May 2021 Fishing Report

The waters of change are upon us. The Roosterfish are starting to turn on and come through in larger numbers, giant Cubera Snapper are still beating up unsuspecting anglers, Bluefin Trevally are making reels scream leaving anglers freaking out over how strong they are. These 3 species make up the Inshore Slam and our anglers are achieving this more consistently with every year that passes. There are not many places in the world that you can catch and release trophy-sized Cubera, Rooster, and Bluefin Trevally, never mind in a single day, but at Tropic Star Lodge you certainly can! Roosterfish are aggressive and give run after run as you get them closer to the boat. Cubera Snapper is all power in the beginning, but if you can stop that initial run, then you normally have him. Bluefin Trevally, however, are pure strength from start to finish, hitting baits like a crazy fish with a vendetta. This incredibly beautiful fish is all power, which has us all wondering – “how could something this size fight so hard?”

Sailfish have started to show up, and although not in consistent numbers, they are targetable with boats being able to have a few shots each day. The Offshore bite improved throughout the month, with more Dorado being caught. The Tuna are becoming more plentiful and the odd Marlin has even been making an appearance.

We never really experienced a normal dry season this year, so the change of season was not what it normally is in May. The mangos started to ripen, though, which is usually a sign of the Roosterfish hoard taking up their usual residence along the coastline. Due to warmer water temperatures and a very short period where the cooler water came through the bait acted differently to years past. There wasn’t as much bait close to the coastline, which meant that the fish were hungry and when live baits were trolled Inshore was MADNESS!

Our Roosterfish tournament was a huge success. We broke the record with 131 Roosterfish released in three days by just six boats. It came down to the wire in the end with the two top teams being just 50 points apart. It was loads of fun all round and we are excited for team Dilly Dilly who won and will be heading to the Offshore World Champs in 2022. You can read our full tournament update here. 

Guest Highlights

Paul Castranova and his good friend Thomas Barba finally made it back to Tropic Star Lodge with their sons, Anthony and Thomas. It was great getting to see the guys again and they brought one hell of a group with them. The trip was in celebration of Anthony’s Birthday and it was oh so much fun. The gentlemen had some fun angling Offshore, smashing some Yellowfin and Dorado. Tommy managed to get his first Pacific Sailfish and a Cubera Snapper by casting to the rocks. Paul, at the last minute on their last day, hooked up to his nemesis – a big red and orange bruiser. He got to release his Cubera Snapper. On the last night, Paul did a hilarious roasting of the group and Anthony had everyone in hysterics as he did his best impersonation of me. His accent was pretty spot on. 

One of our most loved guests at Tropic Star, Mr. Mike Myatt,  joined Paul’s group with longtime friends of the Lodge; Steve Groth, Nick Dyle and Eric Lear. Steve had his eye on a Black Marlin to complete his Royal Slam, but alas, it didn’t happen – not for a lack of trying! Mike did, however, manage to get Eric his first ever Pacific Sailfish. The gents were all able to catch some nice-sized Dorado. On one day in particular, Eric and Nick caught 10 Tuna and a bunch of Dorado, as well as releasing two Roosterfish. I know we will be seeing Mike back at the lodge soon, and we hope that Steve, Nick and Eric will return with him!

Miles Sawyer-Whicker and Angela Chang joined us all the way from Fort Worth Texas. The couple love the outdoors, and it showed, with Angela catching the biggest fish of the week. The couple are newly engaged and decided on Tropic Star as a getaway to enjoy some pure R&R. They crushed the fishing with Capt. Walter on Darien. The pair enjoyed some Yellowfin action Offshore, as well as getting stuck into the Inshore species on offer this time of year… but it was Angela’s 300lb Black Marlin that really left all the other anglers green with envy. 

Keith Talley joined us with longtime friend John Walker.  It was John’s first foray into the Offshore fishing world. Keith is an avid angler and he and John fished with Capt. Candelo, whom Keith has been fishing with for many years. The Inshore fishing was absolutely exceptional with Keith, John and the gents releasing over 10 Roosterfish in the first 2 days. As well as going Offshore and getting double digits of Yellowfin Tuna and Dorado, John released an 85lb Sailfish as his first ever Billfish. It was hard to tell who was most excited – Capt. Candelo, Keith, or John. On the same day, they released 5 Roosterfish and brought home a beautiful Almaco Jack for dinner. It was such an epic fishing trip that on their last day they decided to play on the rocks, coming back flying 14 green flags, having successfully released a horde of Roosterfish. 

This month we had a buddy week where we paired single anglers together. Ken Musgrave, Jay Robinson, Joseph Townsend, and Brad Hassal all joined us for the buddy trip. They were thrilled to be a part of the buddy system and all of the gents became fast friends. Ken, joined by Jay on the boat, released his first Roosterfish of 60lb and his first Pacific Sailfish of 85lb. In one awesome day they caught 23 Yellowfin to get warmed up for the following day, where they caught 9 different species of fish including 5 Roosterfish and a couple of very nice-sized Cubera Snapper. Joseph and Brad teamed up and fished on a boat together, with Joseph releasing his first Cubera Snapper of 40lb, first Sailfish of 90lb and first Roosterfish of 35lb. Brad released his first Pacific Sailfish of 85lb and first Roosterfish of 40lb. All 4 guys had such a great fishing adventure, made possible by the buddy system.

May was an epic month in every sense! We got to see, catch and release MONSTER Roosterfish in crazy numbers. We also saw past guests return, and it was great catching up and sharing good memories with old friends. 

