Double-Dipping With Copa's Stopover Program

If you're a hardcore fishing traveler, there's one thing clearly better than an international fishing trip – a trip that spans two countries, two great fisheries and multiple species.

If you have the time and the interest, Copa makes that increasingly appealing through its Panama Stopover program. As we've written before, the program lets you turn a trip that connects through Panama City into a two-destination vacation, without paying additional airfare for one qualifying stopover. You can stay for up to 15 days in Panama on either your outbound or return trip.

It's especially good for those of you who want to add something onto your trip with us to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge. We particularly love the idea of a South American addition.

Copa flies to 12 countries in South America. While Venezuela probably isn't in the cards for most US citizens right now, check out the full list below to get a sense of the airline's reach.

Argentina

• Buenos Aires

• Córdoba

• Mendoza

• Rosario

• Salta

• Tucumán

Bolivia

• Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Brazil

• Belo Horizonte

• Brasília

• Florianópolis

• Manaus

• Porto Alegre

• Rio de Janeiro

• Salvador da Bahia

• São Paulo

Chile

• Santiago

• Colombia

• Barranquilla

• Bogotá

• Bucaramanga

• Cali

• Cartagena

• Cúcuta

• Medellín

• Pereira

• San Andrés

• Santa Marta

Ecuador

• Guayaquil

• Manta

• Quito

Guyana

• Georgetown

Paraguay

• Asunción

Peru

• Chiclayo

Lima

• Suriname

• Paramaribo

Uruguay

• Montevideo

Venezuela

• Barcelona

• Barquisimeto

• Caracas

• Maracaibo

• Porlamar

• Valencia

Note: Copa's route network and flight schedules can change, and not every destination necessarily has daily or year-round service.

What Does This Mean for Anglers?

Several of these locations immediately jump out at me:

• Manaus is the gateway to a substantial dose of Amazon peacock bass and multi-species fishing. I've flown in and out of there three times on fishing trips and find it to be a modern, safe, easy-to-navigate gateway to the Amazon.

• Buenos Aires is often called "The Paris of South America." It's also a landing point whether you're heading south to Patagonia for trout or north to Corrientes, where we'll chase golden dorado later this year.

• Next year we intend to go to Bolivia for arapaima in a less-traveled section of the Amazon. In order to catch the small plane into the jungle, we first need to arrive in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

• The other key place for arapaima is Guyana, where our friend Steve Yatomi pioneered a sustainable fishery. To get there, you fly through Georgetown.

• One of my dream destinations – both for fishing and general sightseeing – is to someday visit the Galápagos Islands. To get there, we'll need to first stop in Quito or Guayaquil.

• I also want to get to Colombia eventually, both for its exceptional peacock bass and payara fishing and for saltwater opportunities much like those we enjoy a bit farther north in Central America.

• I'm sure there are many more possibilities I'll discover as my network of contacts and list of fishing ambitions grow. It's a solid reason to keep my Copa frequent-flyer account active and stocked up.

And if you've been thinking about joining us in Panama, perhaps you should start thinking about what else you could do with the trip. Getting to one great fishing destination is good. Finding a way to experience two of them on the same international journey is even better.

How to Book a Copa Stopover

1. Go to Copa Airlines' website.

2. Select the Multi-city / Stopover option when searching for flights.

3. Enter your origin, Panama City and your final destination, with the dates you want to spend in Panama.

4. Book the itinerary with the stopover included from the outset.

You generally need to request the stopover when the ticket is originally purchased and issued. Adding it to an existing booking can trigger a fare difference or change fees.

Keep in mind that the program's no-additional-airfare benefit applies to the qualifying stopover, not your hotel, meals, transportation or activities (i.e., fishing) in Panama. Applicable taxes and program conditions also apply. Check Copa's current terms before booking.