Before the Gathering, my friend Tej Sawhney told me that one of my first stops should be at the Sherpa Swimbaits booth, owned by Passang Wong Chuu. Hanna and I got there just in time to see some of his amazing wake gills and crawler baits fly off the table. Here’s his story, in his own words.

Master craftsman Germán Pérez produces highly individualized peacock bass that look like they just came out of one of South America’s many fertile rivers, and he doesn’t stop there – his work with other exotics (and more common species) is beyond exceptional. Here’s his story in his own words.

I regret that on a trip to Hong Kong in the mid-80s I did not take full advantage of the eating scene — although there are still a few things that wouldn’t really appeal.

I know that I can count on J.D. Blackburn for a good story tip, some constructive feedback, and most of all a welcoming smile. He’s a “fixer” who gets things done and then lets others claim the credit.

One of the best things about the Swimbait Universe Gathering was the diversity of the people, all brought together by their mutual big bait fetish. It was almost disarming how welcoming everyone was. Despite being a generally-misanthropic introvert, I had no trouble going up to just about anyone. One of my favorites was CJ Martin of Swimbait Hooligans, who took my interview in good spirits.

Oklahoma’s F5 Custom Rods is highly respected in the swimbait community and makes custom-quality rods at production rod prices. Owners Brad Vanderpool and Lisa Livesay put their personal stamp on every rod, including collabs and multi-piece travel rods.

Eric Gomez, founder of Leviathan Rods, builds a full lineup of custom-quality swimbait sticks that have earned near universal-praise. Moreover, he hasn’t been content to rest on the laurels of his two Ivy League degrees – he’s the consummate multitasker, with strong feelings about how he wants to live his life and run his business.

When I met Paul Bourcq, it quickly became apparent that we were friends with a lot of the same people and worked for many of the same properties. We may also have shared the same somewhat immature sense of humor. Moreover, he was living my dream life, traveling the globe with some of the greatest anglers in the world to hit premier fisheries. In fact, just a few weeks before I’d drooled over a video he’d shot of fly fishing for queenfish in Dubai.

For her 40th birthday, Tara Folz of California wanted to relive and add to her family’s history by catching a sailfish off the coast of Miami. Sometimes a plan comes together perfectly.

What would you do to land a trophy tarpon? Would you dive into shark-infested waters? For me, there was no hesitation — I’m just upset that the big silver jerk got away.

It takes Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jeff Gustafson 7 hours just to get to Minneapolis but he makes the long drives to tournaments because it’s worth it to live on Lake of the Woods — one of the best freshwater multispecies fisheries in the world.

The true test of a guide or captain is how hard they commit when everything seems to be working against them. Capt. Nicho Alvarenga worked hard to help us end our trip to Guatemala on a high note.

Our 12 year-old niece Isabel was born in Japan and lives a truly international lifestyle. That extends to her taste if food and cooking opportunities, but you might be surprised to learn that her “last meal” would be distinctly American.

Kentucky’s Kevin Baxter is a fishing industry lifer, but more importantly he’s a tackle junkie just like us. Here we talk about some of his favorite tackle shops and some of his most coveted discontinued bass lures.

For someone who had never picked up a rod and reel until her mid-30s, except to catch a few summer camp bluegills, Hanna has evolved into a remarkable angler. I’ve watched her evolve as a bass angler over the course of 17 years and here’s a report card.

Fourth year Elite Series pro Derek Hudnall was at Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, just a week after Hanna and I were there. I was anxious to hear about his experience and to compare it to ours. He was gracious enough to spend some time on the phone with me as he drove toward the St. Johns River in Florida for the season-opener.

I must be getting mellower in my old age – either that or Hanna is increasingly good at picking out travel partners – because I really enjoyed the group we recently hosted at El Salto. Most of them hail from Wisconsin, which further solidifies our plan to spend at least part of the year up that way after we retire.

Year Two of the COVID-19 experience was fortunately not much different for me than Year One. 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 two rounds of popping for tuna in Panama. Most importantly, this site grew. Here are some of my 2021 highlights.

Your traveling companions can make or break the quality of an international fishing trip. We had a great group in Panama — they helped us establish a blueprint for mutual success and enjoyment.

Part of the fun of traveling to distant fishing destinations, especially ones that we’ve visited before, is living those experiences through others’ eyes. We were fortunate to be joined in Panama by Carl and Lisa Vicars. Carl saw a post that I made on Bass Boat Central, reached out, and booked two spots the next day. Making that even more impressive, it was their first time out of the country.