I’ve already made it clear that I think that the mahi mahi is one of the world’s greatest gamefish. They’re beautiful and often live in beautiful, sunny places. Fortunately, many manufacturers have picked up on this and embraced the colorful fish in making bucket hats, straw hats and other shade-providing devices that celebrate this amazing fighter (and meal). Here are a dozen of my favorites.

With the world nearly fully opened up for the first time in a couple of years, it’s been a banner period for going places, seeing things and catching personal bests. Here are some fishing and travel links we’ve found lately that you might find useful, intriguing, curious or downright weird.

We’re just a short time away from the holidays and you still haven’t bought gifts. Maybe you’re indecisive, or lazy, or simply broke. If that’s the case, or Prime can’t get what you want in time, then take a lesson from your grade school self: Make a coupon book. In many cases, these gifts – despite being effectively free – are more useful than the 800th crankbait or hat.

Since Islamorada, I’ve come to understand why so many people like to catch and cook tripletail. While they’re not as pretty or majestic as a sailfish, tarpon or rainbow trout, plenty of people seem to find them art-worthy, because when I conducted a search for tripletail shirts, I was surprised at how many cool ones I found.

Of the many places we’ve traveled to fish, Mexico is the one that feels most like home. Through 20 or so trips, we’ve grown fond of the people, the culture, the fishing and the food. Nevertheless, we have comparatively few reminders of our many trips South of the Border so I set out to find some gear that might provide a fun reminder of our many trips to Mexico.

Last year our new friends Carl and Lisa Vicars joined us at Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge to chase all sorts of crazy saltwater beasts. Afterwards, Carl put together a great video of the experience. Apparently they weren’t lying when they said they had a good time because they came back for another shot.

Our travel in 2022 hasn’t been entirely effortless or free of complications, but overall we’ve been pretty lucky. That’s something to be thankful for, because oftentimes trips are marred by things outside of your control. Here are a handful of links that will remind you that your travel life is surprisingly boring.

I’ve already waxed semi-poetically about the fish known as mahi mahi. They’re also called some other things, including “dorado” and – quite confusingly – dolphin. The capture of a leaping, colorful and tasty fish certainly merits a beer or three. Fortunately, there are quite a few named after the fighter.

I wish I had someone to send a letter from Guatemala. What would make it even sweeter is to stamp it with a piece of postage emblematic of the experience – pez vela. I could not find a Guatemalan stamp with a picture of the fish that we’re there to target, but apparently lots of other countries have decided that bringing the mail should have a sailfish licked in place.

Unfortunately, in between tuna trips, the only reminders I have of this incredible species are my pictures, my souvenirs and the occasional tuna steak or bowl of poke. Accordingly, I spend a lot of time on the internet chasing down tuna ephemera and memorabilia. I already have more fishing shirts than I can ever wear, yet I’m always on the hunt for more. Here are some great tuna versions I’ve found lately.

Just like last year’s trip to the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction dinner, my first stop this year after the rental car counter was the nearby Bait WrX tackle shop. I probably would have chosen that route anyway, but at the recent Swimbait Universe Gathering, Brad Vanderpool asked if I’d ever been there. When I responded that I’d visited in October of 2021, he replied, “It has changed a lot since then.” Challenge accepted, my friend.

Whether I am fishing for bluegill (where the descriptor is wholly appropriate) or marlin (where it is most definitely not), I almost always refer to my lure as “my cricket.” Truth be told, I haven’t used a live cricket as bait in possibly as many as 40+ years. Back then, I couldn’t legally drink, but now I can and I’m going to try to celebrate the cricket era of my life with a beer.

If you can’t be in Springfield, Missouri this week for the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame’s 2022 induction ceremony, you can still participate in the unbelievable online auction that will accompany the event. It’s chock full of all sorts of fishing tackle, but on top of that there are many one-of-a-kind items where if you snooze you’ll never have a shot to get it back.

Good food is not only necessary to sustain life, but also to make it worth living. That’s true when we go on fishing trips near and far – we want to be at peak performance, but we’re also excited to dive into some premium grub. Here are links that might get your tastebuds flowing. Alternatively, they might trigger your gag reflex.

Now that we’ve caught some tarpon, we’re starting to understand what all of the fuss is about. Not only are these fish beautiful to look at, but they grow big, pull extraordinarily hard and jump repeatedly. There are lots of belts and buckles to commemorate this already-memorable fish.

Captain Mark Cockerham took us to an area-that-shall-not-be-named where we proceeded to catch one snook after another after another. They bite aggressively and they pull hard. I can see why so many anglers target them – but only once I got back and did a little research did I see how many snook tributes there are on hats, shirts and jewelry. Here are some of my favorite lids.

Whether you call it a “media gathering,” a “junket,” a “writers conference” or something else, you know that you’ve been noticed as a member of the outdoor media when companies start inviting you. Once you’ve been invited and you’ve decided to attend, there are still some steps you can take to make it worthwhile for you, the company putting on the event, and the angler’s who attend.

This week my longtime friend Matt Pangrac invited me back onto bass fishing’s number one podcast, Bass Talk Live, to talk about swimbaits, the Bassmaster Opens, gray areas and fishing in your skivvies.

Sometimes I find things on the internet that need to be shared with the readers of Half Past First Cast but might not merit a blog of their own. Our industry is loaded with creative minds, and many of them are working semi-tirelessly producing products that appeal to me – which in turn means that they might appeal to you. Here are six favorites.

One of the things that I like best about fishing is the opportunity to enjoy silence. It’s why I fish by myself so often – after a week of phone calls and meetings and useless conversations I like to retreat into my own head, or completely blank out. Historically I’ve also believed that fishing in silence produces better overall results. Hanna doesn’t care about that.