2020 - What a year!

WOW! 2020 has just been insane on so many levels....and it's only April! This one will certainly be going down in the history books for all the wrong reasons. Not only have we suffered extreme environmental disasters such as the Amazon and Australia burning for months on end; we now have the global pandemic of the Corona Virus to cope with. These are unprecedented times we are living in, it's very sad. Wherever you are, please stay safe and take care of each other in the difficult months ahead.

My personal fishing time has been very limited so far this year. Working as the head guide at Panama Kayak Adventure Fishing Lodge means that I have been helping other people catch the fish of their dreams full-time since December. Sadly, this season has recently been cut short by the corona virus travel restrictions and with a 24/7 lockdown in force here in Panama it doesnt look like I'll be getting out anytime soon. If you're interested in seeing the crazy fishing we have down at the lodge then take a look at our catch reports from the season so far here: CATCH REPORTS & PHOTOS

However, there have been odd moments in the last few months where I've been able to wet a line and have enjoyed some good success. While I'm at work, I spend a lot of my time trying to jig up live bait for our guests to use from their kayaks at the lodge. This in itself is lots of fun and at the same time we often get a bit of by-catch. Usually its small snappers or sierra mackerel, but every now and then we get some really special reef fish. One of the best I've encountered this year was a huge blue trigger fish, a real cracker! I was very pleased with this fish as it's nice new species to tick off the list.

On another occasion, as I was offshore watching our kayak anglers from the safety boat I saw a group of 3 large Roosterfish swimming along on the surface. I grabbed the nearest rod to me,which had a whole dead bonito mounted on a circle hook and cast it ahead of the group. I twitched it a couple of times and then let it sink. The leader of the pack raced forwards, grabbed the bait and swam off. It was incredible to watch. A fantastic fight ensued and the other 2 fish followed their buddy right to the boat as well. It was easily the biggest Rooster I've had the pleasure to catch for a good while. They are such incredible fish.

Then there was the hottest top-water bite I've ever seen! We arrived with our guests on a prolific reef we like to fish and got everyone sorted in their kayaks. The first guy on the water nailed a big Jack Crevalle immediately and the action never stopped from there on in. For the next 2 hours our guests caught fish after fish, non stop. The action was thick and fast. There was a vast shoal of fish present and we found Mahi Mahi, Blue Trevally, Jack Crevalles, Mullet Snapper and Yellowfin Tuna all hunting together as a voracious pack. They were destroying the poppers, smash after smash. What a sight!

I'd never caught a Mullet Snapper before, it's been on my bucket-list for a long time and this day there were many of them hunting on the surface. It was amazing to watch the huge red torpedos scooting around chasing bait and our lures. I made a few casts and was very lucky to hook a really big one. They are such beautiful fish.

While we're on the subject of Snappers; there is one other variety we find in our waters that had eluded me for some time. The Silk Snapper. They are fonder of deeper water and can be plentiful at certain times of the year. Where the lodge is we dont venture too deep as we dont really need to and it becomes impractical with guests in kayaks. However, in Pedasi I have a buddy with a nice boat and he offered me the chance to go out and try deep dropping jigs with him for them. We often try to squeeze in the odd sessions when I'm home from the lodge between groups of guests.

We did our homework with the charts and noted a couple of spots in sufficiently deep water to check out. Turns out we did our homework well because when we arrived on our marks the fishfinder was showing large pinnacles coming up from the bottom stacked with fish. We hit it just right and enjoyed some excellent jigging action with pink amberjack, yellowtail snappers, colorado snappers and the one I'd been looking for.....the Silk Snapper.

My Silk Snapper

JC with his Colorado Snapper

On another occasion out with Jean-Christoph I got the scrap of my life; one I wont be forgetting in a hurry. It was early one morning on a rare February day where the trade wind had eased and we were out on a shallow inshore reef in about 70 feet of water. JC and his friend were fishing 100g slow-jigs, working them down near the bottom while I was speed-jigging a small 40g knife jig trying to catch a live bait to use. Something massive took my tiny jig and my rod bent double. It's only light tackle with 30lb braid and a 20lb fluorocarbon leader, so I had to take it real easy. The boat started to turn as the fish took off and then was slowly being towed along. I did not want to lose this one as it was clearly a proper clonker!

