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Day 1: November 14 – Sharks, Sailfish, and a Black Marlin First
The final tagging expedition for the year at Tropic Star Lodge was planned for the five days leading up to the International Billfish Torneo, November 19–21. Armed with four mini PATs from Stanford University—three for black marlin and one for blue marlin—fishing began on November 14 on the “Miss Texas” with Captain Hermel and mate Weymer. I had videographer and documentary producer Keishmer Hermoso on board, along with GHF staffer Basil Humphries, on his first expedition to Panama, having never caught a billfish.
The Piñas Reef had a lot of black skipjack (bonitos), and we filled our tuna tubes rapidly, then put out a spread of three live bait and one skipping dead bait. Within a minute, a blacktip shark hit a bait, and Basil warmed up on this hefty 200# shark which jumped like a tarpon. Then another shark was released, so we moved outside the Reef and found more schools of bonitos but had no marlin bites. We switched to pulling teasers, hoping to bait and switch a marlin, but raised only a couple of hesitant sailfish.
We ran back to the Reef by 1 PM and the water colour had improved, but the sharks were still there—we released our 4th. Each one was a good workout. We went back to trolling teasers for the last half hour and at 2:46 PM a black marlin hit the left short teaser! Pitching a dead bonito, we hooked the marlin and passed the rod to Basil, who caught his first billfish—a 300# black marlin. There were many high jumps and Keishmer got it all on film. Weymer had the marlin quietly alongside the port side and I tagged the fish before it was released. A dramatic finish to the first day. Basil had to walk the plank of course.
First day, first fish is a black marlin! Many anglers have returned year after year still in pursuit of that elusive first black marlin.
Powerful black marlin mid-air in Tropic Star Lodge watersDay 2: November 15 – Rainy, Slow Marlin Day
Very rainy with more shark action on the Reef, so we trolled offshore looking for black marlin around schools of bonitos without success. Some anglers from Brazil and Peru stayed on the Reef deep jigging and caught a variety of almaco jacks, grouper, snapper, and rainbow runner—plus a shark or two. The sailfish were particularly elusive today.
Day 3: November 16 – Double Blue Marlin Hook-Up
The day began with heavy rain, which cleared through the day. After getting bonitos at the Reef, we ran offshore toward the 35/35, a small canyon on the edge of the continental shelf. The Tropic Star Lodge boats are fast with the Volvo Pentas, so we got there in about 30 minutes. Hermel said we would start trolling with lures until we found the bait schools.
I was putting the line in the right rigger clip when a blue marlin grabbed the lure and I was tight on a wild blue. Seconds later, another blue hit Basil’s lure on the left and we were doubled up on blue marlin, both jumping at once. My fish came unbuttoned after 5 minutes, several hundred yards out, while Basil’s fish went in a wide circle on its tail, screaming past the boat at one point. We were able to catch up with it, take the hook out, and release a 250# blue marlin—again, Basil’s first blue. No tag. Plank walk again for him later.
Guy Harvey and crew catching a Blue Marlin at Tropic Star Lodge, Panama.Photo credits to: John-Austin Gallardo
Day 4: November 17 – Jessica's Black Marlin and Quick Blue
We were blessed with Jessica on the boat and it was a sunny day. We caught live baits outside the Reef, then ran offshore to the 35/35 area and started fishing, with other boats nearby. Pulling live bait near a school of bonito, at 8:40 we had a bite on the left rigger bait. Jessica hooked up and on the first jump we saw it was a decent black marlin.
It did a couple more high jumps going to the left across the calm surface and then settled down to a long slog with Jessica, who is a great angler. But after 20 minutes she broke the handle off the reel! Quickly, Basil came to the rescue! He brought a GoPro screw with handle and it fit perfectly—the little knob on the end allowed Jessica to wind the line quite well. At 9:20 Weymer had the leader for a touch, but the powerful marlin pulled away and stayed down.
It was time for action. I had coached Basil about diving with a pony tank, taking down the snap swivel to clip it onto the leader so we can catch the fish faster. He did so on the first attempt. He came gushing about the fish, how beautiful it was. They double teamed and got the fish to the boat after another 30 minutes and we were able to tag and release this 400# black marlin.
As we began fishing again, a blue marlin raced in to eat the left rigger dead bait, and Basil was on this blue that jumped all around the boat and was released in 5 minutes. No tag. We spent the next 4 hours trolling teasers for a sailfish to complete the grand slam, but again we had some “window shopper” sailfish that would not eat anything. Still a great day of fishing and it was the first time I had seen Jessica fight a black marlin.
Day 5: November 18 – Sailfish Success and a Final Blue
We bypassed the Reef as the bait-stealing Chupacabras were there and found bonito schools outside. A sailfish snuck in trying to take a bonito off the bait rod, and Jessica hooked it on a live green jack—our first sail. Again, we ran offshore and the north wind was building, so it was choppy outside.
