New Ownership Brings this Unsurpassed Fishing Destination to A Whole New Level

You’ll excuse me if I run out of superlatives to describe the venue and fishing experiences that one can expect when visiting the world-famous Tropic Star Lodge (TSL). Awesome, stunning, enchanting, stupendous, pristine, breathtaking, awe-inspiring and astounding; are all words that one can legitimately use to describe it, and yet they all fall short and fail to capture the true essence of the place. I tell every fisherman that ever asks me about which great fishing destinations to visit that any angler worth his salt needs to make the pilgrimage to TSL at least one time in his life; knowing full well that once he or she goes, that that “once” will likely turn into a habit. It’s a place that latches onto your soul.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit TSL at least eight times, with my first trip in 1996, and I’m still blown away each time I go. My most recent expedition occurred this past January after about an eight-year gap since my previous one, and I discovered that TSL, already known as one the most exclusive and superb fishing lodges in the world, somehow managed to get even better.   

If you’re like me and feel that any place’s worth is inherently tied to the fewer number of human beings that inhabit it, then TSL is the perfect destination for you.

A Journey to Remember: Arriving at Tropic Star Lodge

Perched on the Pacific coast at the edge of Panama’s impenetrable Darian rainforest, Piñas Bay lies many miles away from the nearest road. The only way in is either by boat or the incredibly narrow airstrip that welcomes visitors to the lodge after a scenic, 40-minute flight from Panama City. Guests then get their gear loaded on a truck to be shuttled to either the beach or the riverbank, depending on the state of the tides, for a quick, 10-minute boat ride around the corner to the lodge. This will be your first glimpse at the incredibly scenic and rugged coastline, with its jagged, jungle-covered pinnacles and dozens of small islands lying just offshore. I swear that I still expect to see a dinosaur peek its head out of the jungle as you pass…it’s a real-life version of Jurassic Park.  

Rich History of Tropic Star Lodge

Tropic Star began its life as Club De Pesca de Panama when Ray Smith bought the 14,000-acre parcel and built a lodge to host friends and family in 1963. Edward Kennedy purchased the lodge from Ray Smith’s estate soon after Smith’s untimely death in 1968. “The lodge got its Tropic Star Lodge name because the Kennedy family already owned another fishing lodge called the Artic Star Lodge,” says Terri Andrews, lodge ambassador and past owner of the lodge. “There was an earthquake on July 4th, 1976, and Mr. Kennedy never went back to see the lodge after the earthquake. My father [Conway Drayton Kittredge] flew down to take a look at the lodge for a possible purchase and saw that even though every plate glass window was broken, there wasn’t any real structural damage. The deal was done in Orlando, Florida and Kennedy never saw the lodge again after the earthquake.” Kittredge ended up purchasing the lodge through a broker that knew Richard Bertram, since the lodge was already using nine 31-foot Bertrams at the time.

“Although my Dad loved to fish, he really didn’t know anything about the fishing potential,” Andrews said. “After the purchase, the lodge office in Winnipeg called and asked him what he wanted them to do with the $70,000 in lodge deposits they had already collected. Well, he decided to use that $70,000 to help fix the earthquake damage, giving them about three months to get things up and running by the traditional opening season that December. My parents did what they could and left about two weeks before the official opening with all the furniture piled up in the rooms. They were surprised at how all the great Panamanian workers got the place back together and up and running in time for the opening on December 15, 1976, for the start of 1977 season.”

The Andrews Legacy: 40 Years of Excellence

The Andrews family owned the lodge for the next 40 years, with Terri and her husband, Mike, working hard under incredibly harsh conditions to make the lodge what it is today. Terri ran the lodge and managed the staff and bookings, while Mike kept the fleet of boats operational and kept all the mechanicals of the lodge up and running.  After 40-plus years running things, the Andrews relinquished control to a group of Panamanian investors that had the cash and motivation to come in and start infusing much needed capital into the property and boats, bringing the lodge up to even higher standards. Mike and Terri signed consulting contracts and Terri still acts a brand ambassador for the lodge, spending a lot of time onsite during the season.

New Management and Innovations

About the time of the latest ownership change, a new team of managers came in to put their mark on the lodge as well. Richard and Mallory White moved to the lodge eight-and-a-half years ago and oversaw some of the biggest changes in the lodge’s long and storied history. “I do everything, but my main duty is to make sure that the boats and all the fishing stuff is good,” says White. “Mallory looks after the hotel side. We run a maximum of 18 boats and we have 22 boats on the property between the six standard Bertrams, the 12 upgraded Bertrams, a 45-Hatteras and three 47-foot Vikings. There are always a couple kept back for standbys and at least one out of the water for scheduled maintenance.

Upgrading the Fleet for an Enhanced Experience

“We started upgrading the Bertrams when we needed space for the footrest on the fighting chairs,” White continued. “We moved the livewells, put the fish boxes in the floor and put in stand-up heads for the ladies. We then decided to add air conditioning to the boats and came up with the idea to run them off the flywheel of one of the engines to keep from adding a generator to the boats, which would have meant one more piece of equipment to maintain. We also added two seats in the extra space on the flybridge and put in Palm-Beach style controls.” Last, but certainly not least, the renovated boats all sport brand new Volvo diesels that make the boats much quieter and quite a bit faster.

