Panama Fishing Report – January 14 to 21, 2012
Another great week of fishing at Tropic Star Lodge. Although bait was a little hard to come by on the reef, the crews picked up the Marlin candies offshore. There was plenty of Skipjacks and small Yellowfin Tunas and everyone who fishes this area knows that any of these baits behind the boat is a sure shot at a big marlin. Quite a few 500-600 lb marlin were released and the sailfish bite continues to be excellent. We are also catching the Big Yellowfin Tunas and some Huge Dorado as well. Lots of action on the edge. Inshore is beginning to pick up as well and a few anglers had great luck with Cubera Snapper. The dry season is in full swing now and the drags are burning.
One of our highlights of the week was 11 year old Cameron Hunter who came to the lodge with his parents and Grandparents. Cameron released his first Pacific Blue Marlin estimated at 400 lbs and also released his first Pacific Sailfish. Add to that lots of dorado and some midsized tunas. We always enjoy seeing the next generation of angler catch em’ up. His mom Anna also released her first Black Marlin estimated at 500+ lbs. Daddy Cole scored his first Black Marlin as well, a 500 lb beast. Together the family of five has a trip of a lifetime releasing 5 Marlin and a bunch of Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna and Dorado.
Jay Richards released the biggest fish for the week; his first Pacific Blue Marlin estimated at 600 lbs and also released his first Black Marlin that went 450 lbs. Congratulation on your fish of a lifetime. Mike Lipari had great luck last week, releasing his first Black Marlin estimated at 500 lbs and Gaspare Lipari released his first Pacific Sailfish around 100 lbs. Rich Morey for his first Black Marlin estimated at 450 lbs and Pacific Sailfish estimated at 100 lbs. Frank Messina was also blessed with his first Pacific Blue Marlin estimated at 450 lbs and also released the biggest sail for the week; a giant what went 150+ lbs. David Burris also scored his first Pacific Blue Marlin estimated at 400 lbs.
January 2012 Guatemala Fishing Report – Casa Vieja Lodge
2011 ended and 2012 began with some fantastic fishing action from both sailfish and blue marlin. The year ended with boats raising up to 7 blue Marlin a day, and the year began with boats raising up to 40 sails a day!
The McGee / Hughes group tried their luck fishing aboard the Rum Line the last few days of December and raised 25 sails, 6 blue marlin and keep the grill supplied with fresh dorado burgers everyday. The two couples released 13 sails and 2 of the blues. The first days blue was about 250lbs, and day two’s blue was over 400lbs…very nice!
The Palmieri brothers fly-fished the first few days of January and saw some awesome action as well. The duo raised 84 sailfish, more than half of which came blazing in to accept a fly, and we released 22. The blue marlin decided to tease us, with 4 of them showing up, but wouldn’t be caught. Chris Palmieri decided to jump in and swim this his last fish to put a cap on a great trip.
The Bite is ON!!! – RED HOT fishing reports are pouring in from the Casa Vieja fleet. “Everyone’s been averaging over 25 releases per day” says our head skipper Capt. Chris Sheeder aboard the Rum Line. The bite is on FIRE folks!!!
Following the full moon – the anglers on Casa Vieja fleet boats are blowing the doors off:
Cates party (14 & 15) – Brian & Teresa with sons Phillip & Michael aboard the Release with Capt. Chico Alvarenga and special guests Norm Isaacs and film crew raised 85 sails, had 70 bites and releasing 35! World renowned skipper, angler and TV personality Capt. Norm Isaacs raised 63 sails on the 14th of January. “ That’s as good as it gets” said Capt. Isaacs.
Derner party (13-14-15) – Justin, Brad, Steven, William and Nick aboard the Captain Hook raised 50 sails, had 43 bites and released 26! They had one blue bite, but no joy.
Daniels party (14 & 15) – Matt & William aboard the Makaira raised 69, had 51 bites and released 29 and a 250lb blue marlin!
