Hefty roosterfish towing your kayak like a water ski.  Tussling with peacock bass all day long in a freshwater lake.  Exploring a remote jungle wilderness with your paddle and a fishing rod.

These are just a few of the heart-pounding outback adventures for you and your family to choose from with Paddle Panama operated by water sports wizard/adventurer Captain Hennie Marais, a Guy Harvey Outpost Outfitter based in Panama City, Panama.

A few years back, Marais opened Panama Paddle Center– the Central American country’s first-ever retail shop, club and outfitter dedicated to kayaking.  Here you can buy or rent several different models of kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, get paddling instruction, sign up for races and fishing tournaments, and –best of all–arrange the kayak fishing vacation of a lifetime.

For a remote wilderness experience, you might choose the “Lost Coast” of the Pacific near Bahia Honda.  Stay in a thatch-roofed hut on the property of a local family and then paddle out to try to tangle with a roosterfish, big amberjack or Cubera snapper.

Or join Marais on a four-wheel-drive road trip along the “Tuna Coast” of the Gulf of Panama, overnighting in hostels and chasing yellowfins so big they drag your kayak on plane.  Continue to the Darien coast to pursue roosterfish, big Cuberas and many pelagic species.  More than 300 International Game Fish Association world records have been set in this region.

For a freshwater expedition, you’ll want to head inland to Lake Gatun to enjoy non-stop peacock bass action. You can catch tarpon and snook in the adjacent Chagres River.  The floating Gatun Explorer serves as your base camp.

These guided kayak fishing expeditions generally run four to seven days and accommodate up to four anglers.

For more information about Panama kayak fishing, email Hennie@paddlepanama.com.