Trolling along the Tuna Coast - Fishing in Pedasi, Panama
Date :
2008-12-05
There are any number of lures to hook a person on Pedasí, but great sport-fishing in its coastal waters is perhaps one of the most universal. Whether it’s for the thrill of the reel whizzing out to a massive marlin, or the truly delectable pleasure of fresh caught yellowfin tuna seared and served with a splash of soy sauce, the fish of Pedasí have made a bit of a name for the area.
Sandwiched between two world-renowned fishing spots, Piñas Bay to the east (where the luxurious Tropic Star Lodge is located) and Hannibal Banks to the west, Pedasí lies along a stretch of water is known as the ‘Tuna Coast’.
Here the Pacific waters are heavily frequented by yellow-fin tuna, drawn in on the Humboldt current from South America. This cold upwelling --- in addition to creating the drier climate that marks the Azuero Peninsula where Pedasí is situated, known as the ‘Arco Seco’ --- provides the rich nutrients that tuna and the many other species of fish in these waters thrive on, making it one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world.
For the sport and leisure fisher, this means a plethora of catches to be hauled aboard virtually year-round, just minutes from shore. Sailfish, amberjack, roosterfish, grouper, Spanish mackerel and red snapper are in steady supply throughout the year. Other species, like mahi-mahi (a.k.a dorado or dolphin-fish), wahoo and tuna peak seasonally during the region’s summer months, from November to April.
Because the continental shelf falls away sharply quite close to the coast, in some cases as close as one kilometer out, deep waters are easily accessible and bring big catches.
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.
The Frailes Islands, next to Playa Venao (incidentally a world-renowned surfing spot), is a much-favoured spot. 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. They also offer some shelter in the ‘dry months’, from January to March, when strong trade winds make fishing difficult on the peninsula’s tip.
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. A little further west, Isla Cañas, an island known for prolific turtle nesting on its 14 kilometer-long beach, is another favored spot for light tackle.
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 the best fishing is for miles around, the continental shelf drops about a kilometre from shore,” he says. “That’s where you get the marlin and the big tuna.”
He also believes it would be the ideal setting for a large-scale marina. 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.
“We need a marina,” he says emphatically. “I can’t tell you the number of people with money, that have boats, that want to come here. To support the type of activity that I can see happening here, you need a first-class marina.”
Everyone agrees that a large-scale marina will do much to boost Pedasí’s reputation in the sport-fishing world, but even without it, the word is spreading fast.
Pedasí now hosts an annual fishing tournament held by Pedasí Fishing, another local sport-fishing outfit, which this year drew dozens of boats and hundreds of spectators over the weekend-long competition. 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.
Many developers are targeting fishing enthusiasts, building gated communities tailored to their needs, with beach clubs and waterfront storage lockers to easily store fishing gear.
“Pedasi is far from everything, and really authentic. You can fish, surf, bike, ride horses, all in a very special place,” says Daniel Rudas of Dekel Panama S.A., the development group building Andromeda Pedasí, the town’s first vacation community, slated to begin construction in early 2009.
He and his partners hope to attract serious sport-fishers among their clients, envisioning a multitude of fishing yachts anchored offshore in Pedasí’s future.
Tourists and developers aren’t the only ones drawn to the bounty of these Pacific waters. Marine scientists from around the world visit the Achotines Laboratory, in face of the Frailes Islands. The laboratory has been operating in the Pedasí district since 1985, studying the life cycle of yellow-fin tuna. 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.
Their studies are helping to provide clues as to the feeding, breeding and migration habits of these tuna in the wild --- about which little is known to date --- in hopes of instituting conservation programs to prevent the population loss seen in the bluefin tuna, whose flesh is so prized for sushi and other Asian dishes.
“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.”
Future studies will also include sailfish, he says, which is good news for sport-fishers; their work will help ensure game fish off Pedasí remain plentiful for generations to come.
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