Finally got around to putting a highlight reel together from our last trip to Panama. The Annual Cudakilla Jamboree! This trip was special not only because we were all like animals just released from pandemic jail but we were trying a new location with Cebaco Bay Sportfishing. It was an iffy year for them and they were hesitant to deploy all their resources to their remote Cebaco Bay location due to the uncertainties over travel restrictions . . .

I know a lot of us are itching to book our fishing trips this year, so when the last of our group finished getting their vaccine, we decided it was time to put together another Cudakilla Jig and Pop trip to the bountiful waters of the Republic of Panama. If you love warm equatorial waters, and the technical style fishing of jigging and popping, then this is your destination; especially for us folks in the states since it’s so close to home. . .

After arrival at the airport our driver picked us up for a 4 hour ride by minivan to Puerto Mutis. A small fishing port located near the north western coast. From there it was a 2 hour boat ride through a scenic mangrove estuarine system to the Journey Bay anchored in a sheltered cove at Cebaco Island. The Journey Bay is a converted Gulf Coast rig tender and featured a nice party deck with lounge chairs and fully air conditioned staterooms. . .

My group got a late start upon arrival at Panama’s Tocumen Airport due to a wait of 40 minutes on the tarmac for a gate to open on the last of three flights, however the VIP arrival service expedited all clearances and provided a comfortable waiting lounge. Checking in at the new Panama Hilton, it was convenient to find a Ruth’s Chris steak house off the lobby for a late meal. . .

After rounding Punta Mala we spent a few nights on the Peninsula de Azuero and bumped into friends we’d met back in Escudo de Veraguas. Barney and his family were traveling the same route and schedule as us and we spent a couple nights in a calm bay on the southwestern side of Isla Cebaco together.  Barney has sailed all over the world, his wife, Mel, is a fantastic cook, and their daughter, Faa, is a well-traveled and experienced dive instructor – way more mature and accomplished than I was at 18-years-old.