The piscatorial adventures and travels of a self-confessed fishing nut: Sailfish from a Kayak

The fishing season starts for us at Panama Kayak Adventure Fishing Lodge in mid December and runs through until late June/July. This season we were cut short in mid March by the Corona Virus and all the associated travel restrictions. It's a real shame, but without doubt for the best. We're all in this together and for now just have to ride it out. It will pass. Whether or not we'll get to bring in any more guests before the wet season comes is anyones guess, but my gut feeling is that we won't.

We had some excellent fishing as usual but the highlight of the short season so far was without doubt when we had a group of British anglers here with us in late January. They experienced some exceptional fishing for Cubera Snapper and Roosterfish. However, the icing on the cake was the catch and release of 2 big Pacific Sailfish in 2 days!

This is pretty exceptional for several reasons. Firstly, before this we had only ever caught one Sailfish in the 7 year history of the lodge and it was on a popper. It's very unusual to catch them on a popper too. Nowadays, we are fishing with livebait a lot more so the odds of catching them are more in our favour. To catch 2 in 2 days was just incredible. Not only that, but from 2 bites we landed both fish. We went 2 for 2 on Sailfish from a kayak. That....is truly exceptional. Anyone that has fished for Sailfish will tell you that they can be fussy, often toying with the baits or throwing the hooks when they jump. You don't expect to catch every one you hook.

It was a great result. The water quality at the time was just beautiful, there was a perfect ocean current bringing in that deep, cobalt blue water that you find many miles offshore. Our location is right on the edge of the deep drop into the oceanic trench and on the migration route for the pelagic fish species of the Pacific. That is why we get these incrdible fish so close to the shore here. You can see the cliffs and rocks in the background of the photos. Both fish were caught within several hundred metres of the shore.

Both fish were caught on live bonito. I will never forget these captures. We had set our anglers up on top of some rather productive structure and provided them with the livebait and instructions as to where to paddle with it. The first one in particular was a total surprise for the angler, Martin.

He was slowly working his bait down deep on the hot-spot when the big Sailfish leapt clean out of the water 20 feet in front of him. Having picked up the bait at depth, the fish then ran straight to the surface, hooking itself in the process and tried to shake the hook. Martin looked on in total surprise and I shouted 'It's got your bait in it's bleddy mouth mate....reel, reel, reel!'. The rest is history.

Ben, the other lucky angler, had more of a textbook experience with his fish. A classic long run and then multiple leaps. This fish gave us quite the show. It really gave it's all. I would estimate both fish to be in the 90 lb range. We never took them out of the water, measured of weighed them. Our priority with these magnificent fish is to get them back as quickly as possible. Unhooking, a couple of quick photos and the release is all that's required.