Central America Fishing

10/09/2024

The HANNIBAL BANK LEGEND is live on our YouTube Channel head over to CENTRAL AMERICA FISHING and check out the EPIC BATTLE 🔥🇵🇦

https://youtu.be/0Xrqtk4Ghlo si=jKm4m5XbcHb9pAVL

08/09/2024

The HANNIBAL BANK LEGEND is live on our YouTube Channel head over to CENTRAL AMERICA FISHING and check out the EPIC BATTLE 🔥🇵🇦

https://youtu.be/0Xrqtk4Ghlo?si=jKm4m5XbcHb9pAVL

08/09/2024

TUNA TOUR 2024 : HANNIBAL BANK LEGENDS 💥 The wait is over TONIGHT on the YouTube Channel, the fight of Dakota Dunmire life! 2 HOURS, 2 RODS, 80 MILES OFFSHORE, 1 PB YELLOWFIN TUNA 🇵🇦 151 POUNDS

Big shoutout to Paradise Fishing Lodge & Marina for making it all happen! World Class from top to bottom. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube and check out the entire fight tonight! ..

06/09/2024

DOUBLES, TRIPLES, and QUADRUPLES 💥 However many lines are in the water Central America Fishing

06/09/2024

BOCA CHICA 💥 The small town of Boca Chica is a picturesque gateway to the best fishing grounds in Panama. If one of our all-inclusive fishing lodges isn’t what you are looking for or is over-budget, Boca Chica offers an affordable way to fish the same hot spots found in the Gulf of Chiriqui. For more than a decade, CAF anglers have loved the experience at our top boutique hotel, the 7-room Seagull Cove Lodge 🇵🇦

03/09/2024

TARPON SEASON 💥🇨🇷 It’s fall, so you know what that means - peak tarpon season in Costa Rica is happening NOW! The next two months offer some of the best tarpon fishing of the year along Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast as conditions typically favor calm seas, sunny weather, and hungry tarpon. Give us a call if you want to try and make it down here this season, there are still a few windows available! 1-855-414-FISH.

02/09/2024

POPPING PANAMA 💥🇵🇦 Few places in the world offer better topwater fishing than Panama. Running & gunning after huge schools of yellowfin tuna is always the main event, but Panama offers so much more. With a rocky, volcanic Pacific Coastline and over 200 islands, the inshore popper fishing for up to 20 different species is as good as you’ll find anywhere in the world. Right at the top of the list, the famous roosterfish and the mighty cubera snapper.

28/08/2024

“Feliz cumpliaños to CAF’s beloved Reservations Manager, Ilona! She carefully looks over every vacation that we plan, and much more, so we couldn’t do it without her! Cheers to another trip around the sun ☀️

23/08/2024

“Chris, thanks for a super trip, my friend 🔥 It was great seeing you. The lodge staff, service and accommodations are second to none. So is the fishing tackle. Lucho is top shelf, Martin close. The owner has obviously put a lot of money into the business, but in my opinion, it’s time to update the boat we were on. Having said that, it is a 5 star lodge in my view.”

2x repeat Scott G. from TN

20/08/2024

It is NOTHING short of DREAMY in the Costa Rican Jungle ✨..

19/08/2024

Looking to commemorate the catch of a lifetime, but don't have the wall space, budget, or let's be honest - your partner's permission for a full-size replica mount? We have the perfect solution for you - a gyotaku fish print.

Gyotaku is an ancient Japanese tradition of 'nature painting' dating back to the 1800s. Long before cameras and smartphones, gyotaku served as a way for Japanese fishermen to record their catch and claim bragging rights. A non-toxic sumi ink was applied to a fish and then pressed onto a rice paper, the fish then either released or washed off and eaten.

CAF is proud to partner with Brian Heustis of Maui Fish Printing to offer this service to our anglers. With 20 years of experience and named the Billfish Foundation's Artist of the Year in 2022, a gyotaku from Brian will be a great way to remember your catch as well as serve as a beautiful piece of art in your home for decades. My tuna sits right above my desk, so I get to see it 10+ hrs a day! Just let us know if you are interested in your own gyotaku, for any species, and we will put you in touch!

19/08/2024

“Hey Chris 🔥 Oh my gosh, we fell in love with Panama. Not a single complaint. Luis and Adrienne were absolutely top notch as was everyone else. The fishing was excellent and both captains were some of the best (Lucho & Martin). The lodge was super clean and beautiful, actually I wanna go back with a bigger group one day. Food was excellent, all the transportation was spot on and nice comfortable vans. Not 1 speed bump the whole trip. I do wish we could have met you there. What fun that would have been. The weather only rained the 1st day we got there and maybe a sprinkle coming in 1 day. We could not have planned it any better. Simply amazing is the way I describe the whole trip.

Thank you for doing all the hard work for us.”

5x repeats Debbie & Mike W. from TX

16/08/2024

BLACK JACK in PANAMA // 35+ species any given day in Panama plus a chance at another 15+ reef species that pop up like UNICORNS every now and again! Like this Black Jack, a fish that does not get caught nor scene to often in Panama. The beauty of dropping jigs. EPIC CATCH 🖤

15/08/2024

CAF lights up Panama AGAIN 🔥

Day 1 - Fishing on their flagship 39’ Contender ST, with triple Yamaha 300s and a Sea Keeper, this is one of the nicest charter boats in Panama. We battled 4-6 ft seas, rain, and wind all day - so we are believers in Sea Keepers now! Capt Chicho took us 75 miles offshore to find the commercial boats who had reported tuna. We were able to enjoy a hot bite on poppers & blue runners on the fun sized footballs before Dakota engaged in one of the most epic tuna battles I’ve ever witnessed. It took him 2 hrs to land a 152 lb beast - but wait until you see the videos of what happened during the fight and the conditions we were in! Final: 10 YFT

Day 2 - We all agreed no one wanted to see another tuna, so we stuck to inshore & bottom fishing on the 33’ World Cat. We spent the morning jigging for almaco & fortune jacks, then switched to poppers after lunch and found a 25 lb cubera, 2 football YFTs, and then an insane jack frenzy to end the day. We would cast a popper to the rocks, get blown up by a jack, it would spit the hook, then before you could get the popper back to the boat another jack would inhale it. Final: 15 jacks, 6 albacore, 5 almaco jacks, 3 fortune jacks, 2 YFT, 1 nurse shark, 1 yellowtail snapper, 1 barracuda, and 1 Cubera

Day 3 - Captain Lucho took us to one of our favorite spots and we immediately got into bluefin trevally and jacks. We left them biting and spent the afternoon jigging in 140 ft of water where the screen showed nothing but fish from 40 ft to 80 ft. On nearly every drop we were pulling tight on feisty tunas, so we started releasing them once we had 8 in the box. The prize fish of the day was a new species that I’ve never seen in 20 yrs of fishing in Central America. Dakota caught it on one of his final jig drops, so you’ll see his story of this unicorn fish soon. Final: 15 YFT, 9 jacks, 6 bluefin trevally, 1 cubera, and 1 “mystery fish”

13/08/2024

HUGE HAPPY BIRTHDAY and Feliz Cumpleaños to our fearless leader and owner of CAF, Chris Atkins! Here’s to another year of epic catches, amazing trips, and so many happy anglers 🎣 The big POLAMALU year #43

13/08/2024

It’s a PARADISE for many reasons! One being for anglers that love to drop jigs. EVERY. SINGLE. DROP. Just look at those marks 💥 Screaming drags on all sides of the boat, especially when the Fortune Jacks are mixed in with the Almacos. Pound for pound one of the stronger fish on the jig.

30/07/2024

"Another fantastic trip by CAF and their staff to Costa Rica in July 2024 to Arenal for some sightseeing and Quepos for some fishing. Great stay at El Silencio del Cambo in La Fortuna and in Quepos for offshore and inshore fishing. 2 days offshore fishing on Good Day with Captain Manuel and Benn. Caught 9 different species of fish including 22 tuna, jacks, bonita, first wahoo ever, sailfish and rainbow runner. Inshore trip with Capt Roy Zapata and caught a nice sierra mackerel and Roosterfish in addition to several big jacks. All transportation was on time in new, spotless vans with courteous, knowledgeable, friendly drivers. We were repeat customers and highly recommend CAF to arrange your fishing or combination trips. They really strive to make your trip enjoyable and in budget. Thanks Chris and all CAF staff for all your hard work arranging the trip."

