Jesse-Lee Collins

The Black Marlin bite slowed down as we went into March, but anglers who put in their time still got shots at Her Majesty and we released some incredible fish. We had a few people walking the plank for their first Black Marlin, which is always something special. Sailfish were around in small numbers and strangely, the odd Dorado was being caught, which is very unusual for March. The Yellowfin Tuna came crashing through in epic fashion with birds diving, dolphins all around and the tuna turning the ocean white by smashing bait fish in feeding frenzies that must be seen to truly be appreciated. Anglers’ arms got stretched and tackle got tested by the larger fish over 100 lb. 

It was the 40 -60 lb fish I love to chase on spinning gear and catch on surface lures, expecting the incredible strikes. Inshore the bite was on fire with loads of different species, and we had the best Cubera Snapper bite I have ever seen with one boat releasing 18 Cubera in a single day. Anglers released Tarpon, Grouper, Bluefin Trevally and Roosterfish just to name a few making the bite along the shoreline incredible.

The seas were beautifully calm during March and the cold water arrived, but only for a few days and not for as long as we normally see. The water dropped to around 74 degrees Fahrenheit and when it did; the fishing went nuts! With the cold water species such as Tarpon, Grouper and Cubera snapper made their way into the shallows. We still received a few inches of rain in March, which I have never seen, personally. Things were still a little strange, but the fish were here, so no one minded.

Hal and Kathy Hunter returned to the lodge after many years of fishing on private boats, this time brining their son, Randy and his wife, Alice. It was great to catch up with them. Hal and Kathy have caught fish all over the world and fished with some of the greatest Marlin captains ever. As a fellow angler, I hope to have half the stories that they shared with us. Hal brought some of their original Black Bart lures made by Bart Miller himself and were ready to chase Marlin. True Marlin anglers are used to putting in time for beauties of the deep and that is exactly what they did. It was tough fishing offshore with not too much happening. The family convinced Hal to try Inshore action for about 2 hours and then it was back offshore, but in the end, it paid off. Capt. Adolfo put them on two Marlin. The first jumped off, but about an hour later Randy Hunter was hooked up and released his first Black Marlin. The entire crew was ecstatic as they had put in a lot of time and effort for the incredible Black Marlin. Randy walked the plank when they got back to the dock, with cheers from fellow anglers and crews alike.

Justin and Melisa Webster love the outdoors, having a good time with a lot of laughs. Justin is an avid angler and his wife Melisa is just a straight up bad ass. The couple released an inshore Grand Slam, which is something very special for any angler. They released a Bluefin Trevally, a Roosterfish and a Cubera Snapper in a day. Melisa released an absolute beast of a Cubera and a Blue fin trevally. And that is just a few of the fish they caught. The couple released Sailfish and fought Yellowfin for dinner… but deep down all Justin wanted was a Marlin. Unfortunately, it did not happen, but that’s Marlin fishing. They always keep you wanting more. We are so excited to see Justin and Melisa back in the future to get them their giant Marlin, which will be an even cooler story for the kids when they get home.

Mid-March, Tropic Star Lodge hosted the second annual Inshore Fishing Seminar. This year the Inshore Fishing Seminar was completely sold out, and it was an absolute blast! We would like to give a big thank you to Capt. Bo Johnson, JP DeRose, and Patrick MacCafferty, who were our hosts for the seminar. The fishing was absolutely off the charts, with boats catching on average around 45 fish per day. The most prized species that anglers got to release were Roosterfish, Cubera Snapper, Bluefin Trevally, Broomtail Grouper, Black Grouper, African Pompano, Mullet Snapper and even a few Tarpon. During the school, we had two possible world records caught, a Broomtail Grouper of 80 lb and a Bluefin Trevally of over 23 lb. Both fish were released and only measured, so will not be eligible for world records. A lot of the school’s focus is fish handling, how to release the fish safely and the best way to get spectacular photos. Actually targeting the fish and catching them is only part of the fun.

