Tell Tale Fisherman

If only every last cast was like this one … Guest Profile Chris Diamond is an excavator operator in the Tampa, Florida area. But when the “Bearded Angler” is not working the heavy equipment, he’s working the heavy fish. Snook, that is, and big ones. Chris has taken to nighttime snook fishing for the big girls in the summertime. So it’s no surprise that’s what his most epic day (I mean, night) of fishing was. But Chris is a very well-rounded Florida angler, and we also talk about some of his other spectacular freshwater and offshore catches. Plus he shares some awesome intel on how he gets it done on the flats and in the passes. Guest Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackbeardfishing_fl/ (https://www.instagram.com/blackbeardfishing_fl/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.diamond.311 (https://www.facebook.com/chris.diamond.311) Fishing With: Reel Florida Fishing Crew: https://www.facebook.com/ReelFloridaFishingCrew/ (https://www.facebook.com/ReelFloridaFishingCr

Guest Profile Matt Luna joins us from sunny San Diego, California. Growing up a baseball guy, fishing wasn’t his primary focus. Yet, Matt still loved getting out with his Dad for some fishing in their local SoCal waters whenever they could. After college and competitive baseball ended, Matt got the itch for a different type of competition. Bass tournament fishing. Now Matt is working his way up the ladder as a Wild West Bass Trail angler and trying to live the dream doing this fishing thing full time. But this episode takes us back to a National Bass West tournament he got to fish with his father. Everything came together for a day they will never forget … Guest Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattlunafishing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlunafishing YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ9qjSvmA_KqPaPU_PFCwJg Fishing With: National Bass West – http://www.nationalbasswest.com/ Wild West Bass Trail – https://www.wildwestbasstrail.com/ Fishing experience Ma

Smallmouth fly fishing at its finest … Guest Profile James Frakes comes to us from Montana. By way of Southern California. By way of Maine. That is, Maine is where James started fishing, and he is a registered Maine guide. For three years he worked in a fly shop and guided in that beautiful state. When the inkling to go back to school hit, an article about a University of Montana program turned his gaze back to the west. Wonder if the incredible fly fishing had anything to do with his decision to go there? He is enjoying learning how to fly fish those new waters when taking a break from his studies. But his most epic day of fishing takes us back to Maine for a spectacular topwater smallmouth fly fishing smackdown on the Penobscot River. Guest Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesfrakesfishing (https://www.instagram.com/jamesfrakesfishing) Fishing experience As a registered Maine Guide, James is well versed on all the fish there. His favorite targets there are smallmouth bass, although strip

Sometimes the fish have to win … Guest Profile Don Eady is a native Floridian (an endangered species!), though he has not spent all of his time there. Don’s Army career took him away from his home town of Orlando to places far and wide. But it did not take him away from fishing. Whether it was trout fishing in Germany or bass fishing on the Potomac, Don has never been long without a rod in hand. Still active on the amateur tournament fishing circuit, Don has fished many of the most famous lakes in the South. And he continues to tear it up in the famous Kissimmee chain, where his most epic day of fishing took place. Can you image losing a double-digit bass a finger tip’s distance from your hand, and still having the biggest bag and biggest bass at the scale? Yeah, this was definitely one of those days … Fishing With Here is where you can find more information about the “Help Our Heros” tournament we discussed in the interview – http://tohomarine.com/ (http://tohomarine.com/

Sometimes combat in close quarters can’t be avoided … Guest Profile Taylor Martin is a boatswain’s mate in the U.S. Navy. Growing up fishing in Florida, it’s no wonder that he loves to be on the water. Taylor was no stranger to redfish, trout, and bonefish from his early Florida days. However, it was on his first assignment in Hawaii where he really got to tangle with some serious bones. Then, when stationed San Antonio, he was treated to some spectacular big seatrout fishing on the Texas coast. But for his most epic story, we return to the seaside docks of Florida. And more particularly, the snook that prowl beneath them at night. This nightime snook dock fishing recon trip turned out to be better than he or his friends could have imagined. Guest Links Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/fishin_freakz1993 (https://www.instagram.com/fishin_freakz1993) Fishing With: https://www.instagram.com/the_ranger_angler Fishing experience Taylor had a lot of saltwater fishing experience growi

