Tropic Star's Black Marlin by Jon Schwartz

Tropic Star's Black Marlin
Jon Schwartz finds monster black marlin in Panama
By Jon Schwartz Web-Site
A Week at Tropic Star

In the winter of 2008, I had the great fortune of photographing some of the world's greatest fishing spots running at full steam. Swarms of surface-breaking striped marlin provided Cabo anglers with nonstop action. The pristine paradise of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula served up a tropical mix of billfish, roosters and bull dolphin. To top it all, the annual run of sailfish in Guatemala, where anglers released an average of 20 per day's charter, eclipsed even my wildest fishing fantasies. I returned to the States in January, flush with a wealth of images and adventure that would surely quench my traveling jones for a good while.

Just when I'd started to acclimate to my normal stateside routine, I got an e-mail from Raleigh Werking, manager of the Tropic Star Lodge. Turns out that they'd just experienced their best month ever of marlin fishing: 97 released in a single week! Had this report been from any other place in the world, I would have been able to brush off this incredible news, satisfied that I'd recently seen enough similar action. The problem was that this wasn't any old spot.

Panama's Tropic Star Lodge (TSL) is home to a great many species and boasts one of the most productive inshore fisheries in the world. Huge cubera snapper, grouper and roosterfish are landed on a regular basis within yards of the coastline. TSL's all-tackle record roosterfish tipped the scales at 96 pounds, and many are caught in the 50- to 70-pound range. Incredibly, this top-notch nearshore bite rates a distant second to the international contingent of anglers who flock to TSL for one reason alone: close and personal encounters with Makaira indica, the majestic black marlin.

We've all seen Guy Harvey's pictures of brutish blacks rocketing skyward within feet of TSL's fleet of 31-foot Bertrams, deckhands' arms fearlessly reaching for the leader while the angler sits with mouth agape. Always the skeptic, I'd assumed that these incredible scenarios were fairly rare. If they weren't, one thing was for sure - I was missing out on some of the most dramatic displays of man versus beast to be found on the planet.

A confluence of events: Raleigh's report, a whole week off from my day job and payday succeeded in rendering me utterly incapable of resisting the temptation to see for myself. In addition, black marlin were one of the few species that I'd been unable to get on film (compact flash card, really). The potential to plop myself into the middle of some big-game madness and score some epic photos of my own sealed the deal.

TSL usually books out a year in advance, so it was only with some great luck that I was able to book a room during the peak season for black marlin. Bonnie Karp at the lodge's office in Orlando, Florida, helped me find a flight from LAX to Panama City's Tocumen Airport. Arriving guests usually spend the night in one of the deluxe hotels near the airport and take a transfer plane to the remote airport near the lodge the next morning.

To my delight, a well-dressed representative from TSL was waiting for me as I exited the plane. She whisked me through customs and brought me to the VIP lounge, where I sipped espresso and caught up on e-mails via wireless until Jimmy Owens, the larger-than-life valet, showed up and brought me to a deluxe hotel, smack-dab in the middle of Panama City.

One of the things I enjoy most about fishing travel is exploring the host countries. Although I'd soon be on a plane bound for one of the most remote fishing lodges on earth, I had a full day to tour Panama City, a thriving modern metropolis. Jimmy hooked me up with a classic old Panamanian gentleman named Luis Singh who took me on one of the most enjoyable half-day tours I've ever experienced. Winding through the districts in Luis' prized Crown Vic, I got the lowdown on the country's history: the building of the Panama Canal, the international flavor the city enjoyed as a result of the constant influx of trade and tourism, and the structural and political stability that grew from the decades-long partnership with the United States.

After witnessing a massive cruise ship squeak through the Miraflores locks of the canal, we passed by the nearly finished phalanx of skyscraping luxury condos that line the city's waterfront. This area of the city is as sophisticated and metropolitan as any that I've see in the States. In visiting a modern mall to get some last-minute electronic goodies for my cameras, I noticed that the quality of goods was high, but the prices were reasonable. The U.S. dollar is the country's official currency, which makes transactions effortless. International Living magazine ranked Panama City as one of the world's top five places to retire, and it's no wonder. Between the low cost of living, the surge in development and its central location, Panama City is clearly blossoming.

From January to March, TSL only offers weeklong bookings; that amounts to six days of fishing and seven nights. Half-week packages are available in December and from April to September. The stay is all-inclusive, except for extras like massages, drinks and tips.



Fishing for Marlin in Panama

Jon Schwartz
Fishing Articles, Photography, and Travel
www.bluewaterjon.com
760-712-7778

I am having a grand time here at Tropic Star Lodge in Panama. The setting here is incredible, and the fishing is fantastic. It's a fishing resort deep in the heart of the Darien Jungle in Panama, 100 miles from the nearest paved road- or maybe any road for that matter.