Little by little I managed to gain on it, somehow keeping it's head out of the reef. Once I'd got the fish 20 feet up off the bottom I knew I was going to be ok and it was just a matter of time. The fish made many spirited dives with some crazy head shakes and we were all trying to guess what it was. Only when we got a first glimpse of it down through the clear water was there any confirmation though. A nice big Almaco Jack and the first I've had for a very long time. I love these fish, they pull your arms from their sockets and to catch this brute on light tackle was all the more thrilling. It was a good mornings fishing!

Kev Mckie's 'Snake Pit' - UK Conger Fishing!

Conger Eels are not everyone's cup of tea. They're sinister looking and slimey, they grow to huge sizes and have a cold, wicked look in their eye. They are one of the most impressive sea beasts we have in our British waters, in my opinion. The UK record stands at an impressive 133lb 4oz, caught out of Brixham back in the mid 90's.

Every year, there are specimens over this weight landed commercially. The British Conger Club keep records and there have been fish landed of 210lb, 170lb and 155lb in the fish markets of Devon and Cornwall in recent years.  It's quite incredible that the record has stood at 133lb 4oz for so long with fish of that size swimming around out there.

Perhaps the waning interest in Conger fishing as a sport has had much to do with this. It's certainly not as popular as it was back in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Nevertheless, for 'big fish' specialists around the UK, the Conger Eel offers a realistic chance to come face to face with a serious adversary. These giant eels are going to test you, your tackle and your skills to their limits.......and there's a very real chance of bagging yourself a record breaker as well!

One man that's on the case and looking for these ‘giant snakes’ whenever the tides and weather allows, is Kev Mckie. Kev is one of the new generation of skippers that are popping up around the UK. At just 38, he's young and keen. He’s hungry for success and dedicated to providing his customers with an excellent level of service and always going the extra mile (quite literally!) to find the fish. 

He owns and runs the very impressive boat 'Size Matters' out of Plymouth during the summer season. He has been fortunate to have had the previous owner 'Graham Hannaford' pass on all his 40 years experience of fishing from this famous port. Combine that with Kev's own vast experience, buckets of passion and a ‘60 mile ticket’ on the boat........this man means business!

Plymouth has a history of producing big eels and Kev is doing his best to find them. With his 60 mile ticket he is able to push out further than most boats and in doing so gets to the less fished wrecks. This makes all the difference and Kev has made some very impressive catches. Huge numbers of eels are the norm on his wrecking trips and so far, he's got 90lb class fish under his belt. 'Size Matters' under Grahams ownership had a handful of fish over 100lb to a best of 106.  It's just a matter of time before Kev is pulling his first 100lb'er over the gunwales, that's for sure.

Being as successful as he is; Kev is in demand. 'Size Matters' is booked up months and months ahead at a time. It was back last November that myself and Dan Rogers (my fellow finalist on the BBC Big Fish TV Show) managed to secure the last 2 places on one of his Conger trips. A big Conger Eel had always been something I fancied having a go at and it was a great opportunity to catch up with Dan as well.

We had two days booked with Kev as it’s a long way to go just for the day and luckily for us, the weather was looking good. We arranged to meet him and the other anglers the night before for a beer and some grub so we could all get acquainted before the off. We were a group of ten with guys from Wales, Sussex, Hampshire, Merseyside, Somerset and Herefordshire. A great bunch, all of whom had made the journey to Plymouth with just one thing on their minds......A giant Conger Eel!

As we headed out across Plymouth Sound the next morning aboard the very spacious ‘Size Matters’, Kev explained that we were in for a long day. The wreck he had in mind was around three and a half hours away. With the journey time each way and fishing the ebb tide down on the wreck, he reckoned we’d be on the water for at least 12 hours. 

The boat was fully loaded with fresh mackerel and cuttlefish from the quayside in Plymouth. There were at least 4 huge fish boxes rammed with kilos and kilos of the stuff. According to Kev, his conger tactics centre around keeping the scent trail going and that means changing baits regularly. Hence there being huge amounts of the stuff!

As we ploughed on out to sea we passed the time swapping fishy tales, drinking tea and preparing our rigs and tackle. Kev recommended we keep things simple and go for a running ledger rig with a running trace of no less than 250lb mono. The hooklength itself should be 400lb mono and finished off with a strong 10/0 or 12/0 hook, depending on bait size. 50lb class gear and 80lb braid were the order of the day. To me this makes perfect sense; if you do hook into that 100lb eel of a lifetime you want to have the best chance you can of successfully extracting it from the wreck. Simple as that.

