Panama s Tropic Star 9

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1 Panama s Tropic A place that has produced more world records than anywhere else on earth has to be on every angler s bucket list. Col Roberts reports. Star The Tropic Star fleet at their moorings at the 8 F i s h i n g W i l d completion of a day s fishing. Panama s Tropic Star 9

2 At first blush a lodge that promotes itself as producing more world record game fish than any other location on earth (with over 250 world records broken),would pique most angler s attention. Yet, it was only after Neil Patrick (retired head honcho of Halco lures) phoned to tell me of a huge 1200lb plus black marlin that he had caught and released at Panama s Tropic Star Lodge that I paid more attention to the place. After all, it s a long way to travel to Panama. His parting words to me were to the effect that you just have to fish the place. Therein began an exercise in reading all I could from the internet and Tropic Star s own website, including copies of their newsletters for the past several years to gain a better understanding of the numbers of fish produced. Variety is probably the one word that best explains what species are on offer. Of all the available species, ranging from apex predators such as billfish down the chain to amberjack and jack crevalle, two stood out that were of particular interest - the rooster fish and cubera snapper. The rooster fish is one of my all time favourites. They have stunning good looks and are aptly named, given their massive and distinctive dorsal filaments, similar to a cock rooster of the chicken variety. They are great Top: A high flying sailfish. Middle: A perfectly rigged Panamanian tuna belly strip. Bottom: The view from the lodge to the dock. fighters and small to medium ones have a tendency to jump clear of the water a bit like our queenfish. They haunt inshore waters, particularly around rock promontories and island washes, no doubt using the stirred up conditions as a form of camouflage to aid the hunting and ambush process. They are difficult to entice on lures, preferring slow trolled live baits such as goggle eyes and skipjack tuna. Think of a giant souped up mangrove jack and you gain a handle on what a cubera snapper is all about. They are also found mostly in the inshore waters and can grow to huge proportions. Like any other lutjanid species they will rub you off on the bottom if given the chance. Whilst they are often caught on cut baits and lures, bigger specimens fall to live baits. Indeed, it s surprising at how big a bait they will attack. Without doubt the most profound feature of the fishery out of Tropic Star Lodge is Pinas Reef (formerly known as Zane Grey Reef ), located 6 miles to the west and a mere twenty minute run offshore. A small seamount of solid rock rises from the edge of the continental shelf in 350 of water to form three distinct pinnacles 150 from the surface. Ocean currents laden with nutrients push northwards past the seamount attracting bait species and predators in massive numbers. Indeed, the Indian word panama means abundance of fish, an apt description for this region. Pinas Reef is virtually a mandatory stop on the way to most fishing grounds - even if targeting roosters and cubera - as live baits (primarily skipjack tuna) are easy to catch, and an important arsenal for these sud dwellers. Whilst smaller goggle-eye live baits (normally kept in drum and mesh cages at the marina) are great on roosters and cubera, live tuna attract the biggest specimens. Not surprisingly, larger apex predators such as black, blue and striped marlin together with sailfish are attracted to the prolific congregations of bait species at the reef. Quite often boats will spend half to one hour catching a supply of skipjack, troll around the reef drop-off for billfish for a further hour or two before graduating to wider and deeper grounds if the billfish are a no show. On days when the bite is hot, there is no need to leave the reef. How does a typical week at Tropic Star work? After overnighting at the Sheraton Hotel in Panama City, anglers are taken to the domestic airport and depart on Twin Otter aircraft for the 1 hour flight to the lodge. After landing anglers board pangas (long boats) for the short transfer to the lodge, which has been constructed in an idyllic setting smack bang in the middle of virgin jungle and mere hop skip and jump from the Colombian border. After settling into accommodations a briefing is conducted, tackle sorted and the balance of the day spent lazing around the resort pool sipping on a few pina coladas in preparation for the first full day of fishing. Everything operates like clockwork. After a breakfast to order, skipper and mate are waiting at the dock for a 6.30am departure. There is even a dockmaster and his assistant ensuring that everything runs to plan amongst the frenetic activity of anglers loading onto a flotilla of boats. Anglers need to specify a fish species preference, otherwise the default will always be billfish. Understandably there is some rivalry amongst the various skippers and mates as to how many billfish they catch in any given week, hence their desire to target billfish. We were fishing in early May which is prime rooster time and also normally when the sailfish turn up following the sardine run. As luck would have it the sailfish run was poor this particular year, and although we caught some, they were not around in sufficient numbers to warrant concentrating on them. Although marlin are normally caught each day, May is not the peak period for them. Remember I used the term variety to describe the fishery? The good news is; there are plenty of alternatives other than billfish. Day One We let our skipper know that we wanted to target roosters first and he ensured we had a good supply of goggle-eye live baits on board. After catching our fill of skipjack tuna, bonito and jelly bean sized yellowfin, we headed north for the 20 mile run up the coast to a small rocky point, known to be productive for roosters. Originally a skipjack was rigged on the downrigger and a goggle-eye slow trolled on a flat line off the outrigger, but this was changed after a slow start to the opposite (goggle-eye on the downrigger and tuna off the flat line) resulting in immediate success. I was Top: Loading baits into the live well tuna tubes. Middle & bottom: Bridle rigging small yellowfin and skipjack tuna 10 Fishing Wild Panama s Tropic Star 11

