After five days of intense kayak fishing Jaco Beach resident Lance Clinton claimed 3rd place out of a field of 12 finalists selected worldwide to compete in the annual “winner-take-all” Los Buzos Panama International Kayak Fishing World Championship 2019. The 1st place winner – James McBeath of Canada — took home $10,000.

“The tournament was great. Caught some great fish and finished in third,” Clinton said. “I was VERY close to winning the whole thing. I pulled into 1st place on day four, but it all came down to the last day. I hooked a trophy sized cubera snapper that would have put me in 1st place and carried me across the finish line for the world title but despite my best efforts he made it to the rocks and broke me off. It’s all good. I fished my ass off and am very happy with my performance. So … so … close though.”

Clinton, 49, a former stock broker from Seattle, won a preliminary competition last September at the Los Buzos Resort which qualified him for this week’s tournament which ended on Friday. He turned professional four years ago and is sponsored by numerous fishing and sporting goods manufacturers.

The Los Buzos Kayak Fishing Championship series is designed to seek out the best 12 kayak anglers from around the globe and face them off against each other on equal footing at one of the best offshore kayak angling locations in the world — Los Buzos Resort in Panama.

Clinton represented Costa Rica with 11 other kayak anglers from Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States. Merv Low of Singapore came in 2nd. Only eight pounds of fish separated 1st and 2nd place.

“It is a very tight race for 1st, 2nd and 3rd but it is still anyone’s game. There have been several trophy cubera snapper, roosterfish, grouper over 50 pounds, yellowfin tune, and much more caught,” said a tournament spokesman on day-four of the five-day tournament. “We have also had some close encounters with big pacific sailfish and even some giant marlin. Tomorrow is the day we crown the champion!”

There came a moment one-hour before the competition ended that follow competitor Justin Mitchell of Australia — who was fishless all week — hooked a giant snapper with Clinton only a few feet away in his kayak offering words of encouragement.

“I became so engrossed in his moment that I began laughing and crying at the same time. He landed the fish and was so overcome with joy that he bowed his head and began sobbing,” Clinton said. “I was crying too and the moment was so powerful that the girl filming from the guide boat even began crying. It was by far the most amazing experience of my entire trip.

“He fished harder than ANY of us and had not even caught a fish for four-and-a-half days. To watch him catch that fish moved me to tears … that was the most magical moment.”

Jaco Beach became Clinton’s home 20 years ago. Kayaking first became an adventure hobby and a means for keeping fit. It also satisfies his love of preparing fresh Pacific Ocean fish at home. He makes a killer ceviche. Lance is known locally as “The King of Jaco Bay.”

Read more about Clinton’s amazing Costa Rican journey on Instagram @crkayakfishing and see his exciting 2-minute kayak fishing video filmed entirely on Jaco Bay.