I wrote an article about this place for Sport Fishing Magazine after my first visit here, which you can read here Fishing and Travel Articles by Jon Schwartz

I came here to witness 'His Majesty the Black Marlin' jump within meters of the boat. They get huge here, and they hit big trolled baits about 10 minutes offshore, depending on the season. When I say big baits, I mean BIG. Here's a mate holding a live bonito bait just before he bridles it to a huge circle hook and tosses it overboard to entice a bite from a monster:

The marlin are pretty thick here right now- good numbers of them. The bite usually happens first thing. First baits in the water get bit. As soon as the reel starts screaming they back the boat down at warp speed and the fish launch themselves all over the place. The fights are full-on adrenalin rushes. It's hard to get good photos because the boat is backing down so hard to catch up with the fish and there is water coming over the transom.

Although the fish get huge, the Humboldt current here, according to several staff, make for an oxygen-poor environment at deeper depths. Instead of heading for the deep like they do in many other locations, the fish tend to stay near the surface. For that reason, they are able to use much lighter tackle- 50 pound rods and reels versus 80 and 130 pound gear that is used in many other big marlin locations- so the interaction with the fish is much more intimate. Smaller boats lower to the water with lighter tackle like they have here make for front row seats to big fish mayhem!

Last year, the first day on my first visit to Tropic Star Lodge, I lucked out with a photo that made it onto the cover of Marlin Magazine.

I kind of had a feeling that after having such luck on my last trip, I would have to do some dues-paying this trip, and my feelings were right. Although the fishing here turned out to be much hotter than last year, I did a lot of zigging when I should have been zagging. I accompanied one couple who caught 8 marlin here in six days ( I think 5 blacks averaging 400 pounds and 3 blues averaging 300), but their best luck occurred on days when I was on other boats.
This all started to mess with my head; I started to think I was bad luck, and went looking for all sorts of things that may have resulted in the hex. Could it be my white socks? I tried wearing the same shirt for 4 days, stuff like that.
Catching fish is hard, but catching a photo of a jumping fish is many times harder. Not only do I have to be on the right boat that is experiencing the action, but the fish has to jump, the lighting has to be right, I have to maintain my balance in the midst of a lot of action, my camera settings have to be spot on, and my gear has to be functioning perfectly. The below shot is one of me posing. In the heat of the battle it's all I can do to stand up straight, and you'd never find me sitting down.

Anyway, as soon as we got here, they had some children from the small village across the bay come and do some folk dancing. It was awesome! It made me realize I should have brought my kids ( I have three girls). My kids are bilingual, and my wife is from a similar-sized town in Mexico; they would have become best buddies with these kids right off the bat.

I took some neat pictures of them, with them, and then made a CD for their parents so they can get them printed the next time they travel to Panama City. For most, if not all, of the parents and children, these are the first photos that have ever been taken of them! You should have seen the look on their faces when I downloaded the shots and showed them to them on my laptop. They are such dolls. Que bonita!

I was super stoked to hang out with them too, but don't show my wife these pics of my new Panamanian beauties!

I talked with their teacher, and it turns out that that her husband is the head of the school at the village. I want to go visit the village tomorrow and hang out with the kids and their parents. Many of them work here at the resort. It's a special feeling, you meet the kids, and then go out on boats manned by their fathers. The personal aspect of it makes it just that much more exciting to me, because I am also a 3rd grade school teacher.

I am already thinking that the coolest thing to do would be to maintain contact with these kids and the teachers and their parents, and have them be pen pals with my own students in San Diego. They are all about the same age. I'll be able to speak with them as I can get by in Spanish, and my wife and daughters can help out with anything I can't handle. It would be terrific if I was able to combine teaching with my sportfishing photography and travel writing and involve my students as well as my own family!!!

I was fishing with Richard and Edie Kearley for several days as well. They were very fun to hang out with. Here is a photo I took of Edie on the way out to the fishing grounds.

And here's a photo of Richard 'going great guns' on a 60 pound tuna:

Below is a shot of Richard with a tasty dorado.There's so many dorado here, they are like pests. Pretty funny considering that these same fish would make for trophy fish on many other fishing excursions.

They ended up landing 8 marlin in 6 days of fishing, but almost all of them were landed on days that I wasn't with them. One day they had 4 black marlin! Of course I wasn't with them that day. Arrgh!!

I also accompanied famous fly fishing angler and multiple world record holder Margo Vincent and her grandson Kyle Vincent.