John and Kerry Shanks do a lot of fishing in Florida, and it was so cool getting to meet them for their first time at Tropic Star Lodge. The couple joined us for the fishing seminar, and in all honesty, they are incredible anglers. They smashed everything off their bucket list while with us and even extended their stay for a few extra days after the school was over. Kerry landed a monster Cubera Snapper on a jerk bait, and John got a huge Bluefin Trevally, and a world record Broomtail Grouper. That was just on day-one, with over nine other species caught on that day. By the end of their stay, they had also included some tackle testing Roosterfish and a few Tarpon, Jacks, African Pompano and Mackerel to their ever-growing list. The couple extended their stay by a few days, and Kerry caught a big Roosterfish and a bunch of other species. It was great getting to spend the extra days with the couple, and we can’t wait to see them back next year.

Jay Dollries, Randy Lane and Eric Knop joined us at the lodge and had a great time fishing on Pollyanna with Capt. Fidel. The gentlemen spent their time in between chasing Billfish and Tuna offshore and casting at the rocks inshore. They raised quite a few Billfish and even had a Marlin on, but it was not meant to be. They did, however, catch Yellowfin Tuna trolling cedar plugs and casting poppers at the shoals that were busting the surface. Inshore, the guys got a bit of everything and had had some mind-blowing days. Jay brought an Almaco Jack of over 75 lb back to the dock – a monster that he caught on a popper. The guys also caught over 15 Cubera Snapper in a single day, all on surface lures. By the end of their stay, each angler had released the coveted Inshore Slam, all on surface lures, which is what anglers’ dreams are made of.

March was really an amazing month with so much happening. The guests that came down had a great time, and we can’t wait to see them all back in the future. It was great to be part of so many anglers’ firsts and seeing the excitement of them retelling the stories to each other in the afternoons at Marlin Bar or at the pool while snacking on sushi or and a cold one.

January 2021

The New Year is finally here and all signs are pointing toward the 2021 season being a little later, and a cracker at that. The Black Marlin have been running a little bigger this season – it’s early to predict, however they have been averaging at around 400 to 450lb, which is definitely on the large side for average size range. We have been consistently hooking the Blacks close to the Lodge on the Zane Grey Reef and in the surrounding area. Further offshore, the Sailfish bite has slowed somewhat (which is to be expected) and the Blue Marlin numbers, which started off strong at the beginning of the month, declined as the Black Marlin became more numerous. Dorado are breaking that 50lb mark everyday on the dock, gifting us with some incredible eating. Tuna bite has slowed down, with only a few being caught. The schools have still been seen but are moving at an incredible pace.

At the beginning of January, the winds were still blowing strong from the south meaning the season had not quite changed yet. We are still getting the odd downpour some afternoons, leaving our waters somewhat inconsistent on the inside. That means that boats have had to run a little further to find that beautiful blue water for the Blue Marlin, but being so close to the fish means that we are still running a whole lot closer than most. The Blacks, on the other hand, really don’t mind a little off-colored water. As soon as that northerly wind came through and made things a little choppier, the Black Marlin came up hungry and the bite was on. The water temperature stuck to a constant 83 to 85 degrees all through January, and conditions are looking amazing for very fishy February. With the rains still here into January, we anticipate that March should also be a cracker month for the Blacks – an occurrence that is always welcomed.

Guest Spotlight

Michael and Candy Stuart have been fishing together for many years and this January was their first time visiting Tropic Star Lodge. Michael started the long road of achieving his Royal slam in 1989 out of Chub Key in the Bahamas. Candy started her journey in 2008 off Stuart Florida, and this week they both got to finish the lifetime achievement of releasing all nine Billfish of the world! On their second day of fishing with Capt. Jose, Candy managed to release her Pacific Sailfish and a Black Marlin of 450lb. There were tears of joy on the boat and the dock, and the whole lodge joined in with excitement to celebrate the achievement of something so special. The next day, Michael got to release his first Black Marlin of around 450lb. This was a truly momentous occasion – the couple completed their Royal Slams just days apart. During their trip, the Stuarts released another Black Marlin, more Sails and impressive amounts of Dorado. We can all agree that completing their Royal Slams made this such a special trip.  We can’t wait to have them back in just a few weeks.

