Bucket List: Panama

For today's bucket lister, we are heading to the central American coast. Panama has been a sport fishing paradise for quite some time. With over 250 International Game Fish Association world records broken, Tropic Star Lodge in Pinas Bay stands as the poster boy of all that Panamanian fishing has to offer. This has been a dream trip of mine for quite some time as it has all of the attributes of a great fishing adventure; foreign travel and culture, untamed landscape, and world class fishing. 

A typical itinerary for this trip would be to fly into Panama City and stay a night to sample the local flavor. The following day, take a short, fifty minute flight to Pinas Bay and then hop on a panga for a short boat trip to the lodge. From then on, it is fishing, kayaking, swimming, beach-strolling and exploring jungle rivers until you have to head back home.

Monster Black Marlin

Panamanian Sailfish all lit up

Tropic Star can be a great trip for the whole family. A wonderful initiative they offer to help introduce the outdoors to the next generation is the kids club event. Every June through August, this event allows any kid under 16 to fish for free with a paying adult. 

If I make it to Tropic Star, my focus will be on offshore action including the blue and black marlin, mahi mahi, sailfish and tuna. You can bet I won't miss the incredible inshore fishing as well though, which includes huge rooster fish, snapper, grouper and amberjack to name a few.

Fishing isn't the only thing Tropic Star offers, take a hike to a mountain waterfall or head over to White Beach.

Offshore fishing is something I really enjoy doing but do not get to do that often. It doesn't get a whole lot better than Panama when it comes to offshore action and I would love to make it down there some day.