3 Up close and personal with a bull mahi mahi. A nice mahi mahi took a liking to a rigged tuna belly strip. Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, EF 16-35mm lens. 1/640th second. ISO 400. Subal underwater housing. really impressed with the skipper and in particular Levin the deckie, who continually adjusted the set up and made changes all day long to ensure the maximum chance of success. We started off with some small roosters and mahi mahi to 25lb before the skipjack was monstered by a big cubera. The bait had been butchered by the cubera s carnivorous dentures and failed to hook-up, a common problem when running such big baits. Disappointment soon turned to elation when my goggle-eye went off to a ripper roosterfish that the guide called as 60lb. That big fish made the day. Day Two Although we would have preferred to target roosters again the supply of goggle-eyes had run out (the lodge employ people to catch them at night, but a storm put paid to this). My goggleeye went off to a ripper roosterfish that the guide called as 60lb. That big fish made the day. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as two boats that headed north encountered green water and a lack of roosters. Instead, we headed off to Pinas Reef to stock up on the obligatory skipjack before heading south to fish some trash lines (floating debris) targeting big mahi mahi, and hopefully sailfish. It s a great sight to see the neon lit shapes hugging a series of floating logs, only to be enticed out into open water by rigged panama strips (stitched belly flaps from the skipjack). We landed four up to 50lb in quick succession before also catching a couple of sailfish. It was also a pleasure to use the Fox 6 jig travel rod matched to a Shimano Stella 6000 and 50lb braid compared to the supplied and much heavier boat rods. I m so glad the days of having to cart a rod tube through airports has now gone. 12 Fishing Wild Panama s Tropic Star 13

4 before Alan landed a superb cubera snapper of 50lb. Giant cubera love big baits and it was great to see how quickly and precisely Levin could bridle rig a bait! As a matter of interest we learnt that the lodge rotate the skippers and deckies so they learn more and to aid the sharing of fishing hotspots (no secret squirrel society here). Day Four This ended up being a quieter day. A sizeable shark was lost on the leader followed by a finicky sailfish that knocked down a skipjack on the outrigger twice but failed to hookup. We headed north and caught a number of amberjack, small roosters and cuberas but nothing of any size, before a large rain squall moved in and shut the fishing down. Alan Nanini with his first roosterfish. Day Three What a day! After catching our quota of skipjack we commence slow trolling away from the reef only to have a our baits smashed by dolphins. According to Guy Harvey s book Panama Paradise, the bottle-nosed variety are the bait That s one of the attractions of the place. You can be chasing billfish and tuna for part of the day and then fish the inshore washes for other great sportfish later in the afternoon. stealing culprits. It s always interesting to note how they manage to miss the hook, although one angler during the week fishing from another boat did manage to hook and play one for an hour. After the bait stealing antics of the dolphins waned, my mate Roland managed to land an unlucky sailfish, as the circle hook had lodged near its tail. We received a radio report that there were a lot of yellowfin tuna schools smashing bait schools further offshore. It was pretty obvious that we had reached the right spot as schools of dolphins (incorrectly referred to as porpoise by the locals) and yellowfin were decimating schools of goggleeye. It was great to photograph bait schools attempting to hide under our boat while Levin scooped them up with a bait net and quickly filled the live well. Pitching a fresh google-eye into the frenetic mass quickly resulted in a nice yellowfin around 60lb being hooked and landed. It might be hard to imagine, but the whole ocean was churning with activity for hours on end and realistically, you do tend to get sick and tired of catching yellowfin hand over fist. We needed a break. With plenty of bait in our tank we decided to head inshore to look for a rooster or cubera. And that s one of the attractions of the place. You can be chasing billfish and tuna for part of the day and then fish the inshore washes for other great sportfish later in the afternoon. With a skipjack on the downrigger and a goggle-eye on the flat line we were inundated with jack crevalle (similar to our giant trevally, although not growing anywhere near as big), small amberjack, and somewhat ironically - yellowfin tuna - which we were trying to avoid! On one particular rocky point the skipjack on the downrigger accounted for a massive grouper around 70-80lb Top: The unmistakeable rooster like dorsal fin provides the inspiration for the fish s name. Bottom: The author with a nice 40lb rooster taken on day one. 14 Fishing Wild Panama Tropic Star 15

