It was father’s day, so we decided to go deepsea fishing in Panama
Deepsea fishing in Panama is an activity best done between the months of June to November. In other words, the rainy season in Panama. With rains, driftwood flows from the rivers to the sea and, consequently, the currents where big species can be found are abundant and clear.
Starting our day
As you head out of Panama City you have several islands and fishing grounds to choose from. We had plenty of time so we could go far; our main desired area was the Pearl Islands Archipelago, this group of islands extends from North to South. The main and most visited islands are located in the north, however, if you would like to increase the sizes of your catch consider aiming more south. Above all, you will find deeper and more exposed waters to the open South Pacific Ocean.
We placed a waypoint on our GPS navigation system to Pedro Gonzalez Island. More accurately, on the Niagara reef. A nice open ocean reef surrounded by 250 feet on average and on the most shallow parts it can get up to 20 feet. In other words, BEAUTIFUL for all kinds of species. Pedro Gonzales and Niagara Reef can be considered right in the middle of the Pearl Islands Archipelago, around 45 nautical miles from Panama.
Throughout the cruise, you will definitely pass good fishing areas like the drop behind Taboga Island, the famous 20 Fathom Drop. It will be hard to avoid dropping lines, but you have to be focused on the long cruise. Certainly, any time you save on your way will mean more fishing time in your far away targeted areas.
First Mahi catch of the day
A few nautical miles from Pedro Gonzalez we spotted some dolphins that cruised with us for a while, this meant happy cruising dolphins and no fish. Suddenly, all of them changed their course and went towards some feeding birds, we knew there was fish around so slowed down and threw lines in the water!
The first hit on the line of the day happened just a few minutes after throwing them and the catch went straight down. it was definitely a pelagic species! the fight took 10 minutes until we saw color, mostly grey and black, when it got closer we saw a golden yellowish shine, oh yes! We were a few seconds to have sushi night! YELLOWFIN TUNA safely landed on board.
Finally, our monster Mahi
After that, the vibe onboard was stoking and we kept trolling around, but action quite disappeared. We reached Niagara Reef and decided to look for some live bait to then cruise even more to the Southernmost Island of the Pearls, which is San Jose. On the west side of San Jose, there’s a famous area called Ensenada de Bodega. Famous for good fishing, Ensenada de Bodega was our next destination. However, on the way there we noticed some rain approaching, and, having the benefit of a powerboat, we took a fast decision of heading to the open ocean again. Firstly, to avoid the rain and secondly, to double take advantage of how close we were to the main continental drop from Panama.
Seas were a bit choppy, hard to spot drift lines and action in the water. Nonetheless, we knew we were in a good area and anglers decided to throw lines once again and troll for a while. Starting losing hope and with 1 angler showing signs of seasickness the magic happened! A monster bull hit a cedar plug we had in the water targeting more tuna; it hit a good lure, with a metal leader, a thick nice rod, and plenty of line for a good fight.
Many jumps, fights, rest, and explosives swim into the deep to finally surrender and let our angler take the line in and put the monster bull Mahi on board! Deepsea fishing in Panama is quite definitely always an exciting adventure.
If you want to check the rest of our Mahi catches and adventures we had on that day, click here!
