As bass fishermen we don’t have a canon of literature to call our own, no “A River Runs Through It” or “The Old Man and the Sea.” With the possible exception of Carl Hiaasen’s riotous but now-35-year-old novel, there haven’t been any massively popular novels about the tournament scene. That’s why it was a pleasure to open up “They Lurk in the Murk” by Gage Peters and find a reference to SPRO frogs on the first page. I knew I was in my comfort zone.

School’s out for summer, but that doesn’t mean we put reading on the back burner. As the rest of you coat yourselves with baby oil, grill hot dogs and attempt to avoid blowing your fingers off with fireworks, we keep compiling links. Here are a dozen of our favorites from recent weeks.

When I first got into bass fishing, I had none of the quality clothing that signified membership in the cool kids’ club. Here are a few of the items that I coveted but never owned.

Trolling may look like “cheating” but it’s not. It’s actually a great way to efficiently cover water and requires more skill and strategy than you might think. We’ve learned to appreciate it for various reasons.

As Shark Week ends there’s no better way to celebrate than with an aptly-named drink. Perhaps because sharks inspire so many iterations of the phrase, “Hold my beer and watch this,” there are lots of brews named after them. We’ve already listed some of those honoring hammerheads, but there are many, many more.

We’ve gone swimming with sharks in Tahiti and we’ve caught them in various places including Panama, Florida and Delaware. There are 440 different species across eight orders, and while there are similarities there are also some significant distinctions. The following links are hardly a comprehensive study of sharks, but they should pique your interest as they did ours.

In Islamorada, we caught quite a number of different species of sharks. Hanna caught a bonnethead shark, one of the 9 types of hammerheads. Our friend Jennifer Combs also caught a “true” hammerhead. Whether it’s at an aquarium, on the intro to television’s “Shark Tank” or elsewhere sharks are featured, the various kinds of hammerheads are probably the second most noted after great whites. Here’s some hammertime gear.

In a few years we may need to transport our rapidly-growing fish replica collection. It’s not something we take lightly. Here are some thoughts and options for getting that job done, whether you’re looking to move a marlin, a moose or an African trophy room.

The Fourth of July holiday is just around the corner and we all want to dress to impress – even on the water. I love getting dressed up in red, white and blue. Check out some of the coolest fishing and sosrt-fishing apparel that’ll drape you in those colors from head to toe -- provided by many of the fishing tackle and apparel companies we all know, plus Amazon.

Independence Day is fast approaching and fortunately just about everyone looks good on the water in red, white and blue. The apparel and tackle companies know that, so they’re sure to provide you with plenty of opportunities to show your love for Old Glory. Here are some of our favorites for men.

South America is a continent that is near and dear to our hearts, if nothing else because it was our 2011 trip to Brazil that really jump-started our love of “exotic” fishing travel. Accordingly, we try to keep tabs on what is occurring both in the countries we’ve visited and in the ones that are still on our bucket list. Here are some of the links that have stood out to us lately.

We love to travel and we love sharing our travel “hacks” and tips with receptive readers, but we’ve never held ourselves out to be all-knowing experts. A big part of Half Past First Cast is documenting and memorializing our learning process. We read and study tirelessly and then share some of what we learn from others.

Islamorada has a lot to offer besides sport fishing — food, drinks, scenery and great beach vibes. Here are some of our favorites from our first (but not last) trip, which took place in May 2022.

Travel is our passion, and we’ve enjoyed lots of great food in remote locations, but we’re also fortunate to have a lot of great restaurants within a short walk or drive of our Virginia home. Here are four of our “go-to” options.

Flying fish are one of the wonders of the natural world. Check out some of the lures, beers and other products that they’ve inspired. Maybe it’ll make you want to hit the saltwater.

Part of the tuna’s distinctive anatomy – and one of the reasons they’re so damn strong – is their tails. They derive a lot of their power from the caboose section. Accordingly, anglers have long immortalized the tails as signals of their victories. There are tail mounts, tail art, and plenty of clothing.

Someday we’ll go to the South Pacific to fight the fearsome dogtooth tuna, but until then here’s some clothing and art to scratch the toothy itch.

“Die with memories, not with dreams.” That’s one of my favorite sayings – ok, not the part about dying, but definitely the part about the importance of memories. Luckily, with modern technology it’s possible to have vivid photographic evidence of the great moments of our lives. Here are seven individual photos and collages that are among my favorites.

Some people may think that the bowfin is an ugly or undesirable fish but there are nevertheless many people celebrating them by many different names — with art, clothing and food.

Fish replicas are one of our favorite ways to commemorate and celebrate our epic fishing trips.. We’ve written quite a few blogs about this obsession, but there’s also a good library of links available from others. Here are some that we’ve enjoyed.