Get Outfitted at Grosse Savanne

With all of our focus on international travel, I feel that sometimes we give exceptional domestic venues the short end of the stick. Even though I’d heard about Grosse Savanne for many years, from people like Mark Zona and Keith Combs, with a clear path to Mexico I’d always discounted the statements of people like James Overstreet, who told me “Why the hell would I go to Mexico when I can just drive down to Grosse Savanne and catch just as many bass, or more?”

Fortunately, at the 2018 Bass Fishing Hall of Fame banquet auction I offered the winning bid on a trip to GS, and Hanna and I finally made it down last fall. It’s one of those rare travel opportunities that exceeds all of the reports – every aspect of the place is above and beyond what you’d expect.

Making it even better, they don’t just offer bass fishing, but a variety of other activities as well, including eco-tours, saltwater fishing, waterfowl hunting, and an activity that as far as I know is not offered at any other lodge of this caliber – alligator hunting. This is purely a management hunt, aimed at balancing the population and ensuring public safety. Since tags are not generally available to the public, you can legally piggyback on theirs, help manage the ecosystem, and enjoy the thrill of a lifetime.

My wife Hanna has never hunted (her one near-foray into deer hunting is a story for another day), but we listened with rapt attention as Dennis Tietje and Doug Miller told us about the September hunts. Hanna was most excited to hear not about the time on the water, but rather about the presence of Clint Hebert with Mark Staton Company, who arrives at the hunts and lays out his wares – everything from wallets to boots to briefcases to whatever your brain can imagine, all made out of local gator skins. One woman reportedly outfitted her whole house out in gator décor, down to the barstools, at a price beyond my budget. It’s truly a no-waste deal. You pick out what you want to buy from Mark, the guides help you decide what you need to hunt to make those happen, and then you go out and get the job done. Then you go back to the lodge, enjoy some of their world-class hospitality, and wait for the lasting reminders of your day to show up at the house.

If you’d like to get in on this, go to www.grossesavanne.com. We’re hoping the world is largely reopened by then, and with limited spots they fill up fast.