Pete and Hanna Robbins at Orange Theory Fitness

Since returning home from the Bassmaster Classic at the beginning of March, until last week I had not gone more than 90 miles from my Virginia home. That’s the functional equivalent of house arrest for a travel junkie. Normally it wouldn’t be so bad, as this is my favorite time of year to fish near home, but I’ve been waiting on my new boat to arrive and have been reliant on the kindness of friends for the occasional ride.

However, just because I’m not engaged in the act of traveling doesn’t mean it’s not on my mind or on my agenda. I’ve continued to work on finding, funding and facilitating upcoming trips. Those include our pre-existing plans to go to Mexico and Panama later this year, as well as newly developed plans to go to Lake of the Woods later this year and Alaska next summer.

I’m fortunate that I have more writing gigs than ever before, which are my primary means of funding my travel and paying for the boat that I’ll pick up next week. I’ve written and billed more than ever before this spring, and have picked up some new exciting clients, but I’ve also worked hard to make sure that my travel ducks are all in a row. You might be the “set it and forget it” type when it comes to planning, but I’m all about controlling variables, maximizing success and minimizing costs. Accordingly, here are the things I’ve done.

Mexico Tickets – As you likely know, airfares in many sectors have gone through the roof lately, while the overall number of functioning flights has decreased. We’ve historically paid from $400 to $800 for our frequent round trips to Mazatlán. Unfortunately, we were consistently seeing fares in the $1,000+ range. It got bad enough that I thought we might lose out altogether and was ready to jump on fares at $925 at non-preferred times. Then one day Hanna saw our preferred itinerary for $723 and we jumped on it. Not ideal, but for our two tickets combined we saved over $400, and we haven’t seen the tickets at that level since.

Panama Tickets – As with Mexico, our preferred route to Panama for November was consistently priced higher than in the past. The other two times we’ve paid between $500 and $600. This time, they were consistently over $800 for our preferred direct flights on COPA. One day I saw a route through Atlanta for $376 a piece (with seat selection and bag included). Yes, it requires a stop, which is not ideal, but the savings of over $800 combined was hard to turn down. If all goes right, it actually gets us home earlier, since we now leave Panama City for Atlanta at 3pm instead of the 6pm flight to Dulles.

Rebooked Florida Rental Car – For this month’s Islamorada tarpon trip, I had an SUV reserved for four of us for a little over $400 total (free cancellation), which was the best rate available at the time I booked. We rebooked as we got closer and saved a hundred bucks – not much per person, but it didn’t require any real effort. This is a simple tip that I live by – always get the best rate with free cancellation up front to ensure that you’ll have a vehicle, and then reassess consistently as your trip gets closer.

Lake of the Woods – We thought that our travel dance card for 2022 was full, but then we got the proverbial offer we couldn’t refuse to check out Lake of the Woods from Gary Moeller. I was there in 1984 or 1985, but haven’t been back (or to anything similar) since, so I jumped at the chance. We’ll likely go the first week of September and there’s room for more people. If you’re interested in any portion of a smallmouth/walleye/northern/musky beatdown, contact Hanna and she'll get you set up.

Alaska 2023 – We also lined up tentative dates for our return to Alaska next year, after missing the trip in ’21 and ’22. We’re headed to Bristol Bay in early August for the heart of the silver salmon run. When Keith Combs and I went in 2019, we were there for the first day of the silver season, when a few were up in the Naknek River, but I want to get on them bigtime. The flyouts for rainbows and Dolly Vardens and grayling will be there, too. Again, if you want to join us, contact Hanna and she’ll lay out the details. Once we confirm our dates and group size, we’re also going to add some halibut fishing on the front and/or back end of the trip.

Stocked up on tackle for El Salto – I am really good about keeping a list of the tackle I have at El Salto and the tackle I’ll need for our next trip. After January’s stay, mostly a soft plastics deal, I was out of most Senkos and Skinny Dippers, so I restocked. With supply chain issues ongoing, I didn’t want to wait for a last minute sale that might find my favorite items backordered. Of course, I added a few new items to try, but not as many as on past trips.

Reorganization Effort – With no boat in the garage, I had lots of time and space to really go through all of the shelves and to undertake a massive reorganization effort (which still, admittedly, is ongoing). It wasn’t the tackle as much as the other items we’ve accumulated over the years that just never got used. Some got thrown away, others got sold, others got repurposed. At least now I know where things are, and how to get to them quickly.

Restarted Gym Routine – After last November’s trip to Panama, when I got my ass absolutely whipped by a 205-pound yellowfin, I vowed to be in better shape for our next trip down there (and for life in general). I joined Hanna’s cult/slash gym shortly thereafter, but when Omicron came about I stopped going. I didn’t want to lose out on our trip to Guatemala, which required a negative test to get into the country. I pretty much didn’t leave the house for eight days before that trip. Then we got back and I had a ton to do before leaving for the Classic, but upon my return from South Carolina I started up again. I still don’t eat as well as I should, and I still don’t love the classes, but I try to psyche myself up for each individual class. When I start to feel winded, I remind myself of that big tuna. The hour is starting to go faster and more smoothly. Travel is its own reward, but big fish are the best motivator.