The Brownlee party (14-15-16) – John Brownlee, editor and chief of Saltwater Sportsman Magazine, and his lovely bride Poppy raised 41 sails with Capt. Nicho Alvarenga aboard the Spindrift. Spindrift raised 72, had 58 bites and release 40! They also pursued roosters, snappers and bottom species.
Jarvis party (13 -17) – Tom & Tina with the Pintozzi boys aboard the Intensity who are still fishing now, have so far raised 102, with 88 bites and 51 released, with two more days to go!
Prime dates still available from January to May.
Lake El Salto, Mexico Bass Fishing Report from Anglers Inn
January Bass Fishing Report from Anglers Inn on Lake El Salto, Mexico
This season has been very exciting and appears to be improving daily! The fishing has been extraordinary for the sheer numbers of fish caught and overall trip experience! Captain Mike Lackey, owner of the Vagabond, (a long range Sportfisher out of San Diego) had a group of 16 Industry friends who come down every December and May said it best, when asked what baits were the most productive, he said “whatever you want to throw was the best bait because you caught fish on almost everything in your tackle box and a lot of them”! They all agreed that this was one of the best bass fishing trips they had ever experienced. Mike went on to say that a couple boats of his anglers who were hard core crank bait fishermen had a session that produced 30 bass in the 6-8 pound range! (Fat Free Shad in the Citrus and Baby Bass pattern was the ticket).
Mike Ishikawa (who has a fish counter) fished with Bob Fletcher (1st timer) the past President of Sportfishing Association of California (SAC) and he said their best day was 182 bass up to 7 & ½ Pounds. The topwater fishing has been excellent with some anglers reporting up to 50 bass per boat on Pop “R’s, Sammy’s, Rico’s and Yo-Zuri Sashimi series. It seems that if you want topwater action, it is on! The go-to color for soft plastics is Watermelon (red flake) in both 8” Zoom Lizards or 6” Senkos (wacky rigged was the preference). Swim Baits (Storm and Money Minnows) worked well as did Jerk Baits and Rat L Traps. It did not seem to matter what color as long as you threw it and retrieved it! The only thing that matters is to be here and enjoy this fantastic fishing which has been generating 100+ bass/ boat/day. My recommendation is come on down! By the way, everyone loves our new custom Tracker Bass Boats. They are the most fisherman friendly boats in Mexico!
As for the Amazon, the water level is receding, the Peacock Bass are out of the jungle and the bite is on! I will report back via email and short video clips with updates. You will find a link on this report to a recent article written and posted by Stan Fagerstrom, the world famous, “Master Caster”. When you read Stan’s article you will understand my pride and appreciation. All of us at Anglers Inn International say, thank you Stan! Any success we have is the team doing it the “Anglers Inn Way”. We still have some openings for Anglers Inn Amazon. I invite you to come and experience the revolutionary Fly-In, Floating Suites and peacock bass fishing at its best. We fish beyond natural barriers where the river boats can’t go in Government & Indian Reserves.
You should consider adding on a couple of days to your bass fishing trip to experience the in-shore and off-shore, saltwater fishing with Anglers Inn Off shore from our private VIP dock in the Marina Mazatlan. You can count on the same quality boats, equipment and service that are rendered at our bass fishing resorts in Mexico and Anglers Inn Amazon in Brazil. The entire fall season has been prolific from mahi-mahi (also known as dorado) in September, yellowfin tuna, sailfish & stripped marlin in October – December.
The fishing for jack crevalle & rooster fishing has been excellent and we expect it to continue through March. In addition, we have had good results bottom fishing for red snapper, white sea bass (corvina), grouper and trigger fish. Whether you go off-shore for the pelagic species or fish artificial baits for jacks, roosters and groupers we have a plan! Book your saltwater days and we will adjust your trip to maximize your fishing experience. Our bass anglers have enjoyed casting to schools of feeding jacks (5 to 25 pounds) on our light tackle rigs. The fact that you are within swimming distance from the hotels that line the beaches in Mazatlan it makes an action packed and picturesque outing on the Mexican Riviera. Anglers Inn Lake El Salto
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Lake Baccarac – January, 2012 Bass Fishing Report
Name: Lake Baccarac, Mexico
Hottest Baits: senkos, 1 oz spinnerbaits, topwater yellow magic
Hottest Colors: watermelon red senko and swimbaits, ratl traps, power worms
Date Fished: January, 2012
The lake is a little bit stained and very low. Actually, it’s the lowest I have ever seen it but others have seen it slightly lower. In regards to the water level, the lake has very little useful water left in the lake, meaning that they will not be able to irrigate from the lake very much longer. We should have stable water conditions, something I’ve never seen, very soon. I understand that in the past, the low water did not really affect the overall fishing. Something we do have to look forward to when we get the summer rains, it will produce very exciting fall bass fishing on Lake Baccarac.
