This was my second trip in six months with Big Buoy's Capt Eric. Last time was with my wife, this time was with two friends. We caught 11 sailfish on the fly and two on spinning gear. We could have caught several more but wanted to get them on flies. Eric and his crew are excellent fishermen and work hard at making your trip enjoyable. They are also very respectable to women anglers. If you are lucky enough to catch a dorado, they may even make ceviche or sashimi on the boat for a snack! The villa is excellent and pool very refreshing at the end of the day. Nancy's suppers are excellent and the ice cream trips are most welcome at the end of the day. Going back as soon as possible!
I just returned from an awesome stay and fishing trip with captain eric and crew. the big bouy villa and staff were great. The food was very good,but it was the catching. Not fishing that made the trip. costa rica has nothing on this place. Ben there done that. chris McDonald Carolina beach n.c.
Eric and the staff are awesome. We could not have had better service. The meals were outstanding and Eric was very accommodating on and off the island. Looking forward to our next trip in June
Myself and three friends arrived on a Saturday afternoon after driving in from Lake Atitlan. When we took the boat to the house we were very pleased with our accommodations. Since we had driven all day we didn't really stop anywhere to have a full meal so Capt. Eric had some food made up for us which tasted very well. The four of us relaxed around the house and beach for a few hours drinking beer until dinner was served. We had a great dinner with Capt. Eric, we were all telling stories and drinking plenty of fluids for the next day. Needless to say I think 5am came a little sooner than what we were expecting. Either way we got up for the day and had a filling breakfast of sausage, eggs, pancakes and bacon. We then went to the marina and got on the boat. After an hour or so of heading out to sea the crew started preparing the lines. Within 10-15 min we had the first sailfish hooked! I was fortunate enough to be the first one to reel in the fish, which was itself one of the best fishing experiences I have had, to make things better as I was reeling it in one of the volcanoes off in the distance was spouting off some smoke. Overall we caught 13 sailfish and had a great time. Capt. Eric has quite the setup to accommodate your needs whether on shore or at sea. You won't be disappointed at all!
Every year 6 of us go on a fishing trip at a new location. All of us are anglers by hobby and so we expect a lot from a new fishing experience. All I can say is it was wonderful. The atmosphere at the lodge is conducive to relaxation and fun. Further, Eric is a wonderful host who worked to make sure we were all satisfied. Last, if you get a chance take a day and visit Antigua - just a wonderful city and sightseeing. Plenty of sailfish, dorado and yellowfin were had along with great food and nice surroundings.
I made my 3rd fishing trip with Eric and Big Buoy in August, 2014. This trip down, I took a fishing buddy to turn him on to Eric's fine service and hospitality (See Scott L's feedback). I was blown away by the new villa Eric recently purchased....wow, nice! The locale is quiet and a great place to just chill. I half-jokingly asked Eric if he would consider renting me a room on a full-time basis. Another great fishing trip hosted by the best guide I've yet to fish with.....and I've fished all over the world. I have selfish reasons and hesitancy to post another great review for Big Buoy; if the "secret" gets out, I'll have to compete with other guests to get a slot on Eric's agenda! Thanks Eric and Big Buoy!
Were planning another trip here in the future. Hoping the fishing picks up a little better, we just had a run of bad luck. The view is amazing. The hospitality was over the top. The people were beyond nice!!! Loved my trip!! It's a must go!!!!!
had a fab trip with these guys had a striped marlin around 250lb and a blue marlin around 400lbwell looked after deck hands were great, cant wait to go back
Capt Eric is the real deal- he CARES about his customers.My wife and I have fished the world, many, MANY locations and with some of the best Capt's and mates in the world. Capt Eric takes personal care from picking up at the airport, to the stay at the nice Casa withi pool, to the fantastic fishing. Great food also. We took our two grandchildren on their first Billfish trip- they caught NIONE each and got some great teaching from Capt Eric also. He also provided us great access for a couple days of sightseeing in Antigua!I can honestly say, without any reservation, IF you want to fish Gutamala, you can NOT do better than to Fish with Capt Eric!!!Thanks for a fantastic trip Eric!I can honestly say that if you want to fish Gutamala
Our group of 4 fishermen have visited numerous other locations (Costa, Cabo, etc.) over the years and our time with Captain Eric Goetz and Big Buoy Fishing was better than all of those trips. From the moment we began discussing a trip with Eric, he was extremely informative and helped us thru every step of the decision making process. It was great to have an advisor like Eric to take the time to educate us and it was very valuable for us to talk with someone who understood our perspective and what questions we needed to be asking. Once we got to Guatemala City, Eric took care of us every step of the way. He personally toured us around Puerto San Jose and arranged all of our transportation to and from the marina. Eric even took us out at night to see the nightlife and was by our side at each turn. Being safe was a priority and with Eric, that was exactly how we felt. Our last night, Eric even carried us back to Antigua, ate dinner with us and took us to the airport the next day. We highly recommend staying in Antigua your last night if you have the opportunity, it is an amazing City with a ton of history and culture, very safe. We stayed at the El Convento but heard the Santo Domingo is also excellent.The fishing was spectacular! In reading all the reports and hype, we showed up expecting to catch some sailfish but what surprised us was the availability of other species. We caught sailfish, black marlin, dorado and yellowfin tuna. It was incredible!In summary, you can't go wrong with Captain Eric and Big Buoy Fishing. If I can provide any further details or experiential testimony, please talk with Eric and he can give you my contact info. We are already talking about our next trip !ClintLookout Mountain, GA