LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS GIFT

Looking for another last minute Christmas gift?  Having had the opportunity to fish for some of the toughest freshwater fish on earth, I highly recommend replacing all split rings on your lures with the triple coiled rings made by Wolverine Tackle www.wolverinetackleinc.com.  These are without question the strongest rings on earth.  Why lose the fish of your dreams on broken split rings?  The rings come in various sizes including a new size 4 designed for bass fishermen.  For more information email Wolverine Tackle at sales@wolverinetackleinc.com or call 630-289-4728

LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS GIFT

Looking for that last minute Christmas gift to give to the fisherperson in your life?  Well, Kermett Adams of www.klures.com makes the best hand made wooden fishing lures on the market bar none.  Kermett makes a variety of peacock bass choppers and poppers.  He also makes some lures such as the daly diver which will tempt the golden dorado into striking.  He makes sturdy buzz baits which can stand up to the vicious wolf fish.  He also makes wooden lures for largemouth bass.  Check out his site and you can inquire by writing him at kkadams@aol.com

Fishing Christmas Gift

Imagine the look on your loved one when you give them a fishing trip of a lifetime for Christmas.  There are numerous destinations to go.  One of the hottest right now is Jurassic Lake Lodge in Argentina,  www.jurassiclakelodge.com.  Here, numerous monster rainbow trout can be landed until your arms give out.  Better yet,if you have lots of funds you can send them on a double trip to La Zona Lodge in Argentina for monster golden dorado then on to Jurassic Lake Lodge.

 If Alaska is on your list, you cannot do wrong then go head down the Alaska Peninsula to Pumice Creek Lodge, www.garylarose.com for monster silver salmon and arctic char.   Want to go where nobody else has?  Well Jason Yip of www.sportfishingpng.net offers trips to catch monster PNG bass and barramundi in the wilds of Papua New Guinea. Friends Matias Pavoni and Fany Salas have opened a new lodge in Argentina so look them up on Facebook. Here in the states a fantastic deal is to fish for monster redfish in Louisianna with Capt. Keith Kennedy of Born to Fish Charters.  Friend Steve Yatomi of www.adventuretravelalliance offers worldwide fishing destination trip so contact him if you need guidance on booking your trip..  For stocking stuffers look no farther than to get some of Kermett Admas hand made wooden lures, www.klures.com.

POTENTIAL ALL TACKLE RECORD DOGTOOTH TUNA

According to the IGFA, in November while fishing off the coast of Tanzania, British angler, Jon Patten landed a dogtooth tuna weighing 236lbs 15oz.  The tuna fought for over an hour and was landed on a Yellowfin tuna.  If accepted, the doggie will top the current all tackle record which stands at 230lbs 6oz

POTENTIAL ALL TACKLE PAPUA NEW GUINEA BLACK BASS

According to the IGFA, Australian angler, Bluey Hellmuth landed a monster Papua New Guinea Black Bass weighing 47lbs,  The trophy was landed on the Aramia River in October.  If accepted by the IGFA, this will top the current all tackle record of 46lbs.  As I have mentioned many times, the PNG black bass is  the strongest fighting freshwater fish on earth, bar none!  I am confident that someone fishing with outfitter Jason Yip of www.sportfishingpng.net will break the 50lbs barrier soon!

Peacock Bass Rio Negro

Friend and longtime peacock bass angler, Wilson Cox, recently landed the peacock bass of his dreams, a monster weighing in at 21 lbs.  Wilson was fishing the Blackwater Explorer booked by Acute Angling.  Wilson's trophy was landed on a minnow bait type lure.  The water levels were low according to Wilson and they fished mainly in the river.  His partner and him landed and released 442 peacocks.  On the Blackwater Explorer were 13 anglers who landed a total of 2840 peacocks with another monster 20 lbs being caught by another in the group.  Avid Angler, Gary Clark, reported today that due to extreme low water conditions, his trip to the Amazon next week has been cancelled.  So, if you are heading to peacock country soon make sure to check with your outfitter regarding water levels.

