I was in the boat recently with a couple of my friends, Jason Stemple and Jake Perry and we started talking about little things that make a big difference on fishing trips. So we each put our two-cents in on the things that are the cheapest and that might be the most important. If you could carry a couple of these items instead of just one, it would exponentially increase the enjoyment and productivity of the day. So here is our list of things that we think will make your fishing experience much better.
Read MoreWhatever industry you may be in, it is common to hear of the legends. Those people whose name continues to surface in conversations with other customers or competitors. In the inshore fishing business, Capt Joe Gonzales is one of those people. Despite working 150 miles away from one another, I heard Joe's name and stories on the regular. His reputation precedes him as a professional who might actually have some Bonefish DNA mixed in with his.
Read MoreSo far on our breath series we have gone over the Wim Hof method and we have covered Box Breathing. But now we are going to talk about what to do in situations where you might be anxious, nervous or overwhelmed. In these situations you are taking short breaths into the top of your chest and you activate the sympathetic nervous system where you are ready for fight or flight.
Read MoreIn October of 2015 I came across a documentary that changed how I started my day. Vice did a documentary about a Daredevil named Wim Hof who, through a breathing technique, was able to do amazing things previously believed to be impossible. He ran a marathon barefoot in the Arctic Circle, another marathon in extreme heat, he climbed Mt Kilamanjaro in shorts and even went up Everest in a pair of shorts. He set world records for swims under frozen lakes, he stayed in ice up to his neck longer than anyone to set a World Record.
Read MoreTripletail are a prehistoric looking fish that like to float next to debris or trap balls. There are several ways to fish for them including Flyfishing, live bait and lures. I have found a few other techniques that have caught fish that used to simply leave me frustrated. Join me today to discuss some tactics that might help you convert a shot to a beautiful Tripletail fillet on the plate.
Read MoreI’ve gotten a lot of questions about permit, and it’s no secret that permit is my favorite fish. And there’s a reason for that. I was fortunate enough to start guiding in Key West, Florida which is the epicenter of permit fishing. So I found myself in a place where it was the best place to fish for permit but I did not know much about the species at the time.
Read MoreMoving to a new area can be a challenge, even if you are an avid fisherman, you could be put in a place that is out of your element. Maybe you are a great saltwater fishermen but you move to an area where you are freshwater fishing (or visa versa). Well here are some things that you could do to get comfortable in a new area and learn how to fish there.
Read MoreOccasionally you get in a situation when you need to tie two dissimilar pieces of monofilament or fluorocarbon together. By dissimilar I mean 20 lb to 10 lb or in trout fishing it could be 2x to 4x. One might be much larger, and you could step down but you don’t have the right size. Or in tarpon fishing you might have a 10 pound line and want to put a 25 pound shock-tippet on there.
Read MoreOne of the most fun things to do as a fisherman or hunter is to go visit new places. We are extremely fortunate to have fishing and hunting lodges all around the world that specialize in virtually every species you may want to pursue. The locations can be spacious 5-star lodges, a backcountry tent camp or tight quarters on a mothership. Either way, there is some etiquette to follow when visiting a lodge to make sure that you and all other visitors have a good time.
Read MoreHave you ever caught a bonefish on a jig where you did not see the bone fish you were just blind casting? Well, a lot of people do that and it is a very, very, very effective way to add a few fish to your days total. I learned this from the king of blind casting for bonefish, Mitch Howell. He has won so many tournaments in the Florida Keys and has scored so many points by using this technique and it is very simple.
Read MoreHave you ever been to a national park and wished you could live there? Maybe even work there? Well when I was younger I worked on Yellowstone National Park and that is what sparked my interest in working in the outdoors. So I sat down with the head of Marketing for Xanterra, Rick Hoeninghausen, and he explains exactly the steps to apply to live and work on a National Park.
If you have ever wanted to work on any of the following National Parks, you need to check out this podcast on how to apply there: Yellowstone National Park, Zion National Park, Glacier National Park, The Oasis At Death Valley, Cedar Creek Lodge, The Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Rocky Mountain National Park
Hurricane Dorian is still over the Bahamas and from the videos that I have seen it is unbelievable how bad it is. I thought a good podcast for today would be How To Help the Bahamas. The ways in which you can help are through supplies, finances, time or physical efforts and the organizations you can give to are coming together now.
Read MoreHave you ever attempted to catch a Grand Slam? Do you want to in the future? Well I recently was filming an episode for Saltwater Experience and we set out to catch a Grand Slam (Permit, Tarpon and Bonefish). I realized that it would make a great How 2 Tuesday.
Read MoreJosh Thomas of Vibe Kayaks lives by the motto; “getting more of out there and less of in here,” and he joins me today to talk about one way of “getting more of out there” which is kayak fishing. I asked Josh what his quick little introduction to kayak fishing would be and he gave me some great pointers on how to get into kayak fishing and what factors to consider. When looking into kayak fishing you need to decide what you are going to use the kayak for, there are many different kinds of boats, and similarly, many different kinds of kayaks. What kind of water are you going to be fishing in? What kind of fish are you fishing for? How do you want to rig your kayak? Do you want to be standing and stable or paddling and quick?
Read MoreI got a question from a listener named Nick asking about how to be a better guide. This is a topic that I have mentioned or talked about certain aspects of, but never just full on addressed. So here goes, quick overview on how to be a better guide. You need to be on the water a lot, you need to be keeping a journal, have a plan A, B, C, D and so on, be dedicated to professionalism, be the best communicator possible, be there early, keep your gear in perfect condition, watch your dress and language, maintain your health and find time to read.
Read MoreI brought Dr. Max Baumgartner into the studio to go over some things he carries in his First Aid Kit. Dr. Baumgartner is an Emergency Room Doctor and he has seen a lot of common injuries that occur on the boat. He goes over some common things you should have in your kit as well as some things that he added in that he thinks are important.
Read MoreI got a question recently about how to best book a guide for a fishing trip, so I called up my friend Hunter Leavine to have him come talk about some tips for booking guides. Hunter runs a podcast called Captains Collective and he goes around interviewing guides all the time so he has some awesome insights in this podcast.
Read MoreFishing for sharks can be like fishing for any other kind of fish, it can be easy if you know what to do, but at first glance it might not be as easy as you’d expect. Sharks have an incredible sense of smell that means if you use fresh chum you can attract a lot of them. I highly recommend fresh chum for sharks because sharks aren’t like vultures. They might eat something that has been dead for a while but they are far more likely to be attracted to fresh meat.
Read MoreCatch and Release has been a great thing for conservation, few would argue that. However, some people mishandle fish before release which could be killing them and cancelling out all good intentions of release. A listener asked if I would do this show on how to properly handle fish intended for release. I was a little hesitant at the time because each fish that we fish for requires a slightly different technique. I wasn’t sure if I could effectively communicate, through audio only, the proper way to handle fish. I gave it a whirl anyway and hope it is helpful, if you want to know more please email me and I would be happy to provide any details that were missed in the podcast.
Read MoreOn the How 2 Tuesday I spoke about how to get your anchor set up for pretty much any boat you fish out of. Personally, I fish out of 3 boats - I fish out of a 17-Yellowfin Skiff, 24-Bay-Boat and the 36-Yellowfin-Offshore. The 3 boats, obviously, have different anchoring requirements, different types of bottom, different lengths of line, different amounts of chain and even different types of anchors… The one thing that hold true with any of these is that when I put my anchor down I want it to hold, I don’t want it to slip. When I put my anchor down I also want to be able to get off of the anchor and go chase down a fish.
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