This trip was by far the most fun we have had in Panama! We originally booked for 9am, as we are not early risers & we had just flown in from the US the night before, however, the capt let us know that the fishing would be much better earlier. We arranged for hotel pick up at 6:30 am & Roberto was right on time. We arrived at such a beautiful lake, Roberto & Carlos took us right to the fish & we were instantly reeling them in! They were so patient with my 9 & 11 yo children keeping bait on the hooks, and untangling our lines on twigs. Carlos is an excellent fisherman, and you can tell how passionate he is about fishing. He would spot the fish and guide us exactly when to reel in our line- he made it so easy!! We all had such a great time. We finished our time with the titi & white face monkeys feeding them nuts and bananas & even spotted a sloth! Do yourself a favor & book these guys for your next adventure on gatun lake. They do not disappoint!!

This was a great day on the lake. While Rene himself could not take me out he sent me with one of his extremely knowledgeable colleagues. 2 days before the trip Rene contacted me to let me know of this and he asked me if I can speak Spanish. When I said that my Spanish was a Work in Progress he sent along Robert, a guide that spoke great English and who was very knowledgeable about the Panama Canal and it’s history.

But you are here to read about where I caught Fish… did l?????

From 6am we made the run up to the north of the lake close to the Santa Clara locks and we began casting and it was not long before I landed my first Peacock Bass. From that point on it was one strike after another. We never stopped moving. When it got slower we started trolling for Snook and Peacock Bass and on every attempt we hit them.

We continued throughout the day like this hopping between Spinning and Trolling until later in the evening when the Cap had something special planned.

He took me to his Personal spot where he had only a week ago caught his record Snook. We trolled for about 30-40 mins hooking up on Snook and Peacocks but he was not satisfied until my rod was bent to breaking point. Just before sunset I was hooked up on a fighter of a Snook that took over 10 mins to land. What a way to end the evening.

I really appreciated everything Rene’s team did and will highly recommend them for you Gamboa experience.

P.S:meeting the Panama Canal Police was a bonus.

me and my girlfriend were looking sor something to do and ended up hooking this the day before we wanted to go and Rene somehow found a way to fit us in with his best captain carlos which is just awesome. we ended up liking this more then deep sea fishing! carlos was very knowledgable and would even cast for my girlfriend and put her right on the fish almost every single time and she ended up catching more fish then i did! we caught a lot of peacock bass and a couple monster snook which was just a blast and it is absolutely beautiful out on gatun lake i dont think theres anywhere else id say is more beautiful and i live in the mississippi river valley. but overall just an awesome day carlos could call monkeys to him and get them right up next to the boat it was so awesome best day of our trip so far. will definitely be back next year with rene and carlos for lots more fun! thank you rene and carlos very very much!!!!!

The whole process was great
2nd trip with Fishing Booker 1st in Cancun and this one in Panama City. They are not a scam

As for this charter and Rene.  The 6 hour trip was fantastic
They picked me up at the Rui Plaza 10 minutes early and returned me for $70. Thank you Roberto

As for Rene. His passion for fishing is very clear.  He loves to fish and getting his clients on fish.  We caught several species and in numbers.  Hardly had time to eat. As a Canadian getting on the water in January was a real treat as back home everything is frozen or out of season
We stopped by the money area and saw 3 types of monkeys and a sloth. Awesome

Very very cool fishing in the Panama Canal with the ships going by. A very natural untouched area. It felt like was on a remote lake in northern Canada

I have been fishing for 55 years and can say this was one of the top days in my fishing life, a dream trip. If you are considering fishing in Panama I strongly recommend Rene and his team
Thank you Rene

We had a middle of the day trip due to our cruise ship arrival time, so I wasn’t really expecting a real plentiful trip. However, Diego met us at the cruise terminal and was waiting as we walked off the boat. The trip started with a 45 minute ride to Lake Gamboa. Captain Rene was waiting for us at the dock and we hopped on the boat and we proceeded up the Panama Canal. After about 15 minutes, we began trolling a couple of spots where we hooked up twice. I landed one and it was a snook that was about 28 inches long. we proceeded up the canal and eventually turned off into one of the rivers that feed the canal. As soon as we stopped in one of the coves we started catching fish. we caught lots of Oscars and Peacock Bass including one that went about 4 pounds. I was hoping for something larger, but the action was constant and even my wife caught lots of fish.  I would rate this fishing trip one of the best I have ever been on. The trip was really flawless. I think if I had been able to go either early in the morning or late in the afternoon, it would’ve even been better, but we made the best of a middle of the day trip. If you have concerns about booking this trip, forget them and book it you won’t regret it. Thank you, Captain Rene and Diego for a great experience. if I ever come back to Panama, this will be the excursion I will take. this was truly a five star experience!