The cobia are on the move in their annual westward migration. Throughout late March and the month of April, boats cruise the beaches of Alabama and the Florida panhandle looking for the large brownish backs of cobia moving west along the surface. For this type of sight fishing, it’s best to have a bright sunshiny [...]
Cruising the Islands of the Bahamas
One of the neatest parts of boating is the freedom to go anywhere you want—provided you have deep enough water. The feeling of standing behind the wheel, master of your destiny, is sure to chase away the challenges of day-to-day life. One past summer, our boat, Vixen, was already positioned in Tampa for its annual [...]
Finding Heaven in Green Canyon
To me, each offshore bluewater trip is special in its own way. But perhaps my favorite was one we made on Vixen to Green Canyon with my daughter Brittany. Green Canyon is an area 120 miles off the mouth of the Mississippi River where the water is some 3-7000 feet deep. On the way out [...]
I love the ocean
I love the ocean. I love being near it, I love being on it, and I love being in it. Born in the Midwest, I didn’t get my first look at the ocean for quite a while. But even as an infant, I loved the water. After I learned to walk, the first time my [...]
World Record Breaking Girls
If you look in the most recent IGFA World Record Book, you will find that my daughter, Brittany Wilem, holds the world record for female small fry king mackerel. I know this because every year she checks as soon as the book arrives in the mail. She then turns the pages to check on her [...]
Fishing Offshore, Seldom Dull
I believe it was Hemingway who once said, “Don’t go out to sea looking for adventure. It will find you.” Many times, I have personally seen the wisdom in these words. One fall, we were cobia fishing and had raised a wad of several nice fish when one of the anglers hooked up. I turned [...]
2012: A Decent Blue Water Year
While I like most types of fishing, the one closest to my heart is blue water fishing. For me, trolling down a current rip on a slick day in June is as close as I ever expect to get to heaven in this life. I love watching from the tuna tower high above the water’s [...]
Swimming With The Fishes… I Mean Dolphins
I’m no marine biologist, though I did briefly consider choosing that field when I was in college. I guess it was the need to memorize all of those Latin names that caused me to opt out. That, and the fact that everybody with a love of the ocean also thinks it would be romantic to [...]
Undersea Cowboy
It’s been many years since I was first SCUBA certified, and I’ve lost count of the hundreds of dives I’ve made since then. One thing that’s never changed is the thrill I feel when first splashing over the side wondering what this next dive will bring. When circumstances demanded, I’ve dove in caves, lakes at [...]
Even When it Ain’t Great, it Ain’t Bad
I am not a patient person. Just ask my wife, I promise she’ll tell you as will many of my friends. Patience is just not one of my strong points, to the extent that I have any. So when we head out on a fishing trip, I’m more interested in catching than in fishing. All [...]