Panama Fishing Report from Tropic Star Lodge
Well, Santa came to Pinas Bay and delivered a bag of billfish for our guests. The bite was spectacular and most anglers had shots at some big marlin up to 600 lbs. Some Yellowfin Tunas were also around for a couple of days and provided great action and lots of sashimi.
Scott Finelli released his first Black Marlin estimated at 400 lbs to complete his Billfish Royal Slam. Congrats to you Scott on this accomplishment. Matt Finelli also released his first Black Marlin around 300 lbs and Kyle Finelli got his first Black Marlin around 300 lbs. Allen Farge had a trip of a lifetime, releasing a 500 lb Black Marlin, his first, a Pacific Blue Marlin estimated at 300 lbs and first Pacific Sailfish that went 80 lbs. He also caught a 150 lb Yellowfin Tuna to top off the week. Annette Hausman had an outstanding week, releasing her first Black Marlin estimated at 300 lbs, first Pacific Blue Marlin, 200 lbs and Pacific Sailfish estimated at 100 lbs. Scott Silverman brought his son Richard down to Pinas Bay for his first TSL experience they both scored some huge fish. Scott released his first Black Marlin estimated at 500 lbs and Richard released his first Black Marlin estimated at 525 lbs, Pacific Blue Marlin around 350 lbs and his first Pacific Sailfish around 100 lbs. Great week for father and son!
Dale Palmer also had a trip of a lifetime at Tropic Star Lodge! He released his first Black Marlin that went 500 lbs, first Pacific Blue Marlin, 280 lbs and first Pacific Sailfish estimated at 80 lbs; spectacular. Russ Maxa released his first Black Marlin around 475 lbs and also got his first Pacific Sailfish, 100 lbs. Nathan Terhark released his first Pacific Blue Marlin estimated at 450 lbs and Pacifis Sailfish, 100 lbs. Terry Terhark also released his first Pacific Blue Marlin around 300 lbs. Patricia Ficklin released her first Black Marlin that went 425 lbs. Jan Grohoske released his first Pacific Blue Marlin, 400 lbs. Steve Smith released his first Black Marlin estimated at 350 lbs, Will Taretton also released his first Black Marlin, 150 lbs. Howard Watson also got his first Pacific Sailfish estimated at 110 lbs.
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Costa Rica 2012 Fishing Report from Crocodile Bay Lodge
I know what Santa Claus did after delivering all his presents across the world. He took a week off and went fishing in Costa Rica. He not only wanted to enjoy himself, but also wanted anyone with the same idea to do the same. Between Christmas and New Year, we saw some of the best marlin fishing we have seen in several years. Nothing came to the boat like Jim Nunes 650 pound blue marlin caught earlier in the month, but big numbers were here. Don Bradley booked in for 17, yes I said 17 days of fly fishing for billfish. On the first day out of the box he raised 9 marlin and managed to land a blue estimated at 300 lbs on a fly rod…wow!
Steve and Sonia Klunk stopped in for a return trip for the holidays and got off to a slow start but ended up on the top of the leader board twice before they left. Paul DeKort returned with his family for the I lost count time, and it as great to see them again and watch their kids grow over the years.
We were full over the holidays and there were so many great guests to mention them all, but one family stands out in my mind. We had three generations of the Schuelke family, Ric, Mike and 10 year old Sam visit us for the first time. Rich and Mike each took a blue marlin and little Sam captured his first sailfish while here. On their inshore day they caught over 20 roosterfish.
