Here is a detailed report from our trip 2 weeks ago @Panama....which was totally amazing, the best trip there yet. Make sure you check out the video link at the bottom….some of the best underwater tuna footage you will ever see! ;)
After a 45 flight from Panama we take a boat ride down the river to Boca Chica to Isla Parida, where the Propiedad de Paradise resort is located.
The resort is truly World class, greatly exceeding our expectations. Less than 100m from the beach (easy to transport our gear), it overlooks the ocean and several small islands. Everything is impeccable, it is really amazing how they built a 5-star lodge in such a remote place! Comfortable beds, exotic bar & kitchen, hot water, A/C, icemaker machine, wifi internet, the whole works. And the food amazing, full homemade breakfast, nice lunches on the boat, and amazing dinner with drinks to top off the night in paradise.
Then we get on the boat, a 33-foot World Cat. Also fully loaded: twin 225HP yamahas, radar, tuna tubes, 2 baitwells, premium sonar, autopilot, dive platform, beanbags – all perfectly working and like new.
The run to the tuna grounds is just over an hour, calm seas and great weather all week long. The first 3 days greeted us with the best tuna action I have ever seen, with porpoises everywhere! While last year we only ran into 1 or 2 crazy surface feeding frenzies, we were finding 2-3 every day! Of course we nailed tunas at will, only taking 3 the first day (could have been 10).
So day 2 I decide to hold off for the daddy tuna. In a frenzy under a floating log I am passing up 150 pound tuna for 3-4 minutes, when I see one twice the size of the others. Shot right at the spine at 15 feet, but the slip tip did not fully engage and he brushed it off! No kidding, looking at a 250# fish!!!
After the 3rd day with similar conditions, the craziness calmed down a bit and we actually had to work for the tunas! We would intercept the porpoises and dive for the tuna, and several others hit the boat. Here is where the radar and captain know-how really helped! Oh and special note on the crew, very professional and helpful, they took great care of us, cleaned and stowed our gear every day....top notch!
On the last day we also did some H&L, landing more tuna...and even had a Marlin by the boat but he did not bite.
The only thing that was not perfect was the viz for bottom spearing, which got murky after 30ft and was only 10-15 feet viz. We nailed some decent reef fish but nothing special...but still a nice break from the tunas. Sounds crazy saying that...
Anyone wanting to shoot big tuna has a great shot at them out here. I will be repeating again, so for those who don´t mind paying a bit for the comfort and amenities, let me know. After being there I can see it is worth it, these guys really have their stuff together, everything was perfect!
The lodge website is: www.fishpanamatoday.com
Sincerely,
Ben Alvarez
ENJOY THE MOST AMAZING UNDERWATER TUNA FRENZY VIDEO HERE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn8WFCRAwrc
