To date I've had many successful fishing trips to Panama. The first trip was a guided trip lead by a somewhat famous guide here in the NE that had a last minute cancellation so I joined that trip with little notice as it was always my dream to chase the famed giant Yellowfin tunas on Hannible Bank (52 miles off the coast more or less and a very famous area for good reason).
The second trip I went back to fish a tournament with the lodge owner and we did well taking 2nd place in the Popping catagory with a notable 62 pound Amberjack taken on a top water plug (popper). The third trip was just me, a business partner and his buddy we went and explored several lodges in the same area and from there started to lead our own guided fishing adventures to those lodges we selected back in 2010. I setup a professional company with liability insurance and all that good stuff and to date we have run more than ten successful trips under the name JignPopAdventures.com
Please check out the site at
http://www.jignpopadventures.com/Jig...s/Welcome.html
Jimmy has been gracias enough to allow me to post to allow the Brotherhood to participate in these trips if they wish. Our next trip has 5 spots left and we occupy an entire fishing lodge that is American owned and run to US Standard if not better. We are waited on literally hand and foot and the hardest part is leaving! The food is wonderful, we eat like Vikings each night, you have to push it away to leave room for a good stogie, excellent rum and of course after dinner activities. The staff speaks English and they really take such good care you will not want to go home. They wash your clothes and fishing shoes daily, the rooms the linens all washed daily. If you need something mended like a shirt or bust a guide off a rod they take care of fixing it immediately. The staff literally works 5AM to 10PM I don't know how they do it maybe they nap while we are fishing but I doubt it.
Never had any complaints the fishing is off the charts and the lodge is totally "chic" friendly. I personally have brought sand to the beach each of the past several trips as I like a quickie before dinner and I like to know where will be a warm body to rub my aching shoulders back and a hard day offshore fishing. If you want to take a day off from the hardcore offshore fishery you can do snook and tarpon nearby or take a horse and they will guide you around the local village and mountain top (something to do if you Chica bitches at you for just fishing everyday).
So the drill is normally the trips are made up of 12 to 20 guys from the Northeast but also get alot of guys from Texas as I advertise on a Texas fishing forum that has some high rollers oil guys riggers drillers. We try to meet up in three groups and generally carpool to Newark and/or JFK airport. In Panama we are greeted by the same driver for the past three years and he takes to to the hotel. Typically we stay in Venento as I have a good family connection there and they treat me pretty well, we get upgraded to suites if they are available no charge.
Last trip we stayed at the Sheraton 4 Points it was not that good, they had a small electrical fire next door, they could have handled it better in terms of life safety we where fine no fire in our section but still they let us back into the hotel without power, lift safety systems or ventilation and then hours later finally evacuated at 3AM moved us to the Hard Rock very professional and quickly by Panama standards.
This years trips I am going to try staying in new Apartments as there are so many and they are very reasonable works out to $60 per night per guy vs $120 +++ at the hotels, taxes, Chica vig, hotel food /room service.
Trips start on a Thursday or Friday, United is the preferred carrier 5:05PM flights direct from Newark land you in Panama City before Ten local time. The first night we typically just hit Venento and get that first nut out of the way. By the next time all participants are in town and we do a big group dinner for Steak or Seafood. From there we typically start at La Place which has 60 to 75 Colombians working all dressed in the exact same outfit. If you can endure the torture they do a line dance with all dancers btw 11PM and Midnight that is worth seeing. Drinks are expensive and drinks for your new chica friends are $15 each. It doesn't matter if they get a beer or a scotch its $15 so let them get what they want. Last trip i was able to score three numbers from these playboy bunnies for possible dates before "work" they all seemed open to come to our hotel before work but after the gym. They keep it tight at La Palance - no fatties whatsoever grounds for firing I'm sure you if get fat or pregnant.
I have never had a client pull a chica from La Palace despite some having the funds to spend liberally, its just too much about $400 all in for the chica of your choice and the house Vig. This next trip I will try much hard to get one of them on the cheap its like a quest at this point. Last trip I was so busy taking care of the requests of 16 guys that my needs and wants came second and rightfully so. Myself and my partner Pargo (Snapper in Spanish) are working you are on vacation this is a guided trip we are the guides augmented by the lodge, the Captains and Lodge owner's staff.
So we go there to get the juices flowing, have a few bebedias and we are off to the real mongering spots like Habananos or Club VIP. If I know we are going to end up there I will call Hanabanos and reserve several good tables for the group they hate it when you no show so typically I make the call from dinner once I get a feel for what that night will entail.
Habanos is basically a cigar store, a patio bar and an upstairs strip club. There are three separate businesses that operate on top of each other literally but it works and its works well. There are plenty of bathrooms they are reasonably clean there are a few hustlers that will try to get patrons dollars for CDs, blow, weed, shirts, gum, etc management is quick to shoo them away.
The downstairs is where most of the action is you get a table and order by the bottle. A bottle comes with mixers, ice and glasses - order what is on special and you will do better. For example if its Finlanda night order that not Absolute, if its rum you are after whatever they have on special is typically very good and if you mix with soda not a biggie try the local rum its good. I think its $38 for a 750ml bottle service.
Chica wise the scene is dominated by Colombians - with a few local girls, a few Dominicans and you might even find a Tica in the mix but not likely. They will not hound you but if you waive or motion for them they come right over. They are working if you call them over and don't like her, no harm done just send her away politely. The girl will be in the middle of the bar and most will not be drinking until they sit down with you and you make them a drink from the bottle you have. Make them a drink if they order it will be something containing a red bull and it will cost you. The Colombians like to drink and I for one encourage it from the bottle service and more to follow in the room. Never had one get "too drunk".
Most of the girls there are pros they have paid to get into Panama they are there for work not getting too hammered so I've not seen it despite that they can drink more Johnny Black than a sailor on leave... they seem to handle it well.