I had the chance to go fishing on Panama's Lake Gatun recently. Located in the canal, and in fact compromising much of the natural section of the Panama Canal, Lake Gatun is a tropical paradise. Rich with wildlife, its beauty and seemingly untouched waterways and islands are in sharp contrast with the cargo ships, car carries, military destroyers and Panamax that are cruising through the canal. It was overcast when we arrived at the dock in Chames to board our 15 foot, 25 horsepower skiff. Our captian was a 15 year old Panamanian who told us that he had been a skipper on Gatun for four years and knew the lake in and out. The first hour was mostly sightseeing, due in main part to the lack of power coming out of the flooded two-stroke hanging off the back. Getting out on the water at 7am gave us a great feeling of having the whole day in front of us and no one objected when our captain Daniel pulled up to Monkey Island and let us feed the Spider Monkeys.

Lake Gatun is full of one of the best lake sport fishing bass in the world, the Peacock Bass. Renowned in South America for its fight and size, especially on the Amazon, the Peacock Bass is a non-native, introduced fish to Panama. For this reason, there is no limit on the number you can take out of the lake. Coming from the U.S. and use to limits and permits, this was like shooting ducks in a barrel. Danny told us that the week before he and his father had pulled in 75 in less than two hours.

We reached our first fishing hole and got ready. We had purchased 200 minnows for $16 at the pier and I was excited to use live bait. With three poles in the water it took less than 3 minutes before we had two keepers in the boat. This continued as we moved up and down one of the fingers extending out from the main channel of the Canal. Along the way we saw toucans, turtles, howler monkeys, caymans and two full size crocs, which quickly dissuaded us from taking that much needed swim.

With a full cooler and plenty of bait we fished all morning, pulling in about 13 fish an hour, or roughly one every five minutes. We only ended up throwing back three, most were in the 1-2 pound range and though not the fighters we had heard about in the Amazon, the amount of fish caught made up a bit for size. Definitely quantity over quality, but by the time we got back we had over 40 pounds of bass. For ten cents a fish, Danny filleted them on the pier, in the pouring rain and by the time we got home we were ready for a feast.

Final thoughts on the trip: If you ever get the chance, go fishing on Lake Gatun in Panama. We paid $70 for the boat for the morning, no limits, no permits, great tasting fish and good times all around. There is plenty to see and plenty to do on the canal, a fishing trip of a lifetime.

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