Cebaco and Coiba Island Fishing

Anglers all around the world know that few experiences can match the thrill of fishing Coiba Island and fishing Cebaco Island. That’s why we have been providing outstanding fishing opportunities to visitors and locals alike who want to experience the thrill of landing a big one in Panama.

Cebaco Island

cebaco island fishing el rio negroLocated just off the Pacific (Western) Coast of Panama, Cebaco Island is under the administration of the Montijo District of Veraguas Island. Anglers enjoy fishing Cebaco Island, situated in the middle of the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Montijo. The island is home to a small community of about 30 homes on the northern end, with most residents engaged in commercial fishing activities.

Right now, no regular ferries serve Cebaco Island, and the only way to get there is by boat. Luckily, many locals are happy to transport groups who want to enjoy fishing Cebaco Island in the bountiful waters offshore.

Because of its remoteness, the small town on Cebaco Island depend on solar energy for their electricity. cebaco fishing tuna coast panamaAdvanced solar panels also provide power to a public phone and its antenna. Known as El Jobo, the town does have lodgings for visitors. Visitors can enjoy many activities, including fishing and sailing to explore Montijo Bay and Gobernadora, a nearby smaller island.

Anglers around the world prize the waters of the Gulf of Montijo for its outstanding sport fishing, particularly tuna and wahoo. Other aquatic activities include scuba diving and whale watching. Besides fishing Cebaco island, visitors can also enjoy the pristine wildlife and visit enormous teak plantations that operate there. After a day of fishing Cebaco Island, visitors often enjoy surfing on the capacious waves found off of the southern coast.

Coiba Island

The largest island in all of Central America, Coiba is over 503 kilometers squared (194 square miles) in size, found off of the Pacific coast of Panama. Fishing Coiba island and its surroundings fall under the jurisdiction of Montijo District in Veraguas Province.

Over 18,000 years ago, rising sea waters split Coiba from mainland Panama. As plants and animals on the island began evolving separately from their mainland cousins, a vast new array of species arose in and on the island, including the aquatic species that anglers enjoy fishing Coiba Island for. On the island itself, visitors can marvel at the Coiba Island howler monkey, the Coiba agouti and the unique Coiba spinetail.

Prior to European exploration, Coiba was home to the native Cacique Indian tribe. In 1919, local authorities built a small penal colony on the island. During the reign of Panamanian strongmen Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega, the prison became a fearsome place for enemies of the state, with many prisoners suffering torture and worse. Today, experts are still trying to assemble reliable data on how many people died in the prison, with some historians quoting a number of about 300. Because of this brutal history, the island was long avoided by most Panamanians, and the rest of the island was left undeveloped.

fishing coiba national park el rio negro fishing lodgeAfter a series of reforms in the government, the prison on Coiba was closed in 2004. The government realized that its pristine condition made it ideally suited for a reserve, including the excellent waters for fishing Coiba Island. Today, locals like to entertain visitors with ghost stories about the prison, including one about a guard who engaged in a merry chase to apprehend an escaped prisoner, only to find that the prisoner was actually a ghost.

Because the island was left in its pristine state, it is now one of the last places in Central America where the rare scarlet macaw bird calls home. Right now, the island is approximately 75 percent trees, with most of that being original ancient forest. Because it was left undeveloped, many rare tree species that were exterminated on the mainland can still be found on the island. Coiba Island is also where a large gamut of rare plants can be found. In 1992, Coiba Island was declared a national park. In July 2005, UNESCO declared the Coiba National Park area a World Heritage Site.

Coiba Island Geology

The clear waters that make Coiba Island fishing so bountiful are due to the underwater topography, which links to the Galapagos Islands via the Coco Ridge subaquatic mountain chain. Notable scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Island have declared the area a rich environment for discovering new species. Rachel Collin, the project coordinator for the Smithsonian, stated, “It’s really difficult to believe, as you snorkel near and fish Coiba Island, you’re really close to the United States and yet half the species we’ve observed are still completely unknown to science.”

coiba island tuna fishing el rio negro fishing lodge panamaCoibo Island’s special location shelters it from high winds and the damaging effects of El Nino. This unique position gives it the special ability to sustain continuing evolution of marine species, including: sperm whales, sea turtles, tiger sharks, whale sharks and vast schools of other aquatic animals, making it an angler’s dream to enjoy fishing Coiba Island. The island also serves as a refuge for several endangered land animals, including the crested eagle, agouti, opossum and several species of howler monkey.

Most visitors to the area remark on the abundance of marine life, making for outstanding fishing in Coiba Island opportunities. The island itself is surrounded and protected by one of the biggest coral reefs in the western hemisphere. And, because the Indo-Pacific current runs right through the Gulf of Chiriqui, the locale provides superb diving opportunities. The warm current is perfect for coral and provides a rich stream of nutrients that make fishing Coiba Island so profitable. Many other aquatic species found in the area include: humpback whales, orcas and whale sharks. Scientists have documented more than 760 different species of fish, including snapper, amberjack, barracuda and three types of marlin. Due to this rich abundance of marine life, the waters of the park are an unparalleled paradise to snorkel, scuba dive and enjoy fishing Coiba Island.