Fishing Travel News for the Week Ending September 18, 2021

I’m in a good mood this week, so while I’m not sticking my head in the sand about any ongoing challenges relating to far-flung fishing travel, I’m going to stick to news that makes me excited for the future. Here are four items I liked and that I think might help you plan for your next bucket list angling trip:

Bristol Bay Nears Permanent Protections

After a long roller coaster ride that had sportfishing in general and Alaskans in particular concerned about the potential loss of the Bristol Bay resource—including but not limited to its world’s-largest sockeye salmon run—we’re hoping that the threatened Pebble Mine project is now officially dead. Last week the EPA announced it would not defend the 2019 withdrawal of proposed protections of the region. This comes on the heels of a potential deal to create a conservation easement covering the area that would have provided access to the mine. I’ve been to Bristol Bay twice, most recently with Hanna in the summer of 2020, and it is an American treasure. Every American (and every angler worldwide) needs to go at least once.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Gets More Appealing

If you’re going to up your travel efforts, it can pay to get into the credit card and frequent flier miles game. It’s confusing at first, and takes some effort to maximize your return, but one of the consistently best cards for this endeavor is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. If you’re approved, you’ll pay a yearly fee of $95, but that’s almost immediately outweighed by the provided benefits. If you spend $4,000 in the first three months after opening the card, you’ll get 100,000 Chase points, which can be redeemed for benefits including a straight $1,000. It comes with multiple other benefits, too.

Casa Vieja Takes the Jab

With the Delta variant still raging in some areas, our friends at Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala assuaged some concerns by vaccinating all of their staff. That’s not necessarily easy in a country where access to the vax may be limited, but they got it done to ensure maximum healthy and security for guests during the 2021-22 season. Unlike our last trip to Guatemala, you currently don’t need a negative test to get into the country if you can show proof of vaccination (although you’ll still need one to get back into the United States). We’re headed back with a group of eight in February and cannot wait to return to sailfish and relaxation heaven. There are still limited openings for this upcoming year, so contact Hanna if you want to inquire about a trip.

More Brazil Fishing Flights?

American Airlines, which has historically been one of the main carriers getting U.S. anglers to Manaus (along with TAM and Copa), has cut back their Miami-Manaus service substantially as the coronavirus has raged through the Amazon. For a variety of reasons, we hope that the plague will subside sooner rather than later so that we can get back to our South American travel. That may eventually be bolstered by their recently-enhanced relationship with Gol, a low-cost South American airline. They’ve already been codesharing for over a year, but now you can earn frequent flier points on both airlines as well. Perhaps more importantly, the trade press seems to think that American will now be able to connect to additional smaller South American destinations, which could be good for fishing travelers long-term.