My buddy and I fished with Rene for 4 days. We wanted to catch mainly peacock bass but we transitioned back and fourth between bass, tarpon and snook. Rene left the decision up to us on what we wanted to target each day and he would take us to spots that held a lot of big fish. Rene is a well educated fisherman and knows the Panama Canal and Lake Gatineau very well. If you want to catch fish, book a trip with Rene. He will put you on fish with fly rod and regular rod and reel. I highly recommend fishing with Rene. We only had good things to say about our experience!

Booked a full day with Rene. There were three of us on the boat, all pretty experienced fishermen. We started the day targeting Snook & Tarpon on lures but since it was a bit windy, we changed tactics after releasing one Snook to go after Peacock Bass. We explored several rivers and parts of Lake Gatun and caught about 15-20 bass, some nice sized. We also had a few Oscars and Tigerfish. We ended the day trolling around the Panama Canal bridges and vertical jigging but with limited success. Rene is a charismatic guy that enjoys fishing and helps you get a great overview of the amazing area you are fishing in. The trip would have been fun even if we didn’t catch anything. We all had dinner together at a Chinese restaurant he recommended and recollected the day. Will definitely be back next time we’re in Panama!

I’m from Australia and while in Panama I was keen to find a charter that had good equipment, did lots of lure fishing and knew how to find the fish - these guys did not disappoint. My guide, Rene, was extremely knowledgeable and fantastic in the way he described how to improve your technique. All the fishing equipment was top quality and boat was so comfortable with so much space to cast lures from. I caught several Peacock Bass on surface lures and was extremely lucky to also catch a 95lb Tarpon on a top water popper - the take was insane and Renes guidance was critical over the 45 minutes it took to land the fish. This was probably the best charter I’ve ever taken. I fully recommend them!!

Fishing trip of a lifetime with Rene.

In short, he is a fantastic guy, a master in photography (the best shots of you and your fish) ,incredibly knowledgeable about fishing and seemed to know every square inch of the Panama canal and Lake Gatun. He has a great boat and incredibly high quality fishing gear all purpose built and perfect for fishing there.

The story about my half day fishing trip.
Before the trip Rene contacted me several times establishing my ability level and finding out exactly what rod and reel set up I preferred. He even brought a baitcasting reel and rod so that I could try this out too.

The trip started in Gamboa where I met Rene and climbed aboard his boat. He had brought 6 rods with him for our trip and a tonne of tackle, literally a mountain of lures to try.

We started off collecting fresh small livebait near the marina and headed off up into lake Gatun. It was a flat calm day and we started by trolling a few lures just for a few minutes over a likely stretch. Then we begun casting lures at rises we saw amongst the tree stumps. Rene beforehand showing me the most productive action to use for each different style of lure I fished with. My sole aim on the trip was to catch a peacock bass, I really hadn’t expected to catch anything else.
The fish became more active, seeing quite a few rises. I hooked into and landed after a few jumps a lovely ladyfish. I then managed to catch my first tiny peacock bass.
It was then that Rene noticed some much larger swirls and said to me “Tarpon!”.

He quickly grabbed one of his heavier set ups and tied on slightly big popper. He knew exactly what to use. After the first cast using this the water around the popper exploded. I had been sceptical that such a compact setup could handle such a giant fish! But Rene assured me that the 60lb ultrathin braid and rod (which I had almost folded over later) had landed umpteen huge tarpon in the past.

Rene coached me in the fight periodically checking the drag, telling me when to thumb the line and drag the fish away from structure, when to let the monster run (often after the 7+ leaps clear out the water). We noticed toward the end of the 45 min fight that the fish was going to fight to the death. We both would have hated that to happen to such a giant. So Rene got me to tighten everything up, pumping the fish to the surface testing all his gear to the limit and brought the fish alongside the boat. We decided to keep the fish in the water as it was exhausted and there was no way it would survive being handled. Rene quickly removed the hooks and began to reviving the fish. Then as it regained its strength with a big shake of its head the monster was away. I day I will never forget with a good 45min video of the whole fight recorded to prove it!

Later still reeling from all the adrenalin of such a fight Rene remembered that I had been after some Peacock bass. He took me into some fantastic areas expertly guiding us through tree stumps with his bass motor. Here I caught at least 5 beautifully colored peacock bass. Loosing a few much bigger specimens on live bait in the tree trunks. We saw a massive 4lb+ fish but I was unlucky and managed to get my line tangled whilst trying to cast excitedly at it and spooked the fish. This was caught the next day by another very happy client.

Overall a fantastic morning, Rene is a legend and you will be more than happy booking a fishing trip with him and Panamafishingtrip.

We headed out for an amazing day! Had good fishing, great area!

It was surprising how much more than fishing was going on. Big ships transiting the canal, tons of wildlife everywhere. Just a great place. Our Captain was super helpful, as was the whole little community at the dock.

The folks leaving their resort for a site sightseeing tour definitely looked jealous they weren’t going to have more space and haul in some peacock bass!

Can’t recommend enough, just remember your sunscreen!!