Four Moments that Reminded Me of Why We Keep Returning to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge

We just completed our fifth trip to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, a locale that we first visited in April 2021 as a “once in a lifetime” trip. Trip number six is already on the calendar. The fishing is consistently exceptional, but there are lots of places we still want to try, and our free time and money are limited.

So why do we keep going back? As I thought back to this most recent trip, I realized that in addition to the great fishing, there were several moments that helped me relearn why SFPIL is a special place:

Love of the Game – My college friend Russ Baccaglini joined us on this trip, along with his wife Jolanta, her cousins Krzysztof and Dorata, and their friend Marek Martynowicz, the latter three coming from Alaska. Krzysztof owns boats in Whittier and Homer, as well a boat dedicated to moose hunting, and loves to fill his six freezers. When I told him about roosterfish, he asked “Can you eat them?” I told him no and he made clear that he wasn’t interested. After catching tons of tuna the first two days, however, he changed his tune, and I have a feeling that by the end of the trip his favorite catches were the sailfish and blue marlin that he landed – both of which had to be immediately released. There’s nothing wrong with filling your freezer with a renewable resource, but it was thrilling to see someone realize that the sport itself can be the thrill.

The Extra Miles – On our third full day of fishing, we made a long run to where the tuna had been plentiful and aggressive on Day Two, but something changed and by noon we hadn’t caught a fish. Then one of the other captains told us he’d found them 26 miles away. We made what turned out to be an hour-long run and caught a dozen between 40 and 80 pounds between 1pm and 3pm. That’s a lot of time, and a lot of gas, and I know that at certain lodges they would’ve taken the easy route and just ground out the day in our first area. We’ve never had that experience at SFPIL. They always put the fishing first, and continually adjust throughout the day to put us in position to have the best possible fishing outcome.

Protecting the Resource – When Hanna tamed a gorgeous Pacific Sailfish on our second day on the water, Captain Juan Diego and his mate followed the typical protective protocol – keeping the fish in the water as they extricated the hook and then revived the fish. They know that taking these amazing fish out of the water substantially reduces their chances of survival. But when they thought the fish was ready to go, it sat still, and then turned belly up. They were distraught. Even though they know that there are literally “more fish in the sea,” they also recognize the value and dignity of each individual specimen. Accordingly, we circled around, got hold of the fish again, and worked to revive it. After 15 minutes of diligent effort, and a lot of verbal encouragement, the fish fully regained its bearings and energy and gladly swam away.

The View – The 5pm appetizers and Happy Hour at SFPIL are always exceptional – really, they’re enough to get us through the evening, and we often overindulge despite the fact that we know there’s a full multi-course dinner coming at 7. Usually the spread is put out in the kitchen area between the casitas and you can choose to eat/drink outside or in the air conditioning. Upon our arrival back from fishing on our first day, however, they’d taken the entire setup down to the beach, including a bartender, and we got to stuff our faces waterside. It’s those little changes and surprises that contribute to my desire to come back – even when we think we know the experience backwards and forwards they spring something new upon us.