Father and son team, Mark and Preston Wagner, have traveled together extensively, and love the outdoors and adventure. On their latest adventure, they joined us at Tropic Star for some fishing action on board the Pollyanna with Capt. Fidel. The gentlemen were both new to offshore fishing, so both got to walk the plank for releasing their first Sailfish catches, respectively. They got stuck into some amazing Dorado fishing during their stay and both got to show off some incredible trophy Dorado. Preston also got the release on an awesome Blue Marlin that put on a show for the guys.

Drew, JD and Mike Messler joined us too, fishing on Australia with captain Candelo and mate Ricardo. They were back for their fifth visit all the way from New Jersey. The group were undoubtedly here for Black Marlin, and that is just what they were delivered. The Black in question hit a live bait and dropped it, but Mike was quick to get another dead skip bait back to the fish and got to feed a beauty of a Black Marlin. The fish was called at 280lb. Our Videographer, Kesh, was out with them and got some awesome footage of their majestic Black jumping behind the boat. The guys are very experienced anglers and it showed when Mike released his first Black Marlin. 

Guests Gary and Melissa Jones love the outdoors, fishing and embarking on adventures together. While down at the lodge, they fished with Capt. Fidel on Pollyanna. The couple had to work for their fish, but fish they got! Both Gary and Melissa released first-time Black Marlin. It was an insane day, with a Sailfish having been caught too. They were only a Blue Marlin away from a Grand Slam. While trolling around the Zane Grey Reef, there is always an opportunity for those giant Cubera Snappers that lurk deep beneath the surface. Both Gary and Melissa were lucky enough to release monster-sized Cubera Snappers, a bucket-list catch for most. 

January has been a wild month with giant Dorado, big Marlin and incredible action from the Sailfish. The weather has certainly kept us on our toes, but it’s all part of the sport. The team and I have enjoyed seeing familiar faces. Sharing in these incredible memories is always so much fun, and the camaraderie is what makes the fishing experience at Tropic Star Lodge so special. We look forward to seeing you all down here soon for your fishing adventure and hope you enjoy the photos.

December started off with a bang! It was a fantastic reunion with so many guests returning and everyone eager to get out on the water. 

At the start of the month, the Dorado were around in droves. The bite slowed during mid-December and then came back with a vengeance to close out 2020. The average size was the usual XXL. As always, guests wrestled a love/hate relationship with the aggressive Dorado bite – even though catching MASSIVE Dorado is a lot of fun, the sheer quantity tends to take away from Marlin time.

Yellowfin Tuna over 200 lb are considered a trophy fish to any angler, and we had quite a few guests who had their arms stretched by these deep-diving beauties. The Sailfish bite was very consistent, and boats were able to rack them up when targeting them. Sailfish were also around for those chasing a  Billfish Grand Slam. The Blue Marlin bite started off wide open, slowed down for a short time in mid-December, and then turned back on. Black Marlin were caught on Zane Grey Reef with the odd few found offshore. We released a beauty of 750 lb – she has been the biggest Black so far this season, and it is still very early on. 

The water temperature hovered at 84 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit all month, with a gentle breeze from the South all day, every day. This also brought on afternoon showers most days, creating debris lines offshore. Fishing the areas of floating logs made for some incredible fishing. The current has been consistently coming up from the South, pushing in beautiful clean water offshore. In normal circumstances, we are on the fish in under 20 miles, which is exceptionally close. We had to run a little further than normal to find the blue water at times, but it was well worth it when we did. On the reef the water was a little off-color but that didn’t dissuade the Blacks, as the fleet released quite a few.

Trevor Foster and Eric Hamlin returned for their fun in the sun fishing trip to Tropic Star. It is their 5^th trip and it was so good catching up with the guys. On this trip, they also brought their buddy, Martin Sandoval, for his first time. The guys had a slow start on their first day on the water, but that all changed amazingly fast on day 2. Eric released his first Black AND Blue Marlin. Martin released his first Sailfish, first Dorado, and first Yellowfin. By the end of the 4 days fishing, the gents had racked up some incredible stories and numbers. They ended their trip with the sore arms of worthy fighters, and enjoyed some well-deserved rest after catching nearly 30 Dorado and releasing 25 Billfish!

