My Five Favorite HPFC Blogs of 2025
We wrote a lot this year, but we fell off of our 2024 pace a little simply because we took a few days off in November – we elected not to publish while we were on a boat in Mag Bay with no internet. Still, we had well over 300 entries, the majority of which were mine. Hanna is still getting her writing chops together, but has come a long way in a few short years. She may want to share her own favorite blogs, but I know there were certain pieces that made me happy when I published them on Half Past First Cast:
Generally my worlds stay compartmentalized – work, fishing, family, non-fishing friends. But occasionally I get to mix two or more of them, and by bringing one of my favorite people in the world to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, along with several members of his extended family, I got the perfect mix. It didn’t hurt that they absolutely wrecked a variety of fish, but Russ Baccaglini would’ve been fun no matter what.
When I grow up, I want to be more like Steve Kennedy, or perhaps I’d rather be one of the Kennedys’ kids. No matter how a derby goes, SK is always smiling, never loses his passion for the game. He was the first one lined up for the Ft. Worth Classic Expo every day, bucket in hand, ready to spend more money than Julia had allotted.
We are inspired every day by the people who join us on our trip in spite of their physical limitations. I’m nearly 56, and not quite as spry as I once was. I hope to get in better shape, but I realize that’s an uphill climb as we age. Even if the forces are working against me, I’ll still test my limits on the water.
This piece combined some of my greatest fishing memories from Mexico’s Lake El Salto with planning for an upcoming and still-mysterious trip to Don Joaquin River Lodge in Argentina. I have no idea if golden dorado will eat my rat-like topwaters, but if they do I’ll be in heaven. Just planning for it gets me excited.
We hosted a group at Grosse Savanne for the first time this year, and while the fishing was excellent, we recognize that it can occasionally suffer due to conditions. The food, meanwhile, is world-class and consistent. Chef Matt can and will make just about everything and he has one of the greatest natural grocery stores on earth.
Just because the article about you or your product did not make this list doesn’t mean I didn’t love the process of creation. This is our passion project and we look forward to working on it every day. Each article and each memory is special in its own way.
