New Year Fishes

It's horribly cliche' to use my blog to look back and/or to peek ahead on Dec. 31, but I'm going to do it anyway. I find it fun to think a little about the cool places I've gotten to explore and about where I might get to venture next.

Best I can figure from a quick sweep of the map, I got to fish about 14 states, plus one foreign country last year. South end of the spectrum easily was Costa Rica. Northern end was a close call between Devils Lake North Dakota and a couple of trips in Northern Minnesota. If the the species list I kept is complete, I caught 30 different species of fish.

My children often ask my favorite part of a movie, meal or family outing, so I've been trying to pick out a favorite fishing trip or day from last year. I don't think I can do it, though. I sure enjoyed discovering the Black Hills for the first time and pulling a host of fish species through the ice on rugged and beautiful mountain lakes, but how do I compare that with exploring the spectacular Vermilion River by canoe with Billy Rosner and catching big, mean smallmouth bass on topwater lures? And then there were the monkeys and toucans in Costa Rica, the day of pounding big bream and bass catching with Nathaniel on Jimmy Houston's lake, days of doubling and tripling on redfish in South Louisiana and then feasting on Cajun cooking...

Looking ahead, the planned trip I'm most looking forward to at this moment is to Gaston's Resort on the White River in Arkansas. It's an annual writers' gathering that Nathaniel and I  have participated in a few times but have had to miss for the past couple of years. Great fishing and food, time with friends and the destinations itself all combine to make it a great trip. Of course, I'm also really looking for a multi-species trip to Pennsylvania's Pymatuning Lake for many of the same reasons.

But then again, when I look at some of last year's favorite trips, I didn't know most would even happen a year ago. I really don't know what states I'll be fishing in, who I'll be with, what species I'll be targeting or what types of techniques I'll be using in the year ahead. That's a big part of the fun, though. I enjoy fishing for bluegills one trip and for something big from the ocean the next trip, and I love the variety of landscapes, cultures and fishing techniques I get to discover and people I get to meet in different places.

2012 Species Count at 30

Although it's certainly possible that I'll slip out to a pond and catch another fish or two before the calender page turns, it seems very unlikely to me that I'll add any species to the catch list in the next six days. This year I decided to keep a tally of all the kinds of fish I caught, recording where I caught the first of any given species and the month of the catch. Unless I forgot to record something, it appears the final tally will be 30 species.

Looking at locations, eleven states and one other country (Costa Rica) added at least one "first" of a kind of fish this to this year's list. South Dakota and Arkansas added the most, with five a piece. The South Dakota additions came courtesy of an early-in-the-year, multi-species ice excursion. Among them was the laker pictured above, which was one of my favorite catches this year. Arkansas added to the list on a couple of different trips. Five specie came from the saltwater; the rest fresh.

The most surprising fish to me that is not on the is a spotted bass because I live in the heart of spotted bass country and fish in a lot of good spot waters. I cannot say for certain that I didn't catch any spots this year, but I cannot identify a specific one that I remember and therefore record.

Come Tuesday, I'll start the count anew.

Meanwhile, Back in Georgia

It's hard to believe that I've been home from Costa Rica for more than 24 hours. Yesterday passed in a moment as I enjoyed time at home with my family, shared trip photos with my children (Asher, Autumn and Eli were pretty eager to see pictures of monkeys), dug through the mail pile, enjoyed a party for Sarah and helped Nathaniel prepare for his CD release on Monday.

Maybe harder to believe is that a couple of days ago I was in Costa Rica, where the temperature is always between 70 and 90, scarlet macaws seem about as common as cardinals in Georgia and anglers catch billfish and roosterfish virtually every day. Asher asked me my favorite thing about the trip, and I had trouble giving him a definitive answer. I suppose seeing the monkeys and the tropical birds in their natural habitat probably topped the list, but many trip aspects would have been close.

FLW Finishing Today

Meanwhile, much closer to home, the FLW Tour will complete a Tour Major today on Lake Hartwell, which is one of the closest lakes to me. I had considered slipping out there at some point yesterday or today, but I won't make it. As already mentioned, yesterday was full, and home took top priority. Today is extra special because my daughter, Sarah, turns 17 (hence the party yesterday), and my wife and I are taking her out for a birthday dinner tonight.

Tom Monsour is leading the FLW event after three days, with Brent Ehrler close behind and Marty Stone in third. They final weigh-in is this afternoon in Greenville.

Many Monkeys & So Much More

It's unusual for me to be happy to have not gone fishing any day. Considering that today was my last day at one of the greatest sportfishing destinations on the planet, the might seem almost unimaginable. The truth is, though, that I wouldn't have traded today's rainforest exploration for any fishing trip, and if I ever get another chance to visit Crocodile Bay Resort, I'll definitely schedule one day on another eco-tour.