Pulling teasers, we raised a blue marlin at 8:55 but it passed on the dead bonito and went away. We switched to live bait and within ten minutes had a double header. Jessica’s marlin on the right bait came off and Basil was on his blue marlin. After lots of jumps, I decided this was a good fish to tag at 350#, so got that done and Jessica went in the water to get the departure shot. She said the water was very green.
Day 6: November 19 – Practice Day, International Billfish Torneo
On “Panama” with Capt. Fidel and mate Enut. Jessica was with Wess Merten, Basil, and Richard Delizza to tag dorado (mahi) on the “Miss Texas.” Our team was Andrew McCartney, Tony Pietropoali, and me.
We ran out to the Reef to get bait and then Fidel wanted to go offshore, so another run back to the 35/35. The north wind was bubbling again and we started with live bait. There were lots of hookups being reported on the radio. At 10:03 a blue ate the live bonito on the left side and Tony was up. The blue started jumping straight at the boat in long jumps so fast I could not get a shot. It did a 180 and went the other way, still on its tail, settling in a down-sea run and we were able to get the leader at 10:21, a fish of 350#.
At 10:55 Andrew caught a female dorado which we tagged in the sling, tag #X73883. At 12:03, we were back at the Reef, pulling live baits. At 12:35 we jumped a black that barely scratched the bait. Don’t know what happened. At 12:55 a sail snuck in and ate a dead bullet bonito and Andrew did the honors. We now needed a black marlin to complete the slam.
At 2:10 a black marlin hit the left rigger live bait and Tony hooked up to the 350# fish which began jumping all over the ocean—got great photos and footage. We had the leader at 2:29 and the tag was deployed perfectly in the left shoulder. Grand slam completed!
Black marlin jumps after hookup during Guy Harvey tagging expeditionAt 2:45 the left rigger bait was going crazy and started jumping out of the water. When you see that, you know there is a big fish close by. Boom! A black marlin crashed the bait with head and shoulders out in the classic bite. Andrew was on and the marlin took a while before it started jumping. The light was weird as the sun was trying to poke through the rain and there was an eerie light on the body of the marlin, jumping and head-shaking wildly. After a 50-minute battle, the marlin came up on the leader, the last tag went in perfectly, and leader was cut—the marlin paddling off into the green depths. What a fab day.
Day 7: November 20 – First Day of the Torneo
We changed boats and were on “Australia” with Capt. Jesus and mate Frankie. After getting bait at the Reef, we ran offshore again as the marlin bite had been consistent. We started fishing with lures and teasers. At 9:47 a blue marlin came in hot on the left teaser, switched over to the right teaser, then back to the left before just leaving. Crazy when they do that!
Jesus ran us back to the Reef by 11:50 and we were fishing again for black marlin. The wind had picked up and was blowing 12–14 knots from the SE. Tony hooked up on a black marlin that was jumping all over the place with the green rainforest in the background and the wind blowing the spray away. Spectacular! Keishmer and I were getting shots. The marlin had the hook on the outside of the bill and the leader wrapped twice on the bill. We released the marlin at 12:41. We were officially on the board. Some boats had got 2 marlin for the day.
Day 8: November 21 – Final Day of the Torneo
We were on the “Miss Hawaii” with Capt. Armando and mate Elio. We stayed on the Reef after catching bait as the bite had been good yesterday afternoon. One boat released a black marlin right away and then saw nothing on the Reef all day. We headed out to 35/35 and I released a 250# blue that had gone through our spread of baits. We returned to the Reef but had only shark bites in the afternoon to finish off our Torneo. The top three boats each released five marlin for a photo finish, to be won by Team Ammo.
Meanwhile, the dorado tagging on Jessica’s boat had gone well and they deployed seven mini PATs, a record for Wess.
Day 9: November 22 – A Marlin Finale for the Ages
The next day, our last day, was back on “Australia” with El Viejo Candelo as captain and mate Carlos. Bill Boyce came with us, and Tony also stayed for the last day. It was calm and sunny and we headed to the 35/35 after getting live bait. What a final day. We pulled lures to start with until we found the bait. Bill caught a solid 375# blue after only five minutes of trolling, then jumped off another one. Once Candelo had found the bait, we stayed with it for hours getting a blue marlin bite every 30 minutes.
Tony was quickly an expert and released two blues, 350# and 325#. Bill released three blues all around 350#, and I tacked on one at the end around 250#. We were 6/7 on blue marlin and raised three others that did not hit the bait or lure. Bill and I got a lot of jump shots given the sunny day and great conditions.
We caught up with and found “Miss Texas” by a big log, tagging dorados. They had actually deployed their last tag, so it was mission completed. Tony and I went for a snorkel filming all the small silky sharks, dorado, rainbow runners and triggerfish, bonitos, etc., around the log. So much bait.
Tropic Star Lodge was at its best. The day after we left, the Pan American Billfish Torneo began. As a season “opener” Tropic Star and all the staff were rocking.
Thank you, Tropic Star Lodge team!
Tight lines,
Guy
Watch the video!
