veteran had
been fishing through the years for many of the sportfishing
operations on the west coast of Panama. Capt. Gonzales is a
powerfully built man with an exuberant personality, winning smile,
and a real passion for fishing.
The fishing topography of the region is dominated by
undersea mountains which rise from the depths as much as several
thousand feet to form small islands or undersea banks often less
than 50 feet from the surface. These islands and pinnacles
stand in the way of currents which force oxygen and nutrient-rich
waters upwards to the surface attracting the bait that brings in the
regions migratory fish species like a magnet.
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MEETING THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - The
Panama Big Game Fishing Club is located on the Isla Boca Brava which
guards the mouth of the Bahia de Muertos, near the city of David.
This is the second largest city in Panama, and is less than 50 miles
from its border with Costa Rica.
The Club is the product of the efforts of captains Bill
Beck and Lee Campbell, both from the Miami, Fla., area. Beck
is the son of a charter boat captain and has more than 30 years
experience with fishing charters around Miami. When I talked
to him on the phone about setting up a trip, he was very
accommodating. The camp is brand new, and we would be some of
the first Americans to use it.
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but no river was there, only the strong
tides characteristic of the region. Tall trees gradually gave
way to low-lying mangroves, and the boat brought us to the Panama
Big Game signs on both sides of the channel mouth. The first
of these was their fuel depot and the other was on the boat dock of
the club.
ARRIVE READY TO FISH - As we
arrived, Capt. Campbell was standing on the dock aboard a 31-foot
Albemarle with engines running. "Gentleman, if you would like
to step on the boat to begin fishing, it's ready to go. The
cooler is stocked with lunch and cold beverages, and there are baits
in the livewell. I will see that your bags get to your cabin."
We immediately jumped aboard to get a start on our Panama fishing
adventure. |
Also, the Humboldt current flows to
within 150 miles of shore and tectonic movement has shaped a rugged
coastline with numerous volcanoes in the region. On the way
offshore, we observed the numerous rocky crags jutting from the
water, which proved to be small escarpments demonstrating the
stratified lines of the earth's crust. These rocks would
provide the targets for the first half day dedicated to inshore
fishing. The main species targeted in these areas include
roosterfish, amberjack, and several species of snapper, particularly
the mighty cubera. We fished with both lures and live baits,
which yielded a variety of fish, including jacks in the 20- to
40-pound range and a 35-pound cubera snapper, which we took back to
camp at days end for a spectacular dinner. |
The organizing of dates and air flights went very
smoothly, and we were able to get a package just as we wanted.
Lynn Narramore, an experienced angler and friend from Waller, Texas,
would also be coming for his first trip to the area.
We were met at the airport by a travel agent arranged
by the lodge and then taken to the VIP lounge for a cool beverage
and a comfortable seat while their representative took our bags
through customs. We overnighted in Panama City at the
beautiful Caesar Park Hotel. The next morning, the same agent
took us to the downtown airport for a one-hour domestic airline
flight to David. A lodge representative met us at the airport
where we were transferred to a waiting water taxi. Next came a
comfortable one-hour ride through the bay. Water ran like a
river, |
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KEYING IN ON THE LADRONES & MONTUOSA ISLANDS
- The lodge itself is situated within striking distance of several
offshore targets. Our first full day would start with the
Ladrones Islands, including several nearby undersea banks.
Eight miles beyond the Ladrones is the Deep Drop, where the edge of
the tectonic shelf drops off 3,000 feet into the depths of the
Pacific Ocean.
Another destination is Montuosa Island. Here
submerged structure includes a underwater volcano, and gas bubbles
from the old vent can sometimes be witnessed on the surface.
Further on is Hannibal Bank, long the most prominent destination of
the region. It was on this underwater mountain where my
brother and I had taken our first black marlin 25 years ago.
When I had talked to Beck on the phone weeks earlier I
had asked him how far the lodge was from Hannibal Bank. His
response surprised me: "I don't know why people keep asking me about
Hannibal Bank when other areas are as good to fish if not better."
The target offshore species this time of year would be
yellowfin tuna and marlin. Black marlin have the longest
season and are the predominant specie with some blue marlin
scattered throughout the area, though marlin, both blue and black
can be found here year round. Two weeks earlier, an abundance
of sailfish moved into these waters and many were fought and
released. At other times of the rear, large numbers of dorado
abound, and I have caught more wahoo here in their season than any
place I've ever been.
Campbell was quick to offer his thoughts on location
and technique for marlin: "The Deep Drop runs down the west side of
the Ladrones, then close in by Isla Montuosa then continuing close
to the Hannibal Bank region. This drop off can produce great
action dragging a spread of plastics anytime throughout the year."
"Last year, December was the best month fishing along
the drop-off with a lot of blues pushing through the region.
There is also a nice platform near the Ladrones that holds lots of
sailfish. We only use live bait for marlin around the many
undersea mounds in the area, taking care not to drag over them, but
instead troll varying-size circles around them." |
"Marlin will hold in these areas
anytime the water is clean with a good current and temperature less
than 84 degrees. They tend to work the schools of bonito from
December through May. Our ratio for the region is about three
blacks to one blue marlin with very few stripes fought."
MAKING BAIT PANAMA STYLE - When
Capt. Campbell catches bonito for bait, he works close to the sea
mounds running two bait rigs, two diving lures, and a bird down the
middle with a feather behind it. For the bait rigs, he uses
small 4-inch squid skirts with a 3/8-ounce sinker and a 5/0 2X
strong hook. Campbell uses four skirts to a rig on 80-pound
test fluorocarbon leader.