5 As clouds lift various layers of the jungle and the wild coast are revealed. Even though this image has been shot in colour it has a distinctive monochrome look. Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, EF mm lens at 150mm. 1/3200th second. ISO Fishing Wild Panama s Tropic Star 17

6 Day Five The seas were nice and smooth after the previous afternoon s massive storm. We headed out wide to encounter dolphin and yellowfin ripping into the goggle-eye bait schools again. As expected we caught our fill of yellowfin and some mahi mahi before we head back to Pinas Reef to enjoy watching (and photographing) an English angler release a black marlin estimated at 450lb. Day Six This was our last day of fishing and we were keen to target roosters again. It didn t take long to catch our quota of skipjack and head inshore. In a Jurassic Park like setting the swell was up, causing some sizeable waves to crash into the rocks. Foam and distinctive current lines predominated in the A couple of nice yellowfin tuna taken around the goggle-eye and dolphin schools. A nice yellowfin tuna nears the boat. 18 Fishing Wild Panama s Tropic Star 19

7 agitated water, ideal rooster hunting conditions. We were targeting a small rocky island separated from the mainland by a channel perhaps 50m wide. Slow trolling a live rainbow runner I was on strike when it was taken by a grande rooster. From the power of the fish and the long runs, we all knew it was going to be big, but to see a massive 70lb fish finally come to the surface made the trip for me and eclipsed my previous best, a 65lber landed fourteen years earlier a little way up the coast in Costa Rica. Alan was next on strike and hooked a big fish on the skipjack. Unfortunately after ten minutes the hook pulled leaving only the head and the unmistakeable tell tale signs that a big cubera was the culprit. The bite slowed and as the swell was making fishing difficult we headed offshore. We joined a group of South African anglers fishing amongst the ever present dolphin schools. By driving ahead of the school and tossing in livebaits; larger yellowfin of up to 120lb were landed. It was a fitting end to a great trip. There is no doubt that Tropic Star Lodge sets a certain benchmark that all others should try to aspire to or emulate. Put simply, it is one the best that I have ever had the good fortune of staying at. It s also good to know that even in an El Nino year when the sailfish don t turn up in big numbers there are plenty of other options and variety available. Alan Nanini with a massive cubera snapper taken slow trolling a live bait close to the rocky coast. Inset: Levin, the deckie, checks on how the live tuna is swimming on the downrigger as a big rain storm is about to hit. Top: A nice mahi mahi. Middle: The skipper holds up a huge grouper taken on a downrigger bait. Bottom: Small amberjack took a liking to our rigged baits. 20 Fishing Wild Panama s Tropic Star 21

8 An angler fights a high flying 450lb black marlin against a beautiful jungle backdrop. Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, EF mm lens at 260mm. 1/2500th second. ISO 200. Inset: The marlin leaps just clear of the boat. 22 Fishing Wild Panama s Tropic Star 23

9 A leaping sailfish is one of the best sights in fishing. Photo: Tropic Star Lodge Opposite Top: Dolphins smash goggle-eye schools while South African anglers fight yellowfin. Opposite Middle: Trolling for bait at Pinas Reef. Opposite Bottom: High flying dolphin. 24 Fishing Wild Panama s Tropic Star 25

