Spinnerbaiting for Michigan smallmouth bass with KVD

Year Two of the COVID-19 experience was fortunately not much different for me than Year One. Hanna and I remain gainfully employed, our families are healthy, and we still traveled quite a bit. While I didn’t fish nearly as much as I did in 2020, I made up for it in other ways – including a return trip to Guatemala and first and second rounds of addiction therapy popping for tuna in Panama.

Most importantly, this site grew. We’ve put a ton of energy into it, some of it useful, some misplaced, but as the months have gone on we’ve gotten in more of a groove. It excites me when something I write resonates with our readers and it thrills me even more when Hanna gets excited about this project’s potential.

None of this would be possible if we didn’t get up off our asses and hit the water. That balances out the ample hours at the keyboard. Nevertheless, I’ve learned that I can get satisfaction from both places, and even more when they overlap. Here, in no particular order, are some of my 2021 highlights:

Leaping Pacific Sailfish at Casa Vieja Lodge

The Good

Caught my personal best smallmouth – This one comes first not necessarily because it’s more significant than the others but because of how long it took. I never caught a smallmouth over 5 lbs. until I was 51 years old (despite watching Hanna do it multiple times in 2013 in Escanaba) and then I blazed right by that mark with a legit 6.40.
Made more money writing about fishing than at any time since I started doing it 20 years ago – I try not to judge my output by what it earns, but rather by the creative satisfaction that it provides, but it’s hard to be mad about making more money. Hopefully that’ll make retirement (from my full-time gig, not from writing) come on time. At the very least it funds the addiction.
We took our first trip to Panama – Speaking of addiction (see above), I found a new one in popping for tuna. We made it down to Panama not once but twice in a seven month period and like the PB smallmouth I’m sorry that it took me so long to try out this unbelievable side of the sport.
Johnny Morris interview – During a trip to Table Rock Lake in November to cover the BPS US Open, my friend Elliott Stark arranged a one-on-one interview with Johnny Morris. I got 30 uninterrupted minutes of his time. One of my best “gets” in years, a true highlight of my two decades of writing. Our conversation ranged fluidly from the evolution of bass fishing to traveling the far corners of the Earth in search of angling adventure. I found him to be remarkably engaging and an open book.
Return to Guatemala – We caught more sailfish on our return to Casa Vieja Lodge than we did on our first trip (44 to 37) but more importantly we were more involved in the bait and switch process which makes catching them a challenge. Here’s hoping that in 2022 we’ll be even more on our own.
New writing opportunities – While I’d written for MeatEater and Outdoor Life before intermittently, this was the year when those outlets gave me more work and more freedom. I’m thankful for my editors in both places, as well as for the team who invited me to the US Open on behalf of Bass Pro Shops. I’m hopeful that will turn into something more.
Fished With KVD — I hadn’t fished with Kevin since 2007 and figured there was a chance I’d never get to do so again, but I got to spend an afternoon in his boat spinnerbaiting for Michigan smallmouths that made the wait worthwhile.
I resolved to get in better shape – Those triple digit tuna absolutely kicked my ass, not once but twice, enough to make me realize that I’ve been fooling myself about my level of physical fitness. Over Thanksgiving, I discussed some fitness goals with Hanna and upon our return home I immediately started putting some of them into effect. My goal is to be fishing and traveling for a long, long time.

Happiness in the Gulf of Chiriqui Panama

The Bad

We lost Aaron Martens – Aaron was a huge part of my writing career, and the one guy who everyone could agree was not only a genius on the water, but a genuinely giving person. I was thankful that I could reflect on his influence in print, but sorry that he wasn’t there to read the tributes.
Did not expand my swimbait/glidebait game – Note: I bought more swimbaits and glidebaits, I just didn’t fish them as much as I’d planned, so I’m still at best a novice.
No new non-endemic publications – After adding outlets like Texas Monthly, I thought I’d unlocked the idea of writing outdoors profiles for non-outdoors publications, but I failed to follow through this year.
Lost one of my long-term writing clients – I’ve lost many clients over the years, and usually when that happens they’re replaced by something equal or better. That was the case here, but it still hurt because I liked the project I’d worked on for them and was hoping to maintain the relationship for the long haul.

Popping for yellowfin tuna is highly addictive

Unrelated Minor Disappointments

I missed the Bassmaster Classic for the first time since 2007, and only the second time since 2003 – When they rescheduled the Classic, it was on top of a hosted trip to El Salto, so I had to bow out of covering the big tournament. The good news is that I learned the world will not end if I miss one.
I still have not even attempted to read Infinite Jest – and probably won’t next year.
Did not catch a Cubera snapper – Two trips to Panama and while others in our groups made it happen, I could not. I guess that’s just reason to go back in 2022.
I’ve yet to have my first Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich – This is one food genre I’m sure that I would love.
I did not fish in Texas even once in 2021 – At least I caught the PB smallmouth from a Texan’s boat.