I’ve been wanting to catch a Smallmouth bass for decades. Had I know there was good smallie fishing in South Carolina, an easy day’s drive from my central Florida home, I would’ve scratched that species off the bucket list long ago.

It was easily the most dangerous fishing I had ever done. Large Pacific swells crashed against the rocks. Farther offshore those swells were no big deal – just a gentle rise and fall. Inshore, waves rebounding off the cliffs combined with incoming swells created unpredictable, turbulent seas. The trick was to get my kayak close enough to cast a popper among the rocks while staying far enough away that a rogue wave wouldn’t wash me into the impact zone.

There are perks from writing for publications like Spacefish. I took advantage of those perks when I fished as a media representative in the ICAST Cup last week. As a saltwater guy, it is always a blast and quite the learning experience to spend time on the water with the bass pros.