Fishing travel news for early October 2021 is a mixed bag — with some airlines stepping up their game after a long hiatus and others leaving anglers in the lurch — plus updates on Goliath Groupers in Florida.

Air travel has consistently become more of a pain in the ass for everyone in recent years, even pre-pandemic. Increased security measures, reduced services, an overall lack of reliability and the difficulty of transporting fishing tackle have made it particularly tough for anglers. Nevertheless, there have been a few small bright spots during COVID.

If you want to be ready to tackle a monster yellowfin tuna in Panama — or any big fish, for that matter — you need have good form and good physical fitness. That starts with proper sleep and diet, along with a set of exercises precision-tailored to the sport.

While I occasionally forget to bring something on my fishing trips, through a system of lists and post-it notes I’ve minimized that problem. It’s more likely that I’ll bring something that I end up not needing at all, which is usually the best kind of problem to have. Even if you’re going someplace centrally-located, there are certain things you cannot easily replace.

Despite the fact that avid anglers are willing to pay increasingly large sums of money to own top of the line bass boats, many of us tend to treat them like crap. If you have a bass boat along with a warranty, an insurance policy and a wallet there’s a pretty good chance you will use the latter three at some point. Here are simple steps to keep things safe.

You’re set to head across the country or across the globe, on the fishing expedition of a lifetime. You’ll need specialized, high-quality rods to get the job done. If you’re confident that your guide or outfitter has the right gear, your best bet is to borrow gear from them. If that’s not possible, or not certain, do whatever you can to make sure you’ll have the right gear.

Just as our friends in Canada may want to escape the frigid winter for a fishing trip to El Salto or Picachos, so too will anglers in the northeastern U.S. benefit from a little bit of R&R South of the Border. If you’re coming to Mazatlán from anywhere along the I-95 corridor, you’re likely going to have to make  stops in Dallas, Phoenix, LA or Mexico City.

It has been a tough period for the airlines and for air travelers. Between pandemic-related shutdowns, ever-changing health protocols, oddball weather patterns, and a few unforced errors from the carriers, flying to a fishing destination has occasionally become a nightmare. If you must fly, or prefer to fly, here are eleven suggestions to minimize the chance of your vacation being totally destroyed.

Lots more good news this week for anglers who want to go to Chile or Brazil. Alaska may be getting cold, but the bears are fat and you can watch them. And unruly airline passengers are getting the boot!

Part of the reason that Mexico’s Lake El Salto remains so incredibly fertile and productive is because of its extreme water fluctuations. The rise-and-fall revitalizes the available cover. This year the full range of levels got completely condensed – it was at record lows when we were there in June, but thanks to subsequent heavy rain the lake is now over full pool.

There have been lots of articles over the years about how to fish for highly-pressured bass. It’s a useful topic because most of us fish crowded waters with excessive boat traffic and we’re hardly surprised to arrive at a key spot to find someone else on it . On the flip side, I’ve never seen an article on how to fish for UNPRESSURED bass. If you find yourself in that scenario, there’s a right way and a wrong way to get the job done

Alaska Air is offering a buy-one-get-one deal for a very limited time. Combined with the Anglers Inn discount for B.A.S.S. members this fall, that’ll help you and a partner save a combined $1,000+ on a trip.

Lots of good fishing travel news for the week ending September 18, 2021 — whether you’re headed to Brazil, Alaska, Guatemala or just want to up your credit card and miles game.

The international travel restrictions to and from Canada have been relaxed just in time to start planning for winter getaways, and if you’re a Canadian angler there’s no better place to spend time during the “hard water” months than Mexico – specifically Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos. Fortunately, there are great direct flight options.

I’ve now been to South America four times but I’ve never left the friendly confines of Brazil. I went to Rio de Janeiro as a teenager (no fishing), and over the past decade I’ve been to the Rio Negro region twice, along with an exceptional trip to Rio Juruena. That needs to change. Here are five more that are currently at the top of my list.

It’s been an up-and-down week in the world of fishing travel, with all sorts of flight changes. The good news is there are lots of opportunities to fish Lake El Salto or Lake Picachos with Anglers Inn International.

For the people still inclined to fly to fish it is critical to make the right decisions. A flight that’s too costly can make a trip prohibitively expensive. A flight that doesn’t fit your schedule can make it a pain in the ass. And a flight that’s canceled altogether can ruin everything. Rarely, however, are all things equal. So when should you consider an itinerary other than the least expensive one?

Lake El Salto is full – newly full of water and of course, as always, full of big, mean, Florida-strain largemouth bass. You may recall that when we were there in mid-June, the lake was at a record low, which bunched the fish up really nicely. The shoreline cover that grew up while the lake was down is now inundated with water, creating a highly fertile ecosystem.

Planning a fishing trip to Asia is a daunting task, not only because there seems to be less information available about Asian fisheries, but also because of the time, distance and expense in getting to them. We’re simply more aware of the bucket list options closer to home and more able to take advantage of them. Here are four that I want to try when I retire.

When I compiled my recent list of “Ten North American Dream Fishing Trips,” I knew that is wasn’t a comprehensive survey, nor was it meant to be. Here are five more special destinations that are on my mind right now. The fishing comes first, of course, but each one offers something a little bit special on top of that – be it history, the way you get to the fish, the food or the scenery.