Captain Renee was a great guide!  We were very happy with our trip.  Our Panamanian family we went with did not realize this experience was 25 minutes away from them an will probably be booking a trip soon with their daughters.  We will definitely be booking again next time we are in Panama!

Before boarding Captain Rene’s boat we were welcomed as friends, instead of simply clients. Captain Rene Him was not only a knowledgeable guide and fisherman, but well versed in the history and ecosystem of the Panama Canal. The weather was not ideal, but we stayed busy catching beautiful Peacock Bass.  The surrounding landscape and wildlife observed was worth the cost. Captain Rene Him turned a fishing trip into a memorable outdoor adventure.

This was my second trip with Captain Renee; the first was a year ago. Last year I caught a ton of fish, but one that we tried for, we struck out on: a Tarpoon. This year, I chose to focus on Tarpoon, knowing it would be risky just landing one of these giants. While we did catch several species of fish, including my first Lady Fish and my Personal best Peacock Bass… The Tarpoon was elusive; we did see a few and even had one giant chase after my lure only to turn around at the last second.
If you book a trip with Renee, you should ask him to coach your fishing. I did, and I learned a ton from his honest tips and tricks. Hoping to get back one the water with Renee again soon!

I booked a 4hr Lake Gatun trip with Rene at Fishing Bookers. As soon as I booked it (45 days in advance), Capt Rene reached out through the app to answer questions and to find out what type of fishing experience I wanted.  I opted for a trip focusing on peacock bass, snook, and tilapia. I also wanted to see the monkeys that populate some of the small lake islands. I needed transportation from Panama City to the boat launch in Gamboa. He provided assurance that this would be a great trip. Today (4/25), he arrived early for pickup and got to the boat with no problems.

The ride out to the fishing spots was very scenic and he gave some quick tips on fishing with his lures and live bait. He knows what he’s doing. We caught at least 15 peacock bass and 4 snook.

We then went to the small islands where we saw three types of monkeys up close (howlers, tamarins, and capuchins). The capuchins even got on the boat to get a late breakfast of peanuts that we had on hand.

The trip back was easy. We arrived back at our Panama City hotel at 10:45a with the whole day ahead of us.  I could not provide a stronger recommendation to use Capt Rene.

Fishing with Capt Renè was great. He was prompt, organized, personable, and knowledgeable. He had beverages and snacks and his boat and equipment were in great condition. We really enjoyed fishing the bridge, the canal, and remote spots on the lake on our 5.5 hour trip. The weather was perfect and we caught a lot of peacock bass and a tiger fish, saw a lot of birds, heard many troops of howler monkeys and saw a huge caiman when we came back in. Added bonus, Renè looks photos and videos of our experience throughout the day and compiled into a short fun adventure video. Highly recommend!