The Hunt For Big Fish with Larry Dahlberg

Larry--Interested in your opinion. Have been considering which country to target as I begin planning for my retirement. Mainly interested in blue/black/striped marlin and tuna; would certainly welcome seasonal shots at wahoo, dorado and sails.
The top two areas on my consideration list are the Azuero Peninsula of Panama and the San Jose del Sur region of Nicaragua. What are your thoughts?

All the best,

J.A. Dunnigan

J.A.

I do the same kind of thing for myself. What works for me is to travel to my candidate sites and see how I like them. Good luck.

The problem I encountered is that each place has its pros and cons, and I have to take each location as a "system" of attributes that go beyond fishing and hunting. The irony is that in my case one of my early marginal candidate places when looking at it from afar has become a real favorite.

I'd pick Panama!
best,
L

I heard Belize is a really nice place to retire to.

At 26 years old my dream has always been not to settle down. I dream about traveling from place to place and writing and taking pictures as I go. When I think about my favorite places, they are usually places that make me feel like I'm defenseless and miniscule. Places that humble me. Looking down 3,400 feet off of Glacier point in Yosemite Natl. Park at the valley floor comes to mind. Or, staring up at the Giant Sequoia's. Decending into King's canyon or standing on the empty, wind swept beaches of Pea Island Natl. Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Or dangling my feet off the edge of a dark boat dock listening to the huge splashes rip open the night on Marathon Key. All of these places mean something very special to me. I love my visits to each of them. When I reach retirement age, all of these places plus hopefully many more will be on my list of candidate places.

But, if you think about it, The Sierra's may get 5 feet of snow at a time, and Earthquakes are no stranger to the environment there. The Outer Banks of North Carolina are vulnerable to powerful Nor'Easters that slash and tear at the coast, and sometimes hurricanes. And Florida is like a giant Bulls-eye for Hurricanes. So every place has its draw backs. The story my father had for me about being held by a policeman that he couldn't understand for 5 hours for absolutely no reason at all makes me think twice about visiting Panama. But, my father would go back in a heartbeat. I have an uncle that moved to Mexico and loves it! But one wrong turn one day led him and my aunt into getting held up and robbed by the police themselves, but he wouldn't leave for a million dollars! Both my father and Uncle were part of a negative event, but it didn't ruin the experience. I too would recommend doing what Questor said. Think of what the "whole" place means to you. Think of all the accomodations and pro's/con's. Visit and see what you think.

Many good wishes to you and have a great retirement.

Brian