Tropic Star Lodge in Pinas Bay, Panama, is known for its exquisite accommodations, legendary fleet of 31-foot Bertrams and a steady supply of big black marlin.

That giant forked tail gives a marlin some serious horsepower. These fish can put on blistering runs filled with heart-raising jumps as they steam off for the horizon.

Live bonito are the preferred bait for big marlin. Each boat is equipped with a custom livewell for the frisky tunas.

Big black marlin love to dance on the leader and shoot right out of the water next to the boat. When the mate grabs the leader and the line starts to move toward the surface, get your camera ready and you might just get a magical photo like this one captured by Pat Ford.

Few thrills in fishing compare to seeing a marlin explode out of the water right behind the boat. And at Tropic Star it happens damn near every day when in season

Tropic Star runs a charter fleet of classic 31-foot Bertram sport-fishers, each one rigged up and ready to pursue big marlin.

Incoming! The crew prepares the tag stick as a marlin heads straight for the boat. Tropic Star’s fleet does its part by tagging and releasing scores of marlin every year.

When the bite goes off at Tropic Star, it goes off the chart. During one week in January 2009, the fleet released 95 marlin!

The mates get to have all the fun. These guys wire all of the big marlin, but then again, they work incredibly hard day in and day out to make sure each trip is a success.

A scrappy blue dog goes richter as it flies across the surface.

The circle hook got this fish right in the front of the mouth, ensuring a safe release with little to no damage done to the fish.

This is the stuff dreams are made of. While you can catch a long list of game fish at Tropic Star, the marlin will always be king. To find out more information and book a trip to this famed lodge, visit www.tropicstar.com.