Thanks to this group and abundant access to great fish-filled waters, I had a very fun and successful 2013. Hitting 4MR throughout the year provided the quick fix and never disappointed with LMB and the ever present panfish. I was fortunate to fish in some very exotic locations too. I realized last year that one should NEVER leave home without a rod and reel.
-- In Chang Mai, Thailand I landed few massive hybrid-catfish. At 80 lbs these might be the biggest fish I've ever landed from shore. The private pond was catch and release. The method used to catch these monsters was to mash a baseball sized wad of bread onto a bread holder and embed the hook in the bread ball. The fish would grab the ball and get the hook. It took 15 to 20 minutes to land one. The pond was 15 minutes outside of town and once I found it, I spent all my free time going after these guys.
I spent a bit of time looking for info in fishing the Niger River in Mali, but it seems the only people who fish it are people that need to fish it. I brought my gear just in case. I paid off a couple of kids to canoe me into some reeds where I caught some very small fish. I did catch a very interesting fish that had a two inch spike the stuck out the top of its back. It should be a clue to not walk barefoot in the river. I found a hotel that had a bar perched out over the river and I talked them into letting me fish while I drank beer. I set up a Carolina Rig and waited. After a few minute I saw the tip of my rod drop and set the hook. I found hard, only to land a shirt. My second catch was a bag. I think I will be back there again this next year and will bring a different selection of gear.
My brother and I fished our way across Montana and Idaho for a few days in late August. I got into some nice rainbows and cutthroat. I caught something big out of the Salmon River, but I am not sure what they were. They fought hard but once they were landed they didn't even struggle. Aside from the fishing the best part was the absence of a cell phone signal for 48 hours. No phone calls, no emails, no FB, nothing!
I hit the reefs of Kona, Hawaii for a week with my family. Reading up before I left, most people discouraged me from attempting to fly fish on the Big Island. I brought my gear anyways. I hooked into a barracuda and a blue trevally, but only landed a trumpet fish....imagine a silver clarinet that swims. I picked up a cheap spinning combo at walmart and got a collection of reef fish. My nephew would join me on the rocks to catch the sunrise and the fish. He said it was the highlight of his trip.
I closed out the year with a trip to a small pond in the woods of South Carolina. My father-in-law pulled out a 9.5 lb LMB and I landed a few small ones.
2013 was so amazing that it will be hard to beat. But I will try....
Happy New Year and Tight Lines
-Luke
http://www.tpfr.org
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