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The twists and turns of Newfoundland

June 23, 2016

Before I stepped on my flight to western coast of Newfoundland, I had but a vague idea of what I wanted to see and do. What ultimately unfolded was an uncanny turn of events that left me in awe. One thing simply led to another on this trip. Read more

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What I owe to the tarpon

January 24, 2016

This began as a simple journey to claim a tarpon of my own. What it became was a solitary journey through Florida, Belize, and, finally, Guatemala. At the end of two weeks of travel, I found myself standing on an erupting volcano. Read more

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A beautiful place to be

November 4, 2015

As I watched the view from the car window transition from narrow bustling city streets to the expansive basin of the tidal Saint Lawrence to the infinitely rolling hills of New Brunswick, I was left wondering if our day-long pilgrimage would be worth it in the end. Read more

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A month with the salmon

October 1, 2015

Salmon fever was my affliction this year. While losing myself in a month-long frenzy of working, fishing, and sleeping, I rediscovered the charm of solitude. Amidst the sleepless nights, the jarring bites and crazy fights there was nothing as great as the charm of a quiet night, lonely and surrounded by endeavoring salmon. Read more

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Meteors and lights

August 17, 2015

There I was floating alone on my kayak, in the dark, and in the middle of nowhere as meteors pierced the sky overhead. Things were perfect. Rewinding to earlier that day, I had left work on a Friday afternoon and pondered the six hour drive and two hour paddle in the dark I had ahead of me. Read more

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On the ice, in the dark

March 30, 2015

As dusk fell on Lake Simcoe’s icy expanse, the moon’s silvery glow began to take hold. The wind calmed and an absolute silence settled in its place only to be broken, yet again, by the roar of my Jiffy auger. The night was approaching and I was back, drilling another hole, in search of a fish that had captivated my late ice fishing endeavors. Read more

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River fishing for salmon with spinners and crankbaits

October 13, 2014

It is a longstanding debate here in Ontario whether tributary fishing for Chinook (King) salmon can be done legitimately, without employing snagging tactics such as lining. Many anglers doubt the willingness of a pre-spawn Chinook to hit a lure once they enter the river. Read more

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Two laps of Florida

January 5, 2014

Another year, another road trip down to Florida with Ken. This time, we’d be joining forces with another avid species hunter, Ben, in our quest to pillage Florida’s spoils of diversity. I don’t think I have ever used the phrase “What is that?” with such fervor and frequency. Read more

Dabbling in the Ozarks

May 24, 2016

I could name this one “The trip when we drove past 40 hours of farmland”, but that was only the means to the end of dabbling in the beauty of the Ozarks. Thanks to Ben’s great species-hunting intel and Ken’s impeccable trip planning skills, there I was yet again behind the wheel of the unstoppable beige Corolla. Read more

Springtime in Virginia

May 9, 2016

Springtime in Virginia brings with it the allure of Northern snakehead and a shad run into the Potomac River. On my last trip, I had failed at finding these snakehead and, while catching hickory shad, hadn’t found any blueback herring. Read more

Three weeks in Hawaii

February 20, 2016

This was a trip that tapped into multiple facets of beauty. There were of course the world-class mountain vistas and sunsets to admire, but the beauty of Hawaii ran much deeper. The culture of benevolence, the diversity of the reef fish, once-in-a-lifetime scuba diving, and the freshness and availability of the seafood all left their impression on me. Read more

The elusive hungry whitefish

January 26, 2016

Returning from Belize and preparing to depart to Hawaii in a few days time, I had all but one day to spend on the hard water this season. The whitefish must have been aware that I wouldn’t be bothering them much this year, because they decided to return the favour by making my one day quite a memorable one! Read more

Bumbling through Florida

December 31, 2015

Another winter, another road trip down to Florida. We knew we’d be spending Christmas down there, but we didn’t know we’d be spending it with alligators. The joys of tumbleweeding. Following the over-packing blunders of our previous road trip, we decided to pack as light as possible. Read more

The search for round whitefish continues

August 10, 2015

Few fish captivate me as much as whitefish do and I think I owe that to the amount of time I spent trying to catch my first lake whitefish. Two years ago, I set out to pursue the round whitefish through the ice on a small lake in the vicinity of a friend’s cottage. Read more

A taste of Mazatlan

April 26, 2015

As life twists and turns, sometimes I can’t help but to look back in a state of grateful awe. It wasn’t very long ago when a phone call from a mysterious stranger set Ken and I on the path to this life listing adventure in Mazatlan, Mexico. Read more

Catching Them All

Michael Verdirame's journey of fishing.

The twists and turns of Newfoundland

What I owe to the tarpon

A beautiful place to be

A month with the salmon

Meteors and lights

On the ice, in the dark

River fishing for salmon with spinners and crankbaits

Two laps of Florida

Dabbling in the Ozarks

Springtime in Virginia

Three weeks in Hawaii

The elusive hungry whitefish

Bumbling through Florida

The search for round whitefish continues

A taste of Mazatlan