Trolling Along the Tuna Coast - Fishing in Pedasi, Panama

"Trolling Along the Tuna Coast - Fishing in Pedasi, Panama"," Whether it's for the thrill of the reel whizzing out to a massive marlin, or the truly delectable pleasure of fresh caught yellow fin tuna seared and served with a splash of soy sauce, the fish of Pedasi have made a bit of a name for the area.


Here the Pacific waters are heavily frequented by yellow-fin tuna, drawn in on the Humboldt current from South America.


For the sport and leisure fisher, this means a plethora of catches to be hauled aboard virtually year-round, just minutes from shore.
 Other species, like mahi-mahi
a dorado or dolphin-fish, wahoo and tuna peak seasonally during the region's summer months, from November to April.


While some may argue the virtues of trolling versus jigging or popping, light tackle versus the simple, traditional pleasure of hand-line fishing, others say knowing where the deep waters lie is the key to a successful catch.
 In addition to great scuba-diving, these rocky islands close to shore house a number of bottom-dwellers, as well as attracting passing tuna and snapper.


Isla Iguana, an island nature reserve 20 minutes off Pedasí that is home to nesting frigate birds and surrounded by an extensive coral reef, is also much-visited by local pangas to snare a tasty dinner catch.


However, Bob Grimes, the owner of Dive-n-Fish Pedasí, a local scuba-diving and sport fishing operation, says Cambutal, at the end of the paved roads on the tip of the peninsula, the best bet for the bigger prizes.
 "That's where you get the marlin and the big tuna.
 While Pedasí boasts a small marina for launching small and mid-size boats, Mr Grimes says a world-class marina would boost the area's profile to no end.
 "I can't tell you the number of people with money, that have boats, that want to come here.

Everyone agrees that a large-scale marina will do much to boost Pedasi's reputation in the sport-fishing world, but even without it, the word is spreading fast.


In fact, it is the abundant fishing, in addition to the area's dry climate, clear waters and country charms that have drawn increased tourism and development to the area in recent years.


"Pedasi is far from everything, and really authentic.

 He and his partners one day envision a multitude of fishing yachts anchored offshore in Pedasí, as sun-and-fun-seekers flock to Panama's coasts.
 Marine scientists from around the world visit the Achotines Laboratory, in face of the Frailes Islands.
 Because their numbers are so plentiful in the waters offshore, scientists can easily collect dozens of juvenile tuna to raise and breed in large, specially-made tanks.


"The commission (the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, which oversees the Achotines Laboratory) also works to reduce tuna by-catch,"says lab technician Daniel Perez, through experimental nets with escape hatches to see if juvenile fish are able to escape while restraining mature tuna.