I spent an incredibly fun day today with Dennis, a Crocodile Bay eco-tour guide, Keith Sutton and Larry Bozka, exploring the Osa Peninsula and taking pictures of everything from toucans to monkeys to ants to caimans. We probably identified 50-plus bird species (Dennis is an amazing naturalist), and collectively we shot several thousand photos. The forests themselves and two beaches we visited were spectacularly beautiful, and many of the species (if not most) were ones you'd only expect to ever see in a pet store or a zoo.

The unified pursuit of photos, the fellowship and the fun of exploring amazing new places and seeing so many species for the first time made for a truly fabulous day.

First Full Day in Costa Rica

Today began with a spectacular early-morning flight over the mountains of Costa Rica's interior, and we landed on the Osa Peninsula, only minutes from Crocodile Bay Resort. The wildflowers and wildlife are astounding. Brilliant-colored birds you only expect to see in zoos all around the resort, everything in bloom, the sound of howler monkeys in the trees, iguanas casually sunning themselves, humpback whales rolling beside our fishing boat, jumping manta rays...

We didn't connect with the roosterfish today (although I'm pretty sure one fish I missed was one), but we did catch some bright-colored snappers that I'd never seen before and that they tell me will be highlights when we sit down for dinner after awhile. Tomorrow, we'll target billfish, and we'll have all day to fish. Off to take pictures of some birds now!

GoPro Ready to Go

The FedEx truck brought a cool new tool/toy yesterday that I suspect will serve me well in Costa Rica. The GoPro Hero2 is a high-definition video camera that also shoots 11 MP still shots and is designed to to wherever you want to take it. It's compact and easy to operate, comes housed in a box that is waterproof to nearly 200 feet and is designed to attach to a huge range of mounting accessories.

I think I'll use mine mostly on the headband, so it films wherever I'm looking. In Coast Rica, that approach could get me video of jumping billfish that I am fighting and of cool stuff in the rainforest as I swing through it on a rope. However, you can also put a mount on a helmet, the front a kayak, bike handlebars... Pretty much anywhere, with the right accessory, best I can tell.

I haven't put it to the test yet, so I won't make any claims about the photos and the videos. The cameras get great reviews, though, and some of the the stuff that has been shot with one that's posted on the GoPro website is pretty amazing. Soon we'll see what I'm able to do with it.

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.

Spring Rains, Sore Back, Monkeys & Marlins

Warm temperatures and plentiful rain the forecast suggest that North Georgia trout should be chomping this week, and I've heard recent reports of a fair number of fish looking up and sipping dry flies. However, I need to be content to enjoy reading the reports and leave the fish-catching to someone else because my back has been out of whack.

The back trouble does seem to be diminishing, but I don't want to do anything that might cause the mending to "backtrack" because by this time next week, I'll be at Crocodile Bay Resort in Costa Rica. The trip includes a day of offshore fishing, possibly for sailfish or marlin; a day of inshore fishing, possibly for brutally strong roosterfish; and a day of eco-touring, which will include a ropes course through the jungle. A good back is pretty important for all three days (and for two full days of travel).

One benefit for the back, travel-wise, is that the temperature is always between 70 and 90 degrees where I will be, so I can get by with a small, light duffel. Next week's blog should be full of cool images -- and hopefully some videos -- from Costa Rica, so be sure to check in regularly.

Catch List to 13

Three days on the South Dakota ice allowed me to expand my 2012 Catch List by five species, bringing the tally for the year to 13. Four of the five were types of trout. (Well, a lake trout is technically, a char, I guess.) The other was a rock bass that was almost too small to count!

Here's the updated list in the order that each was added: blue catfish, black crappie, largemouth bass, yellow perch, walleye, northern pike, bluegill, hybrid, lake trout, rock bass, rainbow trout, cutbow trout, brown trout.

Waters in five states -- South Carolina, Georgia, North Dakota, Florida and South Dakota -- have contributed to this year's list. Next month's travel takes me to Costa Rica. I'll bet I'll add a few new species there!

Weather Extremes

It's well before sun-up on a January morning, and the thermometer shows 55 degrees. Meanwhile, just outside our dining room window, our first daffodil of the season opened yesterday. It's strangely spring-like but I'd better not let myself get too used to the warmth. Four days from now I fly to North Dakota for a couple of days of ice fishing, and the forecast temperature range for the entire time I'll be there is -5 to 12. I suppose I'd better prepare myself for weather extremes because as I look at my calendar, the next four major trips I have confirmed take me North Dakota, Florida, South Dakota and Costa Rica.