2x repeats Ron & Connie H. from Mexico

28/07/2024

"Chris:

What an amazing time/trip/experience! It all seemed to work out fluidly with the details/logistics you/we put together for it. Aidan and Terence (birthday boy) caught a 145lb Yellowfin Tuna – 45 minute tag-team catch – and it truly made my day/experience. 1st day was epic catches too for all of us on the trip.

Paradise Fishing Lodge was AWESOME….Adrienne (lodge contact/marketer), was amazing, as was Louis who made it amazing. Chef was outstanding; staff were great – and we had the whole place to ourselves……truly amazing in and of itself.

It was a great trip. The birthday for Terence turning 21 was icing on cake for me, and what you helped have the staff do was special.

I can’t thank you/CAF enough for the arranging, logistics, our talks, and truly recommending this place. There may be other places to stay, and/or vacation and see Panama, but for what I was arranging for my son it was perfect – and I’m glad the fam came to celebrate too."

The McArdle's from NY

18/07/2024

What an awesome young lady who booked a really cool, customized package to fish Lake Arenal, our jungle rivers, inshore and offshore fishing all in one week! Not only was Meg a solo female angler, she's a fish biologist and skilled with a fly rod. She more than held her own down here last week!

"Hi Chris!

This was such an INCREDIBLE trip! Thank you so much for setting everything up. I got to fish 4 very different excursions and all of them were amazing. Logistically, this was the easiest trip I’ve ever taken- seeing as everything was planned for me and I just had to show up. So thanks for that! And finally, everyone involved - guides, transportation, and hotel staff were all incredible, knowledgeable, and very kind. Big thanks to the guides for the amazing excursions. We caught a lot of fish! And a lot of different species which was a perfect vacation for a Biology Instructor. So thank you so much for organizing the trip and to your staff for their availability to answer questions as they came up. Hope to come back in the future!

Thanks again!"

Meg U. from Nebraska

16/07/2024

"Chris - First off thanks for putting this together for me. I appreciate how communicative you were through the process. You made things super easy for us down in Panama with the hotel and transfer to the lodge and back. We had a great trip. Caught almost all the species we wanted minus a cubera but that is a good reason to go back.

Our experience at the Panafishing Adventure Lodge was outstanding, largely thanks to the exceptional fishing opportunities and the warm hospitality of owner Dereck. He was not only a great host but also very accommodating throughout our stay. The entire staff was equally impressive, ensuring we lacked nothing during our time there.

One very nice surprise was the quality of the food they served, which exceeded our expectations. It's clear this is a family-run business, and that personal touch made us feel right at home, almost as if we had gained new friends.

The fishing was truly exceptional, with multiple species caught including Tuna, Roosterfish, Rainbow Runners, and a multitude of other hard pulling fish. We even had Cubera school us a couple of times. For anyone interested in jigging and popping style fishing, I can't recommend them highly enough. They have excellent gear to rent onsite if anglers are unable to bring their own and they provide an unforgettable experience that blends great fishing with genuine hospitality. I highly recommend them!"

Andrew M. from California

16/07/2024

"Chris,

Sorry for the delay, has been a tad hectic since we got back. Highlights for us were:

- Casa de Paloma: literally everything about the place
- Private chef: So glad we opted for 3 days
- Big Eye 2: Captain Frankie and 1st mate Alex were phenomenal. 17 yellowfin tuna and raised 2 sails
- You guys: undeniably the best service and facilitation

We are already planning for Nov/Dec 2025 with y’all at the helm! Let the 67 week countdown begin…."

John & Carrie H. from TX

15/07/2024

"We had a fantastic trip. We ended up with 6 sailfish, 2 yellowfin, 1 Dorado, and 1 roosterfish. This was a childhood bucket list trip for my youngest son. His two wishes were a billfish (he caught the 2 largest) and a rooster (he was the only one that caught one!), so all in all it was a successful trip.

Transfers were easy, comfortable and timely. Fishing crew and whitewater guides were fantastic.

Thank you for coordinating for us!"

Adrianne S. from South Carolina

15/07/2024

"Chris - Thank you and your group for planning us a kick ass vacation! I’m sorry to admit that I was leery about it, “If it seems too good to be true, it usually isn’t.” You guys knocked it outta of the park!

The meet and greet at the airport was nice. Our driver to Los Sueños was friendly and chatty. Our accommodations were nothing less than perfect. The golf cart was essential as we ventured around the resort and surrounding area to get our bearings down. The personal chef was a great addition to our vacation.