Team Peru returned for their 15^th trip! It was great getting to see our family from Peru. These guys enjoy a fun boys’ trip every year with friends, dads, and sons getting together at Tropic Star for a bit of competition and loads of laughter. The guys held their annual tournament and the competition was fierce, as always. This time Lucho and Alonso took the win on Scandia with Capt. Jose. They released 9 Marlin for the week, and loads of other fish. We had some newcomers this season as well. Alessandro, Lucciano and Rafael all had first-time Marlin releases during their first trip with the group. In total, the guys released over 60 Billfish during their 6 days on the water, and too many Dorado to count. It was a story-book trip and we can’t wait to see them back for some more action next year.

Friends, John and Kim Miller and Dewy and Patti Blaylock joined us for some fun on and off the water. Both John and Dewy are avid anglers and caught some new personal bests. John boated the biggest Dorado he has ever seen and Dewy, who has been a tournament overseer for years, released his first Black Marlin of 450 lb. Patti doesn’t really like to be on the water for too long, as she likes catching far more than fishing, and so on the last day the whole gang fished inshore. The boat returned full of laughter and stories from all the action, catching smaller Yellowfin and many other inshore species on offer, all while enjoying the beauty of the virgin coastline.

Denise Guillen and her family fished for 2 days on Miss Australia with Captain Candelo and Mate Ramiro running the deck.  The first day they caught Sailfish and some monster Dorado. It was a ton of fun for the family to experience the bright green, yellow, and blue flash flying across the spread and exploding on big live baits. Their second day, they did not go as far offshore in efforts to search for some Marlin after the action-packed first day. Rolando and Sebastian both released a Blue Marlin. We threw Sebastian off the dock for his first Marlin release. The 2 Marlin were called at 300 and 250 lbs. They paired nicely with some larger Dorado that made for a fresh catch of the day. In their 2 days they totaled 3 Dorado, 2 Blue Marlin, and a Sailfish. 

The Houser family; Brian, Debby and Clark, family to our very own, Hayden Houser, joined us from Texas over the Christmas holiday. Great fun was had by all, and Hayden was able to spend quality time with his family. This was the fifth trip for team Houser, and it was Debby’s time to fight and release her first Blue Marlin of 300 lb. The Family also received the perfect Christmas present from Neptune, a Grand Slam. The Housers released a Black Marlin, Blue Marlin, 3 Sailfish and brought back a bunch of Dorado to complete the magical day. The entire trip was amazing and we can’t wait to see them back to make more memories.

Bryan, Marguerite, Luke and Rebecca Fleener came to the lodge for a family vacation. Their destination was chosen by Rebecca for her senior trip. The entire family was heaps of fun and loves the outdoors and adventure. During their trip, Rebecca released her first Blue Marlin which earned her a plank-walk off the dock along with her mom, Marguerite, who released her first ever Pacific Sailfish. On their second day fishing the Fleeners caught more Sailfish than we had flags for, so they flew a white sock for flag number 17. 

I would like to say a personal thank you to Bryan for leading a beautiful devotional during our Christmas Eve celebrations – it made the special occasion with our valued guests even more memorable! The grand memory of Christmas carols sung alongside the rest of the families at the lodge is sure to be one that we won’t easily forget. 

December is a special month here at Tropic Star Lodge, as Christmas trees dot the property and fish mounts are adorned with Santa hats. The Christmas spirit is contagious. It has been a month of plank walking, stories of monsters lost, and monster fish released. We have had a lot of families enjoying all the Darien has to offer, from helping release newly hatched turtles, hiking through the virgin jungles, playing on the private white sand beaches, and exchanging fishing tales. The spirit of generosity is felt throughout Piñas during this special time, and as always, it was a great pleasure for us to be able to keep the spirit going with the people in the village – a special thanks goes out to all of those who have contributed to the Piñas Bay Conservancy, and to the Tropic Star team for all of the efforts to make Christmas a special time for the people in Bahia Piñas.  

