Visiting exotic locations and venturing out with a rod, reel, and cooler of beverages to idyllic lakes or on a yacht to the open ocean truly is one of the idyllic ways to unwind. Of course, there’s also a key sporting element to this, with everyone you take on an angling trip wanting to catch the best game fish and, at the very least, the biggest of the day.
Of course, going on a fishing trip is a very specific kind of getaway, and one that it can help to get in the mood for before packing your rods and hiring a boat. Luckily, there are loads of great ways to get amped up for the challenge of trying to catch the most prized game fish in the world. Even in the colder months, you can find inspiration, and then, of course, there are the exotic locations that you can visit before you cast off.
Getting Ready to Catch the Big Ones
While they certainly shouldn’t be seen as anglers to emulate, two hit British fishing shows stand out as great viewing to showcase some of the most incredible fish in the world. Seeing these expert anglers go out and catch these fish can inspire you to go on your own (much safer) fishing trip. If you prefer your freshwater fishing, River Monsters is the show for you. Led by Jeremy Wade, who happily goes out on his own fishing trips away from the cameras, as USA Today found out, it combines myth-busting with fishing to create a unique story for each expedition. While you’d not want to delve into the Amazon for electric eel or an arapaima, Wade does offer a fair few tips and hints for angling in different, safer settings.
If your preference is more the competitive edge and going out to sea, Extreme Fishing with Robson Green is your better bet. The famed Geordie actor travels to some incredible destinations to hook up with the local angling experts to try to catch sailfish, blackfin tuna, barracuda, sharks, blue marlin, and more. Shows like these have inspired a whole host of fishing entertainment for anglers to enjoy while the weather’s not ideal for casting off.
It’s perhaps because of them that the fishing theme has become so popular even in one of the newest forms of entertainment, online gaming. In fact, the Fishin’ Frenzy slot remains among the most popular online games going. This is down to its hit feature. Here, you can catch all of the big and small fish with their cash values whenever you also land a fisherman symbol. The feature is so popular that many other slots have mimicked it.
Where to Go to Catch Legendary Fish
Inland, one of the most sought-after catches in North America is the Chinook salmon. Chinook salmon fishing can take you from California to Oregon, Michigan to British Columbia, but the best place to go is Alaska. Head to the incredibly scenic Kenai River, where some huge Chinook salmon have been caught weighing over 80 lbs. For an even bigger and more specialist fish, you should head to the Caspe Region of Spain, where the River Ebro flows.
This is famously the home of the truly massive Wels catfish. With plenty of catches hitting the 200 lbs mark, while many basins across Europe can house the Wels catfish, few as reliably offer up the big ones in such an idyllic location as the River Ebro. If you’re taking to the open ocean to power out across the deep blue, most see blue and black marlin as the ultimate catches.
Marlin can be caught off of many scenic locations around the world. For many, the best of the best is Bermuda. Not far from the Caribbean, the Bermuda archipelago has a history of tournament-winning catches, including World Cup winners in excess of 1,000 lbs. It’s a colossal challenge to bring in a blue or black marlin, but if you want to do so, Bermuda is the place to be.
Take the time given by the offseason to ramp up anticipation and plot your trip to try to catch one of the most prized fish in the world.
