For the next year or two, our popping and jigging expeditions will likely be limited to Central America – hardly a pitiable hardship – but sometime in 2025 or 2026 I’d like to expand those horizons to the South Pacific or the Indian Ocean. There are so many amazing species down there, many of which I still don’t recognize, and yet after the GT the one that most intrigues me (at least in this particular moment) is the Napoleon Wrasse – also known as the Maori Wrasse or Humphead Wrasse. They must be pretty damn impressive in the water, because lots of experienced and well-traveled anglers absolute drool over them, and on top of that they are remarkably distinctive, with the huge hump, vibrant coloring and cartoonish lips. It doesn’t hurt that they live in really exotic places like the Seychelles, New Caledonia, the Maldives and Andamans.

Here are some links to tell you more about why they’re so desirable (and potentially imperiled:

Dan Smith with a Napoleon Wrasse from the Cook Islands

Since it’ll likely be at least a few years until I even get to attempt to catch one, maybe I’ll dress like one instead. If that’s up your alley, here are some options for both men and women: