EDWARD C. ROBISON III ©
EDWARD C. ROBISON III © CASA DE CAMPO OUTDOOR PURSUITS LAND AND SEA Clockwise from top: Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic; Big Cedar Lodge, Missouri; Ashford Castle; Ireland “If you’re too busy to fish, you’re too busy,” says Johnny Morris, billionaire founder of the Bass Pro Shops retail fishing empire. Morris was repeating an old sportsman’s adage, but he knows what he is talking about firsthand. In addition to running the two biggest retailers in this field, Bass Pro and Cabela’s, as CFO – Chief Fishing Officer – he has personally set fishing records for multiple species, all around the world. He talks at length about the natural beauty of the settings, the bonding, the honing of skills, the heart-pounding excitement of © ASHFORD CASTLE hooking a big one and the fun you still have even when they are not biting. Most of all, he understands why thousands of his customers choose the same bumper sticker: “I’d Rather Be Fishing”. If you’d rather be fishing, the hardest part might be choosing which great place to go, because there are world-class lodges and resorts for every style of angler in every corner of the globe. Here are some of the very best. Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea protagonist hooked a giant marlin, the largest of the billfish: marlin, spearfish, sailfish, and swordfish. Billfish remain the Holy Grail of deep sea sportfishing, and there may be no better place to complete the Billfish Grand Slam – three of the four in one day – than at Panama’s legendary Tropic Star Lodge (tropicstar.com). Sitting on the remote coast of the pristine Darien Jungle, more International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) records have been set here than at any other resort on Earth, 300-plus. Blue marlin of up to 350kg are regular occurrences. They also have tons of massive dorado and enormous schools of yellowfin tuna that can top 130kg. All billfish are catch and release, and like most top fishing lodges, packages are all-inclusive with daily fishing, gear, guides, lodging and all meals. 46 NetJets
“ the After billfish, salmon are probably the quarry more anglers make bucket-list trips for than any others, and king salmon is practically synonymous with Alaska CATCH OF THE DAY From top: Bair’s Lodge, the Bahamas; Steamboat Bay Fishing Club, Alaska; Hawks Cay Resort, Florida The only reason to go to Tropic Star is to hook monsters, but it’s quite the opposite story at Casa de Campo (casadecampo.com.do) in the Dominican Republic. This luxury mega-resort is so famous for its golf, tennis, shooting, polo and other facilities that the fishing often gets overlooked. But it is home to the most advanced marina in the Caribbean, full of firstrate charter boats with excellent deep-sea fishing, and hosts one of the most important blue marlin tournaments in the world. While best known for these, guests also regularly catch other billfish, mahi mahi, wahoo, and especially big tuna, close to 225kg. The golf is ranked at the top of many lists charting Mexico and the Caribbean, and this year Casa de Campo opened The Premier Club, a new luxury boutique hotel and spa, now its highest accommodation tier. A more far-flung take on the iconic luxury hotel model can be found at Reid’s Palace, A Belmond Hotel (belmond.com) on Madeira. This remote Portuguese island well off the coast of Morocco was the last restocking point for sailors headed to the New World, and it remains the first feeding ground in thousands of miles for giant fish headed the other way. Its remoteness and deep water make it a haven for world record blue marlin, as well as a litany of other great targets: white marlin, swordfish, spearfish, bluefin tuna, © BAIR’S LODGE © HAWKS CAY RESORT © STEAMBOAT BAY NetJets 47