We arrived at the wreck a little early and had half an hour to kill before the ebb got going so we made a few drifts across the structure. We all dropped down rubber eels of various types and colours to see if we could nail a few pollock for extra bait. They were fairly obliging and we stuck a few in the box, just in case the conger fancied something different. One of the anglers, Bernie, also caught a cracking coalfish. It was the first time I had ever seen one in the flesh, they’re very beautiful fish.

Kev then dropped the anchor and carefully positioned us uptide of the wreck. We were close enough to ensure the eels could smell our baits but far enough to allow us a good chance of getting the fish up and away from the ironwork. Once we were settled in Kev explained his tactics to us; it was all about teamwork.

The main principle was that you had to put a fresh bait on every 15 minutes, bites or not. Keeping fresh scent streaming down into the wreck was the key to drawing the eels out and getting them actively searching out our offerings. If the scent trail stops then the eels lose interest. We fished in rotation on the deck of the boat as well, dropping your bait in by the wheel house and then slowly moving down to the stern as the other anglers rebaited and dropped in behind you. It was a great system as it kept the scent going in and gave every angler their chances at the back of the boat. It also largely eliminated the risk of tangles.

This system relies on everyone doing their bit and made for great camaraderie on the deck. I opted to hang back on the fishing to start with as I wanted to get some photos for this article.  It was quiet at first but the anticipation was electric. Kev was chopping up baits like a machine and encouraging us all to keep changing for a fresh one and rotating round the deck.

About half an hour in, one of the anglers signalled that he was getting a typical conger bite and wound down into the first eel of the trip. It was a modest sized eel and put a nice bend in Robins rod. This was like the opening of the floodgates as from then on, they came in their droves.  The action was thick and fast.........the ‘Snake Pit’ was open!

It really was some of the most hectic fishing I have witnessed. Everywhere I looked was a photo opportunity. At times there were 3 or 4 anglers playing big eels simultaneously at the stern. There were fumbling hands frantically trying to nick another flapper on at the bait table and anglers wrestling with eels on the deck for their trophy shot. It was going off!

Kev was either weighing fish in a huge sling, T-baring smaller ones off over the side or chopping up mackerel and re-baiting for us. It was crazy. There was eel slime everywhere and big smiles on faces all around the boat. We were certainly getting plenty of fish, the bigger ones were pushing 50lb’s in weight and giving a very good account of themselves. It was turning into quite the day.

I was having a great time watching the other guys wrestle with their eels and getting some super photos in the process. After a few hours though, the temptation got too much and I decided to drop a bait down for myself. Typically, the action was just starting to slow and although I got a few bites and dropped a couple of eels I never actually got my hands on one.

Eventually, the tide slackened right off so we pulled the anchor and headed for home. The journey back flew by as we all laughed and talked about the days antics. We totted up the eels caught and reckoned we’d had about 60 between us to a best of 54 lb. Not bad at all.

The discussion soon turned to plans for the following day and we had to make a decision. Kev reckoned if we returned to the same wreck then we would have given the smaller eels toothache and stand a good chance of getting through to the bigger specimens. The only problem was that the wind was set to increase in the morning which meant it might be impossible to keep the anchor in place that far offshore. 

Alternatively, we could try another wreck 20 miles closer in where fishing would be 100% possible, but we’d probably have to work through the smaller eels again. It didn’t take long for a unanimous decision to be made; we all opted to take a punt on the same wreck for the chance of bigger eels. If we couldn’t anchor and lost a bit of time coming back in to another wreck then so be it. It had to be worth a shot.

The next day was a little more lively at sea, that was quite noticeable. Thankfully the anchor held for us and we were able to fish effectively. The eels were much quicker on to the baits this time and the average sizes were definitely up, which was encouraging to see. I had left the camera to one side and was concentrating on finding myself a few eels instead. 

I had a few smaller fish but nothing worth hauling on to the deck for weighing. Once again, there were scenes of total conger carnage going on all around me as rods bent double under the strain. We also had a few nice Ling come over the side, one in particular that was pushing 30lbs.

