We had trips Friday and Saturday on Father‘s Day weekend. Friday was with our good customer Jon (frequent flyer) and Saturday was with the Muniz group. Both days were extremely hot and the seas were flat.

On Friday Jon and his friend met up with Devon and I, at 6 AM, since he had an early flight home to Atlanta that evening. Jon had orders from his boss (wife) to bring home fish since they had a Father’s Day gathering on Sunday. He wanted Dolphin or Tuna. OK! Hopefully the fish got the memo.

We left the slip and made our way straight to the Ballyhoo patches. We pulled them up in less than 5 minutes but when I say they were finicky, that is an understatement. We collected as many as we could, along with some speedos, without spending the whole morning working for bait. I took a heading for the edge and we set up shop! Not a breath of wind blowing, and the ambient temperature was already uncomfortable. I made my way about the area and absolutely nothing was stirring on this flat sea. I made a choice to run out and look for something interesting to fish. I saw some scattered weeds and dropped some trolling lines. After some long miles and out to 1200’ we found a few Sooty’s working. I closed the gap and got in front of them. BAM! Dolphin on! Jon worked the chubby schoolie to the boat and it was respectable enough to put in the fish box. A single? What’s up with that? We got back on the remaining 2 birds and down goes another rod! Once again we have a schoolie with no followers. Hmmmm! I made a few more passes and realized the birds were working small baitfish under the weeds and not the school sized stragglers hanging around. One more pass and the down rod goes off. Wahoo? Big Dolphin? Nope! Another schoolie takes to the surface and once again he was alone. Good grief, this is some slow fishing. We worked the birds for a while and finally gave up on them. Suddenly I hear Jon ask his friend, “What are you doing?“ He is taking his underwear off! As he cleans up and pulls his shorts on commando style, he tells Jon, “Never trust a fart!“ HE HAD A SHART (fart with leakage)! We laughed until our sides hurt and tears flowed!

With the morning gone and only 3 school Dolphin and a shart, we decided that maybe some Mutton Snapper would oblige us. As we were pulling lines, the down rod trips and we have a small fish on. What the heck? A 3 pound Barracuda comes to the surface and we know for sure now, that we are heading in for some bottom fishing, for sure! I pushed down the throttles and the wind gave us a bit of relief, cooling us down for a few minutes. I pulled the reins on the 600 ponies as we reached out spot. Little current, about 1/4 knot, and things are not looking much better here. We made a few drops and managed to jig up an Almaco Jack which we released. Several more drifts and we get another Caribbean Spotted Mackerel (Cuda) but a much larger specimen this time. We worked the area hard and at last, we got to see pink, as a decent Mutton comes to the top.



I pulled the plug on the bottom dropping as time was running out. Devon set up the lines to live bait the edge for the remaining time. Devon was working a speed jig, as usual, and I heard the “grunt” as he hands off the rod to Jon. As we see color we realize it is a Blackfin Tuna. Not big, but not a football either, more like a rugby ball. That was the topper for the day as we ran out of time.

As The BEAST headed home we told Jon that coming on a mission for certain species (groceries) usually leads to a slow day and too much Guinness on an empty stomach can also lead to a ventral faux pas. This is a common fact!

Saturday Will Muniz, his wife Heather, her brother Austin and their friend Dustin joined us at the dock at 7 AM and we headed out. They are all Redfish and back country fisherman from Ft. Myers and wanted to try out some offshore fishing. Miami and The BEAST were their choice. We asked them what they would like to do and they told us they had no preference. Good, we’ll put you on fish! Our first stop for some Hardtails was uneventful so we went to spot #2. Ahhhh, much better, as we filled the starboard live well in short order. I turned the power up and headed for some Ballyhoo to round out the port well. Nothing happening at 2 different spots. We couldn’t raise a single one! OK! We’ll play the hand that is dealt to us and go with what we got, plenty of Runners and a half dozen crabs. Our first stop was to see if we could catch a Permit. The seas were calm but a good wind ripple was present and the water clarity was not good at all. We only gave this a fleeting attempt and bagged out for the Grunt & Sweat wreck. I knew these guys would appreciate a big Amberjack. We arrived to find almost no current again as the day before. Oh Boy! We need a magician! After a few drifts and no takers, not even a bite on a speed jig, we contemplated hunting Dolphin. Trouble was there were 2 tournaments going on and everyone out there was hunting Dolphin. One more shot! We headed for a deeper wreck, hoping to find more current. We arrive to find just that and a good drift! OK. Let ’em rip!

