My 2020 in review

 

2020-What a year!  Hopefully everyone, their family, and friends were able to withstand the covid issue.  I truly believe the best is yet to come, making 2021 a year we cannot wait to arrive!  

In January, 2020, I traveled back to wet a line in the Coral Sea off of Papua New Guinea with friend, Bruce Cross. 

We were under the guidance of friend, Luke Wyrsta, who operates Rock Expeditions.  We slept under the stars in one man tents positioned on white sand beaches which were located on a remote island about a 2 hr boat ride from Misima Island.  The waters are teaming with Giant Travally, Dogtooth Tuna, and other brutes.  Papua New Guinea offers fishermen the best odds of landing the beautiful Napolean Wrasse.

  Nothing can compare to the topwater strikes exhibited by Giant Travelly.  This was my 3rd trip to Papua New Guinea fishing with Rock Expeditions.  I was fortunate to land numerous Giant Trevally up to 80 pounds while casting huge poppers.  Bruce was blessed to land the fish of my dreams, the Napoleon Wrasse while jigging for Dogtooth tuna. God willing I will be returning for another arm bruising battle in December 2021.  

During February, covid put a stop to International travel.  I had to postpone trips to Russia for taimen, a few trips to La Zona in Argentina for golden dorado, a few trips to Jurassic lake lodge in Argentina for rainbow trout, and a trip to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea for Papua black bass.  Hopefully I can get these trips in during 2021!  

In July, I traveled with a few friends to Venice, LA to fish for redfish with Capt. Keith Kennedy of Born To Fish Charters.  The fishing was good and all of us were glad to get out of the house. 

In August, I returned again to fish with Capt. Keith.  The bite was on fire and perhaps my best trip for redfish to date.  Capt. Keith knows the waters well and always puts us on the bite.  Anxious to return for a few trips in 2021!

During the covid period, I have spent the majority of time living with my mom in Wisconsin.  I still remain Vice President of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Whiting.  My dad passed away in September.  I am convinced he died indirectly of covid as the family could not visit him in the assisted living home since February. Dad was still good of mind but just gave up.  He was able to return home for 1 day from the assisted living home before passing away which I thank God for letting us see and talk to him.  

So, 2021 should be a great year.  If I am extremely fortunate, I will land a huge Napoleon Wrasse in Papua New Guinea, land a trophy  taimen in Russia, and land more monster golden dorado, rainbow trout, redfish, giant trevally, dogtooth tuna, coral trout, Papua Black Bass, and the list goes on and on.

May God Bless each of you and your families!

Have and great 2021 and hope all your dreams come true!!!

LIVINGSTON LURES

 During the covid lockdown, since I cannot travel to some of my favorite International destinations,  I have been stocking up on lures and sorting out my tackle room.  Livingston lures has a Christmas Sale going on, so I decided to order a few of their lures.  I bought a few of their Predatory Series lures.  Each lure comes with Livingston's exclusive EBS Technology which emits an electronic replication of natural biological sounds made by baitfish and other natural food sources. 

The Bulldozer is similar to the Rapala Shad Rap.  It is 5.71 inches and weights 2.31 oz.  The Bulldozer has a tight wobble and dives to about 5 feet on a cast.  This lure should be great at La Zona for golden dorado. 

The Jerkmaster 254 is 10 inches and weighs 4.52 oz.  It is designed to dart/slash in the 3 to 8 foot range.  The Head Hunter Magnum is a triple jointed lure which has slow-swimming action of a swimbait. It measures 10 inches and weighs 5.04 oz. 

  It runs 3 to 5 feet during a cast retrieve.  Finally, the Rachel 192 is a crankbait which dives to around 6 feet with a side by side wobble.  It measures 7.5 inches and weighs 3.25 oz. 

During the Christmas Season many companies offer great discounts so stock up on some of your favorite lures such as those offered by Livingston now!  

CHRISTMAS GIFTS/ B&B CUSTOM FISHING RODS

 

B&B custom fishing rods is owned by Buzz Butters who is based out of Ripon Wisconsin.  Buzz can construct everything from micro-ice rods to heavy musky rods.  Each rod is custom made to your specifications.  

Buzz recently made me a travel rod to battle the Russia taimen and a travel rod to battle the Venice redfish.  During discussions with Buzz, I was surprised by my lack of knowledge when it comes to rod building.  Buzz works with companies such as Mudhole.com to get quality components for a discounted rate.  He also can repair or make improvements on used rods.  I currently am having the rod guides replaced on a few of my spinning rods I use for Giant Trevally. Buzz also is a rod building instructor for Mud Hole custom tackle's nation-wide rod building classes.  Which fisher person would not want a new custom built rod for Christmas?  You can contact Buzz at 920-896-3132

CHRISTMAS GIFTS/ SPINNERBAITS FOR GOLDEN DORADO

 

For the past few years, the key to catching giant golden dorado at La Zona is  bouncing heavy wire spinnerbaits across the tops of boulders,  The majority of available spinnerbaits would not stand up to the powerful jaws of the golden dorado and either break the wire or bend the preset hooks.  Joe "Sparky" Bullock came up with an idea where the hook would rotate to prevent the dorado from gaining leverage while jumping while using heavy gauge wire and double large skirts.  

Sparky's spinnerbaits came with super strong single hooks to battle the biggest dorado in the world!  However, Joe is now enjoying life and no longer constructs these giant dorado spinnerbaits.  However, after numerous discussions,  Kermett Adams of wooden lure fame contacted Sparky and will now produce these spinnerbaits.  If your heading to La Zona or in fact after any large predator, these are the spinnerbaits to buy!!!  They will make great Christmas Gifts!  Contact Kermett here on facebook or I can put you in touch with him.  

CHRISTMAS GIFTS/ WOODEN FISHING LURES BY KERMETT ADAMS

 

Kermett Adams of www.klures.com has become the master in manufacturing top of the line wooden lures for huge predatory fish such as peacock bass, golden dorado. and others.  In the past few years, Kermett's topwater rippers have become the go to lure for monster peacocks. 

I have worked with Kermett in the design of top wooden lures to fool the La Zona golden dorado and have recently been in discussions with Kermett manufacturing topwater lures for Giant Trevally.  Kermett can paint the lures to your specifications and can practically produce any lure your have a design of.  He uses top of the line hard wood and uses a wire through construction. 

You can find Kermett on Facebook or contact me and will put you in contact with him.  His lures make great Christmas Gifts so get a few soon. 

CHRISTMAS GIFTS/ LA ZONA FOR GOLDEN DORADO

 

If you browse through the IGFA record books for golden dorado, practically all entries are from the Uruguay River in a section known as La Zona.  Here the largest golden dorado on earth swim.  La Zona is a section or river near the Salto Grande Dam on the border of Uruguay and Argentina which is restricted to only 2 permits and can only be entered 4 days during the week. 

Currently, La Zona Lodge controls these 2 permits so 2 boats of up to 3 fishermen per boat are allowed into the Zone.  In the zone, clients have a chance of landing a golden dorado exceeding 50 pounds with a possibility of also landing a huge surubi. 

Elsewhere dorado topping 10 pounds are considered trophies, but they could not last in La Zona as they would be a dinner for the giants.  I have fished La Zona every year except the covid restrictions this year since the permits were granted.  The golden dorado seem to get larger each year as a strict catch and release policy is set forth by the government and La Zona Lodge.  Lodge owner, Hector Bradanini constructed a new hotel last year where clients stay.  Each room has private bath, large screen TVs, etc..  There is a restaurant in the hotel where delicious meals are served by local chefs.  The Argentina Bar-B-Que is simply fantastic!!  Clients are picked up in Buenos Aires by La Zona Lodge in a spacious A/C van and driven about 5 hours to the lodge.  Fly fishing and Conventional tackle are the preferred methods to land the monster dorado.  Topwater poppers and Super Shad Raps are some of the best lures.  Thick wire spinnerbaits have probably accounted for more monsters over 50 pounds than any other lure.  La Zona Lodge fills quickly so book that Christmas Gift soon.  You can contact me directly with any questions or I can put you in touch with the lodge manager.  

