DESTINATION PANAMA, 2009: Jan. 12 to Jan. 24

n THE DATES: Jan. 12 to Jan. 24, 2009: It's the heart of the Panamanian summer, and one of the best times of the year to fish for both inshore and offshore species. While your neighbors are fighting off the seasonal depression of three months of Pacific Northwest rainfall, we'll be swimming in 85-degree waters and fishing under a blanket of 92-degree Panamanian sunshine.

This time of year is the peak of the Panamaniam fishing calendar for the following species: cubera snapper, dorado, amberjack, yellowfin tuna, jack crevalle, blue jack, sailfish, black marlin, blue marlin, roosterfish and snook. Pacific sailfish and wahoo are also available.

n THE BOAT: The Lost Coast Explorer: The LCE is a 100-foot former Bering Sea crabber that's been retrofitted into a first-class adventure yacht, with teak floors, air-conditioned staterooms, full kitchen and dining room, game room/lounge with HD TV, a massive 25- by 29-foot back deck and removable floating dock. Cruising the Panamanian coast is, quite honestly, one of the coolest parts of the trip, and the LCE's mobility will allow us to accesss multiple fishing locations while we're there.

Full breakfast, appetizers and dinners are prepared daily by the LCE's chef, and generous lunches are waiting on the boat every morning. The food is excellent, and can range from fresh-caught yellowfin sashimi to spicy grilled fresh dorado.

nTHE FISHING: Simply UNBELIEVABLE!: There's a reason we've been to Panama three times in the past two years: this is some of the wildest, rawest, most exceptionally amazing fishing you'll ever experience.

Location: The LCE operates on Panama's Pacific Coast, and we'll spend the majority of our time fishing the 27 uninhabited islands and reefs surrounding the Coiba Island Archipelago, which lies at the doorstep of the infamous Hannibal Bank.

This incredible offshore seamount rises up out of the depths of the Bay of Chiriqui and draws the most incredible mix of world-class pelagic species in the Western Hemisphere.

Fishing schedule: Our Destination Panama teams will fish aboard two fully rigged 24-foot walkabouts and a 29-foot sportfisher, all manned by the most respected captains in Central America. We'll adjust our daily schedule according to water/weather conditions and the party's adventure activities, but we'll generally split our time between trolling for billfish and sailfish, and casting/jigging for both offshore and inshore species.

30 different species!: And, oh, what a mix of opportunities: over 30 GAMEFISH SPECIES are available during the time our fishing teams are in-country, including dorado, wahoo, cubera snapper, broomtail grouper, blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, Pacific sailfish, roosterfish, jack crevalle, snook, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, goliath grouper, blue jack, mulletsnapper, pompano, horse-eye jack, rainbow runner and 11 others.

Gear and techniques: All gear is provided on these hosted trips, and you should be prepared to test it (and your stamina) to the max. We'll spend much of our time actively casting to schools of moving fish, ripping poppers and surface baitsaround rocky islands, and bouncing the bottom with both iron and cut baits.

If you're unfamiliar with the kind of hardware we'll be fishing, go do a little research on items like the Yo-Zuri Surface Bull GT, the Maniac Popper, the Shimano Butterfly Jig, and the Jansen Popper: these are just a small handful of baits that work in Panama, but they've quickly become some of our favorites. Swimbaits have also proven to be deadly effective, as have various models of gargantuan diving plugs and slash baits. We've even tried giant musky spinnerbaits with great success ... but those baits haven't quite endured the Panama saltwater "Crash Test" yet.

Some of you will undoubtedly want to bring your own gear along, and you're welcome to do so. Just make sure your reels are all thoroughly serviced and in perfect working order, because they'll get a workout.

SPONSORED!:: Thanks to a long list of generous corporate sponsors, every member of the 2009 Panama fishing team will receive a "swag bag" of gear to use in Panama, including lures, apparel, sunblock and various other goodies.