Although I was getting a few nice eels, the bigger ones seemed to be avoiding my baits. Of course, it’s a numbers game when there’s a group of experienced anglers all fishing from a boat together like this. I just kept on rebaiting and switching up my baits every 15 minutes, knowing that all I needed was one good bite from one good fish to change everything. Persistence paid off in the end and I eventually got my chance. 

There was some indication at my rod tip and I wound down hard into a typically delicate conger bite. The 50lb class Penn Tuna Stick I was using then took on an alarming curve as a big eel tried its best to get back to the wreck. I wasn’t having any of it though and cranked like crazy to get it up and away from the ironwork. Eventually, the pressure of the heavy tackle wore the eel down and I slowly started to win the battle. There were a couple of crash dives as it saw the light but the fish was soon spinning on the surface ready to be brought onboard. It was a beauty, certainly a new personal best and worthy of hoisting up on the scales.

Kev and I wrestled the eel into the sling and raised it up. It’s always hard to weigh fish accurately on a boat with the motion of the ocean, but I settled on a weight of 58lb as an average from the wildly swinging needle. This eel was pretty much twice the size of any I've ever caught in the past so I was made up. It was also the biggest boated during our two days out. What an experience it had been! I was going home happy.

In total, we’d had about 130 Congers over our two days fishing. It was a great couple of days on a great boat with a top skipper; what’s not to like? PB’s were smashed, friendships were formed and we all had tales to tell when we got home. Conger fishing may not be fashionable these days, but sometimes the best things in life aren’t......who wants to follow the crowd anyway? 

If you fancy fishing with Kev Mckie on ‘Size Matters’ then give him a call on 07999 628511 or check out www.mckiesfishingcharters.co.uk - you won’t regret it!

Sailfish from a Kayak - 2 in 2 days!

The fishing season starts for us at Panama Kayak Adventure Fishing Lodge in mid December and runs through until late June/July. This season we were cut short in mid March by the Corona Virus and all the associated travel restrictions. It's a real shame, but without doubt for the best. We're all in this together and for now just have to ride it out. It will pass. Whether or not we'll get to bring in any more guests before the wet season comes is anyones guess, but my gut feeling is that we won't.

We had some excellent fishing as usual but the highlight of the short season so far was without doubt when we had a group of British anglers here with us in late January. They experienced some exceptional fishing for Cubera Snapper and Roosterfish. However, the icing on the cake was the catch and release of 2 big Pacific Sailfish in 2 days!

This is pretty exceptional for several reasons. Firstly, before this we had only ever caught one Sailfish in the 7 year history of the lodge and it was on a popper. It's very unusual to catch them on a popper too. Nowadays, we are fishing with livebait a lot more so the odds of catching them are more in our favour. To catch 2 in 2 days was just incredible. Not only that, but from 2 bites we landed both fish. We went 2 for 2 on Sailfish from a kayak. That....is truly exceptional. Anyone that has fished for Sailfish will tell you that they can be fussy, often toying with the baits or throwing the hooks when they jump. You don't expect to catch every one you hook.

It was a great result. The water quality at the time was just beautiful, there was a perfect ocean current bringing in that deep, cobalt blue water that you find many miles offshore. Our location is right on the edge of the deep drop into the oceanic trench and on the migration route for the pelagic fish species of the Pacific. That is why we get these incrdible fish so close to the shore here. You can see the cliffs and rocks in the background of the photos. Both fish were caught within several hundred metres of the shore.

Both fish were caught on live bonito. I will never forget these captures. We had set our anglers up on top of some rather productive structure and provided them with the livebait and instructions as to where to paddle with it. The first one in particular was a total surprise for the angler, Martin. 

He was slowly working his bait down deep on the hot-spot when the big Sailfish leapt clean out of the water 20 feet in front of him. Having picked up the bait at depth, the fish then ran straight to the surface, hooking itself in the process and tried to shake the hook. Martin looked on in total surprise and I shouted 'It's got your bait in it's bleddy mouth mate....reel, reel, reel!'. The rest is history.

Ben, the other lucky angler, had more of a textbook experience with his fish. A classic long run and then multiple leaps. This fish gave us quite the show. It really gave it's all. I would estimate both fish to be in the 90 lb range. We never took them out of the water, measured of weighed them. Our priority with these magnificent fish is to get them back as quickly as possible. Unhooking, a couple of quick photos and the release is all that's required.

