Marna Binkley

The Humble Beginnings of the El Rio Negro Panama Sport Fishing Lodge

What can be said about the El Rio Negro? It is a Panama Sport Fishing Lodge that is located in Playa Reina, a cattle rancher’s wilderness on the West Coast of the Azuero Peninsula, District of Mariato – Republic of Panama. We have been involved in the guided Charter Fishing industry since 1995 and are a family-owned and operated business. We pride ourselves on the simplicity of our operation and the rustic feel of our Panama Sport Fishing Lodge.

The business has a humble history, with a friendly aura that anyone can relate to. It was founded in 1995 by Alex Livingston Sr. who teamed up with friends Tom Giles and Billy Boughner as partners. Alex Sr. was born in Colon and raised in Panama as a 3rd generation Panamanian/Zonian. He traveled the country for many years, surfing and fishing while looking for the ideal area where he could retire. He stumbled upon Mariato, where he found perfect waves and world-class fishing. Since Alex, Tom and Billy had recently retired from the Canal Zone area, they decided the next step was to make the move to Mariato to focus on the business of offering guests the best Sport Fishing in Panama at a high-quality Panama Sport Fishing Lodge. Billy was the technical advisor for the boat building (former tug boat designer for the Panama Canal Commission) and Tom (logistics officer for the Southern Command) took over the organizational aspect of the business.

They built a rustic lodge, built stellar boats and found all the hot fishing spots in the area. After many great seasons of guests and sport fishing, their hobby became another job and they all decided it was time to retire once again.

panama sport fishing lodge Tuna-coast-panama-mariato-cebacoOwnership change, quality gets even better!

El Rio Negro Panama Sport Fishing Lodge has now been adopted by Alex Livingston Jr. (4th generation Panamanian/Zonian), his wife Lauren Livingston, baby Ryann and the 3 lodge boxers: Daisy, Lola and the Bug. We feel that the lodge remains as it always was: Very personal, welcoming and fishing-oriented. It is important to us that our guests will get to enjoy themselves. This is why we only allow 8 guests at a time, since we want to make sure they have the time of their life in a private boutique atmosphere.

This helps us offer the experience of a lifetime