ARGENTINA FISHING TACKLE

On every International Fishing trip I take, time permitting, I try to venture into a local tackle store to purchase local lures for my collection and use.  Pro Anglers in Buenos Aires is the best tackle store in Argentina, www.proanglers.com.ar.  Here you find find rods, reels, tackle, and an assortment of outdoor gear.  Many names will be familiar to the USA fishermen such as Rapala, Shimano, Daiwa to name a few.  Shimano is by far the popular reel brand in Argentina.  Normally they pay as much as four times what we can get these items in the USA.  Rapala makes rods and even waders which I have never seen in the USA.  Pro Anglers carries a variety of Alfers lures which are the tops in Argentina in my opinion.  Marine sports makes great choppers call the TNT and these are fantastic on peacock bass as well as golden dorado.

There is a popper named the moinotauro gold which is deadly on golden dorado in low water.

So on your next trip overseas, stop by the local tackle store and you might be surprised by the assortment and quality of lures.  If stopping by Pro Anglers make sure to tell Facu and Marco that your friends with me and am sure they will give you a good deal!

FLORIDA LARGEMOUTH BASS

Friend and avid bass angler, Dr. Gary Clark, reports non stop action using Long A jerkbaits on largemouth bass in Florida while being guided by Capt. Hugh Crumpler.  Gary fished for 3 days at Capt. Crumpler's secret lake.  They landed 44, 96, and 36 bass and were the only boat on this lake.  Capt. Crumpler also offers guided trips to famous Stick Marsh and numerous other top Florida bass lakes.  Check out his website at www.hugh-crumpler.com or contact him at 321-626-6174 for more information.

TWO WORLD CLASS FISHERIES IN ONE TRIP

Ever have on your bucket list to catch a 50+ lbs golden dorado and a monster rainbow trout which tips the scale over 20lbs?  Well both these can be caught on the same trip with a small amount of planning.  The largest golden dorado on earth swim in an area known as "La Zona" which is located on the Uruguay River near the border of Argentina/Uruguay.

You would fly into Buenos Aires and have the lodge drive you to the fishery which is located in Concordia.  The fishing is limited to Friday through Monday which believe me is enough time to land your 50+lbs dream fish!  If your arms can handle more, friend Carlos Casanello can arrange to have you flown from La Zona and wind up on the southern end of Argentina in the area known as Patagonia and fish at his Jurassic Lake Lodge for the monster rainbow trout.  Here you can fish either a 1/2 or full week to land more trophy rainbows then you ever imagined.

 I have fished both locations and they are world class!  Two of the best run lodges on earth!
For more information contact Steve Yatomi at www.adventuretravelalliance.com or by email at
zato1@earthlink.net

SPINNING TRAVEL RODS

I was always skeptical about using travel rods.  Well, on my recent trip to Jurassic Lake Lodge in

Argentina I decided to give it a try.  With strict baggage rules in place on most airlines, travel rods can be packed on carry on luggage thus reducing a check bag--your rodcase.  Dawia makes a new Ardito spinning rod which comes in 3 sections.  Eagle Claw makes a very affordable Trailmaster spinning rod which breaks down into 4 sections.  These rods were able to handle the monster rainbow trout of Jurassic Lake so I highly recommend considering travel rods on your next adventure.

ALASKA PENINSULA SEPTEMBER 10 TO 17

On September 9th, I flew on Alaska Airlines from Chicago to Anchorage.  There I was met by friends Dr. Cole Lundquist and Dr. Kevin Cleary.  We were heading for a return trip to battle the monster silver salmon and arctic char at Gary LaRose's Pumice Creek Lodge.  All of us have been to the lodge numerous times and this was my 27th straight year fishing the Alaska Peninsula.  On Sept 10th we flew out of Anchorage to the town of King Salmon on PenAir.  In King Salmon, Robert May of RJ Aviation picked us up and flew us down to the lodge.

Throughout the week we fished for either silver salmon at the Cinder River or for arctic char at Lava Creek.  The fishing was simply fabulous at both spots.  My best day on the Cinder was catching over 100 silvers on a 7/8 oz pixee spoon using spinning gear.  On Lava Creek, we landed char after char, many of which were in their spawning coloration.  My best day on char was 191 all of which were released.  I landed them on ultralite spinning gear casting small inline spinners. 

