February Fishing Report
We had more rain than usual here at El Rio Negro into the middle of February. But, all in all it turned out to be a great month for our guests who ventured here to have a great Panama fishing vacation. For those who had their hearts set on catching plenty of tuna, they saw their wishes come true. We spent most of our time fishing in the cool waters of Coiba Island, Cebaco Island, Hannibal Banks, Pinner Rock, and other nearby spots. One guest after another found large numbers of yellowfin tuna boiling next to the boat.
And to make the tuna fishing more exciting, our guests went back and forth between using live bait and chumming. While most days conditions made it very easy to use live bait, there were other days when chumming the water made more sense. On those days, we purchased large numbers of frozen sardines. This kept the tuna eager to stay beside the boat all day long.
Many different species caught for guests during their Panama Fishing Vacation
Catching plenty of yellowfin tuna was exciting in itself. But, there were plenty of other fish for our guests to catch as well on their Panama fishing vacation. Among these were amberjack, many of which were quite big. Caught near Cebaco Island on the run home most days. When guests dropped their jigs near Pinner Rock, they enjoyed catching fish that were determined to not make their job an easy one. It took some time and patience to reel in these big fish, which sometimes weighed up to 60 pounds. However, because our guests were more determined than the fish and were able to end their day with coolers full of fresh fish.
While ending the day with a great haul is always nice. It’s just as much fun to start the day grabbing some fish as you’re heading out from the lodge. For our February guests, that meant catching plenty of snapper by Cebaco Island as we headed out to Hannibal Banks. Using jigs, our guests were able to catch one snapper after another, which set the tone for the day.
The weather and the fish may have presented a challenge now and then. There was no doubt our February guests had plenty of great fun and success from start to finish on their Panama fishing vacation. Whether catching snapper to start their day, amberjack to end their day, or yellowfin tuna in between, the experience of fishing at El Rio Negro is unlike anywhere else in the world.
