The pandemic has put employees in the driver’s seat, allowing them to demand a more favorable work-life balance. It has also made it clear that many of us can work from anywhere. Not every employer buys into that belief system, but you can find examples of employers who encourage their trusted staff to work hard and play hard.

We’ve been thrilled with numerous products from Lakebound, including barrel ends, shirts and mugs, so on our recent trip to Missouri we brought our friends Chad and Debbie Morgenthaler a Lakebound blanket with an image of Table Rock Lake, their home waters. Their marriage may never be the same.

Not only did Dave Mansue harvest a magnificent West Texas elk with the assistance of True Grit Outfitters, but he allowed us to enjoy the fruits of his hard work on a recent trip to Missouri. After enjoying an appetizer of ground elk ravioli, we hit the main course: Steak Diane.

Bait WrX in Springfield, Missouri is a premier bass tackle shop with specialty gear including regional staples and high-end glide baits. It was my first stop after picking up my rental car at the airport.

At HPFC world headquarters, our walls overfloweth with pictures of our most memorable trips and experiences. They remind us why we work so hard to make those journeys happen. The tough part of the deal is that after a while all of the memories get lost in a sea of glossy prints. That’s why we love our wood piece from Hint’s Laser Engraving.

Heading to Missouri and then on to Michigan, I had visions of fat-bellied spotted, largemouth and smallmouth bass dancing in my brain. Along the way I engaged in some gluttony myself. I didn’t end up with a hook in my jaw, but as I returned home my already grown work-from-home stomach demanded that I add another hole to my belt.

One of the benefits of working from home during the pandemic era is that it gave me time to work on my FG Knot. While fluorocarbon clearly has advantages, many variations of the line can be virtually unmanageable. Accordingly, braid-to-fluoro combinations have become widely used, and the FG Knot’s promise of a connection that is stronger and gets through guides easier is tempting.

While many of my friends are fascinated by my late-in-life discovery of fishing, more than a few of them get agitated by one aspect of my addiction: They can’t understand how and why we catch and release all of our fish. To make them happy, check out our seared tuna.

I am not a fan of the necktie in any form – conventional, bowtie, ascot or otherwise. I feel that it’s an antiquated social signifier that has outlived its usefulness, but as I’ve written previously, “if you’re going to wear a tie it might as well be a fun one.” Nothing’s more fun than tuna.

I’ve been writing for the MeatEater media empire since 2020, and I’ve been friends with editor and trash fish legend Joe Cermele for much longer than that. He knows that I have mixed feelings about the invasive snakeheads, but he nevertheless enlisted me to help with a recent episode of “Das Boat.”

Hanna and I continue to max out our retirement funds and put more away on a monthly basis so that if all goes right we’ll be done with our full-time gigs no later than the end of the decade. That’s both exceptionally exciting and a little bit daunting. Setting that rough timeline puts us on a path where we’ll need to have some plans and some envisioned deliverables.

While we are strong supporters of catch & release, there’s nothing wrong with eating sustainably and ethically harvested gamefish, especially if you do them justice with a perfect recipe that brings out their flavors.

Our retirement dream is to travel the country in a fifth wheel to fish and explore. Pete will tow the RV with one vehicle and I will tow the boat with another. I guess that means I better learn how to tow the boat. I’ve done it a few times out of necessity, but I’m still not 100 percent comfortable with the process.

As if I needed to get any more excited for our upcoming return to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, every time I turn on the Google machine it seems to taunt me with another reminder about how excited I am. While I’ve already acquired four new items that will accompany me, I keep discovering new clothing that brings to mind both the epic offshore and inshore fisheries that await me.

When I interviewed FisheWear founder Linda Leary a few months back, she hinted that despite the fact that she lives in a state with no reproducing population of bass, my beloved largemouth was the next fish on her design schedule. Well, she’s brought out a new “Basstacular” collection and it exceeds expectations.

We’ve already told you how to spruce up your look with billfish-themed shirts, shorts and neckties. Now we’ll help you complete the look with matching socks.

If you’d told me 20 years ago that fishing would become a huge part of my life I would’ve laughed, but it has. It has been integral to boosting my confidence and my skill set. The memories we’ve made and the artifacts we’ve collected are the evidence of lives well-lived….and we want you to join us.

I’ve repeatedly made it clear that fishing the flats for giant trevally with big poppers is at the top of the top of my list of bucket list experiences. Until then (or perhaps never) I will not be getting a GT tattoo, nor will I be spending a thousand bucks apiece on high-quality popping rods and reels – but a hat might be a more reasonable expenditure.

Sometimes a simple photo is the best way to memorialize your great fishing adventure. The Robbins household is loaded with simple framed pics, and my home office in particular is running out of wall space. In many cases, a plain frame is the best way to display them, but with a little bit of effort it’s possible to spruce things up with something special.

I’ve worn a tie for more hours than many of you have been alive. I’m neither proud nor ashamed of that fact – it’s the price I’ve paid to earn certain things I want, like Japanese crankbaits and trips to the Amazon.