TESTIMONIALS
Real words from the people who’ve traveled, fished and made lifetime memories with us.
“I’ve had the pleasure of traveling with Pete and Hanna to some of the most amazing fishing resorts available. My husband and I have joined them at Angler’s Inn in Mexico four times together (the hubby was lucky enough to sneak off twice more) and one trip to Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala once (certainly not the last). If the repeat trips haven’t fully expressed how much we enjoy traveling with them or the fact that we spent our wedding on a trip with Pete and Hanna, I’ll provide more details on the quality and ease of traveling with this duo. First, the accommodations have always exceeded my expectations of quality and cleanliness. Staff of the resorts and dining experiences have been top notch! The fishing and guides have been out of this world making the experience once thought to be male-only, a co-ed endeavor! Lastly and most importantly, Pete and Hanna made sure we were fully prepared for the travel and made a fishing trip a memorable, fun-filled experience full of friends, laughter, PRs, and an immediate desire to book the next trip! We cannot recommend them enough!”
— Kristine Rygas, Virginia
“My wife and I have had the absolute pleasure of traveling with Pete and Hanna on multiple adventures—to Alaska, Mexico, Guatemala, and Panama—and every trip has been nothing short of incredible. They take care of every little detail, making the entire experience completely stress-free and enjoyable. Whether it’s world-class fishing, breathtaking landscapes, or seamless travel logistics, they handle everything with expertise and genuine hospitality. Over the years, we have become great friends, and their passion for adventure makes every journey even more special. If you’re looking for a first-class travel experience, Pete and Hanna are the ones to trust!”
— Carl Vicars, Tennessee
“I've traveled extensively for 40 years fishing and I've been with Pete and Hanna in Mexico, Panama and Guatemala and had fabulous trips with them. Hanna does a fantastic job with logistics and Pete is my go to guy for fishing tips and recommendations. I highly recommend Half Past First Cast trips, they are just good people!
— Barney Houser, South Carolina
“Being from small town Minnesota there are limited options to get to fish in the ocean although it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I was listening to BassTalk live when I heard Hanna come on and promote a trip to Guatemala that she was organizing and it all seemed to fall together. Trying to find another 3 people to load a boat for a destination fishing trip in my local friend group which is almost impossible. Hanna made it so simple, I contacted her at Half past first cast and she signed me up and all I needed to do was book a flight and the rest was taken care of. In fact it was so easy I booked a second trip at the same time to Panama where I caught the biggest tuna of my life and the biggest one at Sportfish Panama Island lodge all year! I’m in the process of booking a third and there will definitely be more in the future. If you have dreamed about going on a destination fishing trip contact Hanna and she will take care of you. As an added bonus I have met people that I continue to stay in contact with and fish with as well.”
— Greg Evers, Minnesota
“What a fun ride is has been. I had somehow found my way to videos about Lake El Salto in Sinaloa, Mexico in or around 2016 and my interest was piqued. I am still not entirely sure how I got in touch with Hanna, but i do know it was through Facebook. I have been lucky enough to see a lot of the world, but not necessarily to fish or to check off dream destinations. I ended up kicking the tires so to speak for a good before letting Hanna & Pete help us make this "Bucket List" Mexico trip happen.
Hanna and Pete made this trip (and every one after that) all it is advertised to be and more. They have already been to their destinations multiple times, done the leg work and have an absolute wealth of knowledge from the start to finish of a trip. Travel itineraries, wardrobe suggestions, accessories, local customs, tackle and so many other things that I am unfortunately leaving out at the moment.
We have been on more trips with HPFC than bass fishing in Mexico and there will be without a doubt more to come.
On a more personal note,,,, I've always tried to coordinate our travel itineraries WITH them and if you have traveled out of state, much less out of country that should speak volumes about them as good people to be around on a day to day basis, much less on a bucket list trip.”