We ended December with a fabulous New Year’s Eve celebration and fireworks at Marlin Bar, alongside our traditional dinner – whole roast pig and whole Grouper prepared by Chef Gabriel. The food and festivities were sensational as always, and the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all. 

All in all, I’m pleased to report that the fishing season has started off spectacularly, and I personally cannot wait to see what 2021 will have in store for us!

Tight Lines,

Capt. Richard White

Panama is open! Tropic Star Lodge is open! We are so excited to be welcoming guests and getting to do what we love so much – making sure our guests enjoy the ultimate fishing vacation.

The season kicked off in true 2020 style. We experienced loads of rain from the two tropical storms that passed through making the seas… sporting, to say the least. That aside, as soon as the weather calmed down, the fishing kicked off just as everyone was hoping it would. Guests took on Black Marlin over 400lb at the Zane Grey Reef.  Black Marlin put on aerial displays like no other species can, showing anglers why she is referred to as “Her Majesty”. Blues were active offshore, tearing up baits and dumping reels, with Sailfish and Dorado showing up in between. Yellowfin Tuna in every size range were feeding on the surface, introducing anglers to the pain that only those brutes can bring on as they dive down to the depths. We caught some fantastic Almaco Jacks coming in on the reef, as well as released a few giant Cubera Snapper.

With the weather being so unpredictable for the first few days of being open, it made the fishing a bit tough to forecast. We had to go pretty far offshore by Tropic Star Lodge standards, running nearly 25 miles offshore to find the blue water, but once we found it – the fish did not disappoint. As the weather calmed, the clean water started to move in closer to land and the fishing exploded.

Heidi and Tim McBride joined us for an extended stay in November. Tim and Heidi are both passionate anglers who have fished at Tropic Star before, so we were thrilled to welcome them back to open the season. Some highlights from their trip included one day when Tim caught two massive Dorado. One was taller and wider than him! Then on top of that he came back having released a Blue Marlin. Heidi also had one of those days where she released a beautiful Blue Marlin and brought back a 155lb Yellowfin Tuna to the scale. A personal best for Heidi! 

Auston Gower and his wife, Laura, brought their two sons, William and Charles, for some family time in the jungle where they could relax and spend quality time together on the ocean. William and Charles are 10 and 11 years old, respectively, and love pretty much everything to do with the outdoors. They are both avid junior anglers and it was great to see them getting first catches. Both boys released their first Blue Marlin along with Sailfish and boated more than a few very impressive Dorado.

Mark Martorell brought his son, David, for a fishing adventure, and some father and son bonding. Both Mark and David love fishing, and really enjoyed targeting multiple species, both inshore and in the deep blue. During their trip David released his first Roosterfish and first Cubera Snapper. He also released a beautiful Blue Marlin. He wrangled with some bruiser Yellowfin Tuna, released around 15 Sailfish, and brought back enough Dorado to feed the lodge. During their time inshore they also released a Broomtail Grouper along with a bunch of other species.

The Groeger family, AKA the Billfish family joined us from the US. Van Groeger lived in the Panama Canal Zone in the 60’s, and has known about Tropic Star Lodge for many years. This year he made the trip with his wife, Linda, their two sons, Nick and Garret, and Garret’s lovely girlfriend, Assia. Until visiting Tropic Star, the family had not been offshore much for big game fishing, but that didn’t stop them from smashing some incredible Billfish and walking the plank. The family fished on Pollyanna with Capt. Fidel and they all got to experience their own first-time Billfish release. Garret released a nice 300lb Blue Marlin and Van released a gorgeous Black of 300lb. The family also brought back a Yellowfin Tuna of 150lb which made for some delicious sashimi for everyone back at the lodge. The whole family released multiple Sailfish and some truly monster Dorado,  who were keeping them busy.

The season is off to a flying start and we are so happy to see so many families coming and enjoying this special little piece of paradise. As we head into December, the fishing should keep going from strength-to-strength and we can’t wait to share it with more anglers.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Richard White