Jeff Hill fished with his son Jacob and although they didn’t see the big numbers of roosterfish they connected with a double and each landed one of a pair of twin roosterfish that weighed 60 pounds apiece. It was a full week of action and lots of happy people in the holiday spirit. It couldn’t last forever though. Shortly after the first of the year the numbers dropped for a few days and things slowed down.
Looks like that is going to be short lived because yesterday the boats went back into double digits and Don Bradley landed 4 out of 15 sails on the fly and Adam Johnson brought his buddies in from Texas and went 5 for 10 on conventional tackle and brought in a nice dorado for dinner. Looks like a good season is upon us.
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Lake Baccarac 2012 Bass Fishing Report
Date: January 5th, 2012
Name: Lake Baccarac, Mexico
Hottest Baits: senkos, 1 oz spinnerbaits, topwater yellow magic
Hottest Colors: watermelon red senko and swimbaits, ratl traps, power worms
Date Fished: January, 2012
Comments: Topwater bass fishing produced fish over 10 pounds this Morning…more details soon.
The bass fishing from the previous two weeks was slow. The last four days offered only average results, boating 30 – 70 largemouth a day up to 7 lbs. Our Japanese clients, fishing predominantly top water, enjoyed their trip because 90% of their catches were on top water. The senko bite, spinner bait on top water offered the best results.
The mornings have been cool but the afternoons have certainly heated up. The water temperature on Lake Baccarac will start warming from this point on.
The water level, similar to all lakes on the Western side of Mexico, is lower than we would like to see it. Baccarac is currently around 30% capacity, with only about nine or ten percent useful water remaining for irrigation and electricity. We have seen these levels three times in the last ten years.
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Lake Baccarac Fishing Report
Date: December 20th, 2011
Name: Lake Baccarac
Hottest Baits: senkos, 1 oz spinnerbaits, topwater yellow magic
Hottest Colors: watermelon red senko and swimbaits, ratl traps, power worms
Date Fished: December, 2011
Comments: A great trip. Second best trip ever to Lake Baccarac. March of 2008 ranked as my best out of the 14 trips. This last trip was phenomenal, with my 20 biggest bass weighing 184 lbs. This is my first trip to catch bass in December and my first time to fish for suspended bass. The service was first class at Lake Baccarac Lodge and the lake is the best lake in Mexico. Thanks for a great trip. Bass Regards Mickey Bentley
Lake Baccarac Lodge
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Big Trophy Bass Caught on Lake Baccarac
Huge numbers of big largemouth bass are the norm on Lake Baccarac -
Date: December 12th, 2011
Name: Lake Baccarac Lodge
Hottest Baits: senkos, 1 oz spinnerbaits, topwater yellow magic
Hottest Colors: watermelon red senko and the white fluke
Date Fished: December, 2011
Comments: The trip this year was our best so far for big bass. Our group had 5 fish over 10 pounds, with a 10.92 being the largest. You had to work hard for the bass, but the average size was incredible. We quit counting the 7-9 pound largemouth. Hot baits were white magnum flukes, white spinnerbaits, and watermelon lizards and senkos. It is amazing fishing, when you fight a fish to the boat and say “darn it, another 7-pounder”! Thanks again for another great trip on Lake Baccarac.
Call Us Toll Free (888) 479 BASS To Get Your TROPHY BASS on Lake Baccarac
Lake Huites Bass Fishing Report
Date: December 9th, 2011
Name: Lake Huites
Hottest Baits: power worms, spinnerbaits, topwater, small crankbaits
Hottest Colors: fire tiger, white fat free shad, watermelon senkos
Date Fished: December, 2011
Comments: The bass fishing on Lake Huites has been good to excellent with great numbers of largemouth up to 4 pounds and a real nice mix of 7 to 8 pounders showing up around the full moon …we have had 2 bass over 11 pounds to report in the last 60 days…Huites continues to be a great lake for numbers and we are hoping to start seeing more trophy bass.
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