Another year, many more chances to add to my bank of memories and my personal achievements. The fun part of this is not just the people we meet, but also the chance to build our personal skills. Here are some of the things that I hope to accomplish.

Catch a Marlin -- Aren’t you sick of me having the same goal each year? Me too! I do think that I had a marlin on when fishing at Casa Vieja Lodge. I say “I think” as the fish took the ballyhoo that was out for the sailfish, it didn’t jump, it came to the leader three times and on the third time it not only straightened the hook, it broke it in half. All three times we never saw the fish, but since it didn’t jump and didn’t circle like a tuna we have a suspicion it was a marlin; I’ll never know.

BUT I get another chance when we go to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge the first week of January. As I write this, SFPIL had eight marlin releases today, black, blue, and striped -- it’s like a greyhound chasing the bunny.

BNI: Business Network International -- At one of our last Vienna Business Association breakfast meetings we met a new friend and then met him for dinner to talk about fishing. We talked about fishing but we also learned so much just listening to how he marketed himself through his businesses. One of the suggestions was to go to a few BNI meetings in our area, they are the world’s largest business referral organization and they can help us grow and become more established as a business.

I’m excited to share what we do with more people who know more people and those people know people and so on.

Upon our return from Panama I need to do some research on the best group in our area and the best group for HPFC.

If anyone is a part of a BNI group and has any suggestions or recommendations please contact me.

Become confident on camera -- Believe it or not I am the worst in front of the camera. I can speak to anyone but as soon as the camera turns on I have a “Cindy Brady moment.” Everything I know about the product, everything I have to say gets lost, and won’t come out or I stutter or what comes out makes no sense.

Practice, practice, practice. I’ll never be a natural like Jennifer Aniston or Mark Zona but with practice I hope when the camera turns on I can get across the information you asked for, want to know or didn’t know you needed to know, and do it with confidence.

Viral post or video – I’m continuously dreaming of the day one of my fishing posts or videos goes viral. I need to create something unique, perhaps wild, something someone or some company wants to share. Help me with ideas? Jumping fish pictures, behind the scenes at one of our awesome lodges, unexpected moments caught on video or maybe more nail art? Pete and I have such a great website and concept for travel. We want everyone to know about it and I want to find those people who are not already in our orbit.

Make more shorts and YouTube videos -- To get a post or video to go viral I need to create, on a consistent basis, creative, fun, engaging content that shows our passion, whether it is a largemouth bass, a pair of shorts, behind the scenes of one of our lodges or tips and tricks to packing or travel. Growth starts with one, and then two and then a half dozen.

Learn how to edit Insta 360 videos -- I have the coolest video camera. It takes videos of your entire surroundings, so when you are fishing in front of the boat and inevitably the fish are jumping behind the boat, you’ll catch it on camera. You just can’t miss a moment, unless you are me who takes the videos yet doesn’t know how to edit them. In that case, it’s as if you never took the videos in the first place. My friend Mike and Carl have these cameras, they seem to edit the footage easily. If they can do it I surely can do it and if I can’t, I’ll MAKE them help me.

Book a Panama and Guatemala group that goes without HPFC -- Pete and I are a lot of fun to be around but if our dates for Panama or Guatemala don’t work for you please feel free to pick dates that will work for you and go fishing. The only difference in the vacation you take is that you aren’t there with me and Pete. I will still take you through each step of the trip, from the time you get off the plane until your departure. These are turnkey adventures, made better by my advice.

Fishing trips to Central America -- Guatemala and Panama

Find four more people to join us in Alaska August 2026 -- One of our favorite and most compelling destinations we visit is Bear Trail Lodge in King Salmon, Alaska. It’s the closest environment to a safari but in the United States.

I know August 2026 is far away but now is the time to take us up on this trip of a lifetime. It’s not inexpensive but there is plenty of time to save. This is a trip you can do as a single angler, couple or family. We already have a sizeable group going, so plan to meet up with other likeminded travelers.

We purchased a deep freezer, and the last of our salmon has been eaten so I am hoping to bring home as much as one hundred pounds to fill it back up.

Everyone needs to get to Alaska before they leave this earth. There are only four spots left -- yes only four spots this far out, so don’t delay. Contact me to get the details.

Equipment cabin at Bear Trail Lodge Bristol Bay Alaska

Get in fishing shape -- This past year has been a tough one on my body. It started with excruciating back pain, apparently brought on by effects of Covid. MRI results led me to change up my workout schedule which I found out wasn’t what should have been prescribed -- different opinions by doctors. Medication for preventing of a hereditary conditions has taken a toll on my weight and caused bone/muscle aches. I need to focus on myself, push through the aches, the hunger pains and get back into fishing shape. We have several fishing adventures, long days on the water with strong fish to be caught and reeled in and I refuse to hand off the rod.

Pete and Hanna Robbins at Orange Theory Fitness

I am half of HPFC -- I’m proud to be half of Half Past First Cast, Pete and I are a team who built our business on a shared love of fishing. While you may see much more writing from Pete (he makes writing seem so easy) my considerable behind the scenes contributions keep things running. I’m particularly passionate about trying to get more lady anglers aware of us and on our adventures. I might only have one piece of written content a week, every Wednesday, but I am behind the scenes working on our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn) and speaking to all the interested people helping them make the right decision on a trip of a lifetime.

YOUR Goal for 2025 – Please contact me and ask me questions about any and all of our travel destinations – no concern is too insignificant. Bucket list trips don’t just happen overnight. They can be expensive but they need not be scary. I can make the planning simple.

Also, we really appreciate referrals. They are the highest form of compliment. It means so much to us when our clients and friends share their experiences and recommend us to others.

Your support helps us continue what we all love to do – TRAVEL and FISH and share the experiences and lessons that go along with it.