Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s an incredible link; Zoom to Bahia Honda, then zoom out to see where you are going fishing.  Zoom in to view Coiba’s island coastlines. You won’t see any boats anywhere, except the ranger station and the police outpost where the airstrip is. Not in this view or when you get here.    

 Satellite View Bahia Honda & Fishing Grounds

From Panama City on your own

Overland, travel 4 hours west out of Panama City, stop in Santiago. From Santiago head one hour SW to town of Sona. Head South from Sona two hours further, to the hip international surfer town Santa Catalina. Santa Catalina has several good owner operated restaurants &  hotels. You’ll find small friendly bars, yoga places and a big wide beach, with world renowned big wave surfing. Here it’s easy to  find water taxis to charter. 

Surfers & many single white women get to Santa Catalina on the bus out of Panama City. You could rent a car at Albrook Airport in Panama City, then make the  7-8 hour journey on your own. A better idea, is to go with our English speaking uninformed chauffeur and ride comfortably in a Cadillac Escalade, or Mercedes passenger van. 

From Panama City Chauffeured 

Be picked up at your hotel in Panama City 7:00am in a 2018 model Cadillac Escalade or late model Mercedes passenger van. Ninety minutes outside of Panama City you’ll stop in Coronado at “Felipe Motta”,  a gourmet food & liquor store; to load up on road trip supplies. Best deli sandwiches ever found in Panama, made to order; and great wine, beer & booze selection. Its’ going to be a six  hour ride from here,  to reach Playa Banco, El Tigre de San Lorenzo.  At Playa Banco, our panga driver awaits, to carry  your party 20 miles up the coast, through several islands to Bahia Honda and our lodge.

From Panama City by Air

There are no regular schedule flights to anywhere near here. Charter flights only.

Our All-inclusive package includes a resort hotel stay very near the international airport. Curbside of the Riande Airport Hotel, a private van receives your party, then takes you three minutes back inside the Tocuman International Airport directly to a waiting 5 passenger Piper Seneca or  nine passenger Britton-Norman Islander.

Fly over the Panama Canal then,  one hour & fifteen minutes till landing on Isla de Coiba. You can find the airstrip at the East side of Coiba. At the Satellite view in link above.

Our fishing starts, right after you touch down on Coiba, around 8:30 am.   At the end of your last day’s fishing, you’ll fish right up to where the airstrip is. You’ll fly back to same Tocuman International Airport. Here you’ll be met by same private van for 3 minute return transfer to Riande Airport Resort Hotel, and individual deluxe poolside room. Free shuttle back to the airport when ready to return home. 

When to fish Coiba

Water temperatures range around the 80 degree mark year-round. 84 degrees in dry season and 78 degrees in the wet season. Fish of most species are regular catches anytime of year.

For the number of days fished; it appears the best time to catch the most fish, is after the rain starts in June and continues into December.

Most fish are actually captured January through April  High season for bookings, when we fish the most, we catch the most. Bottom line is, as the saying goes… Best time to fish is anytime you are able to.

Here’s a fun way to target the best times any month. Solar Lunar & Tidal Information for Bahia Honda & Isla Coiba:

Moon~Tides~Current~Fish activity predictions

Black Marlin  Anytime of year. Possibly more bites December through April. Maybe the biggest during summer months.  Truly any month, can be the best of the year.

Blue Marlin   Blue Marlin frequent the area most, December through May. You can catch them any month and we do. February, March & April are the best time to pull lures for Blue Marlin.

Yellowfin Tuna.   Year-round for small tuna.  Big ones reaching 300 pounds are here as early as December, but are most commonly caught mid March into August. April is your best bet for big Yellowfin Tuna.

Wahoo    June until January. Wahoo move in during the cooler rainy season. Best times of August through November. 

Roosterfish  Anytime of year 

Cubera Snapper  Anytime of year, December & January may be best.

Sailfish   December through April are best offshore. During the rainy season; June through November,  Sailfish are caught more often, closer in near the islands. 

September through November, the wettest months bring many big fish species in close to the islands. This is the best time to fish inshore for mixed bag. Black Marlin fishing is more often very good in the rainiest months, with surprise hook-ups near shore.

Most Wahoo during rainy season, September – November the best & biggest. 

Rum, Scotch, Vodka, Bourbon, Canadian, Tequila and Beer. Limes, Coke, Seven-up, Tonic, Club Soda, Fruit Juice, Bloody-Mary Mix.

Plenty of Miller Lite, Coors Light, Balboa, Corona, bottled water, some sodas.

January through April is dry season. Mostly all blue skies & hot temperatures and calm seas. With exception to possible strong NE local winds in March. 

May through December is the rainy season. Temperatures are cooler, skies overcast. Rain is intermittent, mostly rains after 5:00 pm. Sea conditions continue to remain mostly calm, sometimes rougher offshore early morning from overnight rain showers. October & November are usually the wettest months, but it still mostly intermittent showers and certain to rain at night. 

October and November are possibly the best fishing of the year with more species and most bites.

World Class nightlife in a safe modern, cosmopolitan environment.  Plenty of excellent restaurants, bars & nightclubs to explore in this little city. Best to hire a driver to stay with you all night. Don’t rent a car, too confusing. Drivers are very helpful. 

No.  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) there are no vaccinations required for Panama.

No.

Yes, please call for availability 

Yes. We have a satellite telephone to loan for short calls while out fishing. Also a payphone exists at the camp. You will need to ask your taxi or limo driver to purchase a $5 Cable & Wireless ‘Tele-chip’ calling-card from any corner market in Panama, to use in the payphone. Calls to US are billed at 10 cents per minute over payphone.

Possibly, but not recommended. The staterooms on our mothership sleep four, the airplane seats four & the boat is comfortable with four.

No. This is a catch & release fishing trip. Only the fish we eat at camp get bonked on the head.

Yes. The cabin is powered by the park generator which runs 7 :00 pm till 6:00 am. If the park generator goes down, we have a spare power plant to power your cabin.