Tag Archives: Scouting Trips

Trip News

11.12.20 El Paso to Houston, Texas is BIG

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We have been at it for almost four (4) full days and we are STILL not out of Texas… why? Because Texas is f\’n big. You hear the that Texas is big and that everything is bigger in Texas… well IT IS.

Wednesday 11/11 – 600 miles driven

We knew that we had to put down some miles on Wednesday in order to keep the trip on schedule and to make an impromptu stop. So we decided to start the day early to ensure that we didn\’t have to drive into the wee hours of the night… and we are glad that we did.

So we hit the road at 7:00 AM and started the push… we only made a few stops along the way mainly to fill up the gas tanks. We kept it simple.., snacks, protein shakes and whatever other shit we bought along the way.

Our strategy paid off as we rolled into San Antonio right about 6:00 PM. We had a dinner date with two (2) very special people to my family. We had the incredible privilege to visit my second mother, my after school watcher and one of two of her daughters who was my childhood friend. this opportunity would NOT have been possible if we didn\’t get out there and live. This 2.5 hour dinner was something that I will remember for the rest of my life. This is why we travel… such an incredible opportunity.

Sure COVID is ramping back up and is something that we have to take seriously and we are by no means taking that lightly… but with the right precautions and respect for one and another, we can make this work. The good people of Texas are largely participating in social distancing, wearing masks and following guidelines which is incredible to see.

Thursday 11/12 – 300 miles driven

Today we have a short drive to Houston where we are going to meet Rex DeGuzman @ Blood Bros. BBQ at high noon for some epic Texas BBQ. We have been thinking of Texas BBQ for months and today is the day!

Holy shit!!! We were hooting and hollering about every piece of smoked goodness that touched our lips. This place is FIRE. They have the classics with some twists on cultural dishes and I couldn\’t have been more impressed. The team that works there was nothing but courteous, fun and informative making the visit that much better.

Smoked brisket fried rice paired with some perfectly smoked brisket and ribs plus SO MUCH MORE. Let\’s just say that dinner was not required, but incredible cubano espressos WERE required to remain conscious for the remainder of the day. What a freaking treat! My smoke game ain\’t got nothing on these guys.

I skipped over one key milestone today… we got to see Rex\’s shirt and sweatshirt prints in the flesh. That means we got to see OUR new Fish Village apparel for the very first time and we could not be more happy. The prints look amazing, the new bait school design looks even better in person and the simple logo design shirts make us proud. Soon, you will have a chance to pick up your own Fish Village gear… we just have to get back home first.

So then we headed for Buggs Fishing where we would meet with owner Heath Hippel to learn about his operation, how to fish his gear AND to pick up a personal package of his amazing lures. This guys makes the coolest looking lures (in our opinion). Cool? What does that mean? Well, he basically ties flies like a traditional fly fisherman would, but they are designed for conventional fishing. His baits imitates mimic shrimp, crabs, mullet and more. He took the time to speak with us about how his products work and we will be able to share that with you soon.

From there we took the rest of the day off and did some work, uploaded photos, wrote a blog, started editing, spoke to Rob Field, Ivy Harris, Rex and Brooks about the final details. Tomorrow we ride to Louisiana with Rex and his pal Buddy… PAC, here we come. I will have a hard time sleeping tonight… IT IS ALMOST TIME TO FISH.

Trip News

11.10.20 CA, AZ, NM and now TEXAS

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We have been charging eastbound on I-10 for nearly two (2) days now and we are still not quite half way to our final Louisiana destination… but that is OK because we are having a blast.

Pops aka Mr. Steve Ponce is leading the charge by pulling the 24 ft. trailer with Joe and I shooting anything and everything that looks interesting. Our Canon\’s are getting a workout.

Monday 11/9 – 380 miles driven

We started a bit late due to some unexpected complications, fortunately it was a minor delay and we didn\’t have much of a schedule planned for the first day. So instead of making it to Tucson on night one, we only made it to Phoenix… this is largely due to the massively awesome dinner we had at Bobby Q\’s in Phoenix.

