The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Charter Boat Fishing in Panama City

If you’re here, you’ve probably decided to try charter fishing for the first time. Great for you! As any angler will tell you, this will prove to be one of the best decisions of your life. Still, fishing for the first time has some challenges, and there will be many new things to learn and pay attention to. Panama is one of the best places in the world for Charter Fishing, and every year anglers book their vacation to be here for the peak marlin season. With that in mind, we are here with the ultimate Panama City Fishing Guide on what to expect on your first fishing trip. Read on! If left unaware, anglers can fall into some awkward situations or worse – say or do something that can negatively affect their trip, but once they add up, it will leave you with one truly memorable experience.

 Before the Trip

The most important thing you can do to make your first Panama City Charter Fishing experience successful should happen before you ever place your foot on the boat. 

 

Communication is key

You must establish a connection with your guide as soon as you schedule your outing. Even if you booked well in advance, verifying the details is always a good idea, and it will let you “get a feel” for the person that will get you fishing. As the trip gets closer, ensure you get in touch with your guide to agree on these essential points:

 

1. What You Want Out of Your Trip

Even if you’ve never been on a Panama City Charter Fishing before, you still might have an idea or two about what you want to try. This could be a fish species you want to catch, a fishing technique you want to learn, or even a specific fishing point you want to visit. If you or any of your team have any particular requirements, now is the time to introduce them.

 

2. Policies and What’s Included

If you haven’t asked about your guide’s “onboard policies” before booking, this is the right time to do it. You might find it quite normal to light a cigar on board, but your guide might not. The same goes for food and alcohol. Most guides enable you to bring drinks and snacks, but it never bothers you to ask. Longer fishing trips usually include drinks and snacks, but not always. If you’d like to add any extra services, don’t leave discussing these till the very last minute. Finally, check if fuel is included in the trip cost. Fuel costs can add up, mainly if you’re fishing offshore. 

 

The Trip

Hurray- The day of your trip has finally arrived! As the excitement grows up, you’ll still have a lot of things to take care of. First, ensure you’ve packed everything. The reliable way to go about this has a checklist. We all forget stuff, particularly when we’re excited. Go through your final list and make sure it’s all there.

 

The next thing you should do is leave early – this is very important. If you reach early, you’ll just have more time to get familiarized with the crew, which leads us to the next step.

 

1. Meeting the Captain and Crew

Getting to know your crew and first mate will significantly impact what you get from your trip. A respectful relationship and a friendly attitude will go a long way toward making your time on the boat a pleasant one. 

 

2. Getting on Board

If this is your first time on a Panama City Charter Boat, you’ll need some time to get comfortable getting around. Even if the waters are still and calm, this isn’t firm ground, so try to maintain your balance at all times. When the boat is in motion, and you need to move, ensure to hold on to something or at least have a well-balanced position.

 

The Fishing

Deep-sea fishing trips usually require live bait. If you’re fishing for live bait (instead of buying it at the marina), you’ll need to spend more time catching it. This usually doesn’t take time, but you should still consider it into your total trip time. Alternatively, you can ask the guide to get bait at the marina ahead of time, if possible.

 

Once you ultimately reach your first fishing spot, the team will let you know which fish you can expect and which technique you’ll be using. If there’s a deckhand on board, they’ll probably be the ones to tell you the ropes. For a first-time angler, these people are an invaluable source of information. Don’t be afraid to choose their brains for anything fishing-related.

 

If you don’t get a fish on the first few tries, don’t give up. There are many ways to catch fish; if the fish aren’t biting, a good captain will try some different things. More frequently than not, this will result in a catch.