If you'd like to find out more about Panama Kayak Adventure then check out the website here: www.panamakayakadventure.com

CHECK OUT THE STUNNING FOOTAGE BELOW OF THESE INCREDIBLE FISH:

Wet Season Kayak Fishing - Panama 2019

New paddle kayak courtesy of PanaYaks

After spending a couple of months in the UK catching up with friends and family over the summer, I returned to Panama in early August and was house-sitting for a friend during the wet season until the Kayak fishing lodge opened up again in December.

Based down in Pedasi on the Pacific coast, I had a simple paddle kayak at my disposal and couple of buddies with little boats. After guiding for 5 months straight I was looking forward to getting a bit of my own fishing time in on the Pacific. It's a very satisfying feeling helping others catch the fish of their dreams but I was now certainly ready to put in a few hours on my own terms. It was very exciting!

Launching pangas from the beach in Pedasi

The waters off of Pedasi are familiar to me having fished them many times from a boat over the years. The inshore, close to home stuff with a kayak was to be a new challenge entirely. Normally, we sped past all the stuff within a few miles of the local beaches to reach other marks further off, so it was a good opportunity to get to know these unfamilar areas.

I found a spot where I could chain my kayak up and store it on the top of the nearest beach. It was always ready to go when I was. The kayak was a simple paddle yak with the design based on the famous Ocean Prowler model. It was slim and very different to the Hobies I had been using down at the lodge, not nearly as stable. But fast.

Yellowtail Snapper

The slim and fast nature of the kayak turned out to be a bonus. The waters close to the shore here are shallow and the tide rips across them at times when the coefficient is high, especially just after the full moon. This new slim kayak was just the ticket for being able to cut and glide through these swift waters. However, It was a real workout; I got fit pretty quick!

Some fierce dentistry - mind your fingers!

To the naked eye, the shoreline here is just a long sandy beach as far as the eye can see. At first glance it's featureless, but I knew there were patches of rock and reef all within a few miles of my launch point. I just had to find out where they were. The local artisanal fishing boats gave me some clues by watching where they anchored to fish with their handlines. Also, walking the beaches when a fierce tide was running gave me more clues as it was possible to see areas of turbulent water as it ripped over structure down below. It all helped.

Huge Needlefish

Installing a fishfinder and then searching out my mentally noted areas was a real education and led to the discovery of some interesting features and marks that were duly plotted up on the device. It was a slow start, but after a couple of weeks just paddling around and trolling lures I was able to map out some pretty interesting areas to fish. The added bonus was that I was picking up the odd snapper and sierra mackerel on my trolled rapalas for dinner!

King size Sierra Mackerel

Once I'd got the area reasonably well mapped out, I planned to return and put in a concerted effort with jigs and livebait. My area was pretty much in a radius of around 2.5 miles from my launch spot and this was plenty far enough in a kayak, especially as I was fishing alone most of the time. 2.5 miles sounds like a long way, however most of that was along the coast and rarely was I ever further than a mile out. It was a long, arduous run back against a strong tide though. I had to be careful and pick my marks according to the tides on a daily basis.

Safety is always a priority especially when fishing alone and with that in mind I always wore a lifejacket, carried flares, a VHF radio and a small anchor with a nice long cord stowed away. I was never fishing in more than 100 feet of water. You just never know and it pays to be prepared. If a thunder storm comes in on you fast with a stiff breeze and you get caught in a white out then you want to be safe. The weather can change fast here in the tropics.

Big Jack Crevalle

I soon discovered a spot where I could catch livebait consistently with sabikis, an area of rough ground that always had small fish near it. I was catching small blue runners, goggle-eyes and sardines, small grunts and even small bonefish. All of which were suitable. On the back of the kayak I had a bucket and small battery operated aerator. I was good to go and could keep 2 baits alive in the bucket while fishing with a third. Not a huge quantity of bait, but enough for me. I was generally fishing sessions of up to 4 hours at most anyway.

Nice little Rooster on the popper

The first livebait I ever got turned out to be very lucky and unlucky at the same time! I slipped the small blue runner on to a size 9/0 circle hook and trolled it down the coast to an area of reef I had mapped out in shallow water. As I approached the reef I could see a shoal of bait fish all spashing on the surface, being harrased by predators below and trolled down the left side of it. Just as I passed it the ratchet on my trusty shimano TLD 15 started screaming as a fish took off with the bait! Game on!

