One of the top kayak fishing destinations in the world is Los Buzos. Many may not have heard of it, but that is changing by the minute. Los Buzos is a small resort located in Cambutal, Panama along the Pacific Ocean. It is a 6-hour drive from Panama City with breathtaking views of black sand beaches and rocky shores with beautiful cliffs. The fishing is nothing short of spectacular and is easily accessible by kayak anglers.

The resort itself is right along the beach and the sunrises and sunsets are stunning. It is remote with very few houses in the area which makes it feel quaint and untouched. The man in charge is Adam Fisk and he works his tail off to make sure you have a great experience. He and his guides are well prepared to provide both novice and well-seasoned kayak fishermen the trip of a lifetime. You can bring your own gear if you choose, but they also rent their gear at a very reasonable price. They have a nice fleet of kayaks available including Jackson, Hobie, and Lightnings. The species you can catch are so vast. On any given day you can hook up to a cubera snapper, rooster fish, black marlin, yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, wahoo, scamp grouper, giant trevally, and seemingly endless others.

Before bed each night, you will pick from a list on the menu and the chef prepares a delicious lunch that is packaged in waterproof containers to bring with you on the water. Each morning, the staff brings the kayaks down to the beach and helps make sure you launch safely through the surf. You will leave the beach each day at 6:30 AM and do not typically stop fishing until around 4:30 PM. This makes for a very active week and although you can head back in at any time depending on your stamina, I’d recommend that you spend some time training your legs ahead of your trip so you can spend as much time on the water as possible. While you are out fishing, a fleet of pangas (smaller, outboard-powered boats) is working to catch live bait for you throughout the day. Bonitas are one of the main baits which you will use to troll slowly behind your kayak. Each kayak has a depth finder/plotter with GPS coordinates that help you find specific reefs that hold big fish. Did I say there are some giant fish in Los Buzos? That is an understatement. Los Buzos has 5 official International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world records including the all-tackle leather bass, all-tackle spotted rose snapper, all-tackle whitefin corvina, and all-tackle (length) roosterfish. There have also been a few black marlins caught that were over 500 pounds!

I, along with a group of eight others, booked a trip to Los Buzos last December. We landed in Panama City on a Friday where we stayed the night, and then had a shuttle bus to bring us to Los Buzos on Saturday for five days of hardcore fishing. Many species were caught throughout the week and most were released. However, we did keep a few fish each day for a spectacular dinner that night. Los Buzos has a full-time executive chef that prepares breakfast, lunch, and an awesome dinner each night using local ingredients and fresh fish caught each day.  Those meals included grilled grouper and mahi mahi, fresh tuna sashimi, and fried Corvina. If you have never had Corvina, you are in for a treat! Did I mention there is a large cooler at the resort with local Panamanian beers on the house? We had many highlights during the trip including a monster scamp grouper that ate a dead bonita while bottom fishing, a new IGFA world record corvina, and a new IGFA world record roosterfish.

We were headed out in pangas to a spot down the coast with our kayaks still loaded when we spotted a school of bonita. We caught three bonita quickly and I hooked one of them to a rod and casted it out. Right as we were trying to unload the kayaks in the water, my rod starts screaming. I began reeling and once the line became tight, I knew that I had a good fish on. After fighting the fish for 20 minutes, we realized that it was a big roosterfish. Right as Adam grabbed the leader and pulled the fish in the boat, the circle hooks pulled out. That was a close call. That is when we truly realized how big the fish was. After measuring the fish, we knew we had a potential new world record. We took pictures for documentation and the fish was safely released. The fish measured over 53” from the head to the fork. The previous world record was 51 inches. After waiting for 6 months, we finally received word that the IGFA had accepted my fish as the new all-tackle length world record.

If you are thinking about booking a trip with Los Buzos, their rates are very reasonable, and we found great airfare prices. The resort also assisted with getting us a great price on lodging in Panama City and the shuttle between there and the resort. The rooms were always clean, the area was safe, the staff is personable, and they have one goal which is for you have a great time. I cannot wait got get back to Panama. The fishing really is some of the best in the world.  If you go, tell them I sent you!  For more information, you can visit www.losbuzos.com or Los Buzos Panama on Facebook.

-Chuck Bahan

Photography Credit: Denes Szakacs Photography