Marlin Fishing
At Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, we catch black marlin and blue marlin. Here is a breakdown of our approach to fishing for each species.
Black Marlin
For many, the black marlin is the headliner. We have many guests who come fishing with us for the chance to catch one.
The Gulf of Chiriquí is among the top black marlin fisheries in the Northern Hemisphere. We catch blacks up to 800 pounds. Most of the fish we catch range from around 250 to 400 pounds.
We catch many of them on high spots. Hannibal Bank, the Burbuja, a high spot near Montuosa Island from which bubbles arise from the sea floor, Islas Ladrones… there are plenty of spots that produce great marlin fishing days.
While we catch black marlin all year, the best times are July and August and November, December and into January. During these times, bonito aggregate and hold around high spots. The consistent presence of bait is like a dinner bell.
Black marlin are spectacular fish. They are beautiful.
Seeing a big black marlin attack a live bait is incredible. It is savage, wild, and wonderful. The speed and power with which it often takes place is like nothing else.
Incredible fighters, the first run of a black marlin is something to behold. It is often punctuated by jumps that take them entirely out of the water.
When the fish nears the boat, blacks are known to explode from the water while on the leader. Once seen, this is something that you can’t unsee. It brings many anglers back time and time again.
We will also catch black marlin while trolling lures offshore. We sometimes catch them around floating structure—a barnacle-covered tree in blue water. If we find this kind of thing and it’s surrounded by bait, it’s generally worth a couple circles with live bonito.
However we target them, any day that you catch a marlin is a good day. It takes only a single experience to understand why and how so many anglers become captivated by this incredible fish.
Blue Marlin
For many anglers, catching a blue marlin is the pinnacle of the sportfishing experience. We catch good numbers of them.
Blue marlin are among the most powerful and acrobatic fighters in the ocean. Capable of long, sustained runs, they sometimes spend nearly as much of the fight out of the water as within it.
A greyhounding blue marlin, quartering away from the boat as it peels line from a large conventional reel is a sight you will never forget.
Just a Click Away
Tuna. Marlin. Roosterfish. Mountains of sashimi. The stuff fishing dreams are made of. Let’s do it.
