Having now fished in Pina Bay in The Darien, and Santa Clara Beach, we decided to try our luck in Chiriqui over Christmas.
We stayed at The Dragonfly Inn (actually a B + B) which is located on Las Lejas beach, in the Province of Chiriqui, about 45 minutes east of David.
Las Lejas is the largest beach in all of Central America.
It is twenty-seven kilometers long, and at low tide, it is about 200 yards deep of soft brown sand.
The beach is incredibly flat, like the rock it is named after - (lejas means flat stones). The surf pounds hard against the pure sand beach, providing a terrific walking beach, and a phenominal night's sleep.
The decison to try our hand at fishing in Chiriqui was made. The trip into David to buy the nessesary fishing equipment was filled with anticipation.
We came away with brand new Shakespere trolling reels, Ugly Stick rods, fifty-pound test line, metal leaders and a box full of lures - about $150 worth of gear each. We were ready to do battle in Chiriqui.
However after waiting two hours for the tide to rise enough to launch the boat, then a one-hour river ride, and two hours of trolling, we were very glad we'd had the foresight to buy two fish from the local fishermen before we started out. All the big fish were gone by the time we got back.
We were proudly able to claim (in all honesty) that we had "gotten" the fish right at the launch ramp of the river. We artfully dodged specific questions, never using the deadly "caught" term - just that we were happy to "get" any fish at all.
We swore each other to secrecy and promised to take this secret to our graves. Our wives will never know. To them we are the brave cavemen, capable of bringing home the kill for all to consume. The red one was particularily delicious.
However, it is foolhardy to tell anything to a journalist, a reporter, or a website blogger - and expect it to remain a secret. LOL
By my calculations these two fish cost us around $500 (three rods, three reels, line, leaders, lures, a net (optomistic to the end) plus the cost of the beer.
It would have been cheaper to have flown the fish in live from Norway - but not nearly as much fun.
Roberto
(Note to self: the next time, find out what kind of fish they are when you buy them. My wife guessed the truth right away.)
The Dragonfly Inn is run by Canadians. It has 5 bedrooms, four bathrooms, 4,500 square feet with a pool, right on the ocean, around $100 a night - depending on the season.