Major Lodge Renovations and Improved Amenities

The renovations didn’t stop with the boats, however. The lodge itself has undergone some major upgrades over the past few years. “Tropic Star was always known as a quite a rustic fishing lodge with the emphasis on the great fishing,” says White. “We tried to make it much nicer for families and couples. We’ve made the rooms much nicer and more comfortable, made the food much better and added a real nice spa and a recreation room. Club Pesca de Panama was a five-star for what it was back then, and we wanted to stay true to our history. But times change and just because we are anglers, it doesn’t mean that we don’t like nice things, like a comfortable bed to sleep in and a four-course meal. There have been many changes, but it still is, and always will be, a fishing lodge built by anglers, for anglers.”

Own a Piece of Tropic Star Lodge

Another new development provides anglers with the chance to own a piece of TSL for themselves. “Over the years we get a lot of people who spend a lot of time at the lodge,” says White. “Often times we don’t we don’t have availability for them. Through the years there were many who wanted to have a place here. So now, the bungalows give our guests the opportunity to own their very own piece of the lodge for themselves. They can have their own space, use their own tackle but still be part of the lodge.” Today the lodge can host just over 45 guests per week spread out among the 23 guest rooms around the property. Larger groups can choose to bunk in the newly renovated three-bedroom Palace up on the hill or the brand-new Presidential Villa that also boasts a three-bedroom layout.

Fishing at Tropic Star Lodge: A Spectacular Experience

Something besides a nice bed and good food had to keep TSL customers coming back again and again for the last 50 years, and that something is the spectacular fishing found in proximity to Piñas Bay and the world-famous Zane Gray Reef. Over 350 world records have been set at the lodge over the years and there are 72 current world records in the IGFA world record book today.

Contrary to popular belief, Zane Gray never fished the pinnacle that rises to within 150 feet of the surface from the surrounding depths, but it matters not…it’s a fish attracting magnet that provides the best shot at a black marlin for anglers in the Northern Hemisphere during the months of December through February. It was a quest to catch a black that brought me to TSL this past January and we achieved that goal after just three-and-a-half days of fishing. We saw a marlin in the spread every day of the six days we fished, and I added a blue and several sails to our six-day total. We could have easily caught double digit sails if we had been targeting them. I also lost the largest dorado I’ve ever seen in my life after it ate a 5-pound marlin bait and started greyhounding for the horizon. I swear I heard it roar before it spit the hook and I would say the fish weighed 80-pounds, on the conservative side. I was heartbroken when we got the bait back and discovered that the circle hook had turned around and buried itself in the cheek of the bait.

“The black marlin season peaks in January and February,” says White, “but catching a black marlin can be a tough thing to do. In today’s world of instant gratification, people can get really angry if they don’t catch one during their trip. Social media tends to raise everyone’s expectations. One week last year our boats caught 80 black marlin over the course of the week and there were still people saying that the fishing was slower than they expected. Catching a black is the biggest challenge for any marlin angler, especially in our hemisphere.”

A Testimony to Great Fishing

Mark Davis, host of BigWater Adventures, films at least one episode at TSL almost every year and loves Piñas Bay for the number of truly big fish of every species that you can find there—both inshore and offshore.  “That place is like Jurassic Park. I literally hear the music from the movie in my head as I’m walking down the dock. It’s just that special. Anything that swims down there can turn into the fish of a lifetime on any given day,” says Davis. “On my very first day of filming at TSL, we caught a blue marlin, jumped off a black marlin, caught a sailfish, a big dolphin, some yellowfin tuna and a wahoo—all before noon. It’s one place in the world where you can believe the hype. Tropic Star is one of the top big fish gamefish destinations in the world. I’ve caught so many big fish there. If I struggle to pick up a fish off the deck it’s probably going to weigh more than 65-pounds. A lot of fish I’ve caught there it takes me two or three times to pick it up and hold it for the camera. It’s one of the few places where my big ass doesn’t make the fish look small. A 250-pound dude can be a liability when you are shooting a fishing show and holding up a fish!”

There’s literally not a bad time to visit the lodge—there’s something that’s firing off every month of the year both inshore and offshore. “I tell everyone that if you are only planning on going once, that the best time to go is from mid-July to the end of August,” says Davis. “You can bounce out and catch a blue marlin offshore or target the wahoo or tunas. You can still catch a black marlin on the reef if you get lucky, and there are plenty of roosterfish, cubera snappers and groupers around then as well.”

The Best Time to Visit Tropic Star Lodge

While great amenities, tremendous fishing opportunities and a truly remarkable location would seem to be enough, the one intangible that the lodge and its staff provide is the feeling of being home. You’re not treated as a guest, you’re welcomed as part of their family, and that’s what keeps people coming back again and again.