Fortunately, there are people for whom guiding is a way of life, and Hanna and I have been lucky to fish with a handful who’ve checked off all of the boxes for excellence. We’ve also been spoiled in terms of how much effort they put in.

Steve Yatomi of Adventure Travel Alliance has been a huge influence on the development of this website. Steve has guided us through two trips to the Amazon and a magical three-week adventure to Africa that changed our lives. There are lots of outfitters and tour guides out there, but the reason that Steve is so special is because just about everyone he meets becomes his family.

Many of the exotic fishing travel specialists I follow – guys like Steve Yatomi, Larry Walker, Steve Ryan, Art Weston, Joe “Sparky” Bullock and Bob Daly – all rely on K Lures from Kermett Adam. Indeed, several of them also work with him on his constantly-evolving product lineup as they search for lures that cannot be destroyed by peacocks, golden dorado or GTs. Here is Kermett’s story in his own words.

Alex Koike is an editor at Brazil's leading fishing magazine and an expert on his country's varied fisheries and fishing culture.

Although I was previously aware of his starring role in the Tackle Tour empire, I first met Dennis “Cal” Shew at the 2007 ICAST show in Las Vegas, at which time I also took possession of a coveted yellow JDM Daiwa Pixy finesse baitcasting reel. Dennis immediately offered to upgrade the gears on that reel to turn it into a “Pixzilla” and I knew that I’d found someone with a whole lot of knowledge who shared my values.