April 2021 Fishing Report

Over the years, we have dialed in the Inshore bite at Tropic Star Lodge – and after years of practice, it really is starting to show. Anglers have been releasing huge amounts of different species on each outing, and stories of being beaten up by tackle-destroying Inshore beasts are becoming more regular. The colossal Cubera Snapper are right at the top of this list – fish that destroy anglers’ dreams as they peel line off, heading into the rocks. Sometimes they break hooks right off, and on occasion, whole poppers come back to the boat in half.  When you get it right, though, it is incredible to feel the power of the Cubera Snapper. The Roosterfish have been coming through in larger numbers and a few guests have been able to catch trophy-sized fish of over 50lb. These larger Roosterfish give anglers multiple powerful runs and are a blast to catch on surface lures. Bluefin Trevally, Mullet Snapper, Almaco Jacks and African Pompano are just a few of the species that anglers have been hooking into as well. Offshore, the Yellowfin Tuna have been around in smaller schools, in the football-sized range. Anglers have been loving fighting them on the lighter spinning gear.

We had a bit of rain over April, but the sunshine was always quick to return and the seas were beautiful. The sea surface temperature remained pretty high throughout the month, reaching into the 80’s Fahrenheit, and the breeze was a nice gentle one from the South most days. Inshore, the water has been clear most of the time – heavier rains meant green waters at times, but that didn’t stop the fish biting.

Guest Highlights 

Dan Erb, an experienced angler and friend to all at the Lodge, has been visiting us for many years and has done more than twenty trips to the Lodge. This trip, he was joined by a good friend, Pete Giffen. Pete really wanted a Billfish, and so they tried Offshore for some Billfish. Unfortunately, it’s a tough Billfish bite in April. That said, the two gentlemen happily smashed some Yellowfin Tuna. They caught 14 in a single day and many more over the course of their trip. Inshore was also a lot of action with both anglers releasing a whole stack of Roosterfish, and Red Snapper.

Garry Simmons, Richard Lynch, James Edwards and Michael Dyer came to Tropic Star Lodge at the end of April to target Roosterfish, and that’s exactly what they did. Fishing with Capt. Adolfo, the guys headed up the coastline and targeted the wraiths of the rocks while enjoying the truly incredible jungle surroundings. Garrys’ Rooster was one that he will be able to boast about for his whole life. He released a monster that the captain called at 70lb. Another goal was for Richard to get something awesome on fly, and he got that right with a Dorado on fly while fishing Inshore, again, showing us that you never know what might hit your bait.

Mike Schneidereit loves the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. He has been trying to get this trip right for a long time, so it was great having him at the lodge. His main goal was to catch a Roosterfish. He has been trying to catch one for many years, and told us he didn’t think they existed because he always caught something else, but never his Rooster. On his first day out on the water, he came back still believing that they did not exist. The next day, however, he came back to the dock with green flags flying high and a big grin on his face, as he had fought and released his mythical beast. Mike also caught a Sailfish Inshore, along with a few different Jack species, Yellowfin Tuna and Sierra Mackerel over the next few days. 

We had the opportunity to spend quality time with our guests this April, which the staff here really enjoyed. Anglers had to work hard for their fish, but Neptune provided, as always. We are looking forward to the Roosters coming through in even bigger numbers as we head into May, and are very excited to be hosting our upcoming Annual Roosterfish Tournament.

2021 Tropic Star Lodge 5th Annual Roosterfish Tournament

Roosterfish flags flying high in the afternoons, laughter, cheers and high-fives. There was a lot of that each afternoon at our annual Roosterfish Tournament. The fishing was incredible and the anglers absolutely smashed the old record of 102 Roosterfish in three days of tournament fishing. 12 anglers managed to catch and release 131 Roosterfish in the three-day tournament. Two of the teams released 18 Roosterfish in a single day and there were more than a few fish caught over 50lb with the largest of the Tournament coming in at 58 inches which is an estimated 60lb. 

We kicked off the Tournament with some fun and games to get the teams better acquainted. We are firm believers that fishing is all about having fun. Of course, there is that competitive angle in tournament fishing, especially when the top team wins an invite to the OWC. Our goal, however, was to make this tournament as fun as possible. Since a boat draw dictates the boats teams will fish with each day of the tournament, we held the Tropic Star Roosterfish Olympics to determine the order anglers would draw their boats. Each team had to choose a person for each activity, with the points from the day being tallied to determine the order for the boat draw.

We started the Olympics with a drawing competition. The challenge? The anglers’ rendition of a Roosterfish. Some of the artwork turned out amazing, and this activity is one that always ends in everyone talking and laughing over the various renditions. The second activity was a casting competition – which everyone always assumes is pretty straight forward, but often takes anglers by surprise. The anglers competing in the event had to cast from behind the start line, with each angler having three casts. Distance is what gets you your points in this challenge. The ocean is out of bounds on one side, and the palm trees and grass on the other. We had two people cast their lures way out of bounds, with one going right into the Marlin Bar and the other straight over it. Both anglers received 0 points for those efforts. The final activity is the one that draws the biggest crowd and the most laughs – the Cayuco Race. Cayucos are dugout canoes that the locals use for fishing. It takes extreme balance to paddle in a Cayuco, and this race left all of us in hysterics.

Each day, the boats were able to leave fully stocked with live bait before they left, and just as well, as the fishing was phenomenal with no wasted time on bait fishing. Roosterfish are a highly sought-after trophy fish and the number of flags that we saw coming back to the dock was awesome. The stories of Roosterfish giving run after run as they got closer to the boat were common at our Papa’s Pilar Rum happy hour each afternoon. Each day, the angler with the biggest fish of the day was rewarded with a bottle of 24 year old Papa’s Pilar Rum.

