The Astounding Yield of Panama's Oceans

If you were to make a list of "places to visit before I die" perhaps the Panama Canal would be on it. Another list could be "things I would like to do", and on it (in addition to "walk on the moon" and "climb Mount Everest", you might include: "catch a big game fish."

Since you are in Panama, what better place to do this? For a number of reasons, Panama is one of the best fishing venues (some say the best) in the world. The obvious reason is that Panama offers two oceans just 50 miles apart, but there are many geographic and oceanographic features which lure the big fish and their hunters.

The Pacific littoral of the isthmus features two distinct marine environments, the Gulf of Panama to the east and the Gulf of Chiriqui to the west, separated by the Azuero Peninsula, presenting a combination of ocean phenomena which spawns quantities of fish at times truly amazing. The Gulf of Panama includes the Perlas Islands, one of the only two archipelagos on the entire Pacific coast of the continent. The other is the Galapagos.

In the Gulf of Panama water temperatures change drastically according to the seasons with warm waters (82-84 f) for 8-10 months followed by the cold water vertical current (62-69 f) creating a marine life breeding ground for two or three months each year.

Overview of Fishing in Panama Fishing in Gatun Lake