June was a great month at Tropic Star. The Offshore bite picked up steadily, starting with the Yellowfin Tuna… then came the odd Dorado and Sailfish. By mid-June, the Sailfish bite was loads of fun with crews raising dozens each day. The Blue Marlin started to show up, along with gargantuan Dorado! We have been getting absolute monster Dorado almost every day, with crews coming back to the dock with stories of fish well over the 50lb mark. Some anglers were able to show off their monsters, brought back to the dock for some excellent eating. The Yellowfin have generally been within the 30 to 60lb range, with larger ones coming in at around 150lb. Inshore, the Roosterfish and Cubera Snapper were on fire and we got the biggest run of Mullet Snapper that I have ever seen during my time at Tropic Star Lodge. We were able to log a couple more pending world records during June, as well as numerous Slams both Offshore and Inshore.
This June we had massive rains washing out logs and other debris up and down the coast. It has been the wettest June we have had in quite a while. With all the rain came huge logs and flotsam Offshore, which consistently makes for exciting fishing. The big rains made it tough for Inshore fishing over a few days though, as the water was a bit dirty along the rocks. The weather conditions have been immaculate for Offshore fishing, with a little wind and nice long intervals in the swell finding that flotsam all stacked up. It has been amazing and looks like it will continue into July.
Guest Highlights
Garreth Strydom and Kalyn Aschmann joined us from South Africa. The pair love adventure, and Garreth has been a keen fisherman his whole life. The couple fished with Gavilan and Arlin on Island Star. Garreth was really excited to get Kalyn hooked up to some Yellowfin Tuna and he was excited to add new species to his list. Kalyn got her arms aching fighting Yellowfin Tuna on poppers. The duo also caught huge Dorado, and Garreth released his first Blue Marlin. Inshore, Garreth released his first Cubera Snapper. The couple took a day off from fishing while here and had an awesome day all to themselves at the secluded White Beach with cocktails and snacks for the perfect day of recharging before getting back on the water.
Longtime friends, Larry Peardon from Kona Hawaii and Hal Westbrook from Oregan, joined us for their first time at the lodge. Fittingly, they fished on Miss Hawaii. Hal and Larry are both avid anglers, and it was great getting to spend time with them. The guys did a little Offshore fishing, releasing Sailfish, fighting Tuna and giant Mahi, but the gents had really come to target our Inshore species. In the rocky areas along the coastline, they both managed to release Cubera Snapper and Roosterfish. Larry also caught a massive Bluefin Trevally giving him an IGFA Inshore Slam for the day.
Gustavo and Beatriz Arvelo brought the whole family down to Tropic Star Lodge. Their son, Gustavo Jr., was joined by his lovely girlfriend, Kristen White. Their daughter, Veronica, was joined by her husband, Kyle Anderson. The Arvelos are no strangers to fishing or adventure, and they spent a full week with us chasing fish Inshore and Offshore. The family went out on two boats, Pollyanna – the 45’ Hatteras and Miss Island Star – an upgraded 31’ Bertram. Saying that the family had amazing fishing would be an understatement. The family released hordes of Sailfish, coming back to the dock flying flags in the double digits. They also released Blue Marlin Offshore and caught absolutely monster Mahi. The Yellowfin provided tasty sashimi while out on the water. Inshore, the group had to work for their fish. On one day, however, the team came back to the lodge having released 12 Roosterfish, along with different species of snappers, and a variety of different Jacks. Kristen released her first Roosterfish, of 50lb. Recapping their trip, Kyle released his first Sailfish, Roosterfish and Cubera Snapper. Kristen released her first Rooster, Sailfish, and Blue Marlin, and Gus Jr. released his first Pacific Sailfish. What an incredible trip for the big family and what a place to share these memories!
David Cummings brought his wife, Maricela, and two sons, Hunter and Chase, for some fishing fun in Panama. They flew in from San Antonio Texas for 4 days of fishing. They went out with Capt. Luis and mate, Ligorio, on Miss Darien. The anglers spent day-one Offshore – the bite was a little slow, with just a handful of decent-sized Yellowfin Tuna. But, oh man, did Neptune have something in store for them the next day! On their second day, they returned to the dock early with a Mullet Snapper caught by Chase, now pending an IGFA World Record. They headed back out fishing and when they returned, Hunter released his first ever Sailfish, and they fought and released two Blue Marlin. Everyone on the boat was super excited about the fishing and it was great getting to see their dreams come true.
Don and Sammie Bricker have taken on many a fish at Tropic Star Lodge over the years, and I would say the fish should have learnt to fear them, but clearly not with the fishing they had! The Brickers joined us all the way from Colorado, and they had some incredible fishing. They released Billfish every day. They also fought and brought home Yellowfin over 100lb. Sammie fought and won against the biggest of the lot at an estimated 140lb. On the last day, Sammie showed us why I always say that ladies make better anglers than men. Sammie released three Sailfish, a Shark, four Dorado, and a 350lb Blue Marlin. It was just the cherry on top of a fantastic fishing trip. We can’t wait to see them again next August when they return.
The fishing in June was loads of fun and we got to share it with both new guests, and many familiar faces. The rains were erratic at times, but the atmosphere was as intoxicating as ever, proving that there is not much that gets in the way of a good time at Tropic Star. There is nothing better than seeing everyone having a good time in the pool, around the table,or down at the Marlin Bar swapping stories and giving out high fives as they celebrate the culmination of those dream catches.