The golf course was exceptional! Every hole looked like a scene from Jurassic Park and was perfectly manicured. The resort had a beach party for the 4th of July, which was packed, so we decided to celebrate at a different venue. The firework display was nice, which we viewed from an upper-level patio restaurant on the resort.

With the understanding that we were fishing during the off season, Captain Mike took us out regardless of the outcome. The crew followed a large pod of dolphins, and as soon as they threw lines out, Tito reeled in 15/20 pound Mahi. They picked up and got ahead of the pod again, where I reeled in an 80/90 pound tuna. After several more maneuvers, Rey hooked what would’ve been a sizable tuna, but it got away! We did have several hits to no avail. The crew expertly filleted and packaged our catch. Josie, (1 of the mates) made us a tuna sashimi that was second to none. Nonetheless, it was a great day!

Tortuga Island was beautiful. The staff at the island were friendly and eager to please. NOTE FOR FUTURE TRAVELERS: The free RUM PUNCH AND MARGARITAS will come out of left field and knock you on your butt! LOL. We all had a great time, especially me! We enjoyed snorkeling and the banana boat. Some of us just enjoyed the rum punch and sun. Upon our return, the chef prepared us an exquisite meal. The meal would have been the envy of any 5-star restaurant.

Now back in the meat grinder it all seems like a dream!"

Eddy B. & crew from TX

15/06/2024

"Chris - It was an awesome trip! I realized how old & out of shape I am though. I cannot say enough good about how the week went. Everything from booking it to arriving home went flawless. Everything in-country was absolutely a 10 out of 10. We really liked the fact we were in touch with the transport company as soon as we stepped off the plane at the airport and helped us through the Customs and Immigration process. The drivers were great, the hotel was very nice, and all the people involved were over the top helpful. We had a blast fishing on the canal and Lake Gatun, we did not slaughter the fish by all means, but that is not what it is all about.

Everything went great getting to David as well, but once we landed, WOW! The Mothership crew is amazing! Blake & I fished with Yeti and Chi-Chi, I cannot say enough about how good they are. They work together so well and had us on fish the entire time. The few gaps in action were actually welcome so we could relax a bit and take in the scenery. They work their tails off to make sure we are getting what we paid for and they did not disappoint at all! From talking to the others, the only complaint I heard was kind of a joking complaint, their captain did not drive the boat fast enough. HAHA! We caught so many fish, it was crazy! Huge Wahoo, more than big enough Tuna, lots of jacks, blue Trevally, sharks, Mahi, and the list goes on. As far as weather, we knew it would not be all sunshine and fair seas. That did not hamper the fun at all. We actually welcomed the rain a bit, it is HOT for us northerners down there. We haven't experienced any summer yet, so the rain offered a little relief from the heat. If I was to compare this trip to my last one in 2012, this one blows it out of the water!! You are running a GREAT operation on the Mothership. I talked about it with everyone on the trip and they are already talking about the next trip down there.

Thank you for helping so much with this trip, it turned out way better than expectations! The memories with my son will be cherished for a lifetime! Thank you!!"

Curtis I. from from MT

12/06/2024

"Chris - We had an epic trip for the record books. 13 tunas in one day. The staff are awesome and catered to us very well. Couldn’t ask for more. Our fishing guides know their trade and are enthusiastic and excited to be there. Great guys!

As you know, this was our first trip to Central America for fishing. What a trip! The attached pics and clips should explain. Thanks again! "

Steve, Denny and Brian from Ohio

03/06/2024

"Hi Chris!

We had a ball! The lady fetching us from the gate when we landed in Panama City was a great touch. Both Anton and I are well travelled and that little bit of extra, taking away the pain of immigration and customs, makes a great first impression. Our drivers both in Panama City and in David were great.

William was a good guide, very enthusiastic on our city tour. Got to see a boat going through the locks and they took some detours for us.

Augustus & Elliot were great guides on the canal! We had great time and each got to catch a reasonable size peacock bass. Fun for me was a ladyfish which I caught on very light tackle I brought with me. The guys couldn't have been more helpful. Augustus took us to see sloths after our second day.

Seagull Cove: What a special little gem! The place is beautiful and perfectly situated. The staff were friendly, our catch was prepared exactly how we liked it, and they got in some Heineken 0.0 for me. Amy made sure we had everything we needed.