Day 1 the fleet released 47 Roosterfish with the biggest one going to Mike Kennedy of team Loco Lechugas, with a 58 inch monster of a Roosterfish, which is around 60lb. The top boat for the day was Team Dilly Dilly with 18 Roosterfish. They went for an incredible 18 for 30 shots.

Day 2 saw fewer fish but a bunch of them were on the larger side. The fleet released 24 Roosterfish. It was a team Dark Horse day, with the top score of 650 points and the biggest fish of the day going to Bob Stewart with a fish of 54 inches, estimated around 55lb.

Day 3 the bite picked right on up with boats smashing fish. The fleet released 60 Roosterfish. People on the dock were going nuts seeing so many boats coming in flying so many flags. Team Tough Cat took the highest score of the day this time, with another 18 Roosterfish. Angler Bob Wright caught the fish of the day with a 57 inch beast, weighing around 60lb.

During the tournament, anglers put 39 spaghetti tags on Roosterfish, which serves as a significant contribution to the ocean conservation research being conducted. Not much is known about Roosterfish as they have 0 commercial value. They are only found from Mexico to Peru and are a very sought after game fish and so we are doing as much as possible to learn about these incredible wraiths of the rocks to ensure they will be here for many generations to come. A big thank you to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and NOVA South Eastern University for their hard work in protecting our oceans. We’re extremely honored to be participating in their studies.

The tournament was a great success! All of us at Tropic Star Lodge would like to thank the participants and our sponsors, for without all of you, none of this would have been possible.

Traeger Grills, YETI, Shimano, Rods by Dru, OWC, Papa’s Pilar, Guy Harvey, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation

A special congratulations to our winners: 

1st place: 3000 points, Team Dilly Dilly: Michael Peterson and Pete Ballew

2nd Place: 2950 points Team Tough Cat: Mitch and Debra Bademan

3rd Place: 1950 Points Team P Max Poppers: Pat Riley and Brian Hill

Top angler: Michael Peterson

March 2021 – Fishing Report

The Black Marlin bite slowed down as we went into March, but anglers who put in their time still got shots at Her Majesty and we released some incredible fish. We had a few people walking the plank for their first Black Marlin, which is always something special. Sailfish were around in small numbers and strangely, the odd Dorado was being caught, which is very unusual for March. The Yellowfin Tuna came crashing through in epic fashion with birds diving, dolphins all around and the tuna turning the ocean white by smashing bait fish in feeding frenzies that must be seen to truly be appreciated. Anglers’ arms got stretched and tackle got tested by the larger fish over 100 lb. 

It was the 40 -60 lb fish I love to chase on spinning gear and catch on surface lures, expecting the incredible strikes. Inshore the bite was on fire with loads of different species, and we had the best Cubera Snapper bite I have ever seen with one boat releasing 18 Cubera in a single day. Anglers released Tarpon, Grouper, Bluefin Trevally and Roosterfish just to name a few making the bite along the shoreline incredible.

The seas were beautifully calm during March and the cold water arrived, but only for a few days and not for as long as we normally see. The water dropped to around 74 degrees Fahrenheit and when it did; the fishing went nuts! With the cold water species such as Tarpon, Grouper and Cubera snapper made their way into the shallows. We still received a few inches of rain in March, which I have never seen, personally. Things were still a little strange, but the fish were here, so no one minded.

Hal and Kathy Hunter returned to the lodge after many years of fishing on private boats, this time brining their son, Randy and his wife, Alice. It was great to catch up with them. Hal and Kathy have caught fish all over the world and fished with some of the greatest Marlin captains ever. As a fellow angler, I hope to have half the stories that they shared with us. Hal brought some of their original Black Bart lures made by Bart Miller himself and were ready to chase Marlin. True Marlin anglers are used to putting in time for beauties of the deep and that is exactly what they did. It was tough fishing offshore with not too much happening. The family convinced Hal to try Inshore action for about 2 hours and then it was back offshore, but in the end, it paid off. Capt. Adolfo put them on two Marlin. The first jumped off, but about an hour later Randy Hunter was hooked up and released his first Black Marlin. The entire crew was ecstatic as they had put in a lot of time and effort for the incredible Black Marlin. Randy walked the plank when they got back to the dock, with cheers from fellow anglers and crews alike.

Justin and Melisa Webster love the outdoors, having a good time with a lot of laughs. Justin is an avid angler and his wife Melisa is just a straight up bad ass. The couple released an inshore Grand Slam, which is something very special for any angler. They released a Bluefin Trevally, a Roosterfish and a Cubera Snapper in a day. Melisa released an absolute beast of a Cubera and a Blue fin trevally. And that is just a few of the fish they caught. The couple released Sailfish and fought Yellowfin for dinner… but deep down all Justin wanted was a Marlin. Unfortunately, it did not happen, but that’s Marlin fishing. They always keep you wanting more. We are so excited to see Justin and Melisa back in the future to get them their giant Marlin, which will be an even cooler story for the kids when they get home.

Mid-March, Tropic Star Lodge hosted the second annual Inshore Fishing Seminar. This year the Inshore Fishing Seminar was completely sold out, and it was an absolute blast! We would like to give a big thank you to Capt. Bo Johnson, JP DeRose, and Patrick MacCafferty, who were our hosts for the seminar. The fishing was absolutely off the charts, with boats catching on average around 45 fish per day. The most prized species that anglers got to release were Roosterfish, Cubera Snapper, Bluefin Trevally, Broomtail Grouper, Black Grouper, African Pompano, Mullet Snapper and even a few Tarpon. During the school, we had two possible world records caught, a Broomtail Grouper of 80 lb and a Bluefin Trevally of over 23 lb. Both fish were released and only measured, so will not be eligible for world records. A lot of the school’s focus is fish handling, how to release the fish safely and the best way to get spectacular photos. Actually targeting the fish and catching them is only part of the fun.

