MY EIGHT DAYS OF FISHING CHRISTMAS/ ALASKA PENINSULA

Well hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!  I awoke this morning only to find another great fishing trip on my list, a return trip to the Alaska Peninsula, Pumice Creek Lodge.  I have fished this area for monster silver salmon for the past 27 years and now call it my home away from home.  On the Peninsula there are more huge brown bears than people and hundreds of thousands of monster silver salmon return home from the sea to their native river to spawn.  The weather on the Peninsula is harsh to say the least with normal strong winds and rain.  However, the fishing is darn right spectacular!  Days catch of a hundred silvers is possible if your arms are worthy and days of hundreds of arctic char can be easily completed.  Gary LaRose, owner of Pumice Creek Lodge, has been in the guiding business all his life.  While staying at the lodge you have the option of fishing for silvers at the Cinder River, which in my opinion has the largest, most abundant silvers on earth!  Or, you can fish Arctic Char at Lava Creek where the action is non-stop.  Alaska is a spectacular, vast land where vast herds of caribou roam, some of the largest moose and brown bear call home, and up north Polar Bears can be viewed!  Alaska was probably the best purchase the USA has ever done and am sure with the vast mineral resources available, Russia kicks themselves in the rear everyday after selling it very cheap.  Make sure to visit Alaska when you have the chance and you will definitely return numerous times like I have.

Speaking of Christmas, make sure to thank God on how blessed each one of us are.  Having been fortunate to visit many International countries, most here in the USA do not realize how good they have it!  Most, are lucky to find a meal for the day or a cup of water to drink.  Clothes are a blessing for most.  They do not have modern items such as computers, television,or any contact with the outside world! They is no going to the grocery store to fill your stomach or heading to the local doctor to cure your illness. They live each day more or less to Survive!  God bless each and every family on this day of celebration of  the birth of my Christ!

MY EIGHT DAYS OF CHRISTMAS FISHING/ TANZANIA TIGERFISH

Tigerfish are one of the most ferocious freshwater fish on earth!  Their giant teeth puts a scare to anybody who handles them as evident by the numerous bite marks in our guides arms!  Tanzania is situated  in Eastern Africa bordering the Indian Ocean between Kenya and Mozambique.  It boasts some of the finest wildlife sanctuaries in the world plus some of the fishing for monster tigerfish.  The Mnyera and Ruhuji Rivers are rarities as the tigerfish here grow to enormous size.  20 pound + tigers are caught daily during the dry season.  These tigers are not the goliath tigerfish found in the Congo, but a separate species altogether.
The housing at the lodge was very comfortable as each client is given his own safari type tent which is larger than the 1st floor on my house.  You are next to the river so many sleepless nights happen as you are dreaming of hippos, elephants, crocs, etc.. entering your tent!

 Noises are heard throughout the evening and hippos walked through camp practically each night!  Tigerfish are extremely difficult to get a good hookset in as their mouth is very hard thus making hook penetration difficult.  Normally the enormous teeth of the tigers are just stuck in your lure.  Tigerfish are one of the top freshwater game fish and hopefully Santa puts this great trip under your tree tonight!

MY EIGHT DAYS OF CHRISTMAS FISHING/ JURASSIC LAKE ARGENTINA

Argentina is rapidly becoming my favorite International destination having fished La Zona for many years and now have ventured into the Southern remote Patagonia Region at Jurassic Lake Lodge. Over the years I have made numerous friends in Argentina and enjoy seeing a few of them each visit in Buenos Aires.   Here, some of the largest rainbow trout on earth swim.

The lodge sits on the Barrancoso River where literally thousands of large rainbow trout enter for their spawning cycle.  Numerous rainbows over 20 pounds are caught each week.  My largest to date is a monster weighing 23 lbs.  All fishing here is done wading either Jurassic Lake or the Barrancoso River.  Friend and owner, Carlos Casanello has made numerous improvements in the lodge which now boasts of a beautiful main lodge building and newly built guest rooms overlooking the lake.  So, if a monster rainbow trout is on your fisherpersons Christmas list, give Carlos a shout here on Facebook or write him at carlos@jurassiclakelodge.com

MY EIGHT DAYS OF CHRISTMAS FISHING/ PAPUA NEW GUINEA

In my opinion Papua New Guinea bass are the strongest freshwater on earth pound for pound.  A 40 lbs PNG bass will give you the battle of your life.  A 50+ lbs bass might be impossible to land.  During our visit we flew out of Brisbane, Australia to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.  Here outfitter, Jason Yip of www.sportfishingpng.net greeted us.  Jason is the only outfitter to have permission from the natives to fish the top rivers in PNG.  Recently, Jason has utilized a large houseboat, the K2O, as base camp to gain access to very remote areas on the Island.  I fished the remote Gulf Providence during my visit.

