After our slow start to fishing in the Florida Keys due to weather, we decided to try a different tactic: go to Panama and get the rust off. Since we don’t have the boat or the camper, our theme is off a bit.
The first time Meg and I were in Panama, it was March 2008. We traveled the majority of the country by car and ended up in the remote town of Pedasi.
While heading back toward Panama City from Bocas Del Toro and a few days from our departure back to the U.S., Meg read about Pedasi in a travel book. No… there wasn’t available internet in that area or an App back then. After reviewing the region, she stated, ‘it’s referred to as the Tuna Coast’. I said, ‘I’m all in!’
When we arrived in Pedasi and based on the recommendation of a local restaurant owner, we drove 5 miles to a resort that has since been renamed. It was originally owned by a famous Panamanian Jockey. It served as his vacation villa and was rented out when not in use. It’s a great property with beautiful landscaping overlooking a pristine bay and has a pool as close to the beach as you can get.
At that time there were no fishing guides and the locals fished for Tuna and Snapper to sell at the market.
Upon our arrival to the villa and in my broken Spanish, I asked the manager at the hotel if there was a local Panga fisherman that could take us out in the morning. He set us up with his friend, a commercial fisherman, who picked us up at first light on the beach using the shelter of an island allowing minimal waves and easier access to the fishing grounds. I brought my own tackle as was prepared for anything from Roosterfish to Marlin. Little did I know I would only need one lure for the day… a cedar plug.
After three hours, including the boat ride there and back, we caught more tuna than we could eat and shared the catch with the staff at the villa upon our return. They were gracious enough to allow us into their kitchen and helped prepare the meal as if we had all been friends for many years.
Our Return to Panama:
One if the reasons we decided to return to Panama, beside the fact it has incredible fishing and surfing, is because our good friends and neighbors in the Keys have a house right on the beach on the Pacific-side. They were kind enough to invite us to stay.
They both travel extensively and have very interesting backgrounds. He is a Panama Ship Pilot and in case you’re not quite sure what that means, you’re not alone: I didn’t know either. Basically, any ship passing through the canal is mandated to have a certified Panama ship pilot physically onboard responsible for your safe passage through the canal. Needless to say, if one of these giant vessels either grounds or hits a structural wall, it would impact the millions of dollars of goods flowing through the canal at a minimum. It’s probably much more complex, but that’s the basic gist.
The reason we chose this time frame to travel was because it was Meg’s birthday, and she needed a well-earned vacation. The only issue we had with the scheduling was due to the fact it was also nearing Carnaval.
Driving during Carnaval is extremely time consuming due to the traffic; it’s also extremely dangerous. Not just because of the physical condition of the roads which are always present, it’s more dangerous due to the amount of drinking involved in the celebrations. So, it’s highly recommended just before Carnaval starts, to get to where you’re going, enjoy the time and not drive. Walking or stumbling should be the primary mode of transportation.
We landed in Panama City from the Keys and drove 3 hours to our friends’ house. We were left with only two travel days before the start of the festivities. So, the next morning, we drove another 4 hours farther south to revisit one of our favorite spots: Pedasi. The road to get to Pedasi goes through the town of Las Tablas, which is at the heart of Carnaval.
It wasn’t our intent to make the travel schedule that condensed, but if we wanted to return to the Tuna Coast, that was our only option. Unfortunately, only allowing one full day of fishing before returning to our friends’ house immediately after the charter.
It took quite a bit of effort to find the resort we stayed in on our first trip. The new construction in that region has been quite extensive. However, after an hour-long search on Google Earth, I finally found it.
Our goal was to return with a cooler full of Tuna and Wahoo to share with our friends knowing none of us were willing to drive anywhere until Carnaval had concluded on Ash Wednesday.
We found a guide online with great reviews and booked the trip. When we arrived at the small boat launch to meet him, we were a little surprised by his British accent, but we didn’t hold that against him. He has been guiding in that region for years and is good friends with the other, usually Panamanian, fishing captains.
Although the initial trip toward the fishing grounds started in a quiet protected area, we soon figured out we had to take the boat directly through the surf to get to the open ocean. The guide had to properly time the incoming sets of waves so we didn’t capsize on our departure and reverse engineer a similar route on our return back into the estuary. As we broke through the final wave into the open ocean, we immediately started seeing bait breaking the surface and birds diving for their breakfast. The winds were surprisingly calm that morning compared to the forecast. Meg, the guide and I were in total agreement the conditions were correctly aligned for a stellar day of catching, not just fishing.
I have a friend that says, ‘you can’t run out of too much bait’. Yeah, that only applies to the bait you have onboard… You can, however, have too much bait in the water around you. So much so, nothing is willing to take an artificial lure regardless of the presentation.
Everywhere we looked the entire morning we saw nothing but giant schools of bait. No takers…
After a full day of fishing, it was time to head back to visit our friends empty-handed. We can’t be too disappointed. We only had one real day to fish due to the schedule.
Regardless, the trip turned out as planned. We had a well-earned break and spent the remaining part of the trip relaxing with friends at the beach house and enjoying afternoon swims before dinner.
Sometimes I can be guilty of trying to fit in too much during our trips and not stopping long enough to truly relax.
The traffic during Carnival basically negated any other real fishing opportunities. And, for the first time in quite a while, I accepted that fact and relaxed.