February Fishing Report
February was a chilly month for the offshore and inshore fishing scene, as the water temperatures plummeted to the low 70s. These uncharacteristically cold depths were the result of uncommon strong north-blowing winds that have manifested over the last two weeks. The water is very clear for this time of the year, and masses of jellyfish and algae were easily visible throughout the day. Jigging for big game is always a competitive thrill, and the playing field was especially hot this month. Jigging of all sorts yielded favorable results, to the delight of our guests.
It goes without saying that the jigging for big game must be tailored to the fishing environment. This month our guests took full advantage of geographical specifics and walked away with the spoils. In the category of Megabait jigs, the Shimano butterfly jig excelled. The Megabaits in general found favorable reception that day, placing 2nd in overall amount of fish caught. Speed jigging and flutter jigging found similar success, with strikes appearing both on the vertical drop and the ascent.
As with any of our inshore fishing expeditions, here is a short log of game caught during the trip. In this case, yellowfin tuna, grouper, snapper and amberjack were all tallied up on the scoreboard of notable catches. Aguja Reef in particular has been a particularly fruitful hunting ground for the last three weeks, and people living around the area have notice a slight surge in the traffic to and from the immediate vicinity.
In other notable finds, Punta Mariato managed to maintain several productive drift lines as well as a swathe approximately 7 miles from the Azuero Peninsula tuna coast. A wealth of medium-sized Durado were eagerly biting at the lines, further boosting the prestige of the inshore fishing spot. Dragging plastic was a fruitful endeavor, in addition to casting the popper over unusually large logs. While we passionately pursued porpoise and yellowfin tuna, they outright refused to find interest in the poppers. The birds were definitely out and about, but their traffic was completely dissimilar from the mobs that gather during the peak of fish season. While several large tuna were spotted, only small football sized were taken with plastic. Cebaco Islands Sombrero Rock yielded a wealth of bait in all forms.
