The Big Bass Dreams media empire is truly a team effort and Riley Kolich is an essential element in its success. She brings not only enthusiasm and knowledge to the process, but also a relentless drive to excel at everything she does on and off the water.

Dan Smith’s “How to Catch Any Fish” should be required reading for any serious traveling angler — or anyone who dreams of traversing the globe to catch exotic (and non-exotic) species. Here are reasons why.

Oliver Ngy is best known for his big bass, bait bait catches, but what really intrigues me is his multispecies approach to the sport. He enjoys a wide range of chases, and uses them all to improve one another.

Paul Fisler has scrapped to accumulate 84 professional bass anglers’ jerseys and he’s not done yet. Check out his collection from the best of the best.

Hanna and I worked consecutive trade shows – first the Chicagoland Fishing Show and then the Safari Club International. Re ran into numerous friends, some of whom have traveled with us, some of whom we’ve only corresponded with, and every permutation in between.

Plenty of NBA superstars love fishing, too — either as an escape from the grind of the road life or as fuel for their competitive nature. Check out some of their stories.

I always thought that being unusually tall would be helpful, and in some cases it is, but short fishing travelers have several distinct advantages when it comes to comfort, effectiveness and memories.

Every year provides new opportunities to increase the breadth and depth of my fishing, writing and travel experiences. If all goes according to plan, 2024 will be the best year yet.

We’ve had a lot of success stories throughout 2023, including great fish catches of our own and helping others enjoy amazing on-the-water experiences, but our greatest achievement may have occurred while we were nearly 1,000 miles away. 

Running our own website and business has been a learning experience and we’ve stumbled along the way. In the interest of transparency, here are some mistakes that I made in 2023. I’m sure there will be more mistakes every year hereafter – ideally they won’t be the same ones.

I’ve increasingly learned to really appreciate our great and diverse group of traveling angler friends. Accordingly, as I look back on my days on the water during 2023, I’m fortunate that I have a lot of great memories on the water with friends to remember. Here are four friends’ catches that stand out.

We are fortunate that the Half Past First Cast family includes lots of women — of all experience levels — who love to travel and fish. Here are a few of the ones who’ve gone on the most trips with us.

The next generation of great sailfish captains and mates at Casa Vieja Lodge — rocking a Half Past First Cast onesie. We cannot wait to meet her.

Twenty year old bass pro and educator Wyatt Wimberley of Texas is working with The Bass Tank to bring detailed electronics education to interested anglers across the country.

Hector Garate draws from multiple influences to smoke meat to perfection, including some cuts that others won’t try. Check out his pop-ups or his upcoming restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s more than worth the trip.

Deion Sanders, AKA Coach Prime, believes that he could have been a three-sport superstar — with bass fishing as the third platform for excellence. Here’s some of his fishing history.

After over 20 trips to Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos, Hanna and I have a solid routine in the boat. We understand each other’s tendencies and while we’d rather catch the big ones ourselves, we still celebrate when the other succeeds. We’ve recognized that in the long run working together produces far better results for everyone than competing with the other person.

I’ve been on the shores of numerous great fisheries where I’ve somehow failed to make a cast. Some I’ll be able to visit in the future, but two in particular stand out as missed opportunities.

After fishing with Daniel Jones and learning what a Phoney Frog glidebait could do, I knew that I had to have one. I knew that owner Jason St. Mary would be at the Classic Expo in Knoxville, so I hunted him down, credit card in hand. Even better. I got him to spill the beans on how he makes sure each one is perfectly tuned.

Logan Sebela of California took his son Deacon to Anglers Inn’s Lake Picachos outpost for Deacon’s 13th birthday. It was a trip that neither one will ever forget — take a kid fishing!