 Numerous monster PNG bass and barramundi were landed.  In fact, Jason set the IGFA all tackle world record during my stay.  This record was topped recently by one of Jason's clients. PNG has the unworthy reputation of on going tribal warfare and being unsafe.  I found the exact opposite to be fact.  Not once during my stay did I feel unsafe.  I visited numerous villages during a day of fishing and found the natives to be very friendly. I visited a local tribal school of which had a huge ceremony for our visit and presented us with Keys to their Kngdom!  I highly doubt there is another fish on earth which could pull me to my knees such as my 40+ lbs PNG bass did.  I cannot brag about this trip enough.  Do it now before the crowds start to come to PNG.

MY EIGHT DAYS OF CHRISTMAS FISHING/ THAILAND

Thailand is rapidly coming one of my favorite fishing destinations worldwide!  You can catch fish of enormous size as long as your arms are worthy!  There is a huge abundance of Mekong Catfish, Giant Siamese Carp, Snakehead, Arapaima, Redtail catfish, and many other species.  Most trips start in the fantastic town of Bangkok where the nightlife is legendary to say the least.  Travel to Thailand is also relatively easy.

Most top outfitters will provide all the tackle necessary including quality rods, reels, and lures so you do not have to pack bags full of fishing gear.  Some of my favorite venues are BungSamRan, IT Rivers Monsters, and my favorite town of Hua Hin!   The top outfitters are John of www.bkkfishingtour.com or you can find him here on Facebook under bkkguy.  Francois Helias is the other outfitter I can highly recommend.  You can find him at www.anglingthailnd.com.  So, if you want to catch the largest fish in your life, Thailand would be the choice!

MY EIGHT DAYS OF CHRISTMAS FISHING TRIPS- SURINAME LAU LAU

Ever want to set hook into a huge Semi-Truck?  Well, travel to the remote rivers in Suriname and battle the monster Lau Lau/ Piraiba and you will soon realize what I am talking about.  Suriname is a remote country located in the Northeastern Atlantic coast of South America.  It is bordered by French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south.  Outfitter, Paul DeBoer, who is here on Facebook knows the best rivers in Suriname to catch the Lau Lau.  During my trip a few exceeding 200 pounds were landed, but they get much larger if you dare battle one that size!  Broken rods, stripped reels, snapped hooks are the norm when battling these beasts.  You will be fishing in the remote Suriname rainforest far away from modern civilization.

Paul utilizes a small houseboat for your sleeping/eating quarters and pulls a few smaller fishing boats along the way.  After hearing rumors on the battling abilities of these Piraiba, I can vouch for them as evident by my sore arms which ached for weeks after the trip.

MY EIGHT DAYS OF FISHING CHRISTMAS/ UGANDA MURCHISON FALLS

Murchison Falls is one of the last remaining places on earth to catch monster Nile Perch.  Murchison Falls is Uganda's largest National Park.

Here vast herds of elephant, giraffe, cape buffalo, hippo, and many many others roam with the Park. Viewing lions is also a possiblity. The Falls are on the Victoria Nile below Lake Victoria.  The Nile River plunges 140 feet as it flows through a cleft in the rocks barely 20 feet wide.  Here, there is an abundance of oxygen rich waters which makes the Nile Perch fishing good.

 During my stay a few years ago, a few monster Nile Perch over 100 pounds were landed.  We were guided by Paul Goldring of Wild Frontiers.  We stayed in the Red Chilli Rest Camp which was quite comfortable.  Even if you are not into fishing, I highly recommend this trip for wildlife viewing as it is simply amazing!  I definitely have this trip on my return list.