Kyle set a (pending) new world record for mullet snapper at 24 lbs! You can bet his grandma was super proud of him! Everyone kept telling him, "You realize you have the coolest grandma in the world, don't you?"

He also landed a 375 pound blue marlin earlier in the same day. Here's him fighting the big blue as Margo looks on from the bridge:

Pretty amazing for a 12 year old, no?!

Both Richard and Kyle kept Dockmaster Albert Battoo busy recording their various achievements. With his first black marlin in day one, Richard his Royal Grand Slam: catching one of every type of billfish in the world!

The funny thing is that the most elusive billfish, the spearfish, was actually the first one that he landed like 30 years ago. I took particular interest in this because I wrote a 2500 word feature article about spearfish that will be featured in the February issue of Marlin Magazine, which should be on newsstands in about 3 weeks.

Here's Richard having his Royal Grand Slam recorded by Albert Battoo.

And here is Albert, one day later, making the sign for Kyle Vincent's pending world record 24 pound mullet snapper.

In addition to taking fishing related photos, I enjoy portrait, scenic, and architectural photography. I took a photo of the spa area and got this neat shot of Marisol the masseuse working with a client:

In addition to taking fishing related photos, I enjoy portrait, scenic, and architectural photography. I took a photo of the spa area and got this neat shot of Marisol the masseuse working with a client:

Finally I ended my week's stay with a visit to the nearby village of Pinas.

I wanted to check out the computer lab that is being set up and meet up with some of the folks I met last year there.

Jose ( pictured on the right) works with Tropic Star and also lives in the village. He introduced me to the teacher of the school (on the left) and they showed me the lab. It'll be cool when it's up and running in the next couple of months so I can communicate with my friends down there!

On the way out of Pinas I met up with one of the mates of the boats that I had been on over my week's stay. His name is Alexi. He is Margo Vincent's favorite mate and is probably going to end up as a captain at some point.

He also happens to be super friendly and he introduced me to his children when I walked by the house. It's funny to see these guys chase around monster fish all day, every day, and then see them relaxing at home. What seems like extreme angling to many is for them another day on the water. They've undoubtedly wired and released thousands of huge marlin, perhaps as much or more than anyone in the world. (FYI "wired" means grabbed onto the leader, brought the fish to the boat, and removed the hook). Thrill seeking anglers from all over the world travel to Pinas Bay to take part in a ritual that these fellows perform as a matter of course. Here's marlin whisperer Alexi with children:

Last year, I took a lot of scenic and architectural shots when I was at the lodge. It turns out that some of my photographs will be included in the soon to be released book by Guy Harvey called Panama Paradise: A Tribute to Tropic Star Lodge.

The book has 334 pages, and in it, Guy Chronicles the beginnings of the lodge in 1961 to the present day. Needless to say I am thrilled and flattered to have my work featured in Guy Harvey's book!

I am writing an article about Panama for the World Billfish Series Magazine. The editor of the publication Sam White suggested that I might like to get some scenic shots of Panama City, so I hired Panama's best guide, Luis Singh, to take me on a tour of the city. I went with him last year but needed to get more material. I desperately wanted to get good night shots taken from on high that showed the city's skyline, but after touring the city with Luis, I began to think I might strike out.
Most of the skyscrapers in the city- and there are a lot of them-are closed to the public. They are the homes of the ultra wealthy. Not sure if you know but Panama has a lot of new development and new buildings.

Trump Towers type of stuff, but even richer, and a new John's Hopkins Hospital branch, a bustling modern business sector, and tons of high-cotton shopping malls that feature stores like Rolex, Gucci, and all the rest.

After a series of unsuccessful attempts at getting a good vantage point for a shot, I decided to get crafty. Luis let me off in front of a popular tourist spot, and suggested I try to find the best spot I could on foot. I talked my way into the lobby of a posh 51 floor condo high rise, and the bellman let me onto the exercise room on the deck of the 15th floor. I was so excited! He left me there alone, though, and the room was so hot, I ventured out into the hallway to cool off.
A couple walked by and we started talking. The next thing I knew they were asking me if I wanted to go up and take pictures from the penthouse on the 51st floor!!! The bellman came back to keep an eye on me and sees me with my new friends, so I say, "These kind folks are gonna take me up to the penthouse!" All he could do was smile.

I had with me my Nikon D700's and several of my favorite lenses, and I got some AWESOME shots that I will post and include in that article for the Would Billfish Series magazine. I was so happy to be up there by myself, I was simply ecstatic! I completely lost track of time, and when I returned to Luis's car two hours later he said in a panic, "What happened to you??"

I proudly pointed to the tallest building in the sky and said, "You see that one? I was on the penthouse taking pics of the city!!!!" We had a laugh about that and his eyes bugged out when I showed him the shots. Yahoo!!!

