We’ve loved our 3 trips to Casa Vieja Lodge in (with another on the books for February) and our 3 trips to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge. Nevertheless, one complication is that you don’t need anything new to go. Nevertheless, I try to get a few new things each time for “testing” purposes. If you know someone headed offshore, here are gift ideas that are sure to please.

I’m a topwater addict, whether it’s chasing smallmouths up north or peacock bass south of the equator, but I’d never seen anything like acres of herding dolphins, diving birds, and rampaging yellowfin tuna converging in a tornado of chaos. On our three trips to Panama we’ve landed some finned freaks of nature on top. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Traveling to fish to in different conditions you need specialized gear. That’s especially true if it’s going to rain – because if you’re wet it can be uncomfortable, or even unsafe, and can impact your ability to hook and land the fish of a lifetime. Through trial and error, I’ve built up an arsenal of some of the best gear for wet weather conditions.

On our first of what will likely be many trips to Ballard’s Black Island on Lake of the Woods, we absolutely wrecked the giant smallmouths, but as Hanna has chronicled previously our packing process was a little bit subpar. We had everything that we needed, but not necessarily in the right quantities. When we head back, we’ll tweak them a bit to improve an already-great trip.

Buying gifts for swimbaiters is tough for several reasons. First, it’s a very personalized niche, and most of the addicts I’ve met have very specific tastes. Second, the items tend to be on the expensive side, so if you make a mistake it’s especially costly. Finally, some of the really good stuff is produced in small quantities, and distributed through hard-to-win “drops.” These items are all readily available.

Most serious bass anglers headed to Lake El Salto or Lake Picachos likely have a pretty good idea of the tackle they’ll need. Nevertheless, even after 20 or so trips of our own we still find ourselves adding to the stash. The best gift you can give the angler in your life is a trip to “Bass Fishing Disneyland,” but if they’ve already got it booked here are some failsafe options that will ensure that they maximize their chances of success.

The first lure I bought at the Swimbait Universe Gathering 4 was the LFOD Munk painted in the unmistakable chipmunk pattern depicted. I’m not sure if it will produce better than the rat baits I already own in black, white and gray but I had to have it. I’ve also learned that some smaller-scale baitmakers have expanded their lineups further into the rodent section of Noah’s Ark.

Whether you want a squirrel, a gerbil or some other pest that might otherwise belong in a trap, there’s a fishy option out there. Unfortunately, many of them are hard to obtain or downright pricey. If for some reason you can’t or won’t get one of the custom models, you’re in luck. Here are some mammalian lures (both shapes and colors) that are widely available.

I’m ashamed and disappointed to admit that I’ve probably ruined more good fishing tackle than many other people will ever own. Between bent tails and broken hardware and rusted-out hooks, I’ve been forced to trash lots of gear that never even saw the water. Accordingly, I try to take care of my stuff. Here are a few things to consider of your rapidly-expanding collection is becoming unwieldy.

Even after nearly 20 years of fishing there’s a ton I still need to learn, including a lot of basics. When should I use certain lures? How do electronics work? Why this? What that? So many questions! Learning from your husband is difficult, so I got Chad Morgenthaler of FutureCast Academy to teach me to fish a football jig.

One way that I normally cope with my anticipation between fishing adventures is through retail therapy. When it comes to chasing tuna and cuberas and billfish, however, I wouldn’t even know where to start. Shane Jarvis provides everything we need so you could show up with just a few sets of clothing, your toiletries, and a cooler to take home some tuna. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to accumulate a few items that will make the trip to the Panama with me.

After 17 years of affiliation with Yamamoto Baits – and many more before that using their products – I’ve gone through tons of plastics and figured out what I like and need. I try to make one big order at the end of each season to restock what I’ve gone through and what I expect that I might need. Here’s what recently came in.

Yesterday I compiled a survey of anatomically-correct bird lures, some of which are readily available. If you’re not ready to take that leap of faith, but still think that lures that resemble birds could be effective, you’re in luck – plenty of mainstream manufacturers have tried to replicate avian snack foods.

While birds may not be a major part of their diets, there’s no doubt that hungry bass will eat them on occasion. I’ve already detailed how “canary” patterns don’t work for me, so I’m leaving them out of this survey, but there are plenty have been plenty avian lures throughout recent years. Here are a few worth noting.

Ace instructor Chad Morgenthaler of Future Cast Academy taught me Livescope and now when Pete asks if I want to run the trolling motor he may be surprised at my answer. Check out what it looks like and all the fun we had finding and catching fish. Contact Chad for a personalized lesson.

With the conclusion of our June 2022 trip to Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, now comes the long winter of our discontent – the extended period of no Mexico trips until 2023. That gives me time to restock myself with proven winners from our past 20 or so journeys South of the Border and also to speculate about lures that I need to pack in my tackle bag for their first trip down. Here are eight baits that have been on my mind in the short time since we returned.

Since I started fishing 18 years ago, I've had lots of polarized sunglasses, but always chose them with an eye on fashion versus function. Lately, thought, I've realized that when it comes to performance there's "more than meets the eye." I decided to ask a panel of accomplished female anglers which shades they wear and why.

For the first time since we went to Africa in 2016, Hanna and I fished an entire trip with nothing but travel rods. We brought two stubby rod tubes to Lake of the Woods last week, and used the multi-piece rods inside of them to conquer seven or eight different species of fish – everything from yellow perch to muskies. Smallmouths were our primary focus and we caught a near 25 pound limit on our third full day.

When we first visited the Amazon in 2011/2012, it was tough to find readily-available walk-the-dog topwaters larger than a Super Spook. That’s why we turned to various JDM hard baits like the Maria Miss Carna 140 and the Imakatsu Trairao when the fish would come up to eat but not crush our prop baits. Fortunately, in the ensuing decade manufacturers have heeded the call for more big dog walking topwaters.

We snuck into the arena before Swimbait Gathering 4 started to ask some of the builders, manufacturers, painters and swimbait hooligans what products made them proudest. We've got rods and boards, rats and bunnies, and all sorts of the good stuff.