The day started early and we headed out in search of roosterfish. When fishing in Panama, as anywhere in the world, the earlier the action starts, the better. At 5:50 am we were on our way to our fishing grounds and, as
The day started early and we headed out in search of roosterfish. When fishing in Panama, as anywhere in the world, the earlier the action starts, the better. At 5:50 am we were on our way to our fishing grounds and, as we approached the Las Perlas archipelago, we found some bait, so we decided to troll. Five minutes later we had our first fish, a large Pacific bonito. Since our goal was to fish with live bait, we reeled in the lines and continued toward the islands.
When we arrived, a storm hit and we moved toward an island in search of shelter. When we reached the island’s shoreline, we caught some live bait while the storm passed. Then we headed for Punta Cocos, a well-known fishing bank, but turned back because the wind was picking up.
We’ve got our first fish!
When the storm cleared, we had no doubt we were going to find some big fish around Isla del Rey, the largest island in the archipelago. We then began sounding the bottom looking for some action and found a spot in 60 feet of water. We dropped the bait and waited 30 minutes and, while discussing whether to change spots, the rod suddenly went off. We had something big on the line! It was a good 15-minute fight until we finally saw the fish, a big 25-pound snapper, exactly what we were looking for. Excitedly, we put on fresh bait and repositioned the boat, but we didn’t get any more bites there.
Double roosterfish hookup!
Once again we were sounding the bottom and looking for a new spot. About 6 miles from the previous place we found some action, in 50 feet of water. With our last two baits, we knew the trip was coming to an end; however, we never expected what was about to happen. We dropped the baits and decided we would give it just 20 more minutes before leaving. To our surprise, 5 minutes later one of the rods went off. As we decided who would take it, the other rod went off too, and the battle began.
We had no idea what was on the other end of the line. The fight went on for about 20 minutes until we saw some color, and the adrenaline surged: it was the first roosterfish any of us had ever caught, and to make it even better, we caught two!
We brought both fish aboard, took a few photos, and released them quickly. In conclusion, this trip was incredible and, even though we had to change course halfway through because of the weather, everything was a success and we went home very happy and eager for our next adventure to begin. Fishing in Panama is always a pleasure!
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