Two Fish of a Lifetime in 24 Hours and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

These 3 stories captured our Sports Illustrated fishing reader’s attention on Fishing on SI this past week.

Two Fish of a Lifetime in 24 Hours: Panama Fly Fishing at Its Best; How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight; The Big Guns: How One Family's Crappie Obsession Evolved Into the South's Most Deadly Trolling System | Alberto Socarraz | Jasper Taback | Kurt mazurek

In case they slipped by you, following are the most read fishing stories of the week. Two Fish of a Lifetime in 24 Hours: Panama Fly Fishing at Its Best; How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight; The Big Guns: How One Family's Crappie Obsession Evolved Into the South's Most Deadly Trolling System

1.) Two Fish of a Lifetime in 24 Hours: Panama Fly Fishing at Its Best

All muscle and energy. This tuna put a butt-whipping on me like no other fish ever has. | Photo provided by Ken Baldwin

There's a saying that goes “Let’s get down to brass tacks." 



So, let's get down to brass tacks. In a 24-hour window, I caught two fish of a lifetime on a fly rod: a 65-pound yellowfin tuna and a 90-pound sailfish. I don't consider myself an exceptional angler, but it is more doable for the average angler than you would think. You just have to be in the right place.

For me, the right place was Panama. I took the trip a month ago, and it became one of the best adventures I've ever been on.

The water that surrounds Panama is full of fish, and most of them are big. Many can be caught with a fly rod, and finding a guide who is familiar with the fly game is becoming increasingly common…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

2.) How to Fly Fish for Brown Trout In the Moonlight

Big brown trout are out and about at night. | photo by Jasper Taback

For most of us, fly fishing is a visual sport. We take in information with our eyes and adapt to it. For example: I just pulled my dry fly out of that trout’s mouth – maybe I should try waiting a damn minute before setting the hook next time. 

Fly fishing for trout is hard enough with good visibility. For a long time, I assumed the buddies that fished at night were either looking for something stupid to do or avoiding something at home.

Both may be true, but it’s also when the biggest trout eat…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

3.) The Big Guns: How One Family's Crappie Obsession Evolved Into the South's Most Deadly Trolling System

A crappie goes airborne as Les Smith hoists a 20-foot rod clear of its holder — no reeling required. The second lure on the rig swings free in the air above it. | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

I’ve been around all kinds of fishing, all over the country, but I had never seen a fishing system quite like this. What looked from a distance like a giant floating porcupine, turned out to be Les Smith’s big center console Skeeter. It was loaded with rods, some up to 20 feet long, pointing out in every direction. I quickly learned that what appeared to be chaos was in fact a highly refined system that’s been hammering big Mississippi crappies for decades.

An array of rod holders on the bow hold eight, extra-long rods, affectionately referred to as the “big guns,” fanned out around the nose of the boat like the whiskers of a catfish, rod tips hovering inches above the water. Each line is rigged with two proven crappie-catching lures and lowered to a precise depth. A pair of anglers sit side by side in custom-fitted chairs, watching those tips for twitches often imperceptible to the rest of us…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.