bar fight with my father in law

Excursion: Tarpon Fishing
Area: Bocas del Toro, Panama
Weather: Overcast morning, sunny afternoon

Its not often you get to throw your 68-year old father-in-law into a bar fight and then stand around taunting him as he is getting his butt kicked. Today I would have just that chance, and I can’t say that I haven’t been looking forward to the show.

My wife’s father, Charlie, has taught me much about business and life over the last 17 years, but today, he was in my world, Tarponville.

Jay and I had previously hatched a plan long in preparation. Little did Charlie know that we were to be the anglers and he was to be the fish. We figured with just the right amount of shame and a dash of sarcasm, we could have him chomping at the bit to catch a Panama Silver King. You see, Charlie hasn’t fished in over 20 years, and he has never caught anything larger than a red snapper. Those who have tangled with a Tarpon over 75 pounds know what old Charlie was in for, but he had no idea.

Prior to his Panama vacation, we chummed the waters a little. Due to his long break from fishing, it was easy to stoke the fire and get him all excited. We told a few outlandish fish tales for the old man and sprinkled in a few photos, which were received with a very sarcastic show me attitude I might add. It is not easy to find these days, but our bait was a new Central American Tarpon discovery all to ourselves. Who could resist?

Poor Charlie, he sucked it down like a hog taking a truffle. After reviewing the Tranquilo Bay tarpon photo galleries on the website, Charlie decided he wanted to catch a world class Central America Tarpon in Panama.

As we pulled up to the area, it couldn’t have been staged better on a movie set. Tarpon were rolling everywhere. Charlie’s eyes got big like a deer in the headlights. He said, “that’s amazing, I had no idea they got that big.” At one point, a pack of at least 30 Tarpon came bulldogging by the boat, clearly agitated about something. A few minutes later we saw the fin and back of about a 5-foot long shark in hot pursuit. The surface action was furious, but the bite had not quite started.

After a short while we had our first chance, I handed Charlie a rod with a screaming drag, then abruptly yelled in his ear to get the blood flowing. “FISH ON!” For the next twenty minutes Jay and I sat there drinking a cold beer while taking turns shouting out sage advice. “Keep that rod tip up”, “keep the pressure on him”, “put your back into it”, what fun.

Charlie’s knees were quivering, and sweat was pouring down his face. This was serious business, because for Charlie, there was more on the line than just another fish. He knew he had to do whatever it would take to pull that Tarpon up out of the water, showing the two young bucks how a “MAN” does it. Well, he would just have to wait, that fish turned out to be a 30 pound Jack Crevalle, not the Trophy Tarpon he was looking for.

About one hour later it happened, the drag started screaming and before we could even get the rod out of the holder, a huge Tarpon went flying 10 feet into the air. Charlie had found what he came to Panama looking for, and so had we. “FISH ON!” Jay looked at me and appropriately said, “Let the games begin.”

For 40 minutes Charlie battled this incredible Tarpon in Bocas del Toro, without another boat in site. Jay and I stood by for the show, knowing that Charlie’s 68 years of experience and wisdom would not help him get that fish to the boat. The instructions were flying, “keep that rod tip up, put your back into it.” As he danced around that boat sweating, praying, and cursing we new exactly how he felt. It’s a bar fight.

After all was said and done, we caught several Jack Crevalle, and four Tarpon. Charlie finally said enough, but he didn’t get his butt kicked. He has a victory picture with his 80-pound Tarpon, proof to the world he showed two young bucks how it is done, but I don’t think he will be stepping back into another Panama Tarpon brawl anytime soon.