More Sportfishing in Panama

We learned about Ocearch earlier this month when a group for The Billfish Foundation working on the Panamanian Sportfishing Study came to fish with us at Tranquilo Bay. Ocearch founder, Chris Fischer visited Panama a year ago to discuss sustainability issues with different Panamanian government officials. Check it out:




Ocearch is a non-profit organization with a global reach for unprecedented research on the ocean's giants. You can check out more of their work on the National Geographic Channel's Shark Men or on their website www.ocearch.org.

Sportfishing study for Panama

Panama is looking to new ways to use its natural resources. We have had a first hand opportunity to learn a bit more about this study. It is going to be interesting to see what the country of Panama, The Billfish Foundation, Southwick & Associates, and Ocearch find as they study how sportfishing might benefit Panama. This same study was recently mentioned in the May Editorial by Doug Olander in Sport Fishing. Here is a link to a press release from Dr. Ruben Berrocal, Panama's National Secretary of SENACYT, and Minister of Tourism Mr. Salomon Shamah released on March 11, 2011.

http://www.sportfishingmag.com/news/news/officials-new-sportfishing-study-will-provide-economic-roadmap-for-panama-1000087455.html

Down at the dock

We were blessed to have a family return this year for a second time with their children for Spring Break. Our children and their children get along really well and have the best of times. The guests tell us they plan on coming each year to visit so it will be great fun to watch how the friendship between the kids continues to grow over the years. This is just an example of the fun times we had down at the dock. Only three of the six children are in this shot but they were all around playing and having a blast.

Panama Eco Adventure - 2011 Episode 4

Check out this video and learn a bit about the catch and release fishing available off the beach.

Sport Fishing Article goes live online

"Panama's Forgotten Coast" - this article has been a blessing for us. We have received more reservations from people reading this article than we have from any other to date. We truly enjoyed having Doug and Rob here with us last October. If you haven't read it yet - take a look at the article now on Sport Fishing Magazine's website: http://bit.ly/dOriHk

Check out Tranquilo Bay in Sport Fishing Magazine

Read Panama's Forgotten Coast on page 70 of the March 2011 issue of Sport Fishing Magazine. We hosted editor Doug Olander and his fishing buddy, Rob Sherman, for a week of fishing last year. See what Doug had to say about his experience.

I Spear Lionfish (dot) org

Lionfish are not native to Caribbean waters. Originally found only in Pacific waters of Asia, they have entered, permeated and threaten to destroy marine environments throughout the Caribbean. Aquarium dumping of the popular imported fish is the likely source of their introduction to the Atlantic. It is suspected that possibly only four female specimens, as DNA profiles suggest, were dumped into the Atlantic off the east coast of Florida. Spreading from Florida waters, where the Pacific lionfish was first sighted in 1985, the invasive species has inundated reefs from the Bahamas to Belize, Turks and Caicos and further points south. They have been in Bocas less than a year, but seem intent on completely taking over the reefs. They have the ability to do so. (See ISpearLionfish.org)

To date there have been two Lionfish round ups. In fact in the last round up they caught 572 fish. We must continue to fight them year round. One of the best things we can do in order to decimate their population and save the native fish populations is turn them into a food commodity. This is what Bocas restaurant El Ultimo Refugio has done.


Here is a video shot off the coast of North Carolina. They use an ice brine to detoxify the lionfish. They are also catching them at extreme depths which is a bit different than most people catch them in Bocas del Toro. Eat Lionfish!

Tarpon in the shallows

Not long ago, Jim was at the beach with some guests. They had expressed an interest in fishing so he had a rod with him. The guests had moved on to other things so Jim decided to cast. And to his surprise he caught a big Tarpon in the shallows. What excitement. He yelled over to Ramon who was able to capture the catch on film. Awesome day at the beach - fish on.

More Tarpon

The guys really got into some fish while Gary was here. The Tarpon and Jack Crevalle were thick. Here are some more shots of the Tarpon they hung out with during Gary's stay.

Vince's Jack Crevalle

Vince did some serious fishing while he was here. There were several Tarpon and Jack Crevalle. Here he is with one of his Jack Crevalle.

Another Tarpon

This one is Jim's. He and Jon were not having any fun at all. They both look like they were wishing for their old jobs back in the States - don't you think? It is a tough life, but someone has to do it.

Vince's Tarpon

Jon helped Vince get his bait on the hook and the rod in the water. Vince did all the fancy fighting and then Jon helped him get him to the boat. Nice fish.

Fly rod explosion

So, Gary wanted to see some fly fishing in action while he was here. Jim of course told him no problem. So, Jim takes his brother Greg's new fly rod out with them to fish that day. Jim gets on the rod to work it so that Gary can get some photos of the process. Next thing you know the rod explodes. Everyone on the boat can't imagine what has just happened. Jim is just sick as his brother hasn't even used his rod yet. And Gary captured it all on film.

Smooth as silk

Smooth as silk - the water that is. Getting ready for another fine day of fishing.

What happens when the pros come out to play...