CHRISTMAS GIFTS/ JURASSIC LAKE LODGE ARGENTINA

 In 1994, the Estancia owner released rainbow trout from the Rio Santa Cruz into the Rio Barrancoso.  The Barrancoso is the only tributary of Lago Strobel which is an alkaline desert sink.  The waters are extremely cold and full of oxygen, teaming with and abundance of  scuds and midges which allow the rainbows to grow to huge sizes. 

Adult trout reproduce continually in the Barrancoso with the peak spawning activity occurring in September and October.  This is dream heaven for fly fisherman seeking some of the largest rainbows on earth!  A few years ago, friend, Carlos Lopez Casanello built a large lodge with comfortable rooms with private bathrooms, gourmet dining, and a landing strip for charter flights from Comodoro Rivadavia. 

Trips at the beginning of the season due to snow,  could possible begin in El Calafate with a 5.5 hour drive to the lodge. The lodge sits at the mouth of the Barrancoso where the main beats are only a 5 to 10 minute walk.  Clients rotate the beats each session while wading the river or casting from shore or wading in Lago Strobel.  The winds around Jurassic are brutal so some experience of fly casting is needed.  The guides at Jurassic are experts and can help with lessons on fly casting.  I have fished Jurassic numerous times and landing over 100 rainbows per day per person is a norm!!  Everyday there is a good chance of a few rainbows exceeding 20lbs being landed.  So, if your looking for a fantastic fly fishing trip to give for Christmas look no further than Jurassic and they will have the fishing experience of a lifetime!  For more information contact pia@jurassiclakelodge, carlos@jurassiclakelodge, or feel free to contact me.  The season runs from October to the end of April and fills rapidly!  

CHRISTMAS GIFTS/ PAPUA NEW GUINEA GIANT TREVALLY OR PAPUAN BACK BASS

 Looking to send the fisher person in your life to a land so remote that it has possibly never been touched or even fished?  The islands of Papua New Guinea are one of the last remaining places on earth.  Here, the fishing is outstanding.  There are both saltwater and freshwater opportunities to satisfy your dreams.  Rock Expeditions under the guidance of Luke Wyrsta offer these "dream trips".  They specialize in catch and release fishing in the remote Indo-Pacific.  The emphasis is on fishing, not luxury!!! 

Lodging is under the stars in tents, native hunts, or under a tarp.  This helps keeps the cost down and allows a movement of camps during the week.  The saltwater trips are aimed at landing huge Giant Trevally with great opportunities at landing dog tooth tuna, baraccuda, jobfish, mackeral, coral trout, and many others.  Papua New Guinea gives the angler the best odds in the world of landing the elusive Napoleon Wrasse! 

Fly Fishing, Conventional topwater, and deep jigging are the preferred methods.  In all my fishing experience nothing can top having a 80 lbs Giant Trevally explode on your topwater popper!  I have fished the waters around Misima Island and can highly recommend the trip.  

Freshwater Papuan Black Bass with barramundi being a side catch swim in the countless remote rivers in the jungle in Papua New Guinea.  From my experience I have found the fighting ability of the Papuan Black Bass second to no other freshwater species. 

Preferred methods are fly fishing and conventional casting near structure. Housing is in native structure or sleeping under the stars.  The area is so remote that only a handful of fishermen have ventured into the jungles of PNG to experience this amazing fishery.  

Luke Wyrsta can be found here on Facebook.  Or get in touch with me to give yourself or someone else a TRIP OF A LIFETIME!  

