El Rio Negro Sport Fishing Lodge January 2016 Newsletter
As the new year settles in and some of the world is being slammed with horrific winter weather – specifically the U.S. Northeast, which is seeing an abundance of snow from yet another unbridled storm – the Republic of Panama and surrounding areas have been dealing with the prolonged effects of El Nino. And for us here at the El Rio Negro Sport Fishing Lodge, that means warmer-than-usual waters for our enthusiastic guests. But irrespective of what’s going on aquatically around us, there’s still plenty to get excited about in January – indeed, Carnival in Panama is upon us, which celebrates the country’s independence in the early 1900s, and this big party is complete with dancing, drinking and parades of colorful floats, glamorous queens, masks, costumes and confetti. But the fun doesn’t stop there – guests of El Rio Negro looking for something truly exciting when they’re not reeling in their precious catch from deep sea fishing in Panama can head to the Cinta Costera in Panama City and in Las Tablas, where the largest Carnival celebrations take place. We have also had 3 different groups of Anglers come through our waters since the end of December, they really enjoyed deep sea fishing Panama.
The events surrounding El Nino are associated with physical and biological changes in our oceans that affect fish distribution, and these include alterations in sea-surface temperatures, vertical thermal structures of the ocean and altered coastal and upwelling currents. We have seen some changes here while deep sea fishing in Panama. As such, these changes can directly affect species’ composition and overall abundance of fishes, and the waters just off El Rio Negro aren’t immune, sometimes registering unusually high 87 and 88-degree numbers. El Nino also affects the cycle in the Gulf of Chiriqui, with some warmer water and conditions that have been moving the majority of the larger Yellowfin Tunas out, enabling more of a focus on other “inshore” species and different large “offshore” species.
Let’s not allow El Nino to get us down, though – there’s always Carnival, which Panama began formally celebrating when the country declared independence in the early 1900s, preceding the Catholic season of Lent. From the very beginning, the plethora of vivid parties and parades resembled those of other Latin countries, what with their Carnival queens, decorated floats, loud festive music, organized and impromptu street festivities and raucous revelry. But Panama has tweaked its own unique version of Carnival, so while you’re here look for some specific Panamanian customs that define local events.
Of course, what would a newsletter about a premium sport fishing lodge be without mentioning some recent deep sea fishing in Panama news? Since the end of December and thus far this month, we have seen a number of species claim a stake in our waters, including the Bull Dorado, football-sized Tunas, Jack Crevallis and Blue Jacks, just to name a few.
We may have said this in the past, but it’s worth repeating: If you are looking for some of the best sport fishing available anywhere in the world, you won’t have to look much further than Central America. More specifically, fishing in Panama has come to be recognized around the globe as one of the best experiences of its kind, and for El Rio Negro Sport Fishing Lodge, 2016 is bound to bring more of the same.