This is why we do it … Guest Profile Tell Tale Fisherman® podcast host John Woodson took a break from working and interviewing this week to do one thing – FISH! In this episode, we recap the trip, species landed, and ask your opinion on some potential features we are thinking about for future episodes. Enjoy this short episode recapping my favorite week of the year – beach fishing for snook and tarpon! Tell Tale Fisherman® podcast host John Woodson and son Justin with some scraggly fishing beards and Florida Gulf Coast snook and redfish. Location This episode takes place in Longboat Key/Sarasota, Florida. Catch of the Day Snook and Redfish Be sure to check out the following episodes for more epic action from the Tampa/Sarasota area: http://www.telltalefisherman.com/013-hogs-trough-captain-cam/ (013 – Hog Heaven with Captain Cam) http://www.telltalefisherman.com/048-raining-bait-with-joe-rosier/ (048 – Raining Bait with Joe Rosier) http://www.telltalefisherman.com/041-redfish-queue-mark-dunna

This is not your ordinary fishing trip … Guest Profile Another first for the show – interviewing the host of another fishing podcast. Dave Stewart joins us from the Wet Fly Swing fly fishing podcast. Before he picked up the mic, Dave was a life long fly fisherman. His father was a fly fishing guide, so you might say it was ingrained in his DNA. Dave was guiding himself by the age of 12. Now Dave is a guide of a different sort, teaching from behind the mic about fly fishing through his interviews with many greats in the fly fishing world. On this episode, we turn the tables on Dave and ask him some of the same questions he uses on his guests. Plus, Dave shares his most epic trip ever – a Skeena River fly fishing adventure in some untapped and untamed waters. Guest Links Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/wetflyswing/ (https://www.instagram.com/wetflyswing/) Web – https://wetflyswing.com/ (https://wetflyswing.com/) Fishing experience With a dad who was a fly fishing guide, it’

If you love something this much, you can’t fail at it … Guest Profile Kyle Jenkins serves in the Coast Guard and is no stranger to the water. His love for fishing began at an early age. While being in the Coast Guard took him away from fishing for a time, he came back to it with a vengance. So much so that he spent two years fishing the Bassmaster Open tournament circuit. Not only did he get to meet his idol Gerald Swindle, he got to fish with an learn from other Bassmaster Pros like Matt Lee and Tommy Martin. In this episode, we talk about the incredible experiences he had fishing as a Bassmaster Open co-angler. Plus, he shares an epic day where he put all he has learned together for a serious smackdown on smallies! Guest Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyle_jenkins_bass_fishing (https://www.instagram.com/kyle_jenkins_bass_fishing) Fishing experience Kyle’s passion is bass fishing. He has logged a lot of hours fishing with some vary famous tournament anglers in some very famous lakes

Just put it on the dinner plate … Guest Profile Sam Sirgo is a petroleum engineer from Texas. When he is not dealing with black gold, he is chasing red gold – redfish, that is. Not to mention all the freshwater fish Texas has to offer. Sam also loves to travel with his trusty fly rod and try new places to fish. He has been to spots all over South America and the Caribbean, including Costa Rica, Belize, and the Cayman Islands, to name a few. But the epic story he shares in this episode comes a little closer to home. Sam made the drive to New Orleans looking for that red gold. After after some early struggles, he served up the perfect cast on a bull redfish’s dinner plate. Time for some bull red fly fishing action. Guest Links Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sirgocast (https://www.instagram.com/sirgocast) Fishing With: https://www.instagram.com/captgregmoon (https://www.instagram.com/captgregmoon) Fishing experience Sam grew up in West Texas fishing occasionally. When in college

Better hold your breath for this one … Guest Profile At long last, Justin Tantog checks off two big boxes for us on the show. He’s from Hawaii (Oahu, to be precise), and he is sharing an epic spearfishing story! As a local, Justin has an incredible insight into the kinds of fishing they do on the island, not to mention all the awesome fish they catch. Plus, he is better than Rosetta Stone when it comes to translating mainland fish names to their Hawaiian equivalents. I may still have a little work to do getting the names down, but I know the fish Justin catches when “dunking” and spearfishing are pretty epic. Just like the Oahu spearfishing story he shares in this episode … Guest Links Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/fishanddivehawaii/ (https://www.instagram.com/fishanddivehawaii/) YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqFTjTrZT7ShHEsPorTYxGQ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqFTjTrZT7ShHEsPorTYxGQ) Fishing experience With a fishing pole, Justin’s

