5th Annual CAF Week on
The Mothership
March 14-21, 2026
I will personally be your host on the 78′ floating fishing lodge as we fish for five days in some of the most remote and productive waters in Panama.
About The Mothership
A 78′ floating fishing lodge that offers air conditioned rooms, hot water showers, great food, a full bar and an incredible crew.
With over 200 operations across five countries, the Panama mothership is the most unique and fishing-intense trip that we offer – not to mention a personal favorite. The mothership will allow you to spend the week fifty miles off of Panama’s Pacific Coast as she anchors in the protected bays of the famed Coiba Island. Once home to Panama’s most feared penitentiary, Isla Coiba is now it’s most prized and untouched national park. Better yet, by staying here you are a quick run to the world famous Hannibal Bank (17 miles) and have easy access to fish the shorelines of 38 islands inside the Coiba Island National Park that receive little to no fishing pressure from other operations.
The Fishing
![Fishing Tackle Review – Okuma Nomad Travel Rods [Updated in 2020] img](https://www.centralamericafishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/tunajunkis2-980x776-1.jpg "tunajunkis2-980x776")
This operation would not have been around for 25 years if it didn’t put anglers on fish year after year after year. While Panama’s other top lodges lie 40-50 miles away from the Hannibal Bank, the mothership will allow you to be just 15 miles away. This means shorter run times, more hours with lines in the water, and an early morning and late afternoon bite with the place to yourself as boats from other operations will still be making their long runs.
The CAF hosted week of March 14-21, 2026 was strategically picked to put us there right in the middle of the peak yellowfin tuna season. The season, which runs from March through July, is always at it’s peak in April and May and therefore those are the two busiest months of the year to fish Panama. I pick the dates for CAF Week a year in advance to make sure we have the best shot at great fishing.
The mothership offers a fleet of four identical 27′ Ocean Master center console boats. These boats are fast, agile, and versatile to be able to do any kind of fishing you want to do. All boats are equipped with the best Shimano spinning tackle, heavy duty Penn International 50# and 80# conventional reels, live wells, tuna tubes, fighting belts, and all the lures & gear you’ll ever need. The captains are experienced, energetic, and have been with this operation for years so they know these waters as well as anyone. Troll for marlin, run & gun after yellowfin tuna, fish light tackle for a variety of inshore species, do some jigging or bottom fishing, or if you are like me – cast poppers & crank baits towards the rocks until your arms fall off. No other trip offers more fishing or more variety than a week on the mothership.
Schedule & Pricing
![Fishing Tackle Review – Okuma Nomad Travel Rods [Updated in 2020] img](https://www.centralamericafishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/resize-IMG_2355-980x735-1.jpg "resize-IMG_2355-980x735")
2 Anglers per Room/Boat = $6,195 per person
3 Anglers per Room/Boat = $5,756 per person
4 Anglers per Room/Boat = $5,118 per person
NOT Included:
- International Airfare
- Dinner your first & last night in Panama City
- Alcoholic drinks (beer IS included on the fishing boats however)
- Tips for mothership crew ($400 pp recommended)
- Coiba Island National Park Fee ($150 pp)
Below is the day-by-day outline of how our week will look:
Day 1 (Saturday) – Arrive into PTY where you will be met and taken to your private transfer. You’ll stay at the new Hilton Panama in Panama City.
Day 2 (Sunday) – Take a one hour flight to David in Western Panama in the afternoon. After a short ten minute ride to the marina, you’ll board one of the 27′ Ocean Masters that you’ll be fishing on all week. Enjoy a scenic hour long boat ride down the river and out of the mangroves until we reach the Pacific Ocean.
The mothership will be anchored and waiting for us there, so climb aboard, make yourself at home, then go grab a cold drink from the bar and get ready for a great week! Since we don’t fly out of Panama City until the afternoon, this gives you the chance to explore the capital city on your own or set up a guided tour to learn more about the history and see the Panama Canal in the morning.
Day 3 (Monday) – Head offshore for a full day of fishing at the Hannibal Bank! Once all the fishing boats depart, the mothership will make her 50-mile run over to the Coiba Island National Park. We will meet up with her in the evening after a full day of offshore fishing. Welcome to Coiba Island!
Day 4 (Tuesday) – Enjoy a full day of offshore, inshore, or bottom fishing – it’s your choice! Stay at Coiba Island.
Day 5 (Wednesday) – Enjoy a full day of offshore, inshore, or bottom fishing – it’s your choice! Stay at Coiba Island.
Day 6 – (Thursday) – Today you can go inshore fishing as you head north along Coiba Island’s coastline or head offshore again for more tuna, marlin, and mahi action. The mothership will make her way back to the first set of islands off the coast, so we will meet her there at the end of our day.
Day 7 (Friday) – You’ll fish a half day inshore around the Islas Paridas and the Chiriqui Marine National Park. The mothership will be back in the marina by noon, so you’ll have tim to shower, change, and each lunch here. You will fly back to Panama City in the afternoon and spend another night at the Hilton Panama.
Day 8 (Saturday) – We’ll take you in a private transfer back to the PTY Airport for your flight home. Adios Panama!
*Additional nights before or after this week can be added if you want to tour the Panama Canal, fish for peacock bass on Lake Gatun, visit the cloud forest near Boquete, or relax in the Caribbean archipelago of Bocas del Toro.*
Who’s ready to fish with me?
