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Billfishing's Brightest Star
by Roy Attaway (cont)
World-Class Resort
In 1976, Conway Kittredge bought the lodge and transformed it into what it is today-a world-class resort with unparalleled fishing. Kittredge died about a year ago, but the lodge has been owned and managed in recent years by his daughter, Terri Kittredge Andrews, and her husband, Mike. Terri holds 11 world fishing records, all set in nearby waters.
The Tropic Star complex is built on the gentle slope of a mountain, overlooking the bay. Accommodations consist of rooms in the main lodge and cabins. All are air conditioned and modern, but without TVs, telephones, and fax machines. A spectacular suite called The Palace sits 122 steps (or a short ride up on its own funicular railway) above the rest. Once the original owner's home, it accommodates up to six guests. The lodge also has a large freshwater swimming pool-with cabaņa bar-a welcome respite after a day on a sunstruck ocean.
Adjacent to the lodge's picturesque dining room is a bar that has played host to hundreds of anglers, including some famous ones like Mark Sosin and Stu Apte. Marine artist Guy Harvey has practically made the lodge his home. Hollywood celebrities, too, have visited repeatedly, among them John Wayne and Lee Marvin. Concerned about their guests' privacy, lodge officials choose not to reveal the names of today's A-List. Suffice it to say, though, it contains many famous personages from sports, show business, and captains of industry.
Tropic Star maintains its own fleet of customized Bertram 31s, one of the most famous fishing boats ever made, crafts found in virtually every great angling venue around the globe. The lodge owns a dozen, each painted a bright color. Local captains and mates know the waters and the techniques, all but guaranteeing good fishing. But keep in mind, that even amidst this plenitude, fish are fish, and as one old fishermen once said, "You can't make no 'pintment wid fish." They don't call it "catching." Even so, the odds of success here have to be the best in the world. More than 170 world angling records have been set by the lodge's fishermen.
For guests who don't bring their own tackle, the lodge provides Shimano and Penn International reels and customs rods in 16- to 20-pound class, as well as two 80-pound-class outfits. Also furnished are hand lines, harness, belly gimbels, teasers, and marlin and sailfish leaders. Fly-fishing equipment and light tackle (under 16 pounds) are the responsibility of individual anglers.
Marlin And More
Sailfish aren't the only reason to visit Piņas Bay, although last June, 1,257 were "caught" on 10 boats over a six-day period. Sails are most plentiful March through June. Reef fishing and inshore fishing is twelve months a year.
Actually, the major draw is the abundance of Pacific black marlin (some in the 1,000-pound range), which swarm into Panama's coastal waters in January, February, and March, then back again during June through September. Those are the prime months, but catches are made throughout the year. In January 2002, Tropic Star anglers raised 276 black marlin.
The first 1,000-lb. black taken on rod and reel in nearby waters was caught by Louis Schmidt in 1949. What made Schmidt's feat all the more remarkable is the fact that he had only one arm and one leg. He received a special citation from the International Game Fish Association because, in the end, he had help. Nevertheless, before handing over the rod, he fought the fish for two hours.
Geological oddities and ocean currents combine to make the Piņas Bay area a natural fish trap. Magellanic clouds of bait billow through, bringing in the game fish. In addition to Cocolito Reef, which is about 10 miles south of the bay, there is a famous seamount called Zane Grey Reef, about seven miles north. This double-tiered freak of rock looks like two miniature volcanoes rising to within 150 feet of the surface. They act as fish aggregating devices, and the action there is nearly always frenetic. (Cocolito, for some reason, is the hot spot for sails in June.)
Other gamefish taken in great numbers include Pacific blue marlin, striped marlin, and swordfish. The reefs also produce dolphin (not to be confused with bottlenose dolphin, aka Flipper), yellowfin tuna, jacks, bonitos, and rainbow runners. Toss in rooster- fish, a fine selection of sharks, grouper, snapper, and some good corvina fishing around the river mouths, and you have an incomparable smorgasbord of angling.
No matter where in the world you may have searched for marlin, sailfish, or many other saltwater species, a trip to Tropic Star Lodge is almost certain to convince you-as it did me-that Piņas Bay has no equal. Anywhere.
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