The Kuna Yala

story by The Panama Post

In the North of Panama is the district ( or Comarca) of Kuna Yala, of 3,206 square kilometers of extension, one of the tourist sites more visited in the country, after Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí.

It is an archipelago of 365 islands nearby the coast, of which 36 are inhabited.

Kuna Yala has a population of 36.487 inhabitants, acoodring to the last population census in 2004.

To visit this place you can go by airplane , which is the fastest and safest way to visit the region.

You can board a plane at the Marcos A. Gelabert airport, , located in Albrook, Panama City. There the traveler has several options in airlines such as Air Panamá and Aeroperlas.

The round trip ticket per person is about US$ 45.00, a price that can change according to the destination and if it´s the low or high season.

The flights leave at 6:00 a.m. and return around 8:00 p.m.

Also, you can go by land to the region through the sector known as Chepo and the área of Cartí.

If the tourist wants El Porvenir as his final destination the trip will take about 30 minutes, but if he´s going to Playón Chico, towards the center of the region, it will last about 45 minutes. However, if the trip goes to the East, near the border with Colombia, the journey can last up to one hour.

Most of the tourists who visit Kuna Yala are Europeans or North Americans, though there´s also interest among Latin Americans and Japanese who appreciate the famous “molas”, the feminine outfit made by the woman native of the place.

Getting to know Kuna Yala

The tourists who visit the zone have the opportunity to get to know the richness of the indigenous culture, including the dances, the “molas” and the native traditions, as well as the respect for its beaches and natural resources.

Even though some inhabitants say there are several landing strips in the region, it is also true that only 12 have been officially enabled for transportation.

An aspect to consider is that the leaders of the region charge visitors a tax for using their territory and this occurs because the indigenous have their very own laws approved by the General Kuna Congress.

Two people murdered in Colón
Two people, aged 21 and 25, were gunned down Wednesday evening in Colón.

The victims, whose names were not released, were shot by someone from a passing car in the neighborhood of El Nazareno, where they lived.

The double homicide brings the total number of murder victims in Colón to 132 for the year.


Here is a collection of some of the best day tours in Panama City from our friends at PanamaTours.com.pa




Panama City Tour – Rich history tucked into a modern city. It's more than just a Canal.
Take a tour of one the most vibrant cities in Central America. Discover the old Panama ruins of Casco Viejo, the original location of the city before pirates and disease destroyed the town. Also experience a progressive city of the future, boasting the banking capital of Central America, beautiful plazas, and breath-taking skyline views. Bring your camera, and open your mind to the culturally profound Panama City -- Panama City Tour

Panama Canal Eco Tour – Along the Canal view exotic animals and flora, and swim, fish, and kayak at a nearby lake.
On this tour you'll get an up close and personal look at the historically significant changes being made to the famous Panama Canal. Share the canal with towering container ships, cruises, and other unique vessels as you see the canal's history and it's transition into the future. This is also a nature tour because you'll have the chance to see tropical flora and rain forest animals along the way, and you'll take a canoe trip through lake Gatun. Enjoy some swimming, fishing, and kayaking during the afternoon -- Panama Canal Eco Tour

Embera Indian Village Tour – Experience a real Indian Village amongst an exotic jungle. Travel up the Chagres River through a tropical jungle full of exotic plants and wildlife on your way to visiting a real Indian Village. Interact with the villagers and learn about how they hunt, fish, harvest, and more. You'll even experience their cultural traditions like dancing and body painting, and be able to see their handmade crafts like woven baskets, plates, and masks. Walk through the lush jungle and get a close and personal look at what real jungle life is all about -- Embera Indian Village Tour Anton Valley Day Tour – Beautiful mountain and waterfall views alongside a dormant volcano.
This is a place you may only think exists in the movies, with it's luscious green vegetation, towering cliffs and mountains, and cascading waterfalls, but you can experience it first hand on this Anton Valley Day Tour. Enjoy a scenic drive along the Pan-American Highway, walk through elaborate gardens, and even visit a zoo. Bathe in the hot springs and waterfalls, and don't forget to browse the native Indian crafts at the local artisan market -- Anton Valley Day Tour

Panama Canal Train and the Caribbean Forts – Take a train ride alongside the picturesque canal.
Ride the train for a unique and beautiful vantage point alongside the Panama City Canal, where you'll wind through historical spot after historical spot from Panama City to Colon. Visit the Gatun Locks, the Old School of the Americas, the First Sherman and San Lorenzo National Parks, and enjoy a buffet style lunch at the Sol Melia Resort & Hotel in Colon -- Panama Canal Train and the Caribbean Forts