Tell Tale Fisherman

Chris Diamond is an excavator operator in the Tampa, Florida area. But when the "Bearded Angler" is not working the heavy equipment, he's working the heavy fish. Snook, that is, and big ones. Chris has taken to nighttime snook fishing for the big girls in the summertime. So it's no surprise that's what his most epic day (I mean, night) of fishing was. But Chris is a very well-rounded Florida angler, and we also talk about some of his other spectacular freshwater and offshore catches. Plus he shares some awesome intel on how he gets it done on the flats and in the passes.

Matt Luna joins us from sunny San Diego, California. Growing up a baseball guy, fishing wasn't his primary focus. Yet, Matt still loved getting out with his Dad for some fishing in their local SoCal waters whenever they could. After college and competitive baseball ended, Matt got the itch for a different type of competition. Bass tournament fishing. Now Matt is working his way up the ladder as a Wild West Bass Trail angler and trying to live the dream doing this fishing thing full time. But this episode takes us back to a National Bass West tournament he got to fish with his father. Everything came together for a day they will never forget ...

Guest Profile

James Frakes comes to us from Montana. By way of Southern California. By way of Maine. That is, Maine is where James started fishing, and he is a registered Maine guide. For three years he worked in a fly shop and guided in that beautiful state. When the inkling to go back to school hit, an article about a University of Montana program turned his gaze back to the west. Wonder if the incredible fly fishing had anything to do with his decision to go there? He is enjoying learning how to fly fish those new waters when taking a break from his studies. But his most epic day of fishing takes us back to Maine for a spectacular topwater smackdown on the Penobscot River.

Don Eady is a native Floridian (an endangered species!), though he has not spent all of his time there. Don's Army career took him away from his home town of Orlando to places far and wide. But it did not take him away from fishing. Whether it was trout fishing in Germany or bass fishing on the Potomac, Don has never been long without a rod in hand. Still active on the amateur tournament fishing circuit, Don has fished many of the most famous lakes in the South. And he continues to tear it up in the famous Kissimmee chain, where his most epic day of fishing took place. Can you image losing a double-digit bass a finger tip's distance from your hand, and still having the biggest bag and biggest bass at the scale? Yeah, this was definitely one of those days ...

Taylor Martin is a boatswain's mate in the U.S. Navy. Growing up fishing in Florida, it's no wonder that he loves to be on the water. Taylor was no stranger to redfish, trout, and bonefish from his early Florida days. However, it was on his first assignment in Hawaii where he really got to tangle with some serious bones. Then, when stationed San Antonio, he was treated to some spectacular big seatrout fishing on the Texas coast. But for his most epic story, we return to the seaside docks of Florida. And more particularly, the snook that prowl beneath them at night. This nightime snook dock fishing recon trip turned out to be better than he or his friends could have imagined.

Tell Tale Fisherman® podcast host John Woodson took a break from working and interviewing this week to do one thing - FISH! In this episode, we recap the trip, species landed, and ask your opinion on some potential features we are thinking about for future episodes. Enjoy this short episode recapping my favorite week of the year - beach fishing for snook and tarpon!

Another first for the show - interviewing the host of another fishing podcast. Dave Stewart joins us from the Wet Fly Swing fly fishing podcast. Before he picked up the mic, Dave was a life long fly fisherman. His father was a fly fishing guide, so you might say it was ingrained in his DNA. Dave was guiding himself by the age of 12. Now Dave is a guide of a different sort, teaching from behind the mic about fly fishing through his interviews with many greats in the fly fishing world. On this episode, we turn the tables on Dave and ask him some of the same questions he uses on his guests. Plus, Dave shares his most epic trip ever - a Skeena River fly fishing adventure in some untapped and untamed waters.

Kyle Jenkins serves in the Coast Guard and is no stranger to the water. His love for fishing began at an early age. While being in the Coast Guard took him away from fishing for a time, he came back to it with a vengance. So much so that he spent two years fishing the Bassmaster Open tournament circuit. Not only did he get to meet his idol Gerald Swindle, he got to fish with an learn from other Bassmaster Pros like Matt Lee and Tommy Martin. In this episode, we talk about the incredible experiences he had fishing as a Bassmaster Open co-angler. Plus, he shares an epic day where he put all he has learned together for a serious smackdown on smallies!

Sam Sirgo is a petroleum engineer from Texas. When he is not dealing with black gold, he is chasing red gold - redfish, that is. Not to mention all the freshwater fish Texas has to offer. Sam also loves to travel with his trusty fly rod and try new places to fish. He has been to spots all over South America and the Caribbean, including Costa Rica, Belize, and the Cayman Islands, to name a few. But the epic story he shares in this episode comes a little closer to home. Sam made the drive to New Orleans looking for that red gold. After after some early struggles, he served up the perfect cast on a bull redfish's dinner plate. Time for some bull red fly fishing action.

At long last, Justin Tantog checks off two big boxes for us on the show. He's from Hawaii (Oahu, to be precise), and he is sharing an epic spearfishing story! As a local, Justin has an incredible insight into the kinds of fishing they do on the island, not to mention all the awesome fish they catch. Plus, he is better than Rosetta Stone when it comes to translating mainland fish names to their Hawaiian equivalents. I may still have a little work to do getting the names down, but I know the fish Justin catches when "dunking" and spearfishing are pretty epic. Just like the Oahu spearfishing story he shares in this episode ...