Panama Fishing Report Second Half

Here is a video of the fishing both in the Pacific and Carribean.



We were able to so some fishing while we were in the Kuna Yalla in Panama. We stayed on the island of Ali Ghandi working there and also on two close islands, Atchitupu and Mamitupu. Each time we went from island to island we trolled.

Honestly, I trolled a Red/White Feather Jig till the feathers almost fell off. Probably 12-15 miles of total trolling. On the other rod I used a Blue/White Rapalla, Red/White Rapalla and Red/White Cedar Plug. Those were the main trolling baits. I also used everything else in my tackle box to no avail.

The water around the islands - from island to island - varies from just a few inches deep to 30 foot. However, I also trolled up to 5 or 6 miles off shore in water (guessing) approaching 1,000 ft. And I NEVER HAD A HIT!!!! I was stunned.

This is my 4th trip to the islands. On previous trips I have seen tons of showering baitfish between islands but this time I just saw it once. I don't know if the currents have changed, the water is too warm (86 degrees) or if it has just been fished out, but I really couldn't buy a bite!


This is one of the 2 kyukas that we fished out of. It was about 30 foot long - 4 foot wide made out of a log. The engine was 15 horsepower. We took this boat out about 2-3 miles offshore trolling.
I took this picture about 3 miles offshore ... no outboard ... no safety equipment ... just a guy scratching out a living.


These were caught in about 500-600 foot of water. That is a long deep drop. They were caught on small bait fish.

Notice the boat in the background. It was about 30 foot long - about 3 foot wide - with a 9.9 horse Evinrude on the back. We were out probably 6-8 miles offshore in water upto and possibly over 1,000 foot deep. Between swells - I couldn't see anything but waves. Just another day out in the Kuna Yalla. Also notice my home made rod holders (Thanks Jerry). They worked like a charm.
These are other fish we caught on deep drops that day. I don't know what they are, but they sure are pretty!


This is Lino (on right) fishing the traditional Kuna way - with a handline. At times we could not reach the bottom - I had about 275 yards of 50lb braid on my Shimano Thunnus - I dropped all of it - down to the knot - and still didn't reach the bottom.

These guys used all of there line - weighted by a 12" piece of rebar - and then pulled it back up. They are more men than I am!

Popular posts from this blog

Historical Information on Galveston's North and South Jetty

Image
I have been doing some research on the History of Galveston's North and South Jetties. Here is a paper published about 20 years ago - very informative - a little technical, but still an amazing find. Construction and Rehabilitation History of the Galveston Jetties Costal Hydraulics Laboratory Fact Sheet Galveston Harbor Jetty, Galveston Texas www.tpub.com Tech Report 9 1874-1879 The first attempt at constructing jetties was begun by placing cement covered gabions over distances of 9,700 and 2,200 ft. on the north (Bolivar Point jetty) and south (Fort Point jetty) sides of the inlet, respectively. An additional 500 ft of north jetty was constructed of timber piling at its landward end. The gabions were 6 ft high and wide, from 6 to 12 ft long, and filled with dredged sand once positioned. The jetties were submerged, extending no higher with the majority from 5 to 6 ft below than mean low water (mlw). The gabionades were unsuccessful in either securing a...
Read more

Venting A Bull Red or Black Drum

Image
This is a Repost of a previous entry from March 2005 on Venting Reds and Black Drum. Venting the air bladder on Bull Reds and Big Black Drum. Right now the Red Drum Run is on. While at the jetty just a few days ago - I saw numerous drum caught - pictures taken - then dumped back in the water - floating belly up because they did not empty the air bladder. I thought it would be good to post instructions on how to do this so we can assure the survival rate of these fish. Below are the instructions. What I have found that works great is a Turkey Spice Injector - I bought mine at Academy for $3.50. It works great! Here are directions: Venting trapped gases from a fish caught from deep water Use the largest hypodermic needle you can find (#10 or larger) and remove the plunger. Insert hypodermic needle at a 45 degree angle, under a scale, near the tip of the pectoral fin and squeeze the fish gently. You will hear the trapped gases escaping. Make a needle clearing tool from a piece o...
Read more

Bayano River Fishing for Snook

Image
The fishing was pretty slow - not many bites or bumps. We did catch Snook up to about 10lbs. But the story of the day was the "One that got away." Towards the end of the day, I hooked a massive Snook. After fighting the fish for about 20-25 minutes, he wrapped me around a log on the flat along the channel and the braided line snapped when we tried to free it. The guide estimated the fish to be over 50lbs - my guess was about 45lbs. It was the size of a good Bull Red - but put on a great arial display - on jump which was caught on film. I also put a pic here of the Corvina - they look like a cross between a trout and a red - but they are huge. We didn't fish for them - never have - but might during the future. We also fished Lake Gatun for Peacock Bass. This is the second time I have fished for these fish on this lake - most of them are small schoolies - and this time was not different. We caught about 50 fish in about 2.5 hours. We also had a great encounter w...
Read more