We dropped one live bait down and Devon taught Dustin and Will his method for speed jigging. I’ve got to hand it to them, they picked it up quickly. The first takers turned out to be back to back Boneheads (Bonito) but the very large kind. We had hoped they were Blackfins but not quite. We caught 4 in a row with the last fish getting bit in half by a Cuda that followed it right to the boat. We gave him the rest of his meal.



The next takers were a troop of Almaco Jack on the jigs and the live bait. The Amberjack woke up from all the commotion and finally joined in. Will felt the power of these fish as he hooked one up on the speed jig.



Heather was hooked up too! I’m not sure who had who the fish or Heather! She is a gamer though. She never gave up, never passed the rod off, and worked her fish to the surface with steady resolve. Kinda! The fish had to put some doubt in her a half dozen times.



The speed jigs kept ripping and the live bait kept getting eaten, time after time. Will was on a break and Devon was working the jig and bada boom a solid hook as he passes it off to Dustin. The depth of the bite and the give and take of this circular fight, let us know it was another tuna type. Was this another big Bonito? NOT! We finally see color and it’s a Blackie and headed for the cold steel. Whoot there it is! Austin is on the boards with a good 18# Blackfin Tuna.



A few more drifts and the live bait gets the nod. Austin takes this one after only a short rest. It’s a Donkey for sure! I thought we were going to lose Austin over the side as the fish took his chest to the gunnel several times. Like his sister, he was a gamer with plenty of fight in his slight frame. It took some time but he brought that wreck donkey to the surface and it’s a whopping 50 pounder, almost half of Austin’s weight. That was fun to watch. Yes, the fish is hanging from our T-top rigging… Austin only wishes he could one hand press that much.



We packed it up at the wreck and headed offshore to look for some Dolphin. We relearned the lesson, don’t leave fish to find fish! After some long, hot, time spent searching and only finding a micro-Cuda, we headed back in to try some Muttons. Nothing happening there, the current was stagnant. I called that attempt a swing and a miss and had Devon pack it up for the run back to the deep wreck as time is slowly closing out on us.

Arriving at the deep wreck we see the only conditions that had changed there was the wind direction. Good current! We went after them again. This time they were not quite as cooperative but we still managed to catch them. Dustin, who was never at a loss for words, announces that he has a lock on the Almaco’s. He sure caught his fair share of them.



I had Devon pull the lines as the fat lady starts humming and we made one last ditch effort to try for a Permit again. The water was no better that afternoon than it was in the morning so we gave it up and pointed the bow west toward the barn.

I must say that Devon and I cracked on Dustin a lot throughout the day. He was just too easy, if you know what I mean. A great sport, with a great sense of humor, and about 12 or so, Heinekin! I think we all had a good time. We stayed busy most of the day with a total of 4 Bonito, 6-8 Amberjack (30-50#’s) 8-10 Almaco’s (Dustin‘s forte‘), a17# Blackfin (sashimi), and a micro-Cuda (not worthy). I’ll bet a dollar to a doughnut there were some tired people in Ft. Myers on Fathers Day!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Sunday afternoon, our normal fun crew decided to go on a little excursion to try and cash in on some of the good edibles being caught. We were looking for Dolphin and Blackfin Tuna. Amy and Devon (my daughter & son-in-law/mate), Missy (my daughter), Uncle Al (Devon’s uncle/my friend), and myself, all met at the slip at 1:00 PM. Our plan was to do some grocery fishing and then when the sun set, head over and scout out the Cubera’s to see if they were ready yet.

We took our leisurely time loading up and at 1:30 we turned the snarling BEAST out. We made our way to bait stop #1 and loaded up on Hardtails. I reset the throttles once again to cruise and the snarling turned into a purr as The BEAST set into a smooth gallop towards bait stop #2. We arrived and dropped the chum bag and the Speedos, Ballyhoo, and host of others found the slick in short order. The B’hoo were not so easy with the sun directly overhead but we managed to get 2 dozen or so along with some Speedos. With the wells teaming with fresh bait we made our way offshore. I pulled up just off the edge contemplating a start there, for Blackfin. We set out the riggers and I noticed a prominent color break not too far offshore. I powered up and in a minute reached the color line. WOW! It was so distinct it looked like a segment out of Offshore Handbook 101. We set up shop and it didn’t take long.

First up were some “schoolie” Dolphin with the nod going to a rigged squid as it was being put out for the center rigger. That was quick, but a bit too small, though! Well, if we can’t eyeball the fish and need to make sure by measuring it, we consider it too small. Devon and Uncle Al were working some speed jigs during the interim and I hear the telltale, “Ugh“ sound from Devon. Devon works his fish to the boat and, yes sir, it’s a nice 12# Blackie.



