Panama Marlin Fishing

Surprisingly, the answer is no. Despite being one of the world’s premier sport fishing destinations for a couple decades now, Panama does not require a fishing license.

All fishing charters booked by Central America Fishing are private, so the boat is 100% yours. We do not set up any shared charters.

A standard tip for a charter fishing crew in Panama is 10%-20% of the cost of the charter. If you stay at an all inclusive fishing lodge in Panama you may not know how much the boats cost per day as you probably were given a package price, but in general $150 per day would be the lower end while $200-$300 per day would be towards the higher end.

OF COURSE! Even though our private charters and fishing lodges provide all the fishing tackle, lures, leaders and bait you’ll need, you are always welcome to bring your own if you want to catch fish using your own tackle. Perhaps more than any other destination in Central America, in Panama avid anglers want to put their own popping and jigging outfits to the test against yellow-fin tuna and our prized inshore species. Fly anglers are should plan on bringing their own fly gear as that will not be provided.

By law, all billfish in Panama are strictly catch and release. While not a law, we also strongly encourage releasing all roosterfish, tarpon, and cubera snapper as they are such prized inshore species. Other species like tuna, dorado (mahi), wahoo, snappers, groupers, corvina, snook can be kept and enjoyed for a fresh seafood dinner.

The short answer to this is yes, there is no law in Panama against bringing fish that you caught back home with you. If you are fishing in Panama on a local day charter it is understood that you are the paying client and any edible fish you catch is yours, but of course it is always appreciated when you share the meat with your hard working crew.  When you stay at an all inclusive fishing lodge however the mindset changes a bit as the fish you catch goes to feed the lodge staff and other guests, it should not be assumed that you’ll get to take home every fillet you brought in.  We understand you may love the idea enjoying a seafood dinner in your own home upon returning from Panama, and that may very well be possible if there is enough to go around, but the lodge typically takes what they need to feed everyone first. There are a few things you should consider when trying to bring fish home from your Panama fishing vacation:

1 – Unlike some other popular fishing destinations, in Panama there is no service that will package and ship fish home for you. If you want to bring fish home with you you’ll have to do it yourself in your own luggage. Our best advice is to bring down a soft sided, leak-proof cooler, have your fish frozen completely solid, wrap them in newspaper, and then check your cooler as part of your luggage since it will stay cooler in the cargo hold of the plane versus in the cabin as a carry-on. If you don’t have a cooler or forget to bring one, you can purchase affordable plastic coolers here in local grocery stores. Some of our higher end fishing lodges will have vacuum sealers, ask us when booking your trip.

2 – While Panama does not prohibit you from bringing fish fillets home with you, your international airline might. We strongly recommend you confirm this with your airline (in writing if possible) or you may have the fish confiscated from you at the airport check-in.

3 – Even if your airline lets you fly the fish home, your local customs may have an issue with you bringing in meat products from a foreign country. In our experience most customs agents don’t seem too interested in you bringing back frozen fish fillets from your fishing vacation to Costa Rica, but it can depend on the agent and depend on the day.

This is a question we hear a lot and typically requires a two part answer:

If the captain, lodge, or government deem the conditions are unsafe the trip will be cancelled.  The first course of action is to try and reschedule you, but if that is not possible you will be refunded in full.

However, rain and dark clouds are not considered bad weather. We are in the tropics and rain is a common occurrence here so that is not a cause for cancelling the trip. Many great fishing days happen in the rain, especially for tuna – as they say the fish are wet anyway! If you don’t want to fish in the rain there will be no refund.

Every single Panama Fishing Vacation booked with Central America Fishing includes the following:

• Free Vacation Planning (no fees + direct rates)
• VIP Airport Meet & Greet upon arrival into PTY
• Private, air-conditioned transfers with English speaking driver.
• Domestic flights (as needed)
• Luxury accommodations hand-picked and customized for your group. Choose between private condos & villas, luxury beach resorts, exclusive boutique hotels, and all inclusive fishing lodges.
• 100% private fishing charters on all our Panama Fishing Packages
• All eco / adventure tours you’d like to include
• All Panama taxes
• Free quotes on travel insurance
• Pre-arrival assistance with dinner reservations, tee times, pre-stocking your condo or villa, hiring a private chef, and special requests.
• 24/7 support once you are here in country