CHRISTMAS GIFTS/ BORN TO FISH CHARTERS

 

With the covid issue locking most of us up, and most International Fishing Destinations not being open to the USA, a great Christmas Gift would be a 3 day/ 4 night trip for monster redfish with Capt. Keith Kennedy of Born To Fish Charters.  The fishing is world class.  Keith is a tremendous guide who will put you on trophy bull reds.  He is based in Venice, LA which is about a 1.5 hr drive from New Orleans. 

Keith is a world class chef so expect to add a few pounds on during your stay. 

He provides all housing, tackle, and meals.  He has a spacious boat to get you to the hotspots.  The majority of my friends who are World Class Fisherman have booked over and over with Keith.  He normally fills fast, so make sure to get that great Christmas Gift as soon as possible.  Fishing is good throughout the year.  Keith can be contacted at 504-908-3108 or find him on Facebook or get in touch with me.  

La Zona open for fishing

 Lodge manager, Giuliana Bradanini, informed me that their first clients since covid restrictions were placed are now allowed to fish in the area known as La Zona.  Giuliana reports that the fishing was outstanding on Day 1.  With lower than normal water levels, the fishing should remain fabulous.  Here the largest golden dorado in the world swim with a good chance of landing a trophy weighing over 50 lbs.  The lodge is offering some super saver discounts for 2022 and are filling rapidly so get a booking in soon. 

Hopefully, American anglers will be allowed to enter Argentina soon.  I cannot wait to battle the La Zona dorado as have wetted a line every year since the beginning of allowing fishermen near the Salto Grande Dam in the restricted zone.  Starting this season La Zona lodge has reconstructed a newly built modern structure where clients dine on delicious meals served by a local chef.  The Lodge consists of numerous rooms with private bath, A/C units, big screen TVs, an many more perks to make you feel like staying at the top 5 ***** hotels worldwide.  

Alaska

 

Today, is the first Saturday after Labor day which I have not spent travelling to the Alaska Peninsula seeking huge silver salmon for the past 30 years.  Alaska became my go to adventure in early September visiting first Painter Creek Lodge and later years fishing out of Pumice Creek Lodge.

  Both lodges are fantastic, but nothing beats Pumice Creek Lodge where clients had the option of fishing for giant silvers on the Cinder River or fishing for loads of arctic char on Lava Creek. 

I really miss the flying in the small planes to the river and seeing abundance of wildlife including giant brown bears and trophy moose.  The silver fishing on the Cinder was beyond belief as most cannot imagine landing over 100 silvers per person in a day!  The Cinder Silvers are some of the largest on earth with the average going around 14 lbs and pushing up to 20 lbs.  We waded the river alone, never seeing another fisherman in all my years on the Cinder as its remoteness made it out of the way for the Bristol Bay Lodges floatplanes to reach.  Many great friends were made including GAry LaRose and Jon Kent, lodge owners.  Great guides such as Rudy McPherran and Todd Byrd always looked out for us and for bears.  ONe year, friend Peter Furber from South Africa came along.  The fishing was outstanding and all Pete could say was "WOW, I COULD NEVER IMAGINE".  Alaska and friends will sorely be missed as the bar is set too high as the doors of Pumice Creek Lodge closed its doors to fisherman last September.  Luckily, I have thousands of photos, hours of footage, and countless memories to remember the Best Fishing Offered in Alaska for the rest of my lifetime!  

Jurassic Lake Lodge/ Argentina Update

 

Jurassic Lake Lodge which is located on Lago Strobel in the remote Patagonia Area of Argentina.  The lodge sits within walking distance of the mouth of the Barrancoso River which is the only significant tributary.  Earlier this week, I was able to talk with lodge owner, Carlos Lopez Casanello.  Carlos says the Lago Strobel area has received the most significant snowfall in the past 20 years which should make this upcoming season the best in many years--if it can get any better than last year in my opinion.  The high water will eventually push tens of thousands of huge rainbows into the river. 
The rainbows here get huge, I would say the average is 12 pounds with daily catches of 50 to 100 rainbows being the norm.  During one's stay I would say they have a 50% chance of landing a trophy rainbow pushing the scales upwards of 20 pounds.