John and Kerry Shanks do a lot of fishing in Florida, and it was so cool getting to meet them for their first time at Tropic Star Lodge. The couple joined us for the fishing seminar, and in all honesty, they are incredible anglers. They smashed everything off their bucket list while with us and even extended their stay for a few extra days after the school was over. Kerry landed a monster Cubera Snapper on a jerk bait, and John got a huge Bluefin Trevally, and a world record Broomtail Grouper. That was just on day-one, with over nine other species caught on that day. By the end of their stay, they had also included some tackle testing Roosterfish and a few Tarpon, Jacks, African Pompano and Mackerel to their ever-growing list. The couple extended their stay by a few days, and Kerry caught a big Roosterfish and a bunch of other species. It was great getting to spend the extra days with the couple, and we can’t wait to see them back next year.

Jay Dollries, Randy Lane and Eric Knop joined us at the lodge and had a great time fishing on Pollyanna with Capt. Fidel. The gentlemen spent their time in between chasing Billfish and Tuna offshore and casting at the rocks inshore. They raised quite a few Billfish and even had a Marlin on, but it was not meant to be. They did, however, catch Yellowfin Tuna trolling cedar plugs and casting poppers at the shoals that were busting the surface. Inshore, the guys got a bit of everything and had had some mind-blowing days. Jay brought an Almaco Jack of over 75 lb back to the dock – a monster that he caught on a popper. The guys also caught over 15 Cubera Snapper in a single day, all on surface lures. By the end of their stay, each angler had released the coveted Inshore Slam, all on surface lures, which is what anglers’ dreams are made of.

March was really an amazing month with so much happening. The guests that came down had a great time, and we can’t wait to see them all back in the future. It was great to be part of so many anglers’ firsts and seeing the excitement of them retelling the stories to each other in the afternoons at Marlin Bar or at the pool while snacking on sushi or and a cold one.

January 2021 – Fishing Report

January 2021

The New Year is finally here and all signs are pointing toward the 2021 season being a little later, and a cracker at that. The Black Marlin have been running a little bigger this season – it’s early to predict, however they have been averaging at around 400 to 450lb, which is definitely on the large side for average size range. We have been consistently hooking the Blacks close to the Lodge on the Zane Grey Reef and in the surrounding area. Further offshore, the Sailfish bite has slowed somewhat (which is to be expected) and the Blue Marlin numbers, which started off strong at the beginning of the month, declined as the Black Marlin became more numerous. Dorado are breaking that 50lb mark everyday on the dock, gifting us with some incredible eating. Tuna bite has slowed down, with only a few being caught. The schools have still been seen but are moving at an incredible pace.

At the beginning of January, the winds were still blowing strong from the south meaning the season had not quite changed yet. We are still getting the odd downpour some afternoons, leaving our waters somewhat inconsistent on the inside. That means that boats have had to run a little further to find that beautiful blue water for the Blue Marlin, but being so close to the fish means that we are still running a whole lot closer than most. The Blacks, on the other hand, really don’t mind a little off-colored water. As soon as that northerly wind came through and made things a little choppier, the Black Marlin came up hungry and the bite was on. The water temperature stuck to a constant 83 to 85 degrees all through January, and conditions are looking amazing for very fishy February. With the rains still here into January, we anticipate that March should also be a cracker month for the Blacks – an occurrence that is always welcomed.

Guest Spotlight

Michael and Candy Stuart have been fishing together for many years and this January was their first time visiting Tropic Star Lodge. Michael started the long road of achieving his Royal slam in 1989 out of Chub Key in the Bahamas. Candy started her journey in 2008 off Stuart Florida, and this week they both got to finish the lifetime achievement of releasing all nine Billfish of the world! On their second day of fishing with Capt. Jose, Candy managed to release her Pacific Sailfish and a Black Marlin of 450lb. There were tears of joy on the boat and the dock, and the whole lodge joined in with excitement to celebrate the achievement of something so special. The next day, Michael got to release his first Black Marlin of around 450lb. This was a truly momentous occasion – the couple completed their Royal Slams just days apart. During their trip, the Stuarts released another Black Marlin, more Sails and impressive amounts of Dorado. We can all agree that completing their Royal Slams made this such a special trip.  We can’t wait to have them back in just a few weeks.

Father and son team, Mark and Preston Wagner, have traveled together extensively, and love the outdoors and adventure. On their latest adventure, they joined us at Tropic Star for some fishing action on board the Pollyanna with Capt. Fidel. The gentlemen were both new to offshore fishing, so both got to walk the plank for releasing their first Sailfish catches, respectively. They got stuck into some amazing Dorado fishing during their stay and both got to show off some incredible trophy Dorado. Preston also got the release on an awesome Blue Marlin that put on a show for the guys.

Drew, JD and Mike Messler joined us too, fishing on Australia with captain Candelo and mate Ricardo. They were back for their fifth visit all the way from New Jersey. The group were undoubtedly here for Black Marlin, and that is just what they were delivered. The Black in question hit a live bait and dropped it, but Mike was quick to get another dead skip bait back to the fish and got to feed a beauty of a Black Marlin. The fish was called at 280lb. Our Videographer, Kesh, was out with them and got some awesome footage of their majestic Black jumping behind the boat. The guys are very experienced anglers and it showed when Mike released his first Black Marlin. 

