Want to go Fishing in Panama? READ THIS FIRST!

Panama Roosters/

Panama located in Central America, bordering both Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It is a unique location with more than 2,900 km (1,800 miles) of coastline where the cold current from the Antarctica meets the warm current from the South. This creates a wonderland for plankton and baitfish. Therefore Panamanian waters are known for world record fishing and easily becoming a lock on every angler's bucket list.

Planning

Planning my trip to Panama was straightforward, thanks to Robert Field's YouTube channel. He shared a link to Los Buzos Resort, whose website had all the necessary information for planning and travel. However, I did minimum research on other Panama guides or fishing resorts. Reason being is because when I was searching and reading Panama fishing guides and Panama fishing articles they all felt generic. Almost as if the author had. never been fishing in Panama and as if every Panama Resort website was owned by the same owner.

https://losbuzos.com/

Getting There

Getting to Los Buzos Resort is difficult for the average angler (but for the 1 percenters, they can arrange a private chopper). It basically took me two days to get to the final destination. My journey began in Sacramento, where I flew to Houston for a layover, then boarded a four-hour flight to Panama City, arriving at around 8 PM. The following morning, we were picked up by a tour bus for a 6-hour drive to the resort in Cambutal. Not to mention the alcohol infused night before exploring old town made the 6-hour bus ride a little uncomfortable.

5 minutes into bus ride.

3 hours into bus ride.

6 hours into bus ride.

Location

Los Buzos Resort is situated on the west peninsula of Panama in the Los Santos Cambutal province. It is hard to put into words how incredible this place is. And it is times like these I wish I went to college to study English because I cannot put in words how amazing this place is. This is a place where you can truly feel away from all modern civilization and not miss it one bit. It is a secluded paradise, with beautiful beaches reminiscent of Hawaii, but without the crowds, and surrounded by lush, green mountainous terrain. The resort is accessible via a single dirt road, leading to the Cambutal Hotel, a yoga resort, and a few local bars, all offering stunning ocean views.

When planning your trip, Los Buzos offers a variety of accommodation options. The standard package includes a shared room with your party or, if traveling alone, you will be paired with another angler (which I do not recommend for various reasons). You can upgrade to a "condominium" which I highly recommend. These are newly built units with standard amenities such as a bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen, and the added bonus of a washer and dryer."

Our condo patio.

Robert Field and Dakota Dunmire explaining equipment essentials.

Seems as if not a soul has ever set foot on this beach with perfect unadulterated sand.

Miles of coastline and not a single human in sight.

Drone shot of sunset above Los Buzos.

Also because of flight schedules you will most likely have two nights to explore Panama City (not nearly enough), which has unique combination of modern society and historic old town feels. Not to forget the one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World- the Panama Canal, located just outside the city.

Panama Canal

Rooftop view of Panama City from AC Hotel Panama City (host Hotel in Panama City).

Food

The food provided at Los Buzos Resort is good on the first day but becomes just okay by the fourth day. Breakfast is a standard continental fare of scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, and a pastry. Lunch is a packed brown bag meal, typically a tuna sandwich and mac salad, which is perfect for eating on the kayak while fishing. However, those who are used to all-inclusive resorts may have higher expectations where Los Buzos fails. Dinner is made up of the fish caught by the group that day, which can include yellowfin, mahi-mahi, grouper, and other types of fish. Each dinner begins with an excellent ceviche and sashimi, but after five days in a row, it can become repetitive. The main course is prepared in different ways and served with vegetables and a starch, such as rice or potatoes. But let's just say do not expect a five star dining experience. On the other hand, my brother and I had an outstanding meal at a local restaurant, Hotel Cambutal, where we had octopus curry and an appetizer of fried plantain cups filled with a seafood salad, which was straight fire!

Sea Bass at El Primo Panama City

Fishing

The fishing at Los Buzos Resort was not bad, but it wasn't exceptional either. As with all types of fishing, there are different techniques and strategies that are learned through experience. But with so many bucket list species available (Roosters, Cubera Snappers, Marlin, and Tuna) in my opinion if you were to fish there more times than not, it would be better than worse. With that said, if I were to go back, I am confident that I would catch more fish. Keep in mind that I was fishing alone on a kayak and experimenting on the spot. But if you do have questions, Head Guide Dakota Dunmire and (or) Guest Guide Robert Field do an excellent job riding around in a panga assisting anglers when needed. Here are a few tips that I would pass along to someone who has never done this before:

1. Live bait is crucial. The most readily available live bait is the bonita. I would have been happy catching these all day chasing boils and using a casting jig. The tricky thing with them is that they die quickly if they're not moving, so transferring them from your jig to the live bait rig can be difficult at first. My advice is to get your live bait rig ready while you're fighting the bonita, so you can put it on the live bait setup as quickly as possible.

2. Once the bonita is on the live bait rig and dropped down, this is the best time to get a bite. Not when you're trolling it around hundreds of yards behind your kayak for two hours. My advice is not to troll the bonita around for extended periods of time (like I did, because before you know it, your day is over).

3. If you can't get a live bait, the next best thing is a jigging spoon, which in my opinion, is much more fun than trolling. My advice is to bring a 30-40g jig, as the one provided and sold at the shop's is a bit too light.

4. I traveled with just carry-on, I put all my spoons and jigs in a small tackle box, but it was taken by Panama security. If you bring your own tackle, you might want to check it in.

Cost

The cost of the trip was $2990 and included five days of fishing, the use of a Hobie kayak, three rod setups, food, upgraded accommodation, and transportation from Panama City to Los Buzos and back. In my opinion, this was a very good deal, as an offshore trip in San Diego can cost up to $3000 for just one day.

Other costs to consider include the tip to the Los Buzos guides and staff, flight, two nights' hotel in Panama City (at an average rate of $80 per night), and food and drinks in Panama City. Most meals are relatively inexpensive, with a main course of meat, rice, and a vegetable costing less than $10."

Overall Recommendation

There were a few aspects of the trip that we did not particularly enjoy, such as the long drive from Panama City to Los Buzos. Additionally, we would have preferred more time on the water for fishing. Specifically, we would have liked to fish during the change of light. Each day, we fished from 8 AM to 2 PM. Despite these minor shortcomings, I would HIGHLY recommend Los Buzos Resort. I would recommend extending your trip to spend some time in Panama City as well, as I wish we had done that too.