Charter Operator
Panama GEM Charters

Member since February 2014 Panama City, Panama
Background
Panama GEM Charters is a premier charter operator focusing on all the marine services but with a big emphasis on fishing charters. Onboard you will find an experienced crew, top of the line fishing gear targeting all species and fishing techniques based on the season. No matter how skilled you are, you will enjoy Panama Gem's top quality service with bilingual crews, all beverages and snacks, and a top quality experience every time.

Hey, we're Panama GEM Charters

Panama City, Panamรก
Background
Panama GEM Charters is a premier charter operator focusing on all the marine services but with a big emphasis on fishing charters. Onboard you will find an experienced crew, top of the line fishing gear targeting all species and fishing techniques based on the season. No matter how skilled you are, you will enjoy Panama Gem's top quality service with bilingual crews, all beverages and snacks, and a top quality experience every time.

My Charter Listings

Excellent
4.8 / 5
(121 reviews)
Panama City
 Last booking: 4 days ago
 Instant Confirmation
trips from US $650
Excellent
5.0 / 5
(7 reviews)
Panama City
 Instant Confirmation
trips from US $1,300
Just added to our fleet
Panama City
 Instant Confirmation
trips from US $900

Fishing Reports

The 2024 first trimester has been one fo
The 2024 first trimester has been one fo
Mar 7, 2024 Panama City
As biologists have reported, we have fenรณmeno del niรฑo, for fishing this has brought lots of surprises for example: - species that normally are gone when the water gets colder have actually stayed around, for example mahi mahi and wahoo which were not normally seen back until june, when the rain starts. However they have stayed all year bitting our lines - seas that are known for getting choppy due to the north trade winds that create winter. This year as you have noticed snow fall hasnt been that strong, that means in our tropical weathers patters winds are not hitting that hard there seas have been quite calm. This means a comfortable cruise and for fishing it's easier to spot bait balls and any surface fishing activity - a great plus! Whales have stayed in the area, therefore as you fish feel free to enjoy this magical event of nature On the traditional side of the season, the common species for this days have been bottom species: red snapped, grouper and amberjack have been top catches. We have been using trolling, live bait (shrimp or minnows) and jiggs to target them. Within the tuna family theres a very looked after and exotic specie of tuna bitting our lines and this is Albacore Tuna. Beside being a short term specie its delicious! So count on the crew fileting your catch for great sashimi on board Even though on some parts of the atlantic like south east coast of the USA amberjack is seen as a specie with parasites, we on the other hand fish the Pacific ocean of Panama where theres zero parasites on these species! And are known for their delicious flavor. Are you ready to go fishing?
Continue reading
Fishing Surprise and dinner is served!
Fishing Surprise and dinner is served!
Oct 5, 2023 Panama City
Having our fleet gives us the chance to offer Taylor-made fishing charters. In this case, three anglers visited Panama for a friend's wedding. They actually came with their companions; after the wedding, they spent a few days at the Pearl Islands Archipelago. They requested to get picked up at the Pearl Islands early to go fishing while their companions stayed at the resort and then dropped back at the islands in the afternoon. This meant the fishing vessel had to depart at dawn from Panama City. Anglers were happily ready at the beach and rushed to deep water immediately! Conditions were perfect, even though the best deep sea fishing season in Panama occurs during the rainy season; the day was covered with blue skies, flat seas, and blooming fish activity like bait balls and birds feeding everywhere. As we approached the first driftlines, we threw lines in the water with three surface lures and a deep diver for any bottom species. All lures started getting mahi bites when suddenly the most unexpected thing happened: a pink deep diver we had on one rod targeting bottom species like a grouper, snapper, or roosterfish got a dry sudden hit! Angler took the rod and started reeling, and to our surprise, it was a monster bull mahi, the biggest species of the day, caught with the least unexpected lure. The boys kept sending pictures to the ladies and the island condo, letting them know the dinner was secured! On the way back to the island, we still had some time, so as we fileted, the fish decided to drop lines, this time more deep diving lures to pass them near the reefs, and got some excellent mackerel and trevallie action.
Continue reading
Huge Roosterfish! Welcome Aboard!
Huge Roosterfish! Welcome Aboard!
Sep 14, 2023 Panama City
The 35-nautical mile cruise through the open ocean from Panama to the first islands of the Pearl Islands Archipelago goes across 3 main drops along the way, as you cruise you will immediately notice you are arriving at them as wildlife starts to flourish. Birds, bait balls, and even dolphins. On this day we did an early start right at dawn, we were on board our Viking sport yacht with 3 anglers. They went straight into the inner cabins for a morning nap whole captain steered the vessel at cruising speed until he suddenly started slowing down since the first drop showed some signs of life with frigate birds doing circles, the captain went to trolling speed and lines were in the water. In less than 5 min booom! The first bite of the day, was a decent-sized bonita, while some fishermen ignore them, our crew knew that was a sign of potential tuna, to maximize time captain decided to reel in lines and go deeper water up the the next drops. After a few miles, it was evident we were on the next drop, in this case, were some aggressively swimming dolphins, this meant hunting mode! Normally dolphins approach boats to play but in this case they completely ignored us, this was because they were chasing their prey. Captain decided to move ahead of the dolphins, dropped lines and magic started happening for around 2 hours we were getting yellowfin tuna bites we even had 2 times all rods go at the same time! When arms and shoulders started getting sore, clients gave the signal to the captain to go for a quick stop to relax at the Pearl Islands. As the captain approached the outer reefs of the islands he noticed some blue runner bait balls, he suggested a quick 10-minute fish around the structure, and immediately 2 lines got hit! The first fish was a giant trevally, and the second line took a lot of lines, the crew were still confused between a cubera red snapped or some kind of bottom specie monster, but as the fish got closer we were able to see colors and it was quite whitish and there it was a huge roosterfish
Continue reading

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.8 / 5
out of 5 stars from 129 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (246)
Lots of fun for our family of 4
Lots of fun for our family of 4
Lots of fun for our family of 4
+243
Angler rating
112
10
2
2
1
Anglers claimed
Good experience
93%
Friendly captain
99%
Recommend this charter
94%
Appropriate for children
92%
Satisfied with the boat
97%
Caught fish
78%
Sort by:
Featured  
Showing:
5 of 129 reviews
Cooper W.
New York, New York
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Taboga island fishing tour, fantastic!

Full Day Trip โ€“ Taboga Island on September 2, 2023
Our day with GEM Charters was simply fantastic! From the moment we booked, the GEM team was incredibly helpful, providing all...
Cooper W. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
Cooper W. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful

Pearl C.
Washington, District Of Columbia
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Amazing half day fishing trip

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (Shared) on August 31, 2023
The Gem Charters team truly worked wonders to accommodate my tight schedule, as I was passing by the city for a short while....
Pearl C. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
Pearl C. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful

FishingBooker Member
New York, New York
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Amazing family adventure, thank you!

Full Day Trip โ€“ Pearl Islands Combo on August 27, 2023
I had a really good time fishing with a crew that could speak both Spanish and English. They were ready with everything we...
FishingBooker Member recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
FishingBooker Member recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful

Michael G.
Elk Grove Village, IL
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fantastic half day trip

VERIFIED   Shared half day fishing experience on August 12, 2023
I had such an awesome time on this fishing trip! Let me tell you, the crew really knew their stuff and they were just cool...
Michael G. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
Michael G. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful

John R.
Irving, TX
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great crew and great catch!

VERIFIED   Shared half day fishing experience on August 12, 2023
Our recent shared fishing charter experience was a real treat, rain and all. Our captainโ€™s expertise was evident as they...
John R. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  Panama GEM Charters Charter Operator replied