  Last season a few friend and my guides saw the largest rainbow our eyes have seen as we all figured it went over 40 pounds.  So giants are indeed swimming in these virgin waters where clients of Jurassic Lake Lodge has sole access. 

I have also heard rumors that Argentina might resume International and Domestic flights in October.  So, if you are after the largest rainbow of your life get in contact with me and will put you in contact with Jurassic Lake Lodge.

  Openings are rare but am sure there will be select dates open this season due to cancellations( I have a few openings in my group which is scheduled to arrive in early October).  The season at Jurassic runs from October through April with outstanding catches during all dates mentioned.

Venice LA Bull Reds..August 10 to 13

 

With the covid still causing havoc on International Travel, I decided to head back to Venice, LA for another crack at trophy Bull Redfish under the guidance of Captain Keith Kennedy of Born To Fish Charters.  I was fishing in Venice a few weeks ago and had a great trip. Recently, a  trip to Papua New Guinea postponed so was anxious to get a replacement trip in.  On August 9th, I flew with my brother, Bill,  out of O'Hare Airport on a full American Airlines plane to New Orleans.  At the New Orleans Airport we met up with friend Etan Zimmet and rented a car for the 1 1/2 hr drive to Born To Fish Charters based in Boothville, LA.  The weather forecast was ideal with winds being exceptionally low for the entire stay.  Fishing for redfish for a few years, I have found that the wind is the main factor determining catch rate.  Low to zero wind means lots and lots of big reds. 

This theory once again came true as we landed a total of 166 bull reds with the largest weighing in at 32lbs.  The average redfish I estimated at 20 to 22 lbs.  Our best day was a total of 61 reds in perfectly calm waters where the water temp was 90.5F.  The top lures were 6 inch Bomber Mud Minnows in either black/ char or rootbeer/ char fished behind a Blabber Mouth popping cork rigged on a 8/0 circle hook.  A few reds were landed on smaller poppers and prop baits made by Kermett Adams.  During the stay I was able to test out a spinning rod made by rod maker Buzz Butters of B & B Custom Fishing Rods based out of Ripon, WI.  The 3 piece rod was perfect and I landed a bonus    6 ft foot shark.  In all this was the best trip I have taken for redfish. 

Captain Keith knows where the big reds are located.  He provides housing, tackle, and meals which are simply delicious.  With International trip being grounded, Keith has filled fast.  A few openings remain this season and Keith is taking reservations for 2021.  This is in my opinion the best deal available for quality fishing usually only found Internationally.  Get a booking while they exist.  You can contact Keith at 504-908-3108

Daiwa Ballistic

In preparation for my July trip to Russia (postponed till 2021)  in search of huge taimen, I faced a decision on the choice of spinning reel I would use.  Last season, I used a 5000 Daiwa Ballistic while battling big bull reds and Jack Crevelle's in Venice, LA.  The Ballistic is an extremely light yet strong reel.  It is encased with an ultra-tough Zaion Housing and has lightweight airplane tough aluminum gears in a magsealed housing which prevents water intrusion.  The 5000 model is small for it's number size and would compare it to a 3000/4000 size on other brands.  The largest Ballistic is the 6000 model which is more like a similar 4000 size.  It weighs only 11.1oz and packs a drag of 26.4lbs.  The retrieve is 5:1:1 and it holds 240 yards of 40lbs braid.  Last week, I took this reel to battle the Venice reds and give it 5 stars.  When compared to others such as the Shimano Stradic Cl4+, the Ballistic wins hand down in terms of lightweight and drag.  So, before you purchase another spinning reel, check out the Daiwa Ballistic.  It comes is sizes 1000-6000.