Then my Penn electric downrigger takes a crap for the umpteenth time. Not to be deterred, we put a weighted line down. The action was on again with “schoolie” Dolphin! Suddenly, I noticed the down rod start to bend over and I jumped on it. The big guy scores a 20# cow.



We continued on, hanging tight to this area. The action was slow enough to allow conversation and laughs, yet fast enough to curtail the offshore boredom that can occur. Uncle Al, Devon, and Amy each jigged up a Blackfin in the football size. Sashimi or seared… they were destined for soy and wasabi on the table.



The time is passing into late afternoon and the sun is trying to make the horizon. The Dolphin kept sweeping through in waves and a Hardtail on the down rod gets toasted by a big Caribbean Spotted Mackerel (Cuda). Missy was our designated Dolphin catcher.



Out of Bally’s now, we decided to start the Cubera hunt. I pushed the levers down and made the cruise to our favorites spots. Still a bit early when we arrived so we made a short run to a Mutton spot. Nothing much was happening. Uncle Al put down this lime green/chartreuse monstrosity with a Dolphin belly strip on it, that we named the “green hand grenade“. We ribbed him about that rig, on his beat up old spinning rod, for a drift or two. Third drift and you hear Al muttering “Uh, uh, c’mon… FISH ON!” We laughed until our sides were splitting and imagined a big Black Grouper coming up on the green hand grenade. Not quite, it turns out to be a 20# wreck donkey. I couldn’t resist jumping in the picture and holding up the “bomb”! Al released the Amberjack.



Getting dark now, we set up, for the Big Snapper’s. The current was strong through the area and the drifts were quick. The darker it got the more the sonar is lighting up. Got to be Cuberas but they aren’t biting anything. Matter of fact, nothing is biting at all, except 2 or 3 more Cuda cut offs. As the night progresses it appears the conditions are just not right and possibly a bit too early. Enough is enough, and we pulled the plug on the trip and pointed The BEAST toward the barn. I guess we’ll have to wait a few more weeks until the fish want to play.

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

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It was a great tournament June 12th and 13th, with 75 boats participating in this Novey tournament held in Hacienda del Mar in the Island of San Jose in the Las Perlas Archipelago ( 32 to 70 miles) which is directly south of Panama City. Various categories from Billfish ,Snapper , AJ , Grouper , Wahoo, Dorado, Tuna and the big Grand Slam which award a Audi A4 (40K).
I brought my team PSFL (Talento )from Chiriqui Province , headed by Capt. Macho and Capt. Sergio , Niko Mamais with his 2 boys Nicholas and Antonio (aka. Chiriqano Poppers). Since my team does not fish this area but several times a year, it gave us a bit of a challenge competing with the local teams, but all is well with a good game plan and exceptionally nice weather.

We decided to hit the structure fish on Friday, then hit the Pelagics on Saturday. We made bait right away and got on a nice rock loaded with fish from top to bottom, unfortunately the fish were thinking different , they were not interested on natural bait , so I tried my luck on Jigging. I got a nice AJ ( 62.5 lbs.)on the first drop using an OTI Jig on my favorite tackle combo OTI xtreme jigging rod with a Shimano Stella 20000. Antonio got a nice AJ as well. The icing on the cake was when I hooked up on a nice Broom Tail Grouper ( 38 lbs.) on the same set up, not knowing that these fish will place 1st on each of their respective Categories!

The next day the weather was not good, with some Major thunderstorm ( Lighting & 45 knot wind) keeping majority of the boats inshore or anchored in the bays like we did. I managed to hooked a nice Cabrilla Grouper (28 lbs) for the 30 minutes that we were able to fish that morning, and so we ended up spending Saturday night at Isla Contadora and went back to Panama City Sunday Morning.
Even with the bad weather we still had a good time and it made us missed our home fishing ground ( Coiba region) , where we can catch all the species available on the same spot, from the Big Black Marlin , YFTs, Cuberas and ETC. enjoy the fish pics. and PTY skyline

There’s a wide array of species to catch in Panama, and a seemingly wider variety of ways to catch them! Poppers, swimbaits, live bait, cut bait and jigs can all be the ticket for large and exotic fish. Below are some random pics of fish caught on some of the above mentioned methods.


Which do you prefer, the mahi or the angler???



Pompano


Roosters anyone?



Amberjack are plentiful…….if you want to catch them that is


Blue Jacks!



They call it a lemonfish

I am looking to purchase an Incidental shark permit. 561 767-6649