Guests Gary and Melissa Jones love the outdoors, fishing and embarking on adventures together. While down at the lodge, they fished with Capt. Fidel on Pollyanna. The couple had to work for their fish, but fish they got! Both Gary and Melissa released first-time Black Marlin. It was an insane day, with a Sailfish having been caught too. They were only a Blue Marlin away from a Grand Slam. While trolling around the Zane Grey Reef, there is always an opportunity for those giant Cubera Snappers that lurk deep beneath the surface. Both Gary and Melissa were lucky enough to release monster-sized Cubera Snappers, a bucket-list catch for most. 

January has been a wild month with giant Dorado, big Marlin and incredible action from the Sailfish. The weather has certainly kept us on our toes, but it’s all part of the sport. The team and I have enjoyed seeing familiar faces. Sharing in these incredible memories is always so much fun, and the camaraderie is what makes the fishing experience at Tropic Star Lodge so special. We look forward to seeing you all down here soon for your fishing adventure and hope you enjoy the photos.

December 2020 Fishing Report

December started off with a bang! It was a fantastic reunion with so many guests returning and everyone eager to get out on the water. 

At the start of the month, the Dorado were around in droves. The bite slowed during mid-December and then came back with a vengeance to close out 2020. The average size was the usual XXL. As always, guests wrestled a love/hate relationship with the aggressive Dorado bite – even though catching MASSIVE Dorado is a lot of fun, the sheer quantity tends to take away from Marlin time.

Yellowfin Tuna over 200 lb are considered a trophy fish to any angler, and we had quite a few guests who had their arms stretched by these deep-diving beauties. The Sailfish bite was very consistent, and boats were able to rack them up when targeting them. Sailfish were also around for those chasing a  Billfish Grand Slam. The Blue Marlin bite started off wide open, slowed down for a short time in mid-December, and then turned back on. Black Marlin were caught on Zane Grey Reef with the odd few found offshore. We released a beauty of 750 lb – she has been the biggest Black so far this season, and it is still very early on. 

The water temperature hovered at 84 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit all month, with a gentle breeze from the South all day, every day. This also brought on afternoon showers most days, creating debris lines offshore. Fishing the areas of floating logs made for some incredible fishing. The current has been consistently coming up from the South, pushing in beautiful clean water offshore. In normal circumstances, we are on the fish in under 20 miles, which is exceptionally close. We had to run a little further than normal to find the blue water at times, but it was well worth it when we did. On the reef the water was a little off-color but that didn’t dissuade the Blacks, as the fleet released quite a few.

Trevor Foster and Eric Hamlin returned for their fun in the sun fishing trip to Tropic Star. It is their 5th trip and it was so good catching up with the guys. On this trip, they also brought their buddy, Martin Sandoval, for his first time. The guys had a slow start on their first day on the water, but that all changed amazingly fast on day 2. Eric released his first Black AND Blue Marlin. Martin released his first Sailfish, first Dorado, and first Yellowfin. By the end of the 4 days fishing, the gents had racked up some incredible stories and numbers. They ended their trip with the sore arms of worthy fighters, and enjoyed some well-deserved rest after catching nearly 30 Dorado and releasing 25 Billfish!

Team Peru returned for their 15th trip! It was great getting to see our family from Peru. These guys enjoy a fun boys’ trip every year with friends, dads, and sons getting together at Tropic Star for a bit of competition and loads of laughter. The guys held their annual tournament and the competition was fierce, as always. This time Lucho and Alonso took the win on Scandia with Capt. Jose. They released 9 Marlin for the week, and loads of other fish. We had some newcomers this season as well. Alessandro, Lucciano and Rafael all had first-time Marlin releases during their first trip with the group. In total, the guys released over 60 Billfish during their 6 days on the water, and too many Dorado to count. It was a story-book trip and we can’t wait to see them back for some more action next year.

Friends, John and Kim Miller and Dewy and Patti Blaylock joined us for some fun on and off the water. Both John and Dewy are avid anglers and caught some new personal bests. John boated the biggest Dorado he has ever seen and Dewy, who has been a tournament overseer for years, released his first Black Marlin of 450 lb. Patti doesn’t really like to be on the water for too long, as she likes catching far more than fishing, and so on the last day the whole gang fished inshore. The boat returned full of laughter and stories from all the action, catching smaller Yellowfin and many other inshore species on offer, all while enjoying the beauty of the virgin coastline.

Denise Guillen and her family fished for 2 days on Miss Australia with Captain Candelo and Mate Ramiro running the deck.  The first day they caught Sailfish and some monster Dorado. It was a ton of fun for the family to experience the bright green, yellow, and blue flash flying across the spread and exploding on big live baits. Their second day, they did not go as far offshore in efforts to search for some Marlin after the action-packed first day. Rolando and Sebastian both released a Blue Marlin. We threw Sebastian off the dock for his first Marlin release. The 2 Marlin were called at 300 and 250 lbs. They paired nicely with some larger Dorado that made for a fresh catch of the day. In their 2 days they totaled 3 Dorado, 2 Blue Marlin, and a Sailfish. 

The Houser family; Brian, Debby and Clark, family to our very own, Hayden Houser, joined us from Texas over the Christmas holiday. Great fun was had by all, and Hayden was able to spend quality time with his family. This was the fifth trip for team Houser, and it was Debby’s time to fight and release her first Blue Marlin of 300 lb. The Family also received the perfect Christmas present from Neptune, a Grand Slam. The Housers released a Black Marlin, Blue Marlin, 3 Sailfish and brought back a bunch of Dorado to complete the magical day. The entire trip was amazing and we can’t wait to see them back to make more memories.