The weather throughout the week was terrible with lots of rain and wind.  However, we barely noticed the conditions as we were too busy catching silvers and char.

The fishing out of Pumice Creek Lodge gets better and better.  Other than the brown bears, we did not see another fisherman at either the Cinder or Lava Creek.  This year, the silvers seemed larger than past years and the char fishing is just insane!

For fishermen heading to Alaska, Robert May's RJ Aviation is the way to go.  Robert is very professional and can fly you to your destination on time.  Many of the commercial flights often cancel leaving you with a major headache.  So I highly recommend using RJ Aviation for a worry free adventure.  You can contact Robert at 907-469-0522 or email him at rjaviation1@gmail.com.

In my opinion, Pumice Creek Lodge is perhaps the best fishing lodge worldwide.  The lodge holds about 6 fisherman.  Gary LaRose does everything possible to see that your stay is a great Alaska experience.  You can contact Gary at 907-350-6841 or contact me for any details.  I am already booked for 2016 and cannot wait to catch the monster silvers and arctic char!

ALASKA PENINSULA PUMICE CREEK LODGE SEPT 10 TO 17

On September 9, I along with friend Dr. Cole Lundquist flew out of Chicago to Anchorage.  We were later met up by friend Dr. Kevin Cleary of Atlanta for a week long fishing adventure on the Alaska Peninsula out of Gary LaRose's Pumice Creek Lodge.  On September 10th, we flew out of Anchorage to the town of King Salmon where Rob
ert May of RJ Aviation was waiting for us to fly us to the lodge.  All in the group have been to the lodge before and this was my 27th straight year fishing the Alaska Peninsula in search of monster silver salmon and big arctic char.

The weather was terrible during the week with lots and lots of rain and high winds.  However, the fishing was so good that I doubt anyone noticed the weather.  The silvers on the Cinder River were enormous this season.  I landed over 100 silvers on the second day of the trip.  The char fishing on Lava Creek was insane as you practically got a bite on every cast.  I landed 191 char on Tuesday and was the low man in the group!  The fishing out of Pumice Creek Lodge is simply the best on this earth!  Other than my 2 friends and guide Rudy McPherren, the only other fisherman I saw during the week was a brown bear!  Pumice Creek Lodge is far away from the crowds of Bristol Bay and the Kenai Peninsula so you more or less have the fishing to yourselves!  This year to avoid possible headaches with flight cancellations, we hired Robert May of RJ Aviation to fly us out of King Salmon to the lodge then from the lodge back to Anchorage.  I highly recommend Robert.  You can contact him at 907-469-0522 or look him up on facebook. I have already rebooked for 2016 at Pumice Creek Lodge.  To get into this world class fishing contact Gary LaRose at 907-350-6841 or you can contact me with any questions.  Gary's website is www.garylarose.com.  Cannot wait till 2016 to get back to all those silvers and char on the Alaska Peninsula!

TRIBUTE TO MY GOOD FRIEND

Long time friend and fishing partner, Tom "Tiny" Kusbel, passed away Thursday.  Tom is a retired policeman from the City of Whiting.  Tiny loved his fishing and enjoyed heading to remote destinations not only for fishing but the love of seeing new places and new adventures.  Tom and I were pioneers in the peacock bass fishing venturing to the Amazon jungle in the early 90s before the word got out on this fishery.  Tom also loved fishing with his family at places like Yellow Lake in Webster, WI and Lake of the Woods in Canada.  Tiny would have really enjoyed fishing with me at places like La Zona and Thailand but his health would not enable to allow him.  I was very fortunate to see Tiny a few days before he passed.  Tom, rest in peace my good buddy and am sure we will catch a few river monsters in the fisheries in heaven.  God bless!!  Bob Daly