I wound down and the circle hook did its job. There was a lot of resistance and the fish took off on a huge run. The fight was incredible, many long runs and shooting off in different directions. It had all the characteristics of a big Roosterfish. When the beast finally tired and lay next to the kayak I was treated to the sight of a huge Rooster that I would estimate at over 60 lbs. My first big fish from the kayak in Pedasi.....what a way to start!

African Pompano - Delicious!

I got my unhooking tools out, set up the go pro by putting the pole into one of the scupper holes and slid the fish on to my lap. All was going well, I was holding the fish as best as I could and getting some shots when the fish decided to go bat-shit crazy and start thrashing wildly in my lap. Before I knew it I was in the water, the kayak was capsized, the fish gone and I was left a little shocked.

As I gathered myself, I realised that in the excitement of catching the fish I had unleashed the camera to use it and the rod during the unhooking process. Both were gone, along with one of my lure boxes that had slid out from under the bungee cord in the yak. So, I lost all the gear, my dignity, the pics of the fish and everything.

Rock Snapper

The new kayak is much slimmer than what I was accustomed to and I just wasnt experienced enough in it. Keeping your centre of gravity spot-on is very important in this yak.......as I learnt the hard way. In all my years of kayak fishing, this is the first capsize event I've had. Its certainly made me think a little differently now.

It wasnt a great experience, but I only lost stuff that can be replaced so no great disappointment really other than having to spend a few dollars. I was OK and thats the most important thing. I also had a very valuable lesson which would stand me in good stead for the rest of my days. Every cloud has a silver lining, right?

Spotted Rose Snapper and Sierra Mackerel

From this point on, the fishing really started to improve for me. It boosted my confidence no end and with a good supply of livebait, some reliable marks and a new improved level of fitness it was all starting to fall in to place.

I tried to fish monday to friday if the weather and conditions allowed. The weekends were just too busy on the water for my liking with the tourist trade booming and many boats out whale spotting. I soon got in to the rhythms and flows of the fishing and it was very intersting to experience. Things were always changing, and fast too. Different species would come and go and there'd be occasional barren patches where it was difficult to catch. However, on the whole there was always something willing to feed.

Nice Solid Rooster on a livebait

My priority was to provide food for my wife and I. The idea was to avoid buying any meat products from the supermarkets and to live on a diet of fresh organic fish and vegetables if we could. I was mostly targeting snappers, corvina, sierra mackerel and pompano for the table. These fish are the right size and plentiful on the inshore reefs. If the fridge and freezer were looking well stocked then I'd turn my attention to trophy fishing for big roosters, cubera, grouper and amberjack. It was a good time and not once did we need to but meat. It worked out rather well.

Trigger Happy!

At times the jigging sport was incredible. Big shoals of snappers and corvina could be spotted on the sounder over the reefs, it was magical to see. The bottom 40 feet of the water column was often thick with fish. In truth, the fishing was easy when it was like this. A small 40g knife jig dropped down into the shoal and twitched a couple of times was usually all that was needed to provide a positive hook-up. Yellowtail and Spotted Rose Snapper were the most common varieties, both of which make excellent table fare! Roasted whole in the oven, they are tough to beat.

Sharks arent much of a problem.......just occasionally!

Every now and then, something truly monstrous would grab my little jig. Possibly 5 or 6 times I experieced the same thing, big fish just tearing off and making the sanctuary of the reef. Most likely big cubera, amberjack or grouper. The thing is, with the light tackle and leaders that are required to catch 'food' you stand little chance with these bigger fish. That's what the livebait is for!

The livebait continued to produce some great Roosterfish and I know I lost a couple of big Cuberas too. These fish are super tricky at the best of times and in the swift flowing, reefy, shallow areas I was fishing they certainly have the upper hand. But it was great fun trying.

Bonefish....tons of them on the sand here.

I hope to have the opportunty to try again during the wet season this year. However, right now as I sit here typing this during the Corona Virus pandemic, nobody knows quite what the future holds. These are tough and uncertain times we are living in right now. I'm in 24 hour quarantine for now, 7 days a week and it looks like this is how we'll be staying for the forseeable future. Like all the other anglers in the world right now, I'm missing being on the water. But it's for the best. Let's see how this one pans out.....

Tight lines!