Bryan, Marguerite, Luke and Rebecca Fleener came to the lodge for a family vacation. Their destination was chosen by Rebecca for her senior trip. The entire family was heaps of fun and loves the outdoors and adventure. During their trip, Rebecca released her first Blue Marlin which earned her a plank-walk off the dock along with her mom, Marguerite, who released her first ever Pacific Sailfish. On their second day fishing the Fleeners caught more Sailfish than we had flags for, so they flew a white sock for flag number 17. 

I would like to say a personal thank you to Bryan for leading a beautiful devotional during our Christmas Eve celebrations – it made the special occasion with our valued guests even more memorable! The grand memory of Christmas carols sung alongside the rest of the families at the lodge is sure to be one that we won’t easily forget. 

December is a special month here at Tropic Star Lodge, as Christmas trees dot the property and fish mounts are adorned with Santa hats. The Christmas spirit is contagious. It has been a month of plank walking, stories of monsters lost, and monster fish released. We have had a lot of families enjoying all the Darien has to offer, from helping release newly hatched turtles, hiking through the virgin jungles, playing on the private white sand beaches, and exchanging fishing tales. The spirit of generosity is felt throughout Piñas during this special time, and as always, it was a great pleasure for us to be able to keep the spirit going with the people in the village – a special thanks goes out to all of those who have contributed to the Piñas Bay Conservancy, and to the Tropic Star team for all of the efforts to make Christmas a special time for the people in Bahia Piñas.  

We ended December with a fabulous New Year’s Eve celebration and fireworks at Marlin Bar, alongside our traditional dinner – whole roast pig and whole Grouper prepared by Chef Gabriel. The food and festivities were sensational as always, and the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all. 

All in all, I’m pleased to report that the fishing season has started off spectacularly, and I personally cannot wait to see what 2021 will have in store for us!

Tight Lines,

Capt. Richard White

November 2020 Fishing Report

Panama is open! Tropic Star Lodge is open! We are so excited to be welcoming guests and getting to do what we love so much – making sure our guests enjoy the ultimate fishing vacation.

The season kicked off in true 2020 style. We experienced loads of rain from the two tropical storms that passed through making the seas… sporting, to say the least. That aside, as soon as the weather calmed down, the fishing kicked off just as everyone was hoping it would. Guests took on Black Marlin over 400lb at the Zane Grey Reef.  Black Marlin put on aerial displays like no other species can, showing anglers why she is referred to as “Her Majesty”. Blues were active offshore, tearing up baits and dumping reels, with Sailfish and Dorado showing up in between. Yellowfin Tuna in every size range were feeding on the surface, introducing anglers to the pain that only those brutes can bring on as they dive down to the depths. We caught some fantastic Almaco Jacks coming in on the reef, as well as released a few giant Cubera Snapper.

With the weather being so unpredictable for the first few days of being open, it made the fishing a bit tough to forecast. We had to go pretty far offshore by Tropic Star Lodge standards, running nearly 25 miles offshore to find the blue water, but once we found it – the fish did not disappoint. As the weather calmed, the clean water started to move in closer to land and the fishing exploded.

Heidi and Tim McBride joined us for an extended stay in November. Tim and Heidi are both passionate anglers who have fished at Tropic Star before, so we were thrilled to welcome them back to open the season. Some highlights from their trip included one day when Tim caught two massive Dorado. One was taller and wider than him! Then on top of that he came back having released a Blue Marlin. Heidi also had one of those days where she released a beautiful Blue Marlin and brought back a 155lb Yellowfin Tuna to the scale. A personal best for Heidi! 

Auston Gower and his wife, Laura, brought their two sons, William and Charles, for some family time in the jungle where they could relax and spend quality time together on the ocean. William and Charles are 10 and 11 years old, respectively, and love pretty much everything to do with the outdoors. They are both avid junior anglers and it was great to see them getting first catches. Both boys released their first Blue Marlin along with Sailfish and boated more than a few very impressive Dorado.

Mark Martorell brought his son, David, for a fishing adventure, and some father and son bonding. Both Mark and David love fishing, and really enjoyed targeting multiple species, both inshore and in the deep blue. During their trip David released his first Roosterfish and first Cubera Snapper. He also released a beautiful Blue Marlin. He wrangled with some bruiser Yellowfin Tuna, released around 15 Sailfish, and brought back enough Dorado to feed the lodge. During their time inshore they also released a Broomtail Grouper along with a bunch of other species.

The Groeger family, AKA the Billfish family joined us from the US. Van Groeger lived in the Panama Canal Zone in the 60’s, and has known about Tropic Star Lodge for many years. This year he made the trip with his wife, Linda, their two sons, Nick and Garret, and Garret’s lovely girlfriend, Assia. Until visiting Tropic Star, the family had not been offshore much for big game fishing, but that didn’t stop them from smashing some incredible Billfish and walking the plank. The family fished on Pollyanna with Capt. Fidel and they all got to experience their own first-time Billfish release. Garret released a nice 300lb Blue Marlin and Van released a gorgeous Black of 300lb. The family also brought back a Yellowfin Tuna of 150lb which made for some delicious sashimi for everyone back at the lodge. The whole family released multiple Sailfish and some truly monster Dorado,  who were keeping them busy.