We were fortunate to host Gary Kramer and his fishing buddy Vince Bruccolieri in April 2009. They came to do some fishing; however the ended up doing some catching :-)

Gary kindly shared the photos he took during their stay with us. I am going to present them to you over the month. Here is a bit more information about Gary that I collected from his website.

Gary Kramer is a full-time outdoor writer and photographer based in Willows, California. He is a Contributing Photographer for Sports Afield and is the Senior Correspondent for the Bird Hunting Report. One of the most prolific writer/photographers in the country, his images and words are regularly published in Ducks Unlimited, Petersen's Hunting, American Hunter, Shooting Sportsman, WildBird, other magazines and, numerous books, calendars and corporate advertizing. Since 2002, Gary has been a featured photographer in Cabela's Conservation Calendar and has won numerous awards including "The Best of the Best" top honor in the Outdoor Writers Association of America photo contest.

Gary has traveled the globe for more than two decades in search of new and interesting hunting, fishing and photographic opportunities. These travels have taken him to the sands of the Sahara in Egypt and Chad, the alpine tundra of Sweden, the Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay, the moors of Scotland and the swamps of Zambia and Botswana. Gary has hunted, fished and photographed in 30 foreign countries as well as Hawaii, Alaska and the continental US.

Gary earned Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in wildlife management from Humboldt State University and for 26 years was a biologist and refuge manager with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. From 1989 to 1999, he was the manager of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex where he directed the management of six wildlife refuges, largely devoted to providing wintering habitat for waterfowl. Gary retired from the Service to pursue his writing and photo career full time.

Gary and Vince's trip was arranged for them by Detail Company Adventures. Gary told Cody Greany who arranged the trip for him that Tranquilo Bay is one of his favorite places in all of his travels. This means a lot to us coming from someone who is as well traveled as Gary.

Enjoy his photos. We are.

Jason's report

Okay, not one of the best caught photos of a Tarpon, but it was a big one. You can read Jason's own words about it by clicking on the photo.

Don't forget - Watch Randy Jones Strike Zone Today

Episode 63- Tranquilo Bay, Panama Tarpon: Want to learn the biggest secret in Tarpon fishing all for less than it would cost to fight the crowds of Florida? Then join Randy this week you travel with him to the Caribbean of Panama for world class Tarpon fishing without the world famous crowds! You will be amazed by the beauty and ready to book your trip to Tranquilo Bay at the end of this adventure! You also won't want to miss this week's guide tip and are you the Catch of the Day winner?

Randy Jones Strike Zone - Mark Your Calendars - Revised

Randy Jones Strike Zone - The Outdoor Channel - Tarpon Fishing with Tranquilo Bay episode airs on Saturday, May 30, 2009. Check your local listings for exact times: 7:00 am and 1:30 pm Central Time. This time Randy went way beyond Southern California. It was great fun to have Randy and his crew here. We are looking forward to the episode.

Check out the details for the show here: http://www.outdoorchannel.com/Shows/RandyJonesStrikeZone.aspx

Randy Jones Strike Zone - Mark Your Calendars

Randy Jones Strike Zone - The Outdoor Channel - Tarpon Fishing with Tranquilo Bay episode airs on Saturday, June 6, 2009. Check your local listings for exact times: 7:00 am and 1:30 pm. This time Randy went way beyond Southern California. It was great fun to have Randy and his crew here. We are looking forward to the episode.

Check out the details for the show here: http://www.outdoorchannel.com/Shows/RandyJonesStrikeZone.aspx

What are the odds?

Last weekend, some of Jim's fraternity brothers came down to do a bit of fishing. One of the guys also went to high school with Jay and law school with me. Small world. Anyway, back to the fishing. The first day they did some Tarpon fishing. They had a great day. On Saturday, they decided they were going to check out some of the other things we can do here in Bocas, so they went off to the Zapatilla Cayes to do a bit of Bonefishing, snorkeling and beach combing. After they had tried all of those things, they decided to go ahead and go offshore to catch some fish.

As soon as they got to the bank, they noticed the Bonita jumping. So they threw a line out of the boat and caught one right away. Jim was getting ready to rig it to use it alive to catch a bigger fish. Glenn was on the rod and Mike was close by. Mind you this is a trout rod as all they were after was bait. Next thing they know, there is a Tuna jumping. Right after the Tuna was a Wahoo. The Wahoo took a bite out of the Bonita. One half gone. Jim told them to go ahead and leave the line in the water as the Wahoo wold come back for the other half. Sure enough, he did. He was caught. However, Wahoo have super sharp teeth. This rod was not set up to catch a Wahoo. It didn't have enough line on the reel, there wasn't a wire leader, etc. etc. Jim, Glenn and Mike all worked to put the fish in the right position around the boat so that they had a chance of landing this one. Once the fish got to the boat, Glenn had the gaff to get it. Glenn had never used a gaff at this point. He got it on the fish and they got him in the boat. Jim says that the fish was more difficult to handle and bigger than Tres. So that means it was at least 50 pounds. This one they brought home. We ate it for dinner. It was extremely tasty.

Jim has looked up the world record for a wahoo on twelve pound test - 57 pounds. It is awfully close to this fish. Of course, we had multiple people touch the rod, so no world record here, but it was a world record fish for sure!