My Favorite Catches of 2024
I love hosting fishing trips to great places because it gives me a front row seat when anglers – experts and novices alike – make their catches of a lifetime. I was fortunate to see a bunch of them in 2024, and here are some of my favorite:
Lisa Vicars and Tammi Hill: 180 Pound Yellowfin Tuna
It was a girl’s day – three of us plus Carl -- when Lisa hooked up with a giant. It was her third trip to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge so I was confident she would dig deep and reel her fish in solo, but after about 20 minutes she passed the rod to Tammi, who looked really cute in her skort but that wasn’t going to stop her from showing off what she had done in the gym prior to this trip. I decided not to chip in -- I was their number one cheerleader, water girl and photographer. I had been on the other end of this same situation two years ago and I wanted them to experience the struggle for themselves. Carl wasn’t getting involved. I’m not sure what Lisa said to him afterwards and not sure I wanted to be around for that.
One hour and fifty eight minutes later, the tuna gave up because Lisa and Tammi didn’t. The minute that gaffed tuna came over the side of the boat the girls hugged. What an amazing sign celebrating their huge accomplishment. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet. There were more fish to be caught.
Five Fishing F’ers of Wharton at Casa Vieja Lodge
My brother-in-law Michael is not a fisherman but it is all his brothers talks, eats and dreams about. Michael’s group of business school friends take an adventure each year and 2024 was Michael’s year to plan. I jokingly stated I would plan the entire trip, start to finish -- all he had to do fork up the dough and get the guys to go fishing. He presented the idea of a trip to Guatemala and we had five immediate responses of “YES!” This past November I finally got to meet the nicest group of individuals and perhaps, being nice, gave them an edge: 81 sailfish in three days. They still probably don’t know how extraordinary that is. I always worry about whether my will enjoy their trips, but with this one I might have hooked this group of non-fishermen.
Greg Evers: 240 Pound Plus Yellowfin Tuna
When we got back to the lodge in Panama one evening, we watched several strong men struggling up the beach to the scale with what looked like a Volkswagen with fins. Even more impressive is that Greg Evers caught the 240 plus pound yellowfin tuna all on his own. He even snapped a fighting belt in the process. There was no help, just encouragement, from the peanut gallery. If you’ve ever tangled with even an 80 pounder you know how insane that is. The rest of us just enjoyed the fruits of his labor -- smoked tuna belly.
Michael Robbins: Mahi Mahi
Mike makes a second appearance on the list. I’d mentioned to him that it would behoove his group to catch a morning Mahi Mahi or else they’d end up eating chicken or hamburgers. As we returned from Day One, his first question was, “chicken or mahi?” I almost felt bad telling him mahi. From the look on his face, it was obvious they’d “only” caught sailfish. As a small consolation, we did have it for dinner that night.
On Day Two they once beat the snot out of us on the sailfish side but no mahi again. We caught more of them, and again enjoyed it for lunch. Sorry, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I couldn’t make them catch one, but on Day Three they hit the jackpot: Not only did they bring their sailfish total to 81, but Michael caught lunch for everyone!
Pete Catching Tuna on Bass Tackle
Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge has all the tackle you need to fish for tuna and all the other available species, so who would think to bring their own gear? Well, my tackle freak of a husband decided to take a travel rod and bass tackle to see if it could withstand an unintended beat. The pictures say it all and now he has stolen my suitcase so he can take even more tackle and rods on our January 2025 trip.
Roy Reid Taking a Chance and Going to El Salto
Jennifer Reid Combs is one of my favorite fishing partners. She knows her shit, is always on time and we just get along with each other, on and off the boat. After multiple attempts to get her Dad to fish with her at Anglers Inn, she finally convinced him to be her partner. This, of course, meant I was stuck with Pete for the week. Who am I kidding, he was stuck with me!
The two had a spectacular trip, each trying to outfish the other for the next big one. It may have taken her years to convince him to get down there but it only took one hookset for him to want to come back.
Brad Petrie catching his flight to Mexico, El Salto
This is not a typical on-the-water catch, but an important one nonetheless. Our groups bound for Anglers Inn typically meet at the gate in the Dallas (DFW) airport. The morning of Saturday June 22, Brad texted: “Delayed, maintenance issues. Still no answers, just sitting at the gate in Albany.” He finally landed at a far terminal, (DFW is huge), but couldn’t deplane because there were no gates available. It seemed highly unlikely he’d make the ONE daily flight to Mazatlán.
But wait -- our plane hit a bird on arrival so maintenance was clearing the remnants, there’s still a chance. Brad texted: “Off the plane.” I told him to run like OJ (the one from 50 years ago, not the criminal or the dead guy), and the last text I got from him was, “That’s the plan.”
That bird gave his life for Brad’s trip. Also, it meant that I could finally stop annoying the flight attendant who seemed willing to hold the plane for Brad knowing I might have a complete breakdown if he didn’t.
My Catches with the Camera
As much as I like catching fish I equally enjoy taking pictures. It’s really satisfying to sit and doctor up the images and I wish I had endless wall space to display them all. As good as I think my pictures are, I have vowed to take a photography class upon retirement to learn about my camera and capture even more beauty from our experiences. Still, every time I look back at them, it helps me recapture the moment, and the thrill of our multiple “trips of a lifetime.”
I want your story to be part of this survey in 2025. Shoot me an email and let’s get you headed somewhere great.
