If you’re like me, you already get way too much email: Work emails, chain letters from friends, unsolicited messages promising Russian brides and harder boners. No matter how many times you avoid them or press “unsubscribe” they always seem to return, and each annoying email brings two friends with it.

Fishing in Russia for trout, Atlantic salmon, pike and — most of all — taimen is reportedly unbelievable. However, due to recent global tensions it’s off the table for now. Will it remain that way permanently?

The fish don’t always cooperate. Nor do the airlines. Things go wrong that are outside of your control. If you wanted a more reliable hobby or vacation, you should have chosen something other than fishing. Nevertheless, for several years I’ve been working on a road map that I believe helps every trip come close to maximum enjoyment.

The worst thing you can do before a fishing trip is to base or expectations on the best possible scenario. Don’t get me wrong. It’s ok to hope for a personal best. It’s ok to hope for the day of a lifetime. It’s more than acceptable to overprepare. Just know that the numbers and sizes that you hear about might not happen.

Other than the United States, Mexico is the country that I’ve fished in the most. My Spanish hasn’t gotten much better, but my appreciation for the natural resources and the diverse cultures within the country has grown exponentially. I’d like to see more of it. I’d like to eat more of their food. I’d most definitely like to catch more of their fish. Here are a few places that I need to check out.

While superlative fishing is the top priority on most of my bucket list trips, I’m also tempted by any place that’s hard to reach. Limited accessibility not only adds to the adventure, but also makes the experience rarer and the club a little more exclusive. Unfortunately, there are some that may be permanently out of reach.

Good news for travelers this month — new carry-on possibilities, biometric scanning, and an easy way to join the Mile High Club.

Business travel can be hell on earth, but if you add a fishing trip to the front or back end of the work effort it can make all of the difference in the world. You might be surprised to find out the cities that have great angling. Here’s how to make it happen.

Getting to Casa VIeja Lodge from the United States is remarkably easy but there have been slight wrinkles and differences on each of our tree trips. Learn from our experiences so your next journey will be flawless.

I believe that every red-blooded fan of the sport should attend at least one Classic. It’s our Super Bowl and Woodstock rolled into one. For one snapshot in time, a (usually) mid-sized city becomes entirely consumed by the relatively fringe sport of bass fishing. If you’re going to go, here are a few things to consider.

I had heard the word “Nubian” before, and knew that it had some connection to Africa, but I’m not embarrassed to admit that beyond that I was clueless about the place. My only prior knowledge of Sudan was through the late Manute Bol, who played for hometown team when I was in high school, and later worked as an activist for Sudanese refuges. But now I know it’s a flats fishing hot spot.

We know that many of you come here for original hardcore fish stories and gear recommendations, and we try to provide plenty of that, but we also scour the web for fishing-related news every day – and in particular, news that will inspire or help traveling anglers. Here’s a list of links we’ve found recently that might get your ass out of the chair and on the water.

In approximately 20 fishing trips South of the Border, we’ve had approximately 10 that were “trips of a lifetime,” maybe seven that were very good to exceptional, and three where we had to work for our bites. I hope that your next trip to Mexico is as good as or better than one of our best ones, but in case it’s not – here’s how to turn unmet expectations into a successful trip.

We’ve now made two trips to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge and we’ve been amazed by the incredible fishing and scenery in the Gulf of Chiriquí. The many islands and rock formations give you a sense of why this fishery is so good. It has a wildly changing topography that creates currents which bring in baitfish. A few islands are particularly well-known.

The travel industry is constantly changing. Fortunately, there are a lot of great sites around the web that document and opine about travel trends. Few of them are fishing-specific, but many of their articles talk about issues that affect globetrotting anglers. Here are some recent ones worth sharing.

The best time to go on a fishing trip is “any time you can,” but that maxim doesn’t tell the whole story. Our plan has always been to fish “the best places at the best times.” When that’s not possible, how do you know whether it makes sense to spend your hard-earned cash (and energy and vacation time) to go during an off-peak period?

In case you cannot tell by now, I am obsessive about managing my vacation time. With a little bit of creativity I can take more trips than the average person, and that’s what I intend to do. Of course, 2021, like the year before it, was not normal.

I had no idea what to expect prior to attending the Dallas Safari Club Convention in Texas this past weekend. Hanna and I were given an opportunity to help a friend’s business at the show, and we jumped at the chance to enjoy this new experience. In many ways, it was an absolute eye-opener.

On our two trips to Panama we’ve purchased a package deal that includes “VIP” treatment that includes expedited passage through customs, drinks in a private lounge while you wait for your luggage, and transportation to and from the hotel. Everything they can control runs like a Swiss watch, with no hiccups. But they truly proved valuable when a problem occurred.

It’s been a tough couple of years for the airlines, and even worse for anglers headed to Mexico. Between route reshuffling, delays and cancellations, no trip is safe, and few have been easy. American Airlines has taken the brunt of the blame, fairly or not. There may be a slight bit of light at the end of the tunnel.