The season is off to a flying start and we are so happy to see so many families coming and enjoying this special little piece of paradise. As we head into December, the fishing should keep going from strength-to-strength and we can’t wait to share it with more anglers.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Richard White

Fishing at Tropic Star Lodge in December

December awakens a whole lot of excitement to fish at Tropic Star!


December holiday is traditionally a time for sharing special moments with family. There are always specific smells, tastes, places and traditions that mark the holiday season for each of us. For some, it’s the snow and smell of Pine trees, for others, it’s pumpkin everything and sitting by a fire with loved ones. What makes the holidays for me is the smell of sunscreen, seeing old friends and being next to the water.


The atmosphere at Tropic Star Lodge is incredibly unique all times of the year but it’s certainly heightened in December when fresh Christmas trees dot the property and holiday décor is up. The cheery atmosphere of holiday season is contagious. Many of our guests return the same times each year to celebrate, see old friends and, of course, to target fish species. On Christmas Day our jungle elves come out. Gwen Kosi and her son, Frank Kozi, visit every Christmas, and every year I’m jealous of Frank’s shirts.


The variety of fish an angler can target at Tropic Star Lodge in December is vast. We have the Blue Marlin bite wide open offshore. Any angler who has had the chance to take on a Blue Marlin will tell you it is incredible the way they make a reel scream grey hounding away from the boat. Often doing a giant circle only to come flying past you with a huge bow in the line. Few other species of fish can make a reel lose so much line so fast. Big Sailfish are patrolling offshore as well putting on their usual aerobatics display. Sails glistening in the sun as they do flips and tail walks around the transom.

We sometimes find the odd Black Marlin Offshore but generally they are found closer in and during December they are just making their way into the area. The Black Marlin is a brutal fighter and doesn’t have the pure speed or grace of the Blue Marlin but when she is angry it doesn’t matter who is on the rod or in the tower, you are going to be in for the fight of your life. Black Marlin fight extremely hard and keep their heads down making you work for every inch of line. Then without warning, she will be flying behind the boat showing off her brutal strength and beauty. Some lucky anglers will land their Black Marlin in mere minutes for others it is a much longer affair.


These Billfish are what Tropic Star Lodge has made its name on. December is the best time of year to achieve a Grand Slam. Every season we release more Grand Slams during December than any other month, making it an angler’s reverie.


If chasing a Grand Slam and Billfish is not your thing, then no problem. The monstrous Mahi Mahi are around in droves and provide anglers endless hours of fun on all tackle. For when you get your first Bull Dorado over 50 lbs it will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about the species. Dorado are spectacular fish as they spring out of the water showing off their iridescent blues, greens and sunshine yellows. Their stamina and strength often surprise anglers, especially with the bigger XXL Bulls.


The brutish Yellowfin Tuna are around but not in big numbers. But what the waters lack in numbers, it is made up in size. Through December we have some of the bruisers coming back to the scales reaching up to 300 lb. These fish are extremely hard fighters and make a B line straight for the ocean floor making anglers put in their all trying to turn them and bring them back up towards the surface. We generally get them on blind strikes while trolling large live baits for Marlin.

Having this variety of fish offshore makes an Offshore Slam an achievable feat , this is any Billfish, a Tuna and a Dorado by a single angler in a single day.
Fishing inshore along the coastline is still strong over December with Cubera Snapper, Roosterfish and Almaco Jacks bending rods and keeping anglers busy. The numbers are not huge but the quality of the fish has anglers all giddy as there are some trophies to be caught while casting surface lures towards the white water engulfing the rocky out crops.


Some of my best memories growing up are fishing with my father during the summer December holidays. Getting to go offshore with the guys, getting sea sick for the first time, getting my first nickname from the “guys”, which on account of being sea sick, was Green. Catching my first Dorado particularly sticks out. Seeing it’s beautiful colors and the way it sprung out of the water. And I’ll never forget seeing my first Billfish – the thrill of pulling in this prized species after a good fight is something that never leaves you! We saw the Sail above the water on the starboard side. My buddy Mark and I were around ten years old and neither of us had ever caught a Billfish. The adrenaline was coursing through us so much that we were shaking. The Captain took the boat out of gear about twenty feet from the fish and it went under. My dad took the TLD 20, put a goggle eye on the still then “J” hook and threw it out. It didn’t take long at all for the line to start peeling off the reel, my dad set the hook and handed the rod over to Mark. As soon as Mark took the rod, the Sailfish was in the air and she was a thing of beauty.


All of these memories are flashes of my past that have changed my life completely and made me who I am today. Looking forward, I can’t wait to make memories just like these someday with my son on the water far away from technology and the troubles that wait for us on land. I could not actually think of a better place to do this than at Tropic Star Lodge.


Spending quality time with friends and family is one of the greatest gifts we are ever given. It brings us closer together, makes memories which in turn become stories which we will tell over and over again, getting to relive things that truly make us happy. I can’t wait to spend this December with my family at Tropic Star Lodge and make some incredible memories I hope some of you will be in my future stories.

Tournaments with a difference

Remember when fishing tournaments were not just about prize money? It seems that as the boats get bigger and the prize money grows, tournaments have become more serious and not as much fun. I used to love putting together a team of my closest fishing friends, who were not always the best anglers, but man, were they fun! Memories of coming up with a team name that often had some funny and inappropriate meaning, designing team shirts, and the fish, of course. 

