My quest to catch trophy fish in all 50 states and achieve Level V Master Angler status in Virginia.
04/20/2023
This 5.5-foot lemon shark was my 100th sportfish species caught! I had a great time fishing Key West with Alex Harmon of Salt Creek Fishing Charters. I also caught my first tarpon! I am now at 47 freshwater sportfish species, 51 saltwater, and two anadromous.
02/20/2023
In honor of these Florida-like 60-degree February days, I figured I'd post my first trophy largemouth from Lake Toho in Florida, caught 14 years ago this week.
01/09/2023
I closed out 2022 with a fantastic 46-inch, 40.5-pound citation striper on the Bay with WC SportFishing Charters. Best of luck to everyone this year!
12/05/2022
The trout weren't cooperating, but luckily the trophy fallfish were.
11/17/2022
Fishing can be tough and lately it's been kicking my ass. Fortunately, I always get the easiest part right: taking my kids fishing whenever they want to go.
11/02/2022
The catching of the first citation fallfish means that fall is officially here.
10/20/2022
For the first time in years, my trout season started off with an actual trout and not a fallfish. No monsters, but browns up to 14" on a beautiful fall day made for a great trip.
10/06/2022
Twelve years ago today, I caught my second saltwater trophy ever. And then my third. And then my fourth. It was an amazing day full of big redfish, crevalle jacks, and sharpnose sharks with Barry Deshamp out of Gulfport, Mississippi. I now have saltwater trophies in 10 states and freshwater trophies in 35 states. Here is the biggest fish from 10/6/10, a 44-inch, 40-pound redfish.
09/22/2022
My better half (and the webmaster of my website) just did a total revamp of the site, complete with some amazing updates, and it looks fantastic! Check out the new and improved www.fishingthefifty.com whenever you have a chance!
Also, I'm now on Instagram (fishing_the_fifty). It's more pictures, fewer words. So if you are one of the people (i.e. everyone) who thinks these posts are too wordy, be sure to check out the Instagram account.
Fishing the Fifty My quest to fish all 50 states
09/15/2022
I got so excited to share the podcast I did with The Outdoor Drive that I forgot to post pictures from my Connecticut trip. My family and I headed up there to escape the summer heat in Virginia and I booked a trip with Captain Seth Sportfishing, the preeminent striper guide in Connecticut. Seth and mates Trevor and Carl put me on a pile of nice fish. Of the 26 stripers I caught, eight were at least 40 inches, which is the trophy minimum in nearby New York and Massachusetts. But Connecticut's minimum is 45 inches and the big fish made me work for my trophy. After 7.5 hours over two days, I finally landed the one I was looking for, a 45.5-inch, 33-pound trophy. It was amazing. Connecticut became my 44th state with at least one trophy.
For more information on my trip, please check out: www.fishingthefifty.com/connecticut-ii
And for more information on Trevor's podcast, please check out:
theoutdoordrive.com. I hear episode #155 is the best one yet.
09/08/2022
Eight years ago yesterday, I completed my Level II Master Angler in Virginia with this 36-inch carp. It took me 3.5 years to complete the first two levels of Master Angler, and then 7.5 years to complete the next two, with Level IV taking almost five years. I've loved every minute of it though.