REEL INN IN PANAMA’S FISHING REPORT
April – November, 2020
Well it’s sorta hard to tell how fishing is since we are not really allowed to go out fishing. Now there have been some brave souls who have ventured offshore, and the reports are very good. As a matter of fact you really do not even really have to go far offshore to find good numbers of fish. There are large schools of bait that have moved into the area around Boca Chica. Due to it’s proximity to the town this area has pretty much been fished out for years. There have been two very nice sized Roosterfish caught about 100 meters from the public dock in Boca Chica. There have also been a number of other notable catches close to our home port. One guy caught a Pacific Goliath Grouper right out in front of the dock, and there have been reports of Dorado and Sailfish picking up baits meant for small Snapper just outside our Barrier Islands. Boca Chica has transformed over the years from a small fishing village into a small fishing/tourist village When this virus hit…it pretty much completely shut down many of the locals’ way of feeding their families. It is almost like Mother Nature is providing fish to areas that have been fished out for a long time…just to feed these great people. Kinda makes you wonder doesn’t it???
So when will we, here at Reel Inn, be opening back up to chase Fantastically Beautiful Bucket List Fish…HMMMMMMM!!!?????? Copa Airlines and the Republic of Panama are going to start allowing RESTRICTED international flights to come and go from Panama City’s Tocumen starting in about a week or so. There is lots of misinformation and good information about when and how this will all happen. We just have to figure out what is going to happen and what is not. I would like to say I have a handle on when things will open up, but I do not. My crystal ball got broken in the move. I think that by the beginning of our tourist’s season, which coincides with the end of our rainy season, things will once again allow for fishermen to head to Panama to chase some fish with us. So we are looking at the middle to end of December to start taking reservations. We are proceeding with our rainy season, and so far so good. We really don’t see much sun right now, but it also is not really raining all the time either. As we go through August, September and October there will be more and more rain…and then we will be ready for customers by Christmas and the Dry Season!!!
UPDATE- We are Open & so is Panama!! (October 15,2020)
How is fishing???? We are planning on sneaking offshore here again in a few days, or when the weather decides to cooperate and will be able to give a better report. If there are Dorado and Sails knockin’ at the Barrier Islands…I gotta think offshore it is…GOOOOOOOOOD FISHIN’!!!!!! There is however a very large fleet of primarily Chinese fishing vessels just off the Galapagos. There is a lot of them and they are looking to kill anything that swims. The government of Panama has addressed this matter, however if you see ways to sink…oh sorry did I say sink, I meant deter this fleet and send them back to their home waters, please feel free to act. There is sooooo many of them that the Chinese may soon claim this Island of boats is another Chinese possession.
SOOOOOOOO…as many of you may have noticed there has been this Coronavirus thing that has been going around. My wife left for a short trip to the US to help our grandson out for a couple of weeks…that was on March 13, 2020. Haven’t seen her…or anybody else since…pretty much. In 2015 I spent quite a bit of time here by myself, and I built the Bano out of local wood, mostly cut down with chainsaws. For those of you who have had the chance to use “The Bano”, you will have to agree it is one of the nicest out houses they have ever used!!!
Now comin’ on 5 months alone down here…speaking only Spanish, and dog talk, and once again my creative juices have been flowing and the Reel Inn Fish Camp now has an upgraded and modernized kitchen. The old plastic sink and shelving have been replaced with Granite, Stainless, and Local Hardwoods. Between making breakfasts for all of our wonderful B&B guests, and making thousands of early morning sandwiches for our fishing guests, our kitchen upgrade will allow for better, more efficient and more sanitary food prep. I had a great local craftsman do all the concrete and granite work, and I did all the wood work. It looks like pros did it. All the doors shut, and again all made out of wood from a tree that fell awhile back and we went to work on it with a chainsaw, and sanders. The wood is Laurel and has beautiful natural dark grain, and I threw in a couple of Murphyisms. A swinging trash door, and an aluminum can chute are included to attempt to make me a cleaner person…Sue’s idea……..
We also have an area on our property where someday (God Willin’ and the Crick Don’t Rise) we hope to build a restaurant. OK…let me set the stage once again. I am here for a LONG FRICKIN’ time by myself with a chain saw. This location has a wonderful view and for the most part is unusable. The sun overhead, or the rain pouring down makes it darn near uncomfortable over there from time to time. This was supposed to be just a small cheap roof that would be at that location for a very short period of time. Well that was plan A. Reel Inn now has a wonderful new…pretty damn big…gazebo like thing, for lack of another name. It is in the shape of a Flying Diamond. You really have to just look at the photos to get a feel of what it looks like. The best part of this gazebo thing is that once you enter under the roof, and acoustics suddenly get a lot better. We had a bandstand in the small down I grew up in in Illinois, and this gazebo has the same acoustic affects as that bandstand. I had no idea that would happen…sorta like inventing penicillin. This gazebo is also made with local Teak Trees that the neighbors cut down, steel rafters and a roofing called Panalit (looks like tile, but it is fiber). Once again most everything started out with a chain saw, and ended up with a high shine. I finally have my very own band stand!!!
OK…we should be starting to take reservations for around the first of the year and on from there. At Reel Inn we will still are at full strength with 3 boats working, Captain Chui, and a host of other Captains & Mates to make your Panama Fishing Adventure one you will NEVER forget. The Beached Bungalow is also up and ready to go, as soon as things open up. I will keep you up to date on what I know about the fishing, and when the travel restrictions will be lifted. Until then stay safe, and dream of BIG FISH!!!! Fish On!!!
Capt. Merf, Admiral Sue and Capt. Chui… Come on Down and make some memories with Reel Inn in Panama!!