10 FACT FILE FACT FILE FACT FILE FACT FILE FACT FILE FACT FILE Releasing a nice roosterfish. The author with a huge 70lb roosterfish. OPERATOR Tropic Star Lodge Ph: bonnie@tropicstar.comweb: FISH SPECIES Main species include - black, blue and striped marlin, sailfish, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, roosterfish, cubera snapper, amberjack, tarpon, grouper. SEASON AND WEATHER The monsoon season is Sept-Nov and the lodge is closed from Oct to the last week of Nov. Marlin are best from June to the following March with blacks best from Dec-March. Sailfish follow the sardine run and are best from May - Aug. The inshore fishery for roosterfish and cubera snapper is best from mid March - May. HOW TO GET THERE We flew from Sydney- Santiago (Chile) on LAN (15 hours flying time) and after overnighting at the Kennedy Hotel, flew Santiago - Panama City (6 hours 20 minutes) on COPA AIR. A taxi fare from the airport at Santiago to the hotel was $41.USD. The Hotel Kennedy cost $125.USD twin share. Panama City has the most pleasant airport imaginable given the Tocumen Royal Saloon Service (included in the cost of fishing at Tropic Star). Both when arriving and leaving Panama, a representative takes you to their lounge while baggage, customs and passports are all dealt with whilst you sip on a beer or vodka and orange. Fifteen minutes later a representative returns with your passport and (in the case of departures) boarding pass. Goodbye check in lines and free drinks to boot! Check out: VISAS A visa in advance is not necessary to enter Panama. RATES Two rates apply depending upon the time of year. For the period March - August it costs $4195.USD for 6 days fishing/7nights (4 anglers per boat) or $4700 (3 anglers per boat). For the period Dec- Feb and Sept the rate increases to $5195(4 per boat) and $5790 (3 per boat). An additional fee of $500 applies for the airfare transfer from Panama City to Tropic Star Lodge return. ACCOMMODATION AND LODGE FACILITIES There are a number of spacious airconditioned cabins with ensuites and twin beds, containing a porch with chairs and all with great views overlooking the bay. A laundry service is available at extra cost. There is a main dining and bar area which offers excellent food and with a number of menu choices. There is also a BBQ and buffet available at the swimming pool area a couple of nights during the week. Two computers and free internet is available for guests, as well as a gift shop. At night you fill out a lunch order (tick a box style) and the staff ensure it is delivered to the boat. All orders are individually marked with each angler s initials and what each package contains to avoid mix-ups. I liked the fact that lettuce and tomato were placed into a separate plastic bag (and added to a roll by the angler) to prevent it becoming soggy. FISHING TIMES Depart the dock around 6.30am and stop fishing around 4pm (with a run home of 20 mins to an hour, depending upon locality fished.) FISHING GEAR The lodge supplies Cape Fear rods and Shimano Tiagra reels suited to 30-50lb line. I was somewhat surprised to see that monofilament was still being used although the dockmaster indicated they were about to offer braided lines in the following season. I used the Fox jig and tarpon 4 and 5 piece travel rods which were a delight to use (contact Chris Baty at Compleat Angler in Melbourne Ph: for details of these superb rods). All hooks, bridle gear and other terminal tackle are supplied by the lodge. CLOTHING Given the location in the tropics it is advisable to wear long sleeved shirts and pants, buff and hat. As tropical downpours can occur at any time the addition of a rain jacket is a good idea. STAR RATINGS Accommodation - lodge category Skipper Deckie Boat Food Fishing Degree of Difficulty Suitability For Non Fishing Partners Weather Bugs Airlines LAN - Service performance On time performance COPA - Service performance On time performance 26 Fishing Wild Tsimane Lodge 27

