Fishing the World with Senor Catfish

It struck a while back that once I get to Costa Rica and begin fishing with my good friend Keith "Catfish" Sutton, he and I will be sharing angling experiences in our fourth country. In fact, the only country where I have fished but have not spent time in the boat with Catfish Sutton is Canada. Beyond United States and soon Costa Rica, countries where he and I have spent time fishing together are Mexico and Brazil. In Mexico, we targeted largemouth bass at Lake Mateos; in Brazil, peacock bass and big catfish in the Amazon watershed (although the prize of the big-cat outing was a freshwater ray).

In Mexico and Brazil, where Sutton is affectionately known as "Senor Catfish" by the native guides, he and I have also shared unique dinner-table experiences, with meals that have ranged from barbecued goat to piranha soup. I'm looking forward to tropical fruits, Pacific-fresh seafood and other regional flavors in Costa Rica.
Within U.S. borders, Catfish and I have fished together for everything from Goliath grouper in South Florida to gargantuan coppernose bluegill in North Carolina to spotted bass and rainbow trout in Arkansas, which is his home state. Our first outing together, about 15 years ago, produced bull redfish, cobia and a stingray, all in the shadows of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

In Costa Rica, we're scheduled to spend a day inshore and a day offshore, and both days offer good potential to produce fish I've never caught before. I'm also eager to watch Catfish swing from tree to tree like a howler monkey on a ropes course through the jungle! I'm thankful for the all the days Senor Catfish and I have spent together in many settings, and I look forward to many more.