PANAMA 



fighter than his smaller Atlantic cousin. In addition to size I 

 think he also has more guts and, pound for pound, a lot more 

 power. He knows all the on-the-surface acrobatics and will 

 jump high and hard for some minutes. After that he seems 

 to tire quite easily. I am inclined to beheve his large and 

 heavy sail, raised after he is hooked, may hinder him. 



The bill of the Pacific sailfish is much longer and more 

 tapered than that of the Atlantic variety. The sail is much 

 larger in proportion to his size and the ventral fin much 

 longer. The coloring is exquisite and no other fish that I have 

 seen, except the Allison tuna, the dolphin and striped marlin, 

 is more beautiful than the Pacific sailfish as it dies. The light 

 blue sheen is indescribable. This is a gallant little fish and I 

 have great admiration for him. Like his Atlantic brother 

 he should be released unless he is a prize winner or has been 

 badly hurt by your hook. They are only good for eating 

 when smoked— then they are delicious. 



Over many years four or five hundred sailfish have been 

 taken out of Panama Bay by a fleet of perhaps twenty boats 

 that were fishing only spasmodically— and nearer eight or ten 

 would be the proper figure. 



The Cocos Islands belong to Costa Rica. They are about 

 four hundred miles from Balboa and very few marlin have 

 been raised there, but there is marvelous fishing for Pacific 

 sailfish and some big ones have been caught. 



There is good tarpon fishing on the Atlantic side of the 

 canal along the Gatun Spillway. These fish can be seen 

 rolling in the chambers of Pedro Miguel and Miraflores 

 locks while your ship is making the canal transit. There is 

 tarpon fishing in some of the rivers flowing into the Pacific 



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