Fishing for Black Marlin and Babes in Panama

[Jon Schwartz]

Jon Schwartz here. I just got back from Panama on a fishing photography trip to document the black and blue marlin action. The fishing was on. The marlin weren't at the reef, they were about 15 miles out.

Plenty of big ones! I accompanied a couple from Alabama that landed 8 marlin averaging 400 pounds in 6 days.

I also witnessed a kid break the junior division world record for mutton snapper after landing a 375 pound blue. So many dorado in the 30 plus pound range they were like pests.

The trick was just to throw a ballyhoo at them and get them in the box while you kept three big live bonitas out for the marlin so they would stop ruining the big baits, which are either the bonitas, or even football sized yellowfin. Here's what the baits look like there:

Big fish wasn't all that I encountered. As soon as I got to Tropic Star, a bunch of kids from the neighboring village came over and put on a great show for us.

I weasled my way backstage and sweet talked these georgeous Panamanian beauties into posing with me for a picture. Just don't tell my wife!

After a week at the lodge I spent a night in Panama City. I am writing a feature on Panama for the World Billfish Series Magazine and I needed some shots of the skylike taken from a high vantage point.
Most of the buildings are private and full of big money residents, so every time I asked if I could enter a building and take a pic from up high, I got shut down.
I summoned all the sweet talk I had left in me and the next thing I knew I was on the penthouse of the city's tallest buidling, getting the shots I needed.

I may not have gotten as many fishing "money shots" as I did on my last visit to Panama, but the fun I had along the way and the great people I met more than made up for it!
For the full story, check out my blog here:
http://bluewaterjon.blogspot.com/
Take care guys and have a great New Years!
Jon Schwartz

[paul708]

nice pics.
that last one is really good.

[Jon Schwartz]

Thanks for the kind words man. I told the guy at the desk of the building that I had a rich boss who wanted to buy some properties in the city, and that my instructions were to show my boss which building had the best view.
He hemmed and hawed and then let me up to the spa on the 15th floor and then told me to wait and he'd be back for me. It was so darned hot I went back to where the elevator was to catch some air, and then this elderly couple walked by.
I told them what I was up to and they said, "Why don't we take you to the penthouse?"
The bellman then came by to see what I was up to and he sees me getting into the elevator with my new buddies, and I tell him I'm going to the penthouse as their guest. You should have seen the look on his face!
I figured I might get kicked out so I snapped a pic of me:

Turns out it was all good so I stayed up there for like 2 hours until I got all my classic skyline shots.

I think I would have gotten a lot more good fishing shots if I had taken my underwater gear. Last year I did and got some cool images of black marlin like this:

In fact I was so lucky last year that I managed to get the cover of Marlin Mag on my maiden Panamanian voyage:
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/pictsbyj...10.08/gal1.jpg
Even though the fishing was way hotter than it was last year, the fish put their best displays on boats that I managed to not be on. Then I'd see my friends back at the lodge and they'd say "Jon, you would have gotten a million shots today if you came with us!"
Jon Schwartz
Fishing Articles, Photography, and Travel
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/
http://bluewaterjon.blogspot.com/

[Tacklenow.com]

Nice shots! Thanks for sharing.

What lodge did you stay at ?

[Robja]

Nice pics Jon. I think those Panamanian beauties are a little young for you though.

[Jon Schwartz]

Tacklenow,
I stayed at the Tropic Star Lodge.
Robja, I think you are right about the age difference. I have my own Latina at home with me and even though she's 40 she's still pretty foxy so I am all set anyway.
The cool thing was sharing the pics I took of them with the kids and their parents, as I mentioned I'm pretty sure it's the first time they ever had pics taken of them.
In addition, they are of very modest means so those clothes must have cost them a relative fortune. They are all handsewn I am assuming. My wife makes similar styled dresses for our daughters by hand as well.
Next time I go back there I am going to teach them how to use photoshop and take pics and so forth. It just occurred to me that in about ten years, some of those kids might be mates on the boats that I hope to be still going out on.
They have quite a tradition going on there!
Jon Schwartz
Fishing Articles, Photography, and Travel
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/

[rabcoman]

nice job. wish my photos look so good.
capt.trif

[Jon Schwartz]

Rabcoman, Thanks for the compliments. Of course most of my photos don't look that great either, it's just that I take thousands, and some of them come out good!
Lately I have been enyoing all types of portrait photography, including some underwater stuff. Here's a shot of my girls in Hawaii:

My next goal is to get some good shots of big tuna underwater. I have one decent one of a small tuna, below, but I've yet to go overboard and get shots of anything big.

I'm thinking Puerto Vallarta might be a good place for that, maybe Corbetena or El Banco.
Cheers,
Jon Schwartz
Photo Gallery:
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/gallerybyjon.htm