The BEST time to Fish !
Capt. Bob Baker
January 19, 2011
Boca Chica - Saltwater Fishing Report
Many folks wanting to fish Panama, or anywhere when the snow is up around their belt buckles, ask a lot of questions, trying to incorporate all the knowledge they've "learned" from sport fishing magazines.
One of the most frequently asked questions is,"WHEN is the best time to fish your area?"
My answer? The BEST TIME is WHENEVER you can get free from whatever you are doing to come down and RELAX.
As an example, I've had clients who use a very good friend in Italy as their fishing guru. Well, one year, Alessandro was contacted by a guy in Africa, trying to drum up business for his new fishing venue. He told of the sailfish there, and the other species available. Alec called all the usual suspects, his "inner circle" of friends/anglers who had the resources, and the fishing fever, to plan an immediate safari to the area. They researched the moon, tides, water temps., all projected info they could put together, and their dates were set.
They were warned, before arrival, to take precautions with the water in that area, as it was remote, and so lots of bottled water left Italy and traveled to Africa.
The first two days they did not see a fish...of any type. Being Italian, they decided to have a dinner party. Except they let the tossed salad through the security net. The veggies were washed in the local water, from the tap.
Many in the group never went to sea again during the 7 day trip. They found that toilet paper outweighed moon charts as far as they were concerned.
But, those that did not fall ill, fished. And fished, and trolled, and did whatever they could, and in the end the final toll was one sailfish for the party.
A few months later, some wildlife photographers, who knew very little about fishing, decided to lose the dust and bush for a day out, and chartered one of the boats. They couldn't keep the sails and other fish out of the boat! Upon their departure, their comment to the owner was," That fishing looks to be an easy form of enjoyment, next time we come down, we'll do more of that". They never asked about moons, tides, water temps., nothing.
I've had clients here, walk-on's, who were referred from local eco-lodges, on the spur of the moment, and have taken huge blue marlin, dorado, tuna, all in the same one day trip they took so they could rest their legs from the hiking trails! Go figure,eh?
Whenever it is monetarily and situation-ally possible, feasible, for you to pursue your fishing quest, THAT is the BEST TIME to go fishing.
Sure, you should be careful about all the other stuff, but don't BASE your trip on those statistics. You can set yourself up for a big disappointment.
Another client called from Italy, told me he'd traveled the world, Portugal, Venezuela, all over, trying for his dream marlin. He'd yet to catch and release his first. He asked me, "when is the best time for marlin in your area"?
I told him the next three weeks were the best time for a real shot at his dream. And it was the OFF season, as people are used to calling the August-September period here. He had the money, he had the time, he had like-minded friends. They arrived , had 3 marlin up the first DAY! HE did not get his. Threw the hook after a nice fight. At the end of a 6-day charter, he and two other friends had released very nice black marlin, many sails, tuna, and others offshore, and caught roosterfish on fly inshore( no easy task), along with enough snappers, corvinas, and snook to keep their dinner plates brimming with fresh, tasty fish.
Mr. Ziliani admitted to me in private that he had"checked me out" with a guy in Italy. I told him I didn't mind, I stand by my word when I give it. He named the guy. I broke out laughing. It was Allesandro! The same guy who'd taken those friends to Africa with all that intel, and struck out. Alec told him," If Bob Baker says the time looks right, get on a plane!"
Actually, my report is short. We have very good numbers of BIG yellow fin tuna, VERY good numbers of blue marlin, a few blacks. Right now, the dorado and sailfish are a little spotty. We've seen this before. Most likely there is a huge bait concentration far outside our feasible fishing area. They'll come in as the bait does. Keep in touch and look for that open window, when it;s good for YOU to get away. We'll have enough fish here, of all types, to keep you busy.
Boca Chica Fishing Forecast:
Yellow fin tuna , blue marlin, black marlin will remain excellent for some time to come. conditions are great for these fish. Lots of bait,.as in food.
Sails and dorado are spotty, present , but not in the numbers we'd like to see for clients.
These numbers will improve after the sails go through their mating dances.
Inshore fishing is good to excellent for all species.
Seas will remain very calm. Weather will remain beautiful.
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