During our most recent trip to Panama, I had the thrill of watching my friends Lisa Vicars and Tammi Hill reel in a 180 pound yellowfin. They’re both petite but in good shape, which proves that it’s not about sheer mass, but rather technique and willpower.

From boat partners to life partners, Jennifer and Keith Combs made the most of a one in 200 chance. Although they were competitors on the water something lured them towards each other and a lifetime of happily ever after, minus a pet peeve or two, or three.

It warms my heart when I book father and son trips. I have decided to start a series called “Casting Bonds” to interview parent/child angling travelers. Let’s start with Gayle and Kirk Lomax who traveled to Anglers Inn El Salto in April 2024 and had a fabulous trip.

Starting on a hot June day in June, all it took for Julie and Fred Roumbanis to live happily ever after was a single “sweet” gesture. Here’s how this professional fishing power couple started:

Before the 2024 Bassmaster Classic I wrote about a few things that excite Pete Robbins including his week at the Bassmaster Classic. In order to really get a sense of what he does during Classic week, I decided to document his activities this year in Tulsa.

I love seeing and spending time with Steve and Barbara Bowman at Bassmaster events. They ALWAYS include me in their family plans. This year was no exception. We planned our days together and each night after the weigh in we were included for dinner plans with their family.

On the boat stands a man larger than life with a passion for fishing that knows no bounds. In the boat, on the shore or at home there stands a sweet-as-molasses, soft-spoken, warm and gentle saint. Together GMan and Lulu are a dynamic duo.

Carl and Kayla Jocumsen hail from opposite ends of the globe — Idaho and Australia — and yet their bass tour love story (and the resulting family) seems like pure destiny.

How does Bassmaster dole out the writing assignments during Classic week and how does Pete figure out what he’s going to write?

Shelby Gustafson met 2023 Bassmaster Classic winner through the Classic love potion of fast food. Here’s there story, it’s a good one.

The backdrop that I built may seem like a haphazard group of epic fish and scenery pictures, but I used a great deal of purpose when I put it together. I wanted to tell HPFC’s story and show all of the people who have become our family over the course of our travels.

Eight-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Brandon Lester depends heavily on his wife Kimberly to keep their household running like a well-oiled machine. Thank goodness the teacher didn’t confiscate the note sent between these two crazy kids or their amazing family unit might not exist.

My friend Marjorie Bernstein is not an angler, or even an aspiring angler, but she came to visit us at the Chicagoland Fishing Show and offered valuable feedback about what interested her and what could have been done to make the experience even better.

Here’s my new series exploring how pro anglers met their wives — from the wives’ point of view. Starting with Dayton Feider, Mrs. Llama.

Get ready to dive into my 2024 goals and planned accomplishments. I continue to cast my curiosity into the fishing industry and hope to reel in more and more curious-but-perhaps-anxious travelers to join us on our spectacular fishing journeys.

Minnesota outdoorsman escaped the cold and went to Casa Vieja Lodge for single anglers week. He scratched the sailfish itch, enjoyed the hospitality and made a bunch of new friends. You can do the same.

Travis Burns is an incredible outdoorsman — he guides on Choke Canyon, leads hunters to some of the biggest whitetails you’ve ever seen, and with his partner Kenny Witek recently won the Brandon Belt Team Championship.

How do we know that we’re doing a good job of leading you to your best fishing life? We’re aware that we’re biased, so we consulted an independent panel of experts to find out their favorite fishing travel website. Here are the unfiltered results.

Reuben Hastings has been guiding at Bear Trail Lodge in Bristol Bay for 13 years — and we’ve been lucky enough to fish with him on the Naknek as well as on several flyouts. He’s an amazing person and enthusiastic angler.

We traveled across the continent to Bear Trail Lodge and ended up fishing with a guide who hails from 90 miles away from our house. Cooper Neblett made our return to Bristol Bay exceptional. He has a great future in the fishing industry.