Tropic Star Lodge tournaments are different to many of the tournaments you’ll find out there. They are smaller and more intimate. Our tournaments revolve around conservation and camaraderie. The goal is for anglers to have an absolute blast fishing with friends, telling stories and creating memories while learning about, and participating in, conservation. There is still something amazing to aim for at the end of the day, though – anglers have the chance to win an invitation to the prestigious Offshore World Cup

Tropic Star Lodge has a rich history of world records by anglers of all ages – achieved by both men, and women. It is a diverse fishery that has something for everyone. For that reason, we host two different tournaments each year, yet similar in style. 

In November, we have our Billfish Tournament that opens our season. It is exciting fishing, with Dorado in huge numbers, Sailfish still moving through in small packs and Blue Marlin bite that is wide open. Anglers will also find the occasional Black Marlin in November and even the XXL Yellowfin Tuna that smash the larger live baits. 

In May, we have our Roosterfish tournament, where we fish right up close to the craggy coastline. There is a lot of trolling with live baits, or using lures in your favorite areas, casting or jigging making it extremely exciting for anglers who enjoy this more “hands on” style of fishing

Billfish Tournament: November 

The Billfish tournament in November is our season opener to kick things off with a bang! Our guests’ fish three to a boat for the tournament and draw boats on the first night, fishing a different boat each day. We also have around fifteen to twenty private boats join us for the tournament making it around thirty boats in total. Day one is a practice day to help all the anglers work out the kinks in their hooking up and team orders, and for the next two days it is tournament time. Blue and Black Marlin count for the most points at 300 points per release, Striped Marlin 200 points per release and Sailfish at 100 points per release. There are time constraints on how long you can fight a fish to ensure a healthy release for it to count for points, and all anglers must follow IGFA rules. Prizes are also up for grabs for the largest weighed Dorado and yellow fin Tuna.

Roosterfish Tournament: May

Roosterfish are only found in a very few places in the world, and Tropic Star lodge is known for having some monsters. It is for this reason that we have an annual Roosterfish tournament in May, when the fish come through in great numbers and anglers have a chance of releasing a trophy-sized Rooster, and making it into the 50 lb club. This tournament has two anglers per team and again we have a boat draw on the first night and teams fish with a different boat each day. Day one is practice with the next three days of fishing being tournament days. Each released Roosterfish is awarded 100 points. Roosterfish caught on artificials with a successful release will also earn the angler 150 points. At prize giving the winning team will win a chance to fish in the IGFA Offshore World Championship. For fun, the last place team gets to take frustrations out on our Roosterfish Piñata. A tradition we’ve come to love.

The Tropic Star Difference

Comraderie is a major aspect of what makes Tropic Star Lodge tournaments unique. Our guests truly give this place life. Like-minded people together, having fun and fishing. Learning from one another, sharing experiences all in the name of fun competition, and of course, sharing a few good rums. 

Conservation is the foundation of our tournaments. We work closely with the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, and personally with Dr. Guy Harvey and Jessica Harvey who are leaders in ocean conservation. They lead by example and impart great knowledge unto the fishing community. They work tirelessly to produce scientific data to aid in setting standards and lobbying for conservation policies. At our tournaments, they give talks to help us understand more about this wonderful resource. The ocean is in fact the very thing that brings us all so much joy – and making sure the resource is sustainable for the future generations has become very important to me personally as well. 

We participate in a tag and release program during both tournaments

For the November billfish tournament, we tag Dorado with spaghetti tags. This is done with the Dolphin Research Program. In the past three years, the program has had over 5,000 tags deployed and has tracked over 140 movements. We also deploy satellite tags in a select amount of billfish. These sat tags give us valuable information on where the fish are moving and their depths. There is still so much that we do not know about the migration patterns of the Blue Marlin, Sailfish and especially the Black Marlin. We are very happy to say that in the past three years we have put out over 100 satellite tags together with the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, The Guy Harvey Research Institute, NOVA South Eastern University, The Smithsonian Institute, and the Guardians Program (a non-profit organization that raises funds for the sole purpose of funding research into the South Eastern Pacific Ocean.)  

During our springtime Roosterfish tournament. We also deploy both spaghetti and satellite tags. It was at Tropic Star Lodge that the first successful satellite tag was deployed on a Roosterfish. This has proven to be a very successful project, and we continue to gain so much knowledge about these fish that hold little value to much of the world. There is zero commercial value for Roosterfish and this is why there is still so much that we do not know about the species. They are a beautiful and exciting species to target, and we are privileged to have them in abundance in our waters. 

I am extremely excited for the upcoming tournaments. The fisheries in Panama have been closed for quite some time, and there has been little to no fishing pressure. We have been fortunate enough to be allowed to send out a few of our own boats to catch food for the local village and it has been remarkable fishing, with Yellowfin feeding frenzies full of porpoise and birds . The Dorado have started to come through and we have caught some of those prized Bulls that pull so hard they make you rethink everything you know about Dorado. Even though we have been targeting food – the Billfish have still found their way onto our hooks! All of them have been safely released, as is always the case at Tropic Star.

At the moment, the lodge boats are fully booked for the Billfish tournament this November but we still have some openings for our private boat guests who join us from all over the world. We do, however, still have openings for our 2021 Roosterfish and Billfish tournaments, so let us know if you’d like to be a part of the action for  next year! 

The Moorings are all set, the waters are teaming with fish and the staff at Tropic Star Lodge can’t wait to welcome our friends and family back for what is looking to be an insane fishing season come November. The stories get more and more interesting around happy hour where anglers swop stories about the one that got away, or sometimes even the one that they got to weigh while enjoying a Papas Pillar at our new Marlin Bar overlooking the Bay.

Sign up for our newsletter, and stay up to date with our fishing news, offers and more. (No spam here!)