"My favorite diving lures are 6-5/8-and 8-7/8-inch
Yo-Zuri Bonita plugs in a pearl-blue-and-purple color. I also
like large sinking Magnum Rapalas in red-and-white,
black-and-purple, and green mackerel (large snapper like these
babies). For the bird-and-feather combo, I use a orange bird
that floats so it can be left out when you have fish on. I
prefer a 6-inch Zuker's feather with a very good quality short-shank
hook on a small amount of cable with about 10 feet of 80-pound test
fluorocarbon leader. The Zuker feathers hold up well and
catches a lot of different kinds of baitfish. My favorite
colors are green-yellow-and-pink, red-and-white, and
purple-and-black. When we work this combination for bonito we
usually troll about 5 to 6 knots. We also jig up small jacks
for bait near the rocks and right off the dock."
To keep the bait alive and healthy, Campbell makes his
own tuna tubes out of 6-inch PVC pipe and sets up four on each boat
in addition to the livewells. Once caught, the bonito are
immediately placed in these tubes. I found this to be the
"modus operandi" on all the boats I saw in the area. Besides
billfish, the local captains also catch some nice yellowfin tuna,
dolphin, wahoo, amberjack, and big cubera snapper using these large
live baits.
BONITO & JACK FOR MONSTER PELAGICS - When Campbell fishes
live bonito, he ties a short Bimini Twist with a direct loop
connection to a 20-foot, 200-pound test wind-on leader tied to a
heavy Aussie swivel with a 15-foot, 300-pound test fluorocarbon
leader. |
He uses an 18/0 Eagle Claw heavy, wire
circle hook tied on with a knot the local captains taught him that
is very small and creates a loop in which the hook can swing freely.
He also files down the neck of the hook right behind the barb...His
top captain, Chi-Chi Gonzales, swears this helps to get better and
more secure hook-ups.
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He'll run two bonito off the flat
lines; sometimes one with a break-away sinker. Sometimes he'll
set out three bonito with one on the rigger, but usually he trolls
two on the flat lines and one jack on each outrigger. He
bridles baits as close as possible to the head so the hooks cannot
turn inward and stick the baitfish. Also Campbell with have a
pitch rod in the cockpit ready to send back a jack to an aggressive
fish.
He trolls as slowly as possible, staying off the tops
of pinnacles and mounds, keeping one engine in neutral and switching
engines every 20 minutes or so. "When we are dragging plastic
lures, I like to troll 8 to 10 knots running a slightly zig-zag
course," Campbell said. "When we run a full wahoo spread our
speed will be around 12 knots. We go out with a lot of
different tackle in order to take advantage of the many different
species we run across. The one thing I can guarantee about
bluewater fishing is that tomorrow will be different than today."
CATCHING THE BEST BITE - During our trip, there
were two boats at the lodge, a 31-foot Albemarle and a 33-foot
Bertram. Since then they have added a 29-foot Phoenix and are
shopping for others. Wake up call is usually 5 a.m. and after
a great breakfast, the boats leave the dock at 6. On the first
morning of offshore fishing, Capt. Gonzales had already been fishing
for live bait an hour earlier and had our bait tubes full and ready
to make the run offshore.
Everything at the lodge ran like clockwork, and the
equipment was in excellent condition, including brand new 80-pound
Shimano reels. Although our feat of catching 30 odd bonito and
small yellowfin in a short time would be considered "fishing" in
some areas, here it's only catching bait. I believe that this
area of Panama has some of the best fishing available in our
hemisphere.
Migratory fish come and go, but the combination of
current, depth change, and underwater structure in this area makes
great fishing the norm. Since my trip, Campbell reported
catching a lot of marlin up to 800 pounds as well as solid catches
of yellowfin tuna up to 300 pounds. While this region has
historically provided excellent fishing, it also has a grim past of
both land- and water-based fishing operations that have failed to
stand the test of time. Captains Beck and Campbell have
launched a serious endeavor with the Panama Big Game Fishing Club,
though I'm confident they will prevail against the "elements" and
run a high-quality operation for years to come. |
Tuna Tubes such as these are
critical to the success of local captains, where few baits
outperform live, rigged tuna.
LIVING LARGE IN PANAMA
The Panama Big Game
Fishing Club lodge sits on the highest promontory of the local
hillside. It's accessed by a long flight of stairs from
the dock and consists of a bar/central dining area with four
cabins and utility buildings. There is a tower atop the
main lodge building, which is accessible and provides a
beautiful view.
The cabins are not only comfortable but also large and
attractive. Teak wood has been used throughout with
colorful cushions and bedding providing accents while local
tiles, curved surfaces and spacious baths as well as glass
bricks for the shower conjure images from Metropolitan Home
more than a fishing lodge.
The central building is dominated by a large, curved
teak bar and hand painted marlin logo on the wall. A
mounted local record broadbill swordfish hangs from the
ceiling. The bar is well stocked with upscale brands of
libations which are all part of the package.
Beck is also a restaurateur in Miami, while Campbell
has more than 30 years experience as a chef. These
influences are immediately obvious, as half the bar becomes
covered with hors d'oeuvres just before dinner. These
are both hot and cold utilizing fresh fish, shrimp and
lobster. You really shouldn't miss his seared tuna.
"Everything is produced locally, from the electricity to the
cheese," Campbell explained. The main courses for the
meals, if you can leave room for them, are multi-course with
an international flair. Campbell bakes daily, including
Italian dinner rolls and specialty breads for breakfast.
(For more information check out their
website at
http://www.panamabiggamefishingclub.com or e-mail the
Panama Big Game Club at
panamabiggame@aol.com. In the United States, call
Capt. Bill Beck toll free at 866-281-1225 or send a fax to
305-653-2321)
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Many thanks to Big Game Fishing Journal for allowing us to
reprint this article.
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