OWNER TREBLE ST-76TN HOOKS

If you thought the 4X Owner ST-66TN treble hooks were the tops, what till you see the 5X Owner ST-76TN hooks.  These hooks have been available  in Japan for a few years and are now available in the USA.  The hooks are designed for the baddest of the baddest fish which swim!  The hooks consist of a corrosion resistant vacuum-tinned fishing with 3 super sharp points and short shafts.  They are super strong and come in sizes 3/0, 4/0, and 5/0.  The 3/0 has a wire diameter of 2/44mm, the 4/0 has a wire diameter of 2.59mm, while the huge 5/0 has a diameter of 2.77mm.  I have always replaced on treble hooks on lures used at La Zona and the other bad ass places I have fished and will now be replacing them with the new ST-76TN.  Check these out on your next visit to your local tackle store of look for them on-line at various site like cabelas.com

POWERPRO MAXCUATRO BRAIDED FISHING LINE

PowerPro Maxcuarto Fishing Line
Lb. Test	Mono Eq. Diameter
50	10
65	12
80	16
100	18

At the recent ICAST, PowerPro introduced their new Maxcuatro braided fishing line.  The line is 25% thinner than regular PowerPro thus increasing spool capacity.  It's ultra soft thin construction allows for improved casting.  Maxcuatro also has two times more abrasion resistance when compared to other lines.  It comes in spools of 150, 500, and 1500 yards in 50, 65, 80, and 100lbs test and is designed to catch the strongest fish which swim

.

Stick Marsh/Farm 13 report for July 30th

Friend and avid angler, Dr. Gary Clark shard this great bass report:

What an unbelievable day of bass catchin' I had with Hugh Crumpler yesterday at the Stick Marsh!  With all our recent rains, water is flowing and the bass are fat, mean, and totally ready to come out and play!  We started casting at 7 AM and by 9:10 we had released 45.

By 11:30 the count was up to 75, and we quit at 1 PM with a final tally of 88 bass battled and released.  Most were caught with Carolina rigs and Stik-O's, but 3/4 oz RattleTraps and Deep Little N crankbaits produced as well.  If you think you missed the heyday of the famous Stick Marsh/Farm 13, think again!  With water moving, it's just like old times and never better.  This place is an absolute bass factory, and top guide Hugh Crumpler knows all the assembly lines!  Many of our buddies have fished with Hugh and know full well how he has produced for them.  Call him soon at (321) 626-6174  and get in on this fantastic summer bass fishing.  

THE FUTURE OF FRESHWATER FISHING

Often, I think about how lucky I was to fish in the golden age of freshwater fishing.  Having the opportunity to fish Internationally for over 30 years, I have seen many fisheries come and go.  Gone are great lodges such as Nejalini Lodge in Northern Manitoba where monster lakers and pike were landed.  Lake Guri Lodge, and the Casiquire systems in Venezuela have either closed or are off limits to Americans due to political conflicts.  Here was great peacock bass fishing and payara. The Rio Unini is perhaps the best river for monster peacock bass is off limits to fisherman due to it being designated a national park by the Brazilian government.  When I started peacock bass fishing in the early 90s, 100 peacocks per boat with many exceeding 15lbs were caught daily.  Very few fishermen were hunting peacocks at the time and the majority could be landed on topwater woodchopper type lures.  Today, with hundreds of outfitters hitting the river systems, the pressure was more than the peacocks could handle.  They have become use to the noise of choppers and are now caught on jigs.  Days of large peacocks daily are gone and if you land a 20lbs during the week you are one lucky fisherman!  Weather patterns such as rainfall have changed in the past few years which cancelled a few years due to high water.  That along with the raising and falling US dollar has made it very tough on outfitters. Prices on these trips have rising drastically!  The years of monster Masheer in Nepal are practically over due too much harvesting of the big ones!  The best tigerfish can be landed in Tanzania if you want to pay a house mortage to get a booking or the Congo if your brave enough.  Char fishing on great places such as the Coppermine, Chantley Inlet, and the majority of rivers on Victoria Island are a thing of the past due to expense!  Massive Great Bear Lake in the Canadian NWT is now down to 2 full time lodge and a few have closed in the past 10 years again due to expenses.  La Zona on the Uruguay River on the border of Argentina/Uruguay is still redhot for golden dorado.  How long will this last?  Only time will tell.  Thailand is a safe cheap option for monster fish if you do not mind fishing in stocked ponds.  The majority of these species are practically impossible to land in the wild.  Alaska offers many opportunities but the days of great monster king salmon are over.  Often the Kenai River is closed due to a limited amount of kings entering the river system.  Arapaiama fishing in Guyana was redhot for about a year, but now many places are government protected.  The days of landing 200lbs+ Nile Perch are gone due to over harvesting.  Murchison Falls in Uganda still offers a decent shot at a 100lbs+ but who knows how long this will last.  The silver salmon fishing on the Alaska Peninsula is second to none, but few lodges exist.  Gone are the days of camping at Amber Bay.  Today, Gary LaRose's Pumice Creek Lodge is one of the best remaining lodges on the Peninsula and Gary only knows how long the lodge will remain in business.  Suriname offers practically unfished opportunites for monster Lau Lau and wolffish.  Once the crowds invade who knows if the fisheries can handle them.  The monster bass lakes in Mexico such as Lake Huites have come and went.  Plus, I don't think Mexico is the safest place on earth these days!  In the United States, the majority of state fishing licenses are at all time lows.  Many fishermen are still in the practice of keeping every fish landed and now with restrictions on harvest have given up and just went to the fish market.  The average age of most fishermen who buy a license is in his mid 50s!  Guess youngsters are too busy texting or playing games on their IPod. I was so lucky that my mom would take me every weekend to our local pond and dad would take us on yearly family fishing vacations to MN or WI.  However on a positive note, the Great Lakes fishery are the best of times.  Monster musky, walleye, smallmouth and others are in its heyday.  Great fishing still exists in LA for big bull reds.  So, I am sure glad that I grew up in the Golden Years of International Freshwater Fishing.  Only God knows what the future holds!

