Bivouac Fishing in Panama: Night and Dawn on the Spot

What is a bivouac expedition with ELSE CODED?

You go out to a wild spot and you camp right at the edge of the beach, rods propped by the fire, the sea a few steps away. Both coasts of Panama: the Pacific around the Gulf of Chiriquí and its far islands, or the Bocas del Toro archipelago on the Caribbean. You sleep in a tent or a mosquito-net hammock. Meals are cooked on the fire, on the beach. What needs arranging is settled before departure, depending on the place and the format. Usually one or two nights; longer runs are a special format, worked out with you. Most trips take you back to sleep somewhere else. Here you stay. You fish the evening bite, the night, the sunrise, without burning hours on the boat, because you never leave the spot. It's for people who already love this and for those trying it for the first time. We set how wild it gets to you.

What a night and a sunrise feel like

The night is often where it happens. Big cubera and tarpon come out to hunt once the light drops, and on a full moon it can turn huge. Then the day breaks. The sea is glass, it's still almost dark, the colours are wild, and the jacks start hunting right in front of you. A popper thrown into that, half-awake, is what you come for. The howler monkeys start their racket, the birds wake the beach. You only get these moments because you slept there.

What you catch

From shore or by kayak, you're on cubera, tarpon, hard-hunting jacks. Night and sunrise are the best windows: topwater at first light, bait through the dark. And what you land usually ends up on the fire. Depending on the place and the season, a breadfruit or a mango goes on with the fish. You eat what the day gave you.

Who it's for

Seasoned fishermen who know this life, and first-timers discovering it. We set the level of wild to you, from a raw night under the stars to something softer. It rewards the ones who want to fish the night and the dawn on the spot, and wake up where no one else is.

Good to know

Bring long trousers and long sleeves for the evening, and something to keep the bugs off: the sandflies and mosquitoes have their hours. One or two nights on a standard bivouac; longer and more remote runs are set up on their own. The rest is worked out with you before you leave.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many nights is a bivouac?

Usually one or two. Longer, more remote formats are set up on their own.

Do I need experience for a bivouac?

No. It works for seasoned fishermen and for people discovering it. The level of wild is set to you.

What can you catch on a bivouac?

Cubera snapper, tarpon and jacks, from shore or by kayak. Night and dawn are the best windows.