Vienna residents Pete and Hanna Robbins spend most, if not all, of their free time traveling and chasing the next bite. In addition to domestic travel, they’ve fished the Amazon tributaries for peacock bass multiple times, they’ve conquered tigerfish in the Zambezi, and lately they’ve picked up the saltwater bug with trips to Guatemala and Panama. 

  
Pete is a Board Member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame and a Senior Writer for Bassmaster magazine. He has also written for other publications, including In-Fisherman, Field & Stream, and Gary Yamamoto’s Inside Line. He also consults for a number of fishing tackle companies. Despite those credentials, Hanna often catches bigger fish. 

They will join PRSC for the June meeting to discuss “bucket list” fishing opportunities both abroad and domestically. The theme of their website, www.halfpastfirstcast.com, is making “the most of your remaining casts,” and they are anxious to introduce anglers of all budgets and travel appetites to new ways of catching more fish and having more fun while doing it. It was their trips to Anglers Inn International’s properties at Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos, both near Mazatlan (Mexico) that really jumpstarted their travel bug, but they feel that by experiencing all of the things ancillary to fishing — scenery, food, and most of all, the people — they’ve learned to appreciate every day on the water quite a bit more. 

 While Pete is a semi-insider in the industry, Hanna didn’t catch her first gamefish until she was in her late 30s, yet she’s picked up the ball and run with it. That experience has taught Pete patience (!) and it has taught both of them the thrill of seeing someone learn to love the sport. In fact, Pete and Hanna rekindled the excitement by taking up fly fishing on trips to Montana and Alaska (another expensive hobby!). While exotic trips are nice, the important part of the experience is to “find your bliss,” and that can take place in the creek in your backyard.  

 Bring your questions about specific locations, special opportunities for female anglers, and the best ways to budget your disposable income and vacation time to maximize the bite.

When: Wednesday, June 30th at 7:30pm – ‘Doors’ to the meeting will open at 7:00pm for socializing.
Where: On your computer, tablet, or smartphone using Zoom.

RSVP on our Meetup page for the link to the meeting. Link is below.

https://www.meetup.com/PotomacSmallmouth/events/279029716

Our featured speaker in May is Scott Perkins and he will speak to us about fishing the North Fork of the Holston River.

Scott was born and raised in Russell County VA, and comes from a family that loves to fish and spend time in the outdoors so Scott started fishing at a young age. Growing up on the Clinch River helped grow his passion for fishing. Scott now resides in Washington County, VA which is home to the North Fork the of Holston River.   Fishing is his first true love and Scott’s favorite target is the smallmouth bass. He enjoys kayaking rivers and streams in hunt of his favorite prey and the North Fork of the Holston has become Scott’s favorite hunting ground.  It’s a little-known fishery with an abundance of large smallmouth. He started Scott’s Fishing Adventures to bring the serious smallmouth enthusiast to his beautiful area for some great fishing.

Please join us to learn more about this exciting fishing location.

When: Wednesday, May 26th at 7:30pm – ‘Doors’ to the meeting will open at 7:00pm for socializing.
Where: On your computer, tablet, or smartphone using Zoom.

RSVP on our Meetup page for the link to the meeting. Link is below.

Our featured speaker in April is Priscilla (Cilla) Johnson. She will speak to the club about kayak fishing for snakeheads.

Cilla’s fishing addiction started at 15 years old when her stepfather took her fishing on the Shenandoah River. Since moving to Northern Virginia, she spends most of her time with her loving husband, amazing four children, working full-time as a Director of Business Development for a Government Contractor and fishing. She also volunteers by supporting our nation’s active duty and veterans through Bravo Zulu Outdoors and Heroes on the Water.

Over the years, Cilla continued to pursue her love for fishing when she eventually discovered kayak fishing. “Kayak fishing has afforded me with opportunities to fish in areas I wasn’t able to reach before. And I can do it alone which is what really drew me to the sport.”

She advises other would-be female anglers to stick with the sport, even if barriers such as expensive gear and the long learning curve get in the way. Cilla Johnson is a Pan-American Bass Kayak Gold and Silver medalist for Team USA. She competes in her local kayak tournament clubs Northern Virginia Kayak Bass Anglers (NVKBA), Mid-Atlantic Kayak Bass Fishing (MAKBF) and nationally with Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF).

Please join us for an interesting and informative evening.

When: Wednesday, April 28th at 7:30pm – ‘Doors’ to the meeting will open at 7:00pm for socializing.
Where: On your computer, tablet, or smartphone using Zoom.

RSVP on our Meetup page for the link to the meeting. Link is below.