Leatherman Stainless Steel Bracelet

Each and every year something new comes out which catches my eye thinking it can be of use on my fishing trips.  Recently, I saw an ad for the new Leatherman Tread Stainless Steel Bracelet.  It more or less is a leatherman multi purpose tool worn on the wrist.  It comes with a bottle opener, screwdriver, box wrench and many more options up to 25 usable features.  On my next visit to Cabelas I plan on checking them out.

SW ALASKA HALIBUT DERBY UPDATES

Each year beginning in the middle of May, the towns of Valdez and Homer offer thousands of dollars for those fortunate to catch a monster halibut.  The Derby's in these towns run through September 6 in Valdez and September 15 in Homer.  Seward offers a June only halibut derby. The current leader in Valdez is a halibut weighing in at 194.2lbs while Homer scores a 199.8lbs halibut.  The winner for the Seward derby was a monster weighing in at 291.2lbs.  I have fished out of each town numerous times.  Normally if the seas are calm, Montague Island is a hotspot for all to catch a monster.  I was lucky years ago to land a trophy estimated at 300lbs out of Valdez.  Unfortunately, the halibut did not even place on the leader board that year.  Halibut derby tickets can be bought in each town and you cannot win without a ticket!  Halibut are perhaps my favorite table fish either deep fried or smoked.  The delicious white filets are somewhat sweet to the taste plus you get an abundance of filets off a monster halibut with the cheeks being perhaps the best quality.  So if you venture to Alaska this summer, make sure to buy a halibut ticket and win thousands!