Knock knock, who’s there … ? Guest Profile Garrett Gincley comes to us by way of Pennsylvania. A seasoned bass angler on the boat and kayak, it is the kayak that Garrett gravitates to on most outings. So much so that Garrett has taken to the kayak bass fishing trail series. In this episode, Garrett shares his epic day in a KBF event in West Virginia. He not only landed a nice bag and a top 5 finish, but also a trip to the KBF championship. But it was where he found one of those fish that made this trip so unique. Guest Links Instagram –  https://www.instagram.com/ggkayakfishing (https://www.instagram.com/ggkayakfishing) Fishing With: Mountain State Kayak Anglers – https://www.mskawv.com/ (https://www.mskawv.com/) Kayak Bass Fishing Trail Series –  https://www.kayakbassfishing.com/kbf-trail-series/ (https://www.kayakbassfishing.com/kbf-trail-series/) Fishing experience Garrett catches bass from all platforms. Plus, he likes to catch them with many different types of lures so h

Don’t underestimate this fishery, or angler … Guest Profile Jake Doyon is our first guest from the great state of Massachusetts. To be honest, I didn’t know that much about fishing in the Northeast before talking with Jake. But now I do. The amount of species, and the places and ways they have to catch them is impressive. And so too is Jake. His knowledge of fly fishing is well beyond his years. Plus, his passion for the sport lead him to start a guide service with his friend. They are putting big smiles on anglers’ faces, which is exactly what happens in this epic episode. It’s time for a little striper fly fishing action. Guest Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northeastguideservice Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NortheastGuideService Fishing experience Jack grew up fishing with his father trolling for stripers. But Dad also took Jake on a fly fishing trip, and that incredible trip got him hooked but good. Ever since, Jake has been all in on fly fishing, and knows how

You could not script it any better … Guest Profile So what would you ask Kevin VanDam if you got the chance? Well, if you host a fishing podcast about people’s most epic day of fishing ever, that question is a no-brainer. Are you ready for the most epic day of tournament fishing ever from the greatest bass tournament fishing angler of all time? We’ve got it on part two of our one-year anniversary edition of the Tell Tale Fisherman® Podcast. Click http://www.telltalefisherman.com/055-scripted-perfection-kevin-vandam-part-1/ (HERE )to listen to part 1 of our interview with Kevin. Guest Links Website – http://kevinvandam.com/ (http://kevinvandam.com/) Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kevinvandamfishing/ (https://www.instagram.com/kevinvandamfishing/) Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kevinvandamfishing/ (https://www.facebook.com/kevinvandamfishing/) Twitter – https://twitter.com/Kevin_VanDam (https://twitter.com/Kevin_VanDam) Fishing With: Bassmaster Elite Series

From Kalamazoo to King of the Lake … Guest Profile Kevin VanDam. His bio says that “in the world of professional bass fishing, Kevin VanDam is at the pinnacle and arguably the best in the world.” Well, you’ll get no argument from me. Four-time Bassmaster Classic Champion. Seven-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year. All-time money winner on the Bassmaster Tournament trail. Oh yeah, and he just won an unparalleled 25th Bassmaster title at Grand Lake. KVD, champion bass fisherman, incredible ambassador for the sport of fishing, and our special guest for the one-year anniversary edition of the Tell Tale Fisherman® Podcast. Guest Links Website – http://kevinvandam.com/ (http://kevinvandam.com/) Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kevinvandamfishing/ (https://www.instagram.com/kevinvandamfishing/) Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kevinvandamfishing/ (https://www.facebook.com/kevinvandamfishing/) Twitter – https://twitter.com/Kevin_VanDam (https://twitter.com/Kevin_Va

This is how you make your last shot count! Guest Profile Joseph Davies is a man of many places. Grew up in Wisconsin, lived in New Zealand, and most recently Utah. But he has wandered to many other fishing holes with his trusty fly rod. Most recently, the fishing hole was in Costa Rica. While a seasoned vet with a 5 wt., a 12 wt. was an entirely new species to Joseph. But he embraced the “telephone pole” and totally immersed himself in the fishery. The result? One of the most epic tarpon fly fishing battles you could imagine … Guest Links Instagram –  https://www.instagram.com/tilted3.0/ (https://www.instagram.com/tilted3.0/) Fishing With: Tarponville Fishing Lodge https://www.instagram.com/tarponville_fishing_lodge/ (https://www.instagram.com/tarponville_fishing_lodge/) https://tarponville.com/ (https://tarponville.com/) Fishing experience Joseph wasn’t much into fishing growing up in Wisconsin. It was not until he lived in New Zealand that he really began to take to the spo

