I’ve got a question or you all. If you could go on a fresh water fishing trip anywhere in the US, where would you go? I thought about Alaska but that just seems to be the obvious place. Is there something else really cool I’m not thinking of? Give me some other ideas!
How much $ do you wana spend???
I’m looking for ideas right now. Let me know what you dream fishing trip would be. I can work on the cost part of it later. That’s part of the fun too. 
If Alaska is on the table I guess Canada is fair game too…one of my friends had a blast small mouth fishing up there-air boating into remote lakes in Ontario.
Lake Wylie is fun gar-heart!!!
Alaska and Canada are both great choices. I would also toss in fly fishing out west. Montana, Colorado, etc.
A little on the cheaper side is catching monster peacock bass in FL. Always wanted a big one on the wall.
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
Gar-heart maybe you should try and catch a monster striper first! LOL!!!
That’s cold, real cold. Maybe you should come show me how. I miss the tuna rod. I’m sure that’s what I’m missing on the boat! Maybe we can pull the hook on another big one sometime…
Well at least you had to get two people to replace me when I left the team, I am sure Woody and Big John will learn more as the years go on ! Maybe Big John will catch on to that cut bait and wait thing one of these days!!
Shawn… My bucket list trip isn’t very expensive or far fetched… I have the boat, tackle and gear to pull it off (but not much knowledge)… I want to go to the coast (somewhere between Edisto and Savannah) and catch a Cobia, Tarpon, and big Bull Redfish. If I could talk to enough people that could point me in the right direction for location, tactics, etc., I think I might pull it off… Anyhow, that’s what I am scheming for if everything will settle down and I get some fishing time.
Shawn,
Falcon Lake, South Texas/Mexico border. Janaury - February - 5 largemouth each over 10 pounds in one day on five different artificial baits.
<’)))))<
Tight Lines!
DANO
Shawn I’ve always wanted to fish lake Cumberland and lake Norris for monster striper
Team Overtime
Pioneer 197 yamaha 150 fourstroke
Daniel Powell -Tight LinesA friend went out west and fished for sturgeon. That might be fun too! His wife caught a bigger sturgeon than he did. They say they’re amazingly powerful fish.
I would be goin to east TN. Maybe a combo Monster Striper/ Muskie trip on Melton Hill and some tail race fishing at Loudon or Douglas Dam. I suppose a trip on the Black Warrior River near the Gorgas Steam plant in Alabama might produce a big Striper too like the 70 lbr this past February.
I’ve done a little of what you are talking about Jon Boy up in North Carolina. Me and a buddy drove 4.5 hours with my boat from Raleigh, NC to fish 2.5 hrs (during a small craft advisory) in the Pamlico Sound near the Brandt Island Shoals. I caught (2) Red Drum that bottomed out a 50 lb scale, both 47 inches long that night, and my buddy caught (2) that went 30 lbs… all released.
For Cobia fishing, I like cruising the beaches at Hatteras or down at Destin, Fl sight fishing with eels. The water is clearer for sight fishing those two places than at Beaufort, SC but you really need to be up high in a tower or on a ladder to see them. At Beaufort most of the Cobia fishing is done anchored up and bottom fishing, sitting and waiting… I would mostly cruise around trying to spot the fish but watch the big charter boats and when they started pitching baits to fish, I would slip in and try to steal one from them…lol They didn’t like it much but I was only there a couple days while they had the whole month to catch them. I’ve caught more Cobia while king mackeral fishing than i ever have actually targeting Cobia. They are curious fish and will follow right behind your boat close. We start dropping ballyhoo back to troll for kings and a Cobia would hit before it was 20 or 30 ft back. Sometimes you see them back there but often you don’t. If you catch a cobia don’t let it hit the deck of your boat, go from gaff to fish box or prepare for all hell to break loose…
My tarpon fishing has been in the Pamlico Sound/Neuse River, botto
I think I will just take you with me Woody.
woohoo…I’m always glad to help… There was a time when I had a little more disposable income for fishing all over but the budget is a lot tighter these days…I’m sure the fish and techniques still work, its just harder to get to them…I’ve moved around a little bit so its allowed me to cover a lot of water and a variety of fishing. When my boat was new, I wouldn’t think twice about busting out 40 or 50 miles offshore to troll. Right now I couldn’t make it out of Jakes Cove…
Team Shad Up & Fish
If you’ve had fun catching fish on the transom bait, you are welcome…
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
As Jon Boy added salt to the water, I have a blast every year fishing the creeks off of the ICW near Isle of Palms. Besides catching whiting, croaker, and some redfish, we will float a live small fish under a cork with a steel leader and wait for the shark bite. There is no nibble or playing with the bait. When a 50 lber hits, the drag starts screaming and the rod holder usually turns in the direction of the black tip or bonnethead. Sometimes they will jump clear of the water 2 or 3 times. If he doesn’t break the swivel or bend the hook out, it generally takes at least 20 minutes to get him to the boat. (Note: To the boat, not in the boat).
I tell you another fun outing is a night time flounder gigging trip. Hard to beat a tasty flounder on the table. Slipping around the tidal creeks at night looking for that doormat laying on the bottom under the lights is a whole lot of fun. It takes a little while to train your eyes to spot them and you need the right tide and water clarity and weather conditions. My grandfather use to pull me around in a little wooden hull boat while he stalked the flounder in the shallow water. The boat would hold his batteries, lights and fish. I was probably 6 or 7 years old but I’d jump right out of bed at 2am when he said the conditions were right to go get some… If somebody wants a little help getting a flat bottom skiff or jon boat rigged up for it, let me know. You need to submerge the lights in the water so the glare from the surface doesn’t blind you, a 5 prong gig, and I can show you how to make a box with a slot that makes getting the flounder off of the gig easy and efficient so you can go right back to looking for the next one…
Team Shad Up & Fish
If you’ve had fun catching fish on the transom bait, you are welcome…
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
I would go steelhead fishing in the pacific Northwest. You can’t beat the fight of a steelhead and the scenery hard to beat. Closer option would be Big Manistee River in northern Michigan. It is the birthplace of the landlocked steelhead fishery and one of the best. The right time of year you can get into the salmon as well.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude