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

Ville de Panama, 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.
129
Reviews
53
Fishing Reports

My Charter Listings

Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline

Excellent
4.8 / 5
(121 reviews)
Ville de Panama
Trips from US $650

Panama GEM Charters - Viking 46'

Excellent
5.0 / 5
(7 reviews)
Ville de Panama
Trips from US $1,300

Panama GEM Charters โ€“ Todomar 38'

Just added to our fleet
Ville de Panama
Trips from US $900

Fishing Reports

Living it up with different species!
Living it up with different species!
Mar 18, 2024 Ville de Panama
If you ask our crew which is their favorite time of the year, they will definitely choose peak times of certain species of "transition seasons." By this, we mean changing seasons and species. The reason to like "transition season" is the variety of fish three expands since you can catch very distinct species. For example, you can catch pelagic deep-sea species like mahi or tuna, as well as grouper, which is a coastal structure bottom species, all on the same day!
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The 2024 first trimester has been one fo
The 2024 first trimester has been one fo
Mar 7, 2024 Ville de Panama
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?
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Fishing Surprise and dinner is served!
Fishing Surprise and dinner is served!
Oct 5, 2023 Ville de Panama
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.
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Huge Roosterfish! Welcome Aboard!
Huge Roosterfish! Welcome Aboard!
Sep 14, 2023 Ville de Panama
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
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Offshore and deepseafishing booming for
Offshore and deepseafishing booming for
May 9, 2023 Ville de Panama
Offshore and deepsea fishing is around the corner, this means a very interesting time of the year where during a full-day fishing charter, you can actually target most of the species found in tropical regions of Panama. On one side water hasn't reached its highest temperatures so reef and bottom structure species like Red Snapper, Grouper, and amberjack are a common target for jigging, poppers, and deep divers trolling around the structures as we approach the islands. On the other hand, we have been experiencing the first rains of the years, in fishing terms, this means glass calm seas cruise faster and further to drops where drift lines form with all the natural debris like driftwood and other organic materials like nutrients flushed by deep jingle rivers. Once they reach the drift lines, they become ideal places to target monster bull mahis approaching from the South Pacific as well as other common pelagic like tuna, wahoo, and billfish as well.
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Wahoo adventure! You'll love the thrill
Wahoo adventure! You'll love the thrill
Sep 27, 2022 Ville de Panama
Wahoo fishing is one of the most extreme fishing experiences in the world. To capture the wahoo it is necessary to take into account unique factors such as: - trolling faster than usual, normally when you troll at an average speed of 6 knots to get most species, but to get wahoo it is necessary to increase this average to around 9 knots, these are species that are selective when it comes to hunting their prey, which means that they look for the strongest prey in the school. - lures of dark tones, without special preference for any type of lure, we have had catches from surface lures such as ballyhoo, squid, and cedar tobaccos all the way to deep lures. - Metal or thick Nylon leader is essential! Wahoos are famous for their sharp rows of teeth, capable of cutting weak Nylon, and cables and even causing damage to fishermen once they bring the catch on board. Using thick nylon or metal leader is highly recommended. However, keep in mind that the thicker the leader, the more the fish sees it and can scare it away, this is where the skill of the fisherman comes into play! This month the wahoo action in our waters has been very good, not only have we been catching them off the reefs of the Las Perlas Archipelago where they are commonly found, but also in deep waters such as the open underwater drops between Panama City and the islands of our fishing destinations.
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Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.8 / 5
out of 5 stars from 129 reviews
See details
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%
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Showing:
5 of 129 reviews
Bertha T.
Miami, Florida
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

A must in Panama!

Full Day Trip โ€“ Pearl Islands Combo on April 26, 2023
Our family had an incredible experience with GEM charters on our trip to the Pearl Islands. As seasoned charter travelers,...
Bertha T. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
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Dina C.
Pointe-Claire, Quebec
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing trip with captain miguel

Full Day Trip โ€“ Pearl Islands Combo on April 15, 2023
GEM charters and Captain Miguel always succeed in delivering magical experiences. As repeat customers, we highly recommend...
Dina C. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
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Diabolique C.
Barranquilla, Colombia
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Full day dream trip

Full Day Trip โ€“ Pearl Islands Combo on April 21, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised when my friend took me on a trip to Contadora Island. Plenty of activities kept us engaged, from...
Diabolique C. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
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Diabolique C. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
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Deann K.
St. Petersburg, FL
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Full day trip to las perlas

VERIFIED   Full Day Trip โ€“ Pearl Islands Combo on January 22, 2023
We had such an amazing time with Captain Miguel and Carlos! We caught a ton of fish and they made fresh ceviche on the boat!...
Deann K. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
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Deann K. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
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Michelle F.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half Day Bay Fishing Tour

Half Day Trip (morning session) on May 8, 2023
I surprised my husband with a Half-day Fishing Trip for his Birthday and it was the BEST Experience. Gem Charters has an amazing...
Michelle F. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
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Michelle F. recommends Panama GEM Charters โ€“ 27โ€™ Proline
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