Mississippi Moonlight Sleigh Ride Guest Profile Colin McCain is our first guest from the great state of Mississippi. While “the state kids love to spell” has some great offshore fishing, it’s the inshore critters that keep Colin occupied. Colin chases redfish and spotted sea trout from his favorite fishing platform, his kayak. A seasoned kayak angler, Colin has dipped the plastic yacht all along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Louisiana. But this tale comes to us from his home waters. It was a great day that had an even greater finish, a moonlight Mississippi redfish surprise! Guest Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cdmccain/ (https://www.instagram.com/cdmccain/) Fishing experience Colin is a self-professed seatrout fisherman at heart. He started fishing mostly from a boat. Now he has has taken to the up close and personal approach of kayak fishing, and particularly for redfish. The day Colin shares in this episode is the one that “punched his ticket” for kayak fishing

Always on a mission … Guest Profile Quinn Hollingsworth comes to us from the great state of Georgia. But he comes there by way of Central Florida. Quinn grew up fishing in my neck of the woods for seatrout and redfish in the Mosquito Lagoon. What brings him to Georgia, you ask? Well, Quinn happens to be an Army Ranger out of the 1st Ranger Battalion in Savannah. He certainly has a lot of specialty training for that job. Yet, it’s the training from his Florida days that prepared him for his favorite mission – redfishing. Nothing like a little Savannah redfish action when off duty. Especially when he gets to take his favorite fishing buddy along, his son. The epic trip they shared this day is one neither will soon forget. Guest Links Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/the_ranger_angler Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/quinn.hollinsworth Fishing experience Quinn was well versed in inshore saltwater fishing from growing up in Florida. It took a little adjusting to get used to the

“It’s a tricky game with those guys …” Guest Profile Zach Drazner is a fly fishing guide that hails from parts all over, and has done some serious fishing in all of them. Idaho, Wyoming, Texas, you name it and he has probably fished there (or close to it). His prime target? Carp. Zach is a carp fly fishing expert, and has a ton of experience at it for his age. Zach’s knowledge of not only fly fishing but his target species is impressive. If you didn’t know or think much about carp before, that will all change after you hear this episode. Zach delivers some great info on carp fishing, and of course drops an awesome carp fly fishing story. But we don’t stop there. He also tells us of his first saltwater fly fishing trip, and the epic Key West flats slam that followed. Guest Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idaho_carper/ (https://www.instagram.com/idaho_carper/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarperKarma (https://www.facebook.com/CarperKarma) Fishing With: htt

Queen of the Lake Guest Profile FLW Costa Series co-angler Rachel Uribe joins us for our 50th episode. Growing up taking family trout fishing trips, Rachel not only developed a love for fishing. She and her brother Joe (also an FLW Costa series pro) learned the sport together. Now the duo travels and practices for tournaments together. You might say fishing is in their family’s DNA. That family support has propelled this female pro angler to some impressive FLW tournament finishes. She tells us all about her most epic tournament finish in this episode. Guest Links Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/la8iesfish2/ (https://www.instagram.com/la8iesfish2/) Fishing With: Joe Uribe Jr. (https://www.instagram.com/uribejr.joe/ (https://www.instagram.com/uribejr.joe/)) Costa FLW Series (https://www.flwfishing.com/tournaments/costa (https://www.flwfishing.com/tournaments/costa)) Fishing experience Rachel grew up fishing for trout on family vacations. She then began to follow in her brother’s wak

Alright, now we really are leaving … Guest Profile Joe Horvath currently hails from Las Vegas, Nevada. But that was not always the case. Joe is a Seattle guy, and grew up fishing the Puget Sound for salmon and dungeness crabs. After work took him to a totally new climate, he had to learn a totally new way to fish. Now he is dialed in on the smallmouth, largemouth, and striped bass bite. Yet, the main event takes us back to the Northwest for something completely different. A fish we have only briefly touched on once on this show. But that all changes in this episode. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to talk sturgeon river fishing! Guest Links Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/mjh_fishing_las_vegas/ (https://www.instagram.com/mjh_fishing_las_vegas/) Fishing experience As noted above, Joe’s early fishing experience involved fishing the Puget sound for salmon. That’s trolling folks, so Joe was used to always being on the move and tending downriggers. It’s no wonder that he has t