End of June, bull redfish out of Venice, LA

"  Friend Gary Clark along with a few friends fished with Capt. Keith Kennedy of Born to Fish Charters out of Venice, LA for monster bull redfish.  Here is Dr. Clark's report "Boy, was it hard to believe the marine forecast for the first day of our latest trip to Louisiana to fish with Captain Keith Kennedy of Born to Fish Charters.  Waves of 0 to 1 foot, which is simply unheard of!  But, sure enough, that's precisely what met us when the Captain reached the spot he wanted to fish.  Within moments, everybody was hooked up to a big redfish all going in different directions!  For the next several hours, to have triple and quadruple hookups, all it took was having that many baits in the water.  When the dust settled---or rather, the water calmed from all the action---45 bull redfish to 28 pounds (Jeff Stagg) had come over the rail.  As always, with that kind of fishing on the first day, you just can't wait for the second day.  Then, as so often happens, what a difference a day made.  Trying his best to put us into fish early, the Captain made our way all the way down to the Head of the Passes on the River.  At that point, storms on both sides of us made it very clear that the prudent course of action was to return to camp, and that's precisely what we did.  Late morning we headed out again, but the second day's fishing was nothing like the first day.  We fished really hard for a total of two bull reds! Then came the finale!  On the third day, we returned to the original scene of the crime, and it was game on all over again!  Another storm caused us to seek shelter, but after it passed, the Captain made the right decision to return to where all the action had been, and sure enough, doubles and triples were on again!  We finished the last day with a total of 40 redfish, and David Fields nailed the big one of the trip at 34 pounds . I managed a nice red with more spots on both sides than I have ever seen. Before I reveal the best lures for this outing, let me just say that this latest trip exemplifies why it's so good to book Capt. Keith's 3 day, 4 night all-inclusive package. Booking only 1 or 2 days can be very hit or miss. With 3 days of fishing, it's usually for sure that at least one of those days the weather and the fish will cooperate.  It's not uncommon for 2 days to be good, and if you get all 3 to be good, you can consider yourself to be very fortunate. Now for the lures.  As has been so often the case, the Boom-R-Ang saltwater fluke bait in Foxy Fred color was just exceptional.  Bomber mudminnows in white with chartreuse tail also did their thing.  A new wrinkle developed by the Captain calls for two H & H queen cocahoe minnows to be arrayed on the same 8/0 circle hook, and this produced quite well.  Jeff Stagg upped the ante on this rig by replacing the minnows with two 6 inch twister tail grubs.  On the last day, all he had to do for an immediate hookup was to get this rig close to the water!  And I must mention that the Captain caught a very nice bull red, field testing his new lure creation, the Rag Tag.  No doubt you will be hearing big things to come of this innovation! 

As always, I hope all our fishing buddies can enjoy this fantastic fishing with the Captain for about 1/5 the cost of our international travel!    

I can attest for Gary's statement saying that Captain Keith's is absolutely a great fishing bargin!  Contact Keith at 504-908-3108

VENICE, LA REDFISH REPORT FOR JUNE 3-5

Avid angler and bull redfish expert, Gary Clark, reports fantastic fishing in the Gulf for monster bull redfish.  Gary along with 2 friends landed 84 bull reds in 3 days of fishing with the largest weighing in at 34 1/2 pounds.  The guys were guided by Capt. Keith Kennedy of Born To Fish Charters.  Keith offers one of the best deals for world class fishing at inexpensive rates here in the USA for 3 days of fishing and 4 nights lodging.  Keith offers everything  including all fishing tackle, delicious meals, and even fishing licenses.  The season is just starting to pick up according to Dr. Clark and should last throughout the summer and fall months.  Capt Keith has a few openings remaining for these prime months.  He can be contacted at
(504) 908-3108

LA ZONA REPORT FOR MAY 15 TO 18

Friend, Wilson Cox, reports good fishing out of La Zona which is located on the Uruguay River on the Argentina/ Uruguay border.  The water levels were normally high but fluctuated during the weekend whereas large rocks were exposed near the dam.  Wilson said trolling Mag 30s and CUCU lures were extremely productive.  Also home made heavy wire spinnrbaits were really good but destroyed after a few dorado bites.  According to Wilson, the weather was exceptional!  The staff and guides did a tremendous job says Wilson.  Having been a La Zona seasoned veteran, Wilson claims this was one of the best trips he has taken to the "zone", and is already planning on returning in 2016.
The largest golden dorado landed in his boat was by his partner, a 46lbs monster.  Wilson says everyone missed a few over 40lbs near the boat, but he did landed 5 golden dorado at 36lbs.

LOUISIANNA POTENTIAL STATE RECORD REDFISH

Angler Darrel Gilbert recently landed the redfish of his dreams.  While fishing with Capt. Mike Frenette of Redfish Lodge of Louisianna, Gilbert landed and released a monster redfish measuring 53.5 inches with a girth of 31 inches.  The bull red was estimated at 65lbs which exceeds the Louisianna state record of 61lbs.  The current IGFA all tackle record for redfish is a monster 94lbs 2oz caught out of North Carolina.
Gilbert was fishing the shoreline in the South Pass out of Venice, LA.  He was using a pumpkin and chartreuse Strike King redfish magic glass minnow tied to a 3/8 oz jighead and positoned about 2.5 inches above a popping cork.
The Venice area holds lots of monster redfish.  I have personally fished with Capt. Keith Kennedy of Born to Fish Charters and highly recommend his services.  Who knows, maybe you can top Darrel's record catch as they are swimming in the waters around Venice!

LAU LAU RIGS

Heavy duty rigs are required to land the monster Lau Lau.  For my recent trip to Suriname, I made numerous rigs before settling on using the Gamakatsu Octopus Single Eye 4X STRONG 10/0 hook tied to an Owner ST66 4/0 treble with 300lbs Kevlar Cord.  The Gamakatsu Octopus 4X is an extremely sharp and strong hook capable to penetrating the hard mouth of the Lau Lau.  Owner ST-66 or Owner ST-76 are in my opinion the best treble hooks on the market and are extremely strong and razor sharp.  The Kevlar cord was very easy to work with in tying knots.  I first tied the single hook to the Kevlar cord then ran about 5 inches before tying on the treble.  I superglued each knot and placed some shrink wrap over the knots for added protection.  A 6ft- 300lbs Kevlar Cord was then used as a leader

and tied to a 325lbs SPRO swivel.  First, a sinker slide was placed on the leader so heavy sinkers up to 16oz could be taken off without tying up a new rig.  Part of the fun of these trips is experimenting with new rigs before the trip actually takes place.  I found that when using the heavy egg sinkers, I placed a screw eye into one of the holes which could hold the sinker in place but let lose in case of snags so I would not lose the entire rig.  Also, give Kevlar Cord a look for your next leaders for monster fish!

TOP RODS FOR LAU LAU

During the trip to Suriname's rain forest, I had a long search for quality 2 piece fishing rods capable of handling monster Lau Lau.  With strict restrictions on the size of checked baggage, my normal 1 piece rods could not make the trip.  The best rods I found to team up with the previously mentioned Daiwa Opus spinning reel and Fin-Nor Marquesta 30T conventional reel

where the Okuma AC 602MH which is a 2 piece casting rod at 6ft length.  The rod is more of a jigging rod, capable on landing any fish species on this planet.  The rod is very comfortable, lightweight, and has quality guides and reel seat.  The choice of spinning rod was the 2 piece Magna MX-3 Gorilla Big Fish spinning rod.  This rod is made in Europe mostly for carp fishing.  It comes from www.psfishing.com which can ship to the USA with no problem.  The rod was extremely strong and handled the Lau Lau without a problem.  One of the guys in the group also bought a travel rod made by this company and it looked fantastic.  Check out their site as most have never heard of it.
With the size problem imposed by airlines, I have contacted various fishing tackle companies such as Daiwa to take the lead of making quality strong 2 piece rods for the International River monster seekers.  Will hopefully see some new products to my liking very soon!

TOP REELS FOR LAU LAU

One of the decisions I had before heading to Suriname was finding adequate reels to handle monster Lau Lau.  For the adventure, I settled on using both Daiwa's Opus 5500 spinning reel and a Fin-Nor Marquesa 30T conventional reel.
The Daiwa Opus is an amazing reel for a very low price.  It features a bite and run ability in which turning the handle takes it out of the baitrunner mode and into main gear.  The 5500 model holds lots of heavy braid and has a powerful drag.  I found this reel to be very great value capable of handling a Lau Lau.  I ordered about 5 of these reels and plan on using them on my next visit to Thailand for huge Mekong Cats at Bung Sam Ran!
The Fin-Nor Marquesa 30T is amazing.  It has an adjustable lever drag which lets you crank up the pressure for maximum stopping power when the Lau Lau takes off.  It has a 6:1:1 gear ratio and picks up 51 inches of line with a single handle turn.  The "T" model comes with a top bar and adjustable clicker which is perfect for live bait fishing.  It has a max drag of 40lbs of which all was needed to stop the Lau Lau runs.
S0 if these reels can handle monster Lau Lau, I would try them on any species which swim!

