Logan Sebela of California took his son Deacon to Anglers Inn’s Lake Picachos outpost for Deacon’s 13th birthday. It was a trip that neither one will ever forget — take a kid fishing!

If you’ve ever seen Mark Davis on the Outdoor Channel’s BigWater Adventures and thought there’s no way he could always be “on” the way he seems on the tube, let me clear things up for you – whether he’s eating chicken wings, dragging a tube for smallmouths or pulling on thousand-pound marlin, the dude is revved up. He carpe diems the hell out of every day he’s alive.

Steve “Big O” Parks, inventor of the Rage Tail, is one of the few people who have fished for bass in Mexico more times than I have. In fact, he’s been there so often that I’m surprised he doesn’t have dual citizenship. Since we’re always looking to improve our already-substantial success, we quizzed him about his thoughts, preferences and opinions.

Even when fishing side-by-side certain captains and certain boats tend to produce more raises, bites and releases than some others. It can’t be dumb luck. As with everything in fishing, getting the sailfish to commit is part art and part science, and few are better at it than Captain David Salazar.

The swimbaiters have been a welcoming bunch, but I still have lots of basic questions, and I figured that many of you might be similarly situated. Fortunately, Swimbait Universe administrator Wayne Campbell was kind enough to sit down and answer some questions, and provide his typically thoughtful responses.

If you want to go redfishing in South Louisiana, Mike Frenette is a living legend and his Redfish Lodge of Louisiana is high on our bucket list.

We’ve now spent a total of 12 days on the water at Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala, and we’ve released over a hundred sailfish, I don’t necessarily know much more about how to locate them. Every day CVL owner David Salazar, needs to work with his team to locate or relocate the billfish. They work collaboratively to narrow things down, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Rylie Lyon has big shoes to fill. Not only is her mother Nanci the operator of Bear Trail Lodge and the holder of multiple angling records, but her father Heath is also considered one of the deans of the Naknek River guiding fraternity. She was raised in the town of King Salmon, population <400, although it swells substantially when the commercial fishermen (and visiting recreational anglers) arrive during the brief summertime period.

On Wednesday, I wrote about why YOU might consider attending a Bassmaster Classic in the future. I shared some pictures of this year’s experience in Knoxville, but I was negligent in not calling out my “Classic Team.”

At this year’s Bassmaster Classic I caught up with many members of our fishing family. Even with those I finally met for the first time, we hugged liked family. Afterward, one of my first comments to Pete was that I have a running list of people I want to fish with. Somehow, someway, I hope to make this happen.

Check out the pictures from two Bassmaster Classics held in Knoxville, Tennessee — four years apart, but a world of difference for the bass industry and for Pete & Hanna.

I was fortunate to be introduced to Nanci Morris Lyon in early 2019 through a friend-of-a-wife-of-a-friend and a few months later I was on a plane to Alaska for one of the best fishing trips of my life. But for that semi-random meeting, I might not have gone to Alaska the past two summers, nor would I have fallen so deeply in love with the fisheries of the Bristol Bay region.

The biggest obstacle to becoming a better and more well-rounded fisherman is pride. Plenty of anglers are willing to put in the time and spend the money to get there, but if you’re not willing to admit and embrace what you don’t know you’re just fooling yourself.

Dave Mercer may be best known for his television program “Facts of Fishing,” or perhaps for his role onstage during Bassmaster tournaments, but whichever of his endeavors shine most brightly, you can’t help but notice that the guy is all about enjoying life.

I recently obtained a pair of Bajio sunglasses. The quality was immediately apparent and they were stylish, too. Thanks to their mirror blue lenses they went straight into my travel bag for Guatemala. One of the company’s founders was serious female angler Marguerite Meyer – so I tracked her down to learn more about her back story and the shades on my face.

Meet Daniel Jones, an angler who lives in my home state of Virginia and exclusively fishes big baits on Chickahominy Lake and the Chickahominy River. If you’re a Mid-Atlantic swimbaiter or would-be swimbaiter, or you’re planning to fish the tournament at this falls’ Gathering, it’s worth reading what he has to say.

Plenty of male anglers who like to go on fishing trips specifically to get away from their wives. If that dynamic works for your relationship, go for it, but I’ve always taken a different approach. If I could find a woman who loved to fish, or who could be convinced that she loved to fish, it would make for a stronger relationship – and more time on the water for both of us.

I knew that Jason Schwartz looked familiar. I’d met Brandon Card at a dinner during an Elite Series tournament on the Potomac. Other than that, I would have no idea who Brandon’s friends were. The pic bugged me, so I did more digging and figured out Jason and I had gone to high school together.

After a highly-decorated career fishing tournaments in his home country of Australia, Carl Jocumsen pitched everything he knew and traveled to America to try to qualify for and conquer the Bassmaster Elite Series. The Queensland native has fished with B.A.S.S. and FLW since 2011, and last year he celebrated his birthday by winning an Elite Series event on Oklahoma’s Lake Tenkiller.

Part II of Samantha Sukupcak’s Fall 2022 Wisconsin bear hunt — with critical information from outfitter Mike Oberle on how to make your next trip into the woods a success.