You Have No Excuses to Avoid Fishing Panama

The vast majority of my fishing friends have likely not popped for tuna in Panama, but I can guarantee you that just about all of them would love it. No matter what your preferred style of fishing is now, It’s the type of experience that would cause you to give up other species, sell your belongings and live in a van down by the river just to get a few extra days of it.

For the bass tournament guys, it offers the same thrill of that first morning run, except instead of heading to a spot you found in practice, you’re scanning the sky and radar for diving birds, clenching a rail as the boat barrels in their direction, and then leaping up to shoot out a cast as the fish boil on bait. If you don’t hook up then 30 seconds later you’re holding on for dear life again as you look for the next bait ball. It’s an amazing rush.

For anyone who loves topwater fishing (and if you don’t, I don’t want to be your friend) this is the ultimate. The fish absolutely destroy fast-moving poppers. And these suckers PULL. I thought that peacock bass were the ultimate topwater gladiator but I think a 10-pound tuna tied tail-to-tail with a 20-pound peacock would dominate the jungle fighter.

Finally, they grow big. Two hundred pounds plus is not out of the question, but in what other topwater fishery is a 40-pound plus brawler just an average fish? I can’t think of one. If you know it, let me know and I’ll try to arrange a trip. 

Nevertheless, while some friends have been wowed by our tales and pictures of our initial trip to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, others who I know would love it have been oddly resistant. Here are their primary excuses and my responses: 

“I get seasick.”

The four days we fished in the Gulf of Chiriquí (plus the mornings we ran the boat an hour to and from the marina and the island) were remarkably calm. I realize that’s just one snapshot in time, during a specific month, but I’m told that these waters typically stay quite placid. I don’t know if I’d get seasick in rougher conditions. The one time it got me was in the early 1980s in St. Maarten in a small boat in giant waves. Starting with my halibut trip in 2019, followed by sailfish trips to Guatemala in 2020 and 2021, and now this trip to Panama, I’ve worn the scop patch and have had no problems. The only side effect is a bit of dry mouth. I can’t guarantee that I’d have gotten sick without it, but it seems to be effective across several friends and family members who’ve tried it.  

“It’s too dangerous.”

I was pleasantly surprised that Panama City is a vibrant, modern city, and a very friendly one. Hanna and I, along with our friend Dale, took a walk from the hotel the first afternoon – something I would not do in many foreign locales – and felt no trepidation whatsoever. Tourism is a huge part of the country’s economy, and the long-term American military presence there and political stability make it safe. There are no State Department warnings on the areas we visited based on crime. 

“It’s too far.”

If you live on one coast of the United States, it’s likely quicker to get to Panama City than it is to get to the other coast. Our DIRECT flight from Washington-Dulles was less than 5 hours, and we had multiple direct flights per day to choose from. From Houston, it’s almost exactly 4 hours and from Miami it’s almost exactly 3. While we overnighted in Panama City on the way down, on the way home we did the entire journey (Isla Paridas to David to Panama City to Dulles to home) in a single day. Furthermore, several major airlines serve Panama, so no matter which alliance group you’re a member of, you can likely use miles or gain miles by traveling there. 

“I don’t have the right gear.”

As I’ve chronicled before, I didn’t bring any tackle to Panama. Well, that’s not exactly true – a friend at a tackle company gave me two hard stickbaits to try and I brought them but never tied them on. You literally need NOTHING. I know that some lodges and outfitters tell you that, and then you arrive and they have tomato-stake rods, crusty reels and line that was spooled during Gerald Ford’s administration. That wasn’t the case here. We had top notch tackle, including Shimano Twin Power and Saragosa reels, a wide array of Yo-Zuri Poppers, and Mustad hooks. I got home and started looking at popping stores’ inventories online, then realized I don’t need to worry about it, even though I do intend to bring some of the customized topwaters that my friend Kermett Adams made for us. So, if you’re worried about the cost (see below), remember that compared to some other trips you won’t have any add-ons in terms of specialized equipment that you may never use again.

“It’s too expensive.”

Well, it’s not inexpensive. If you don’t have the money, there’s nothing you can do about it – but if you have the disposable income and you’re trying to figure out how/where to spend it, this is a good bet. Why? Because it’s a value for what you get. To put it in simple terms, would you rather pay $500 for a charter that takes you out for a boat ride and produces nothing or $1,000 for the fishing day of a lifetime? To me, my time is limited enough that want to get the most bang for the buck, even if it means spending more bucks. Can you get cheaper packages in Panama than the one we took? Probably, but not with the same high-quality boats, lodging, food and gear. I value my time – and specifically my vacation time – more than just about anything, and this one gets my stamp of approval. Furthermore, it’s like two or three trips in one – you get the tuna popping deal (which alone is enough to bring me back), plus the inshore fishery, plus the chance at billfish.  

Seriously, trust me on this one. If fishing is in your blood, or you think it might be, you need to go on this trip. 

If you have more questions – or more excuses – shoot us an email and we’ll try to shoot them down. The proof of how much we loved it lies in the fact that we’ve completely changed up our calendar to head back 7 months after our initial visit.