— Aaron Rygas, Virginia
My husband and I have been lucky to travel with Pete and Hanna to Anglers Inn at El Salto, Mexico multiple times, Sport Fish Panama lodge in Panama, and Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala. Every trip has been amazing, and we have a wall full of bucket list catch photos! The groups that they put together for these trips are so fun and we have made more than a few new friends on our travels. They are not afraid to tackle special requests - on one of our trips to El Salto, Pete and Hanna performed a wedding ceremony for me and my husband (yes - they got ordained for the occasion)! They arranged everything, even having a HUGE cake delivered to the lodge! They performed the ceremony, decorated the indoor palapa at the lodge, the whole nine yards! One of the lodge employees even played live music for us. It was incredible and we are forever thankful for such a special occasion! The awesome bite that week was the cherry on top for the trip. I still have the decorations from that ceremony and we are looking forward to celebrating our 5 year anniversary on a trip with them! In the unfortunate circumstance that your trip needs to be rebooked, Pete and Hanna make things easy. We were slated to go to Panama with them in April of 2021, but my husband came down with COVID THE DAY before we were set to leave. While Pete and Hanna were on vacation in Panama, they worked with the lodge to offer an alternative trip date and they traveled back to Panama with us in November 2021. Working through them to rebook was so smooth - we told them what worked for us, and they made it happen. They are very approachable, and any request, question, or concern that I have had has been handled to perfection. Traveling with Pete and Hanna is great - they've done the research and share all the information you need for your trip. They know the lodges and guides, take care of logistics on the trip, and have great travel/fishing advice for each destination. They are a great team to work with when looking for that bucket list fishing trip!
—Samantha Sukupcak and Mike Yee, Wisconsin
Half Past First Cast (Hanna and Pete) put together bucket list fishing trips. I recently joined Half Past First Cast on a trip to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge. Hanna and Pete seamlessly handled the logistics of the trip from the minute of landing in Panama City, getting to the Island Lodge, coordinating the lodge activities, to coordinating our return to Panama City for the return home. The only “Heavy Lifting” I had was pulling in massive yellowfin tuna
Sport Fish Panama is one of the finest fishing lodges I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. The fishing, the boats, the captains and mates and the lodging are top notch. The lodge is staffed with the most friendly and accommodating people. The food, OMG, the food, was spectacular.
— Robert N. Palmer, MPH, Illinois
Our trip to Panama with Hanna and Pete was the offshore fishing experience of a lifetime. Our group of five came for the tuna and the hits on the topwater poppers just kept on coming. At one point our boat had four tuna hooked at the same time. In addition to catching more tuna then we could possibly ever bring home we landed at least six sailfish and three marlin…an incredible extra bonus. Enough about the fish…as my wife Jola said, they don’t need compliments…they go to Hanna and Pete for arranging such an awesome trip. Their experience planning and running these trips really shows and made it so easy and enjoyable for us. Hanna was really incredible when it came to addressing our questions, guiding our group throughout the trip and making sure everyone was having a great time all the time. Many compliments go to the Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge and their staff as well. Our group shared a private lodge with a large comfortable porch for relaxing at the end of day with incredible views overlooking the water and nearby islands. The meals prepared by the lodge’s chef were over the top (both in taste and quantity) including super fresh tuna, mahi-mahi, ceviche, calamari and more. The included open bar was a major bonus as well. The fact that the island the lodge is located on is already about an hour off shore is a major bonus and meant that we were able to get to the fishing grounds that much faster each morning. The lodge’s catamaran sportfish boats and gear were in great condition, laid out well so everyone had enough room and perfect for running quickly to find the fish and cut through and chop or swell. A major compliment goes out to the boat captains and mates. Their experience was obvious, their ability to get on the fish was impressive, and most importantly their ability to help make sure we landed them was incredible. I’m not sure just when, but I know we will be traveling with Hanna and Pete again. Thanks for making our trip awesome!
— Russ and Jola Baccaglini, New Jersey
