PIÑAS BAY, THE LAND OF PLENTY

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Delilah Pierce
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PIÑAS BAY, THE LAND OF PLENTY Just as our DeHavilland Twin Otter broke through the clouds and mist you could make out the tiny airstrip along the bay that is so special to my father and me.

2 PIÑAS BAY, THE LAND OF PLENTY Just as our DeHavilland Twin Otter broke through the clouds and mist you could make out the tiny airstrip along the bay that is so special to my father and me. The feeling I get each time the plane touches down on the jungle airstrip is one of awe and anticipation. It s a feeling I have felt before and don t ever want to forget. THE ROOSTERS WERE CROWING; the author hoists up a pig rooster taken on a live bonito just before its release. RALEIGH WERKING DISPLAYS a beautiful yellowfin tuna that inhaled a surface popper while fishing dolphin schools. NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2013 I Download Our New iphone & ipad the itunes Newsstand I PCSportfishing.com I 23

The memories of past trips shoot through my head like the lightning show that flashes offshore each evening for much of the last decade I have made pilgrimages to Piñas Bay every other year.

3 The memories of past trips shoot through my head like the lightning show that flashes offshore each evening for much of the last decade I have made pilgrimages to Piñas Bay every other year. There are so many things that bring me back: the fishing, the food, the service, the people. And that feeling you get from being in a far-off land with no one to bother you. Since fishing at Tropic Star is one of my favorite destinations and the fishing has made such a mark on my life I have made it a goal to introduce as many anglers to this intriguing part of the world as possible. For this latest adventure dad and I had our buddy Joe Zammit from Australia join us. We first met Joe in 2006 during our trip to the Great Barrier Reef fishing for grander black marlin. We have kept in touch ever since, and Joe made a trip here last summer for the first time. We talked Panama and he had told me that Tropic Star Lodge was a major topic of discussion ALBERT BATTOO, FISHING DIRECTOR AT TROPIC STAR LODGE, cradles a giant rooster that he caught on his afternoon off. "If you are looking to catch some schoolies, you can throw a popper or cast a live goggle eye, but if it s the true cows you are looking for a larger bonito or skipjack bait can easily be exchanged." PIÑ LA 24 I PCSportfishing.com I Like Us On Facebook I NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2013

Down Under, and it was a destination he had always wanted to visit. Our flight to Panama City was uneventful as usual, and the VIP service at the airport was, as always, outstanding.

4 Down Under, and it was a destination he had always wanted to visit. Our flight to Panama City was uneventful as usual, and the VIP service at the airport was, as always, outstanding. Passing through Customs was easy and since we had a guest with us, we ran Joe over to the Panama Canal for the fifty-cent tour. We had a nice meal and went back to the hotel to try and get some rest. I do admit: on these trips I don t sleep well the night before we head down too much excitement. Once you get to the lodge, the amenities are unsurpassed, partly because the staff has remained consistent. One example is Patterson, who excels at customer service and has been at the lodge every year I ve been there. Albert Battoo, the fishing director, knows fishing and knows how to keep the guests on the fish. Coming from a background as a former captain of his own charter boat, he educates the guests when they first arrive as to how things work on the boats and what to expect. AS BAY ND OF TUNA ON TAP The first few days of the trip we chose to head offshore and chase around the larger tunas and marlin. Heading down the resort s long pier you could see all the boats backed into the dock. The matching fleet of 31 Bertrams just shines with the bright colors and hopping crews. The larger tuna are typically on the dolphins, but you need to have the larger baits left to fend off the pesky 75-pound and smaller tuna. If you can find a nice school of dolphins they should be holding. If you are looking to catch some schoolies, you can throw a popper or cast a live goggle eye, but if it s the true cows you are looking for a larger bonito or skipjack bait can easily be exchanged. The conditions were ideal on the first day with lots of bait in the water, but we just couldn t find the right fish. We missed one major bite that probably would have resulted in a nice marlin, but we never saw the fish. Many times on these trips during summer it takes the fleet a day to locate the mass of life that holds the gamefish. During the winter and spring months when the black marlin are on the Zane Gray Reef, the fish tend to hang on the bank and are easier to locate. But in the summer months the fish tend to hang on the shelf. Oftentimes, once you find the life, it s on: giant bull dorado, huge tuna and some of the best blue marlin fishing available. Don t count out the blacks either. I caught my first black marlin in August ever on our first trip to the lodge. WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? THE AUTHOR DISPLAYS A GIANT DOG TOOTH that was an accidental catch while clearing lines. NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2013 I Download Our New iphone & ipad the itunes Newsstand I PCSportfishing.com I 25

The next day started off with a bang as the fleet really started to dial in the zone. Boats started to call in hook-ups on sailfish and dorado. We trolled over and began our pick at the fish.

5 The next day started off with a bang as the fleet really started to dial in the zone. Boats started to call in hook-ups on sailfish and dorado. We trolled over and began our pick at the fish. The dorado this time of the year can be enormous, and each day boats found logs with 50 plus-pounders under them. Don t be shocked if a monster dorado were to come up and eat your marlin bait these giants are glutinous. The following morning the fleet found the dolphin schools and in turn located the tuna and sailfish. There were a few sharks around, but if you could get a big bait down it resulted in a nice tuna or sailfish. The action as usual was fast and furious with tuna pulling on the boats lines and sailfish jumping all over the sterns. That night the dinner tables were alive with the stories of what had transpired. That s what memories are made of. YOU JUST COULDN T WIPE THE SMILE off Joe Zammit of Australia s face after he landed his personal best tuna.

LOGGING SUCCESS Very early in the morning on the third day we found a log offshore. These are unique and can hold both bait and gamefish as they drift their way.

6 LOGGING SUCCESS Very early in the morning on the third day we found a log offshore. These are unique and can hold both bait and gamefish as they drift their way. The captains know that sometimes it takes a tide change for the big boys bite. I learned this lesson on my first trip years back. Then we kept trolling around and around this log and I looked at the captain as if he was crazy. He kept saying, Coming up, and pointing to his watch. Sure enough, a half hour later they did come up and we landed three blue marlin in an hour from under that log. The log on this most recent trip was no different; it took about 20 or so minutes for the fish to appear. We ended up catching three sailfish, in- PIÑAS BAY LAND OF PLENTY A PAIR OF JUMBO WAHOO taken while high speed trolling Playa De Muerto.

LAND OF PLENTY ONE TASTY FISH, THIS AFRICAN POMPANO WAS CAUGHT WHILE

full of them. cluding a double header and a few dorado.

We had a double header of giant dorado under the next log we found

One bit the large bonito bait and the other shockingly ate a small

Joe and I battled the monsters side by side and came up with 50-pound

7 LAND OF PLENTY ONE TASTY FISH, THIS AFRICAN POMPANO WAS CAUGHT WHILE TROLLING the coast near the lodge off a special beach that was just full of them. cluding a double header and a few dorado. Sometimes patience and knowledge are the keys. We had a double header of giant dorado under the next log we found this time on the first pass. One bit the large bonito bait and the other shockingly ate a small yellowfin tuna! Joe and I battled the monsters side by side and came up with 50-pound class fish. Trophies anywhere in the world and a double header at that! PIÑAS BAY LAND INSHORE OF FISHING, PLENTY TOO Later in the trip we opted to do some inshore as well, which is by far my favorite. With the baits

PIÑAS BAY LAND OFF 50 YEARS STRONG! Tropic Star Lodge s history is one that is unsurpassed by any lodge in the world.

From the beginning, Ray Smith the oil tycoon, building the lodge in '61 the way someone would build a custom home with every detail and personal touch imaginable.

When Conway Kittredge bought the place in '76 he saw the potential to continue on a tradition of perfection that lives on today with his family still running the operation.

8 PIÑAS BAY LAND OFF 50 YEARS STRONG! Tropic Star Lodge s history is one that is unsurpassed by any lodge in the world. Its not just the fishing but the the total experience that they have been sharing for so many great years. From the beginning, Ray Smith the oil tycoon, building the lodge in '61 the way someone would build a custom home with every detail and personal touch imaginable. Having a lodge that was built to be a oil tycoon's private getaway sure gives you a great foundation. Such as more than 300 world records that have been broken. When Conway Kittredge bought the place in '76 he saw the potential to continue on a tradition of perfection that lives on today with his family still running the operation. The fishing has only gotten better with the banning of long lines and the technology of tuna tubes and GPS. The lodge still gives you that feeling of what Ray Smith wanted it to be, a place where he and some buddies can escape from the regular stresses of life and enjoy some of the best fishing in the world. Congrats to you Tropic Star Lodge on 50 great years! PLAYA DE MUERTO WAHOO! One thing the lodge doesn t promote heavily is its impressive population of wahoo. Each trip I have taken it was possible to target them with success. Ask about it. There is a special beach up the coast called Playa De Muerto. This is the wahoo haven! On this latest trip we spent one morning there for at least 15 wahoo bites in an hour using the new Yozuri Sashimi 3D Magnum Deep Divers and 3D Magnum sinking models. The best colors were purple and black or blue and white. We had a strike almost every pass by the point, but though we landed some nice ones, I pulled a wahoo off at gaff that probably would have went 80 pounds. The inshore fishing in this area is also incredible and the captains from the lodge have fishing the area down to a science. If you love wahoo fishing then this is a must-do fishing day on your itinerary. Keep in mind those skinnies are hard on baits; you may want to bring a supply of those Yozuri s. P L P THIS DORADO SHOT FOR THE SKY just off the jungle's edge. THESE YOZURI DIVING PLUGS make all the difference while trolling up trophy wahoo. 30 I PCSportfishing.com I Like Us On Facebook I NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2013

The bait got bit hard and we knew it was a nice fish, just by the size of the bonito we were trolling.

9 PLENTY deployed, our captain worked every structure spot, nook and cranny along the coast. Dad was up on the rod first, but knowing he had caught a giant rooster on a previous trip he let me take the first bite. The bait got bit hard and we knew it was a nice fish, just by the size of the bonito we were trolling. A nice battle ensued and before I knew it I had landed the largest rooster I have ever witnessed in person. The fish was easily 75 pounds and probably more, and we released it quickly after a few photo ops. We also managed another nice rooster to get Joe his first, and the bite went on IÑAS BAY AND OF LENTY continually with dad catching his first ever African Pompano and Joe adding a nice amberjack to boot. Just as the day dwindled down and we knew we were close to heading home, the downrigger ball got hung up on a pinnacle. As the mate tried to jiggle it loose, I went ahead and popped the rod out of the clip and to my surprise there was a fish on the other end! I pulled hard knowing that this fish was right next to his safety cave. Once the fish broke the surface it proved to be a beautiful 50-pound dogtooth snapper that had inhaled the bonito while the rig was stuck. It was a great ending to a wonderful trip. If you are looking to have a oncein-a-lifetime experience more than just fishing, a true memory maker then give the office a call and book a trip to Tropic Star Lodge (visit www. Tropicstar.com). From the gracious people to the fishing, this destination has it all. It s a jungle experience without giving up the luxuries of great food and service. A DOUBLE HEADER of super trophies; they ate a live bonito and a live yellowfin!

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