Last Gasp ’22 Fishing & Travel Link Cornucopia

Stuff we Like

Dec 26

Outdoor Writer Pete Robbins floating the Bitterroot River in Montana

We’ve copiously avoided discussing any strategies related to stuffing lead weights in walleyes, but that doesn’t mean that 2022 has been devoid of news related to fishing travel. On the contrary, with the world nearly fully opened up for the first time in a couple of years, it’s been a banner period for going places, seeing things and catching personal bests. Here are some links we’ve found lately that you might find useful, intriguing, curious or downright weird:

How a Former Penal Colony in Panama Became a Biodiversity Hotspot — We’ve fished around Coiba, which “[f]rom 1919 until 2004….was home to some of Panama’s most dangerous murderers and rapists, as well as thousands of political prisoners dubbed ‘los desaparecidos’ (“the disappeared”) who went missing under the dictatorships of Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega. Then UNESCO declared Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection a Natural World Heritage Site. This was the line that floored me: “This past November, researchers actually proved that Coiba is connected to the Galapagos through a 900-mile natural ‘pipeline’ in the Earth’s mantle.” I still want to go to Ecuador, but this is a great and fishy aperitif.
Florida Has Become the Budget-Friendly Amazon for Anglers — Here’s one from longtime friend Joe Cermele. Money line: “If there’s a jungle fish you want to catch and it doesn’t live in Florida, just wait longer and it will.” I’d be a little freaked out by an arapaima emerging from a canal behind the Publix just hours before the early bird special, and I still want to go to Guyana, but I’m down for just about any oddball fishing experience.
Learn About Conservation Work While You Travel — How would you like to do good things for the planet while enjoying yourself? That’s a possibility with eco-service-travel to places like Alaska, Mozambique and Tanzania. I’m particularly intrigued by the concept of “expeditions to tag giant trevally and grey reef sharks, which are linked to coral health.” I know that these trips aren’t free, but it would be nice to feel like you’re giving back as opposed purely to taking from your host company’s hospitality.
Trophy Room: From Dorsal Mounts to Gyotaku, Honoring Past Achievements — We’re big on fish replicas, but we’re also running low on space and potentially hoping to downsize in retirement. Fortunately, there are other less space-consuming ways to memorialize trophy catches, including bill displays, head mounts, partial skeletons and gyotaku.
Guiding Tip: Set Your Client Free to Build Confidence — I’ve written in the past about how to be a better guide client, but there are also ways for guides to up their game. Here Kent Klewein writes about some of his epiphanies in this regard. “During this guiding season, I started hearing a voice inside, telling me to give my clients more freedom. This continued for several guide trips before I chose to listen to the advice. When I felt my clients had learned enough of the fundamentals and were ready, I started experimenting with relinquishing the reigns and letting them fly fish on their own. It wasn’t easy at first holding back the urge to stand by their side and not jabber instructions.”
6 Best Beaches in Guatemala to Visit this Winter 2022 — On our upcoming trip to Casa Vieja Lodge we’re making our first detour to Antigua for a couple of days, but if that’s not your bag (or you have extra time) a beach stop might be a nice way to celebrate before or after your next sailfish beatdown. Several of the best are just a short distance from the lodge.
Tropical Blackened Ahi Tuna Recipe — Now that we’ve restocked our freezer after Round Three at Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, we’re looking for additional ways to prepare our stash – besides the always welcome poke, sashimi and simple grilling. The combination of blackening with the cooling properties of mango and avocado sounds like one we’ll have to try.
Man reunited with rod and reel 50 years after Outer Banks fishing trip took a turn for the worse — “The reel is being serviced at a repair shop, but Vodicka immediately had the rod reconditioned and used it to go fishing in the Neuse River over Labor Day weekend. ‘It worked. It worked fine,’ he said. ‘It’s amazing that after 50 years you get your favorite rod and reel back.’” The moral of this story seems to be that great tackle never dies and it gives me hope that all of the crankbaits I’ve lost over the years will someday make their way home.