SURINAME FOR MONSTER LAU LAU

Had the opportunity to fish in Suriname with 4 good friends under the guidance of Paul De Boer.  Paul picked us up in Paramaribo, Suriname for a drive to his favorite monster Lau Lau river.  Lau Lau or better known as the piraiba which has been reported to grow over 10ft long and weigh in access of 350 pounds.  Paul has guided numerous anglers to monster Lau Lau and knows the best rivers and times to increase your odds.

Our "home" for the week was a small houseboat complete with 2 bunk beds, a freezer, and small stove.  I found this to be very comfortable and sure beats sleeping on a hammock in the jungle. The meals were delicious consisting of a variety of rice dishes created by Chef Paul.
There is not much wildlife observed during our stay.  A few parrots and macaws are seen and heard each day.  We fall asleep and are awaken each day by the noise of howler monkeys.
The temperatures in the rain forest are extremely hot and humid so a mid day rain shower feels very refreshing.  Paul provided numerous bottles of water and soda for us to prevent dehydration.
Live bait is the best for tempting Lau Lau and nets are placed out each evening.
On the second day of the trip I land a bonus 6ft tarpon, but this is not what I came all the way to Suriname for.  Before the weeks end, all of us land monster Lau Lau so our dreams of monster fish once again come true with the largest Lau Lau going 7ft 2 inch, 6ft 7in and 6ft 6in.
Lau Lau are extremely powerful as evident by screaming drag runs.  I had to put my reel  in "full drag" which is about 45lbs pull and it still screamed!  The guides quickly maneuver the boats toward the midd

le of the river once a big Lau Lau is hooked to keep it from running into the shoreline snags.  Photos are quickly taken, all Lau Lau are revived then released to catch another day.
Paul De Boer is definately the go to guy for monster Lau Lau.  You can check him out on Facebook

International Tackle

Each time I head out on International Fishing Trips, one of my goals is to try and visit a local tackle store. Often, these stores have some great lures which we do not have access to here in the USA.  For example, I recently visited Fish Finder in Suriname.  The store was loaded with fantastic fish mounts such as giant wolf fish and golden dorado.  Also there were numerous aquariums stocked with monster peacock bass and others.  On the shelves were the Marine Sports TNT chopper which is my favorite to fool giant golden dorado over rocks.  Peacock bass anglers would definately find this lure interesting.  Also I found the Rapala Giant Shad Rap in Peacock Bass colorationZuri hydro magnums were available as I cannot find them anymore in the United States.  I have landed my 3 largest golden dorado on these lures so far.  So, when you have a layover overseas, try and visit a local tackle store and you might be surprised on the quality of tackle available.

. I use the Giant Shad Rap for numerous species, but have never seen it in this coloration.  In addition, the Yo-

ARMED AND READY TO GET FISHING

Lots and lots of preparation takes place when travelling to exotic destinations.  For my upcoming trip to Suriname I probably have repacked at least 10 times.  The first item was to find an adequate means of transporting about 8 rods.  Many airlines have limitations on weights and total size of checked baggage.  Suriname Air allows 1 piece weighing 50 lbs max with a total length x width x height at a max of 62 inches.  Normal rod tubes could not meet these restrictions so I was able to use a Plano rifle case.  I was able to stow all rods and most of the groups sinkers in the case.  2 piece rods are now necessary on these trips along with travel rods which are normally 3 to 5 pieces and can get packed in your carry on bag.  Trips to the jungle do not require much packing in means of clothes.  Remember you will normally be without modern appliances such as washing machines, etc so clothes and yourself are washed in the river.  For this particular trip only a few lures were necessary to catch bait for the cats.  Normally I carry on all lures after I remove the hooks.  Sometimes reels with line are not allowed so always check before your taking line off in front of the customs representative.  Sunscreen is a must along with a good pair of sunglasses.  Always make sure to charge a few camera batteries as electricity is not a given in some of the remotest camps.  Last of all, make sure your passport is current and make sure you know whether a entry Visa is required months in advance.  I have seen numerous times throughout the years, guys not being allowed entry due to not having a Visa or their passport had less than a year left on it (normally most countries require at least a year left on passports.  Cannot wait to get into the jungle and hopefully catch the largest catfish of my life!  Cheers!
Bob Daly