This was an awesome fishing trip.  GEM Charters made it very easy to book online and communicate with them every step of the way.  We were on the 27’ Proline and Miguel and Berdie were well prepared.  We set out at 7am and caught fish on first cast drifting through bait ball. Weather was perfect, overcast skies.  Went to a nice restaurant for lunch on Taboga Island where they prepared our catch.  Afternoon was slow but overall trip was a blast.  I will definitely book again on my next trip to Panama.

Miguel was extremely responsive throughout the entire process.  Ensuring every detail was covered and really tailoring our experience to what we wanted so we’d have the best time possible.

Miguel was able to arrange transportation for a small fee to alleviate any stress finding the marina.  The driver was punctual and friendly.  Once we got to the marina everyone was ready to go.

On our way out the sunrise over downtown Panama City was breathtaking.  We soon saw a migratory pod of dolphins that would put the action you see at sea world to shame.  Soon after that the fish started to hit.  Within an hour we had caught 4 yellowfin tuna!!!

On our way to and from the Pearl Islands we saw humpback whales!  We pulled up to a smaller island to do snorkeling and swim around a bit.  Then we headed to a larger island where the crew had arranged for a man named Gerald who owned a local B&B to pick us up on his golf cart and he took us to his restaurant for drinks and lunch.  Gerald’s a great bartender and even better cook! I ordered the curry chicken and we split some shrimp. 

While we were at lunch the crew stayed back on the boat to clean our catch and even prepared some ceviche with it for our ride back.  For the remainder of the trip back to Panama we did some light trolling, saw a few more whales and took in the sights.

Bertie and the captain were super friendly throughout our entire charter making the day seem more like fishing with friends.  Bertie had a lot of history to share about Panama City and didn’t hesitate to take some pictures of us and our catch anytime we requested.  Once we got back to the dock we split up our catch (only taking what we knew we would use as there was more than enough to go around).  As a thank you for sharing Miguel even came by our AirBnB to drop off a GEM Charters fishing shirt. 

We will definitely be back to Panama and without a doubt be booking with GEM Charters again.  This experience was more than either my husband and I could have even imagined it to be.  Great value: fishing, whale watching, dolphins and scenic tour!  Hands down book these guys, if you want an experience of a lifetime!

Miguel was great. We had a slow start, but heated up and ended up with one Spanish Maceral, one Bonita (great fighter), and four (4) Mahi Mahi. It was my wife’s first time deep sea fishing and she loved it.

The day (26/5/18) was a bit rainy, but we didn’t care as catching fish was paramount. Miguel was game, and was flexible and enthusiastic about putting us on fish, despite the rainy conditions. Miguel was fun to simply hang out with when fishing was slow, and his ability to put us on fish made the trip all the more enjoyable. At one point we had three fish on (and we missed out on the big one of the day - saw him jump away). Finally, Miguel’s ceviche was first rate. I definitely recommend this trip.

We had a great trip. Warm reception and a lot of time fishing.  We caught a few spanish mackerel right from the start but most of the day was trolling without success..
Thats the breaks!!!
Got some great pictures of a large group of Dolphins and had a little place on Taboga Island fix up our catch to eat.
Miguel offered a lot of information about Panama,  the canal and set us up at a nice cove for a swim and fixed up some great ceviche using some of our fresh catch..

My husband and I really enjoyed our trip. Both Captain Miguel and the other Miguel, were fun, knowledgeable, found us some fish. The boat is also great. Plenty of room for all of us, dry storage for gear and ice for lunches. Getting ceviche for lunch was an incredible end to a fantastic day. Hoe to go out again with these two before we head home.