11 Tackle Innovation Choosing the right lure by Roderick Walmsley. The choice of lure that we tie on the end of our line is generally decided by the depth of the water that we are going to fish in; once we have decided what species we are going to target that is. Matching the species that we intend to the target s food source can also play a role, but do we give this enough thought? Most of us have our favourite lures that we usually tie on first and these normally remain our favourites simply because they get a lot of time in the water and therefore catch more fish for us. By doing this we may be missing out on a lot of the new age lures that could be improving our catch rates substantially. It may well be time to delve a bit deeper into the make up of a lure and why some are better than others. To give you a quick example of this, I recently got the opportunity to do a trip up to Bynoe Harbour just south of Darwin. The trip was centred around sight fishing the flats and the goal was to do a fair bit of filming for Steven Goodhew to promote his business - I ll Take Ya Fishing Charters - as well as to test and film the prototype lures we were using. Steven has the place wired and even though the conditions were ordinary to say the least, with 25 to 35 knot winds and 20 degree water making it tough, we still managed to land a good number of barra each day. The big plus was that because we could see many of the fish we were trying to catch, we were able to see just how they reacted to the lures in the adverse conditions. We observed numerous fish that either shied away from the lures or required numerous casts to get them to bite. The key for the trip was casting the correct size and shape lure in the right place on the flats, and if done correctly, the fish ate. Once we had worked this out with the help of Steve, the number of fish that we saw and then converted into a hookup increased dramatically. It was a really good learning experience for us on the trip and taught me to think a lot more about which lure to tie on next when heading out for a fish. Factors like the shape of the lure, its size, its castability, what sound it makes under the water and how to work it with the rod and whether or not it is the right colour are all things to take into account. On our trip the lures with the more slender profile were the key because of the fish s main food source being prawns at the time that we were there. Many of us often assume that a hard bodied lure is designed to mimic a fish but on our trip we were fishing the slender Maria lures with higher, shorter stabs of the rod tip to make them look like a flicking prawn. The fatter profiled lures tend to have a wider wobble and thus were not the appropriate lure for the job. Wind plays a major role in many of our waterways and lure manufacturers are developing lures that track better when cast. They incorporate a sliding ball weight that moves to the tail of the lure when cast, putting the weight in the right place to stop the lure rolling over and thus impeding its aerodynamics. When the lure lands, the ball moves back into the middle of the lure causing it to float or suspend naturally. This is a major factor in lure choice if you intend casting tight into and around snags; or alternatively at a specific target like a moving fish. You generally only get a limited number of shots at it and you need to know that your lure will go exactly were you are aiming it. On this trip we filmed footage of the different lures running under the water and it was really interesting to hear how the type of rattle that the lure contained affected the noise it made under the water. Whether by chance or design the shallow diving Maria lures that we were using had a sharp audible clicking sound when worked through the water and this was very similar to the sound a prawn would make. If the water was discoloured and we were fishing an area that required the lure to make more noise to attract the attention of the fish then something with a louder rattle may have been a better option. Size is probably the most important factor when choosing a lure. Active fish that are in feeding mode will often charge down oversize lures and make lure fishing seem easy. It is when they are lethargic and shut down that the finesse aspect of lure fishing comes into its own. On our trip we found 90mm lures to be the producer. The larger lures although still having a slender profile just seemed too noisy for the fish s mood and although easier to cast did not catch nearly as many fish as the smaller lures. Casting slender 90mm lures into 25 knots of wind even with the sliding weight system incorporated can be a bit tricky on bait casting If paying by cheque please make payable to - Kimberley Images P/L 4 issues (2 Years) $51.80 within Aus (NZ/ASIA/PACIFIC $ Rest of World $96.20) 6 issues (3 Years) $77.70 within Aus (NZ/ASIA/PACIFIC $ Rest of World $144.30) 8 issues (4 Years) $ within Aus (NZ/ASIA/PACIFIC $ Rest of World $192.40) Digital versions of Fishing Wild now available for download at only AU$9.49 to anywhere in the world. Log onto Itunes through Ipad/Iphone. Then search for Magshop and download free Magshop app - where Fishing Wild digital issues can be located. Back Issues are available at a cost of $12.95 within Australia (NZ/ASIA/PACIFIC $ Rest of World $24.05) Please start my subscription with No gear; so lighter spinning tackle made the fishing more enjoyable and very productive. Lure colour will always be a matter that is up for debate, but it comes into play far too often not to affect your catch rate. Generally speaking, natural coloured lures in cleaner water are the go, with the brighter colours or colours that offer a better silhouette being the better producers in dirty water. I say generally because there will always be the exception to the rule, and it is always a good idea to mix up colour selection when there is more than one angler on the boat. There are numerous other lure characteristics that can affect your lure selection. As time rolls on for all of us they will change even more, as the backroom boys work out better strategies and tricks to make their new lures better than the last one. All this innovation makes it easier for us to catch fish, if we use it. Fishing Wild Subscription Have Fishing Wild delivered to your door or surprise someone with the perfect gift. Name Address Post code Phone Payment of $ (AUD) is enclosed or charge my Master Card Visa Credit card number. Expiry Date Cardholders Name 28 Fishing Wild Avoid cutting up the magazine - download order form from the web site at: Panama s Tropic Star 29 please tick Signature Post to Fishing Wild. P.O.Box 209. Kelmscott. W.A Australia. Back Issues No x No x No x No x No x Total