Paulo & Arial were really fun to fish with. Anton and I each got a nice rooster, and in the last 20 minutes of the last day each got a great cubera. In between we caught all kinds of little bits and pieces, we kept some snapper and a sierra which we had at the lodge. I took a cheap little 10lb - 3/4 oz rod with me and we slayed the bonitos on that. Anton got a real workout on a fatty LOL. Next time I will take more light lures to play with while we look for the big fish, I lost all my lures while racking up some new species. The crew are fun guys to fish with and would happily recommend them.

Finally, to you and your colleagues at CAF: we had a great time planning this trip. We have done many of these, and I will tell you truthfully that this was an easy one to put together. We believe that we got great value for money. Would definitely recommend to others. Now, looking forward to our next trip. You impressed us this time, so we'd like to see if we have other matching places to tick bucket lists."

Nico & Anton from Isle of Man & South Africa

28/05/2024

"Chris - Thank you setting up an amazing trip for us. Everything went seamlessly, even when we landed in Costa Rica 8 hours late. We easily communicated through the WhatsApp we had no trouble at all. You guys even made sure we got breakfast the next morning. It was so nice to not have to worry about anything. We had a great time fishing with Manuel and the Good Day crew took care of us both days made sure we had a good time and caught some fish. Roy Zapata also was great for our day inshore fishing. Even though the fishing was a little slower, both captains made sure Seth caught some of his bucket list fish. We also really enjoyed the rain forest and we're able to see lots of animals. Finally, we loved staying at Vista Villas. The staff was great and so was the location. Thank you for all the recommendations, we even enjoyed a nice dinner at the beautiful Mariposa. We would love to come back some day."

Seth and Megan from Indiana

23/05/2024

The dads & grads season is officially upon us as Bill & Sam rip it up in Quepos last week!

"Hey Chris - Thank you so much for setting our trip up. We would not have changed a thing! All the transports, the views from the amazing condo and the zip line trip were fantastic! My son and I have been talking about this trip for over four years! Covid prevented us from going when he graduated high school. I am so glad I found you on the internet, that was the smoothest trip I have ever been on. Everything was set up perfect. I took two of my guys from the fire department with us and now all the other guys are jealous.

Few times does a fishing trip blow away all your expectations! Not only was the fishing out of this world, but the captains and first mates were the best I have ever seen, and I have grown up fishing all my life. Chris, your personal knowledge of the captains and their boats was invaluable and really made the trip! 11 sailfish, 18 tuna, 3 nice roosters, cubera snapper, amberjack, rock snapper and a white tuna-need I say more! My son would rather fish than breathe and this was the best college graduation trip we could have asked for! Once again, thank you Chris! We will definitely be using you again!"

Bill L. from Georgia

22/05/2024

Our first FADs trip of the year was a success! Vicki & Al spent two days fishing at the FADs, plus two days inshore fishing before they left, and their final tally included two blue marlin, two sails, a big mahi, two 130 lb yellowfin tunas, and a pair of 50-60 lb roosters. Not a bad week!

"Chris - Thanks for arranging this trip for us. I asked for a little pampering and a roosterfish for me and a nice marlin for Al. We enjoyed our stay at La Mariposa and Capt. Roy found the roosters for us, so check marks in the pampering and roosterfish categories.

Al got two marlin. The first one was a nice one, Capt. Caesar said it was 250-300 lbs. The second marlin was smaller, 95" and 100 lbs. In addition, we caught a mahi mahi, 2 sails and 2 tuna. The tuna were 130-140 lbs and put up a helluva fight! So, not a ton of fish but everyone we talked to said it had been slow. For us though, you and the Double Nickel delivered on the chance at a coupla blues for Al. All good.

First time overnight on the ocean. Glad to say we did it. Couldn't wait to get to a shower when we got back! We actually came back to the marina for the third night and that was just fine with us.

Thanks again, Chris. Drivers, charter plane etc all were perfectly organized. You and your team did a great job."

Vicki & Al from NE

17/05/2024

Thanks to my good buddy Shea McIntee, host of Stoked On Fishing, for including me in the new Okuma commercial! That was an estimated 70-80 lb cubera snapper I caught and released, BY FAR a personal best, but wasn't a brutal fight thanks to the buttery smooth Okuma reel. Can't wait to have the SOF crew back on the mothership in May 2025!

It's called the mini Okuma Makaira for a reason. Strong, powerful, butter drags and it gets the job done.