We just couldn\’t help ourselves… and we are so glad we stopped there. All we talked about in the car is where are we going to eat next… if you know my Dad, Joe or myself… then you know that we signed up for this road trip as a means to eat our way across America.

Tuesday 11/10 – 450 miles driven

We started our day around 7 AM searching for quality coffee for my Dad… Best Western had instant coffee and my Dad wasn\’t having that. So Joe found a Starbucks around the corner and the problem was solved… onward.

We traveled thru the rest of southern Arizona and crossed over into New Mexico by noon. We knew at this point that we could make it to at least El Paso before the day was over… we are officially back on schedule.

I spent a tremendous amount of time in Arizona in my twenties… but never anything east of Tucson. This road trip is providing the three of us the opportunity to experience the southwest and parts of the southeast together for the first time. We are thoroughly enjoying it.

Joe is our resident internet finder of things and he has yet to lead us astray. We were initially discouraged because a lot of restaurants are closed in this area on Monday\’s and Tuesday\’s, however this lead to Joe\’s discovery.

We had a very casual dining experience at Chala\’s Wood Fire Grill in the neighboring city of Mesilla just outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico. This dinner was not only fantastic, but light on the wallet.

  • Amazing smoked sausage w/ New Mexico green chili
  • Quality beef (rib eye and NY steak)
  • Compound butter
  • Fresh goat cheese
  • Farm fresh organic produce
  • Crisp, fresh iced tea
  • + cinnamon sweet tea for my Dad

Everything we had at Chala\’s was incredible… from the simple fresh salad with quality greens and a zesty citrus chili sauce to the giant rib eyes that had my Dad singing.

The three (3) California fat dudes went to town and came out on top with a small bill, full belly\’s and a happy driver!

After dinner we drove another hour to finally cross into the Lonestar state with our sights on El Paso. 40+ miles later… I was able to grab a hot shower, share some Basil Hayden bourbon with Joe and write a blog post. Not a hard day, but a long one.

Tomorrow we hit the road hard to try to cover some ground… From El Paso we will easily hit 500 + miles before we call it a day. From there we have to charge to Houston because we have a date with Bugg\’s Fishing and our boy Rex of ActionHat. Rex has some fresh off the presses, red hot, brand new Fish Village apparel that we GOTTA get our hands on.

Lastly, Tropical Depression/Storm ETA… PLEASE GO AWAY! You are f\’n with my vibe!

Trip News

11.07.20 It is all coming together

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Time to pack up the NRS gear bags with all of our gear for our road trip to Louisiana. Hard to believe that we are heading out in less than two (2) days.

We have several packing lists considering we have a lot to take and we are responsible for at least six (6) kayaks, all of the kayak accessories and a whole lot more. Our packing lists ensure that we don\’t leave behind a key piece of equipment. Sure some could argue that I am super anal about organization… however that is precisely why are trips often go off without a hitch. Our attention to detail is what sets us apart.

This is just a tiny smidge of the items on our actual packing lists…

Fishing Gear

  • Kayaks (6)
  • Kayak accessories
  • Fishing rods
  • Fishing reels
  • Nets
  • Fish Village tackle
  • Team Tackle Packs (18)

Electronics

  • Cameras
  • Lenses
  • Tripods
  • Lights
  • Mounts
  • Batteries
  • Chargers

Food/Drinks

  • Breakfast snacks
  • Water
  • Pliny
  • California beer sampling
  • Candy
  • Salty nuts (insert jokes)
  • REDBULL (Psych Juice)

Though this trip is a scouting trip and not one of our polished adventures that we sell to our customers (not yet at least), we still aim to nail the experience for everyone involved. If we have an idea of what success feels like when we scout a location, then we stand a chance to deliver that experience to our customers.

Trip News

11.03.20 This Louisiana trip keeