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.

Pete and I often dream about our perfect retirement home, which will no doubt include all sorts of fishy furniture. Al Swanson’s creations — both practical and artistic — have crept into those dreams.

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.

Gentleman George insisted on treating us like royalty with the few spare hours we had in Johannesburg. First, he arranged for a fantastic dinner with much of the top brass of South African bass fishing, and then the next morning – as Hanna went to a local handicrafts market — George took me on a whirlwind tour of the area’s tackle shops. He knew everyone and everyone seemed to rely upon his counsel and friendship.

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

How many people are at the intersection of two famous fishing families? Kayla Jocumsen is one of the few that fits this description and the families she represents hail from two of the most unlikely locales – Coeur D’Alene Idaho and Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. She may typically operate behind the scenes but it’s time to put this multi-talented woman’s story out in the open.

If Becky Iaconelli isn’t pulling a trailer, hanging out on the back of her son’s boat, chasing after her “moose,” digging in her garden, concocting a batch of something in her kitchen, getting fashion advice from her daughter or running her husband’s company, then perhaps she might be getting some shuteye.

If you’ve read my writings for any period of time, you likely know that “on steroids” is one of my least favorite phrases. As in: “Redfish are just bass on steroids” or “This swimbait is like a Keitech on steroids.” No. Just no. A deeper dive into the fishing canon reveals another contender for the crown of fishing clichés: “The Rodney Dangerfield of….”

Since changing my eating habits three years ago I have become Sally Albright, consistently asking chefs to change their dishes to meet my needs. Before visiting Bear Trail Lodge I wrote an email to owner Nanci Morris Lyon and briefed her on my restrictions. She said that would be no problem, thanked me for letting her know in advance, and told me that she would speak with the Chef. The results were incredible!

I knew about Reuben Hastings even before I got to Bear Trail Lodge in 2019. My friend Robb Yagmin had mentioned a young, extraordinary guide from another part of Bristol Bay, and how much all of the clients loved him, so when Keith Combs and I got in the boat with Reuben on our first day on the Naknek I was immediately at ease. Yes, we were on his turf, but not only were his skills immediately evident, but it was also clear that he shared our same sense of humor. It was like being in a boat with your longtime best friend.

Julia Kennedy, the mastermind behind team Kennedy (Elite Series pro Steve is her assistant) does more than most, and has seen more than most. If you want proof, just ask her kids, who can tell you more about geography, marine biology and American history than most PhD candidates.

For most of his two decades as a professional angler, Chad Morgenthaler’s bio indicated that he called Illinois home, but a few years ago his mailing address changed to Kimberling City, Missouri. The veteran of six Bassmaster Classics and one Forrest Wood Cup has experienced several of his career highlights in Florida – a 2013 win on Okeechobee and a 2015 victory on Toho – but when it came time to move he selected the lush Ozarks over the palm trees of the sunshine state.

The Scene: 5am, breakfast table at Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, hot coffee, eggs made to order. A seated woman looks up to a man bringing over his heaping plate of food.

“Brother Pete,” she says. “Do you have any more?”

There are plenty of places we vacation and it’s one-and-done. More and more, though, our travels have not just become about the places we go but the relationships we make. We’ve built a family around the globe.

Not only is Anglers Inn a tremendous bass fishing wonderland but it’s also a place to unite two people’s love for one another. Spectacular sunsets and unforgettable backdrops provide a meaningful and unique place to tie the knot (not just the Palomar).

I am sure you would be offended If someone called you a knucklehead.

We’ll run a full slate of smallmouth tattoos at some point in the future, but this one from our friend JP DeRose deserves a post all its own. It’s highly-detailed, visually captivating, and shows off his gearhead nature.

When Keith Combs and I arrived in the small town of King Salmon, Alaska last summer, we had an afternoon to see the sights of the town. It didn’t take long. In fact, our hostess, who’d been raised there, told us that when she’d left King Salmon to attend college out of state her classmates had teased her because she didn’t know the difference between a green light and a green left turn arrow. Up until then, she hadn’t needed to know such a thing.

We met our good friend Ray Kawabata in the Amazon in 2011, and since then we’ve been on multiple fishing trips with him to Mexico, as well as back to Brazil in 2019. Somehow, through much of that friendship, he neglected to tell us the most important things about him.