Chad Morgenthaler didn’t get to use a landing net during most of his professional bass fishing career, but he never forgot how to corral and capture his targets. Check him out in action, chasing airborne wildlife with remarkable grace.

Jaws remains a powerful influence nearly a half-century after its release. Sharks continue to trigger our fear response centers and even people who were born decades later are “afraid to go back in the water” as the result of the movie. It’s also iconic in popular culture, and that extends down to apparel.

A number of fishing, apparel and knickknack merchandisers have connected legendary country singer Dolly Parton to Dolly Varden trout — one of our favorite Alaskan targets. Here are some examples that entertained us.

As part of her gift to me for our 18th wedding anniversary, Hanna got a four pack of socks, featuring some of my favorite fish species — largemouth bass, rainbow trout, yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi. Check ‘em out.

Here are four articles that I read in 2023 that inspired me and that I think are consistent with the messages that we try to push forward at Half Past First Cast — making the most of your remaining casts and your remaining breaths.

Fishing travel news continues to flow freely, even at the end of the year, and we continue to scour the wires so you can focus on other things. Here are some relevant stories that you may have missed.

I’m not big on bourbon, but Wright Thompson’s Pappyland was an amazing book and a quick read — and reminded me of how much he’s written about fishing.

Seeing that Los Angeles Angels All-Star Mike Trout likes to fish led me down a rabbit hole — not only of his multi-species angling efforts, but also to find trout-themed shoes for various purposes.

Flip flops — or, as they call them in Hawaii, “slippahs” — don’t need to be boring. Scott Hawaii has some fun and comfortable ones for fishing featuring a variety of offshore angling targets.

Here’s something I never thought I’d see — one of the less-known Hanna-Barbera characters of my childhood fishing for permit on a t-shirt. Seven Mile Fly Shop in Florida has it covered.

Snacks on short-haul flights have mostly gone to crap — terrible pretzels or granola bars that crumble to dust if you look at them funny — but one airline stood out to us in 2023 not only for what they gave us, but for the heft of the treat, too.

We encountered quite a bit of wildlife in 2023. Alaska was as expected a high point on the nature scale – we saw no fewer than 30 bears, plus sea lions, otters, mink, beavers, a roadside moose, puffins and a bunch of bald eagles. The one new one that we added to our life list was the Dall’s Porpoise.

Eventually all bass boat bilge areas get messy. Between rain water, lake water, tracked dirt, oil and other debris, it can look like a mud puddle down there. Add in pieces of plastic worms and various screws and pieces of terminal tackle that somehow work their way to the back of the boat, and you have various problems beyond just cosmetic issues.

If you own a bass boat and you’ve ever stopped at a gas station, you’ve gotten “the questions.” It’s important to be a good representative of the fishing community. People who make these inquiries mean well, they just don’t know any better, so if you can’t avoid being snarky, get the t-shirt.

If you become obsessed with wolf fish, you might want to get a hat to commemorate your trip to the Amazon. They’re tough to come by outside of South America — here are some of the options you’ll find there.

One sign of someone who spends a lot of time (too much?) on the water is a raccoon eyed sunglasses tan. Wear your sunblock and reapply it consistently, but don’t sleep on the guys who look like trash pandas.

As the end of the year approaches, we continue to gather links and info that will amuse, educate and inform your future fishing travels — everything from explosive diapers to giant prehistoric fish.

The “Life is Good” brand reminds us to be present and thankful for all that we have. “Fish More, Worry Less” is a pretty good mantra to keep things in perspective.

There’s substantial overlap between the Grateful Dead and fishing — and in particular fly fishing for trout. Numerous artists and clothing manufacturers have mixed the two. Here are some of our favorite options.

Lately I’ve primarily used the San Diego Jam knot to directly attach most of my lures. It’s quick and simple to tie, doesn’t require any special tools or a third hand, and seems to hold exceptionally well. Maybe the reason I’m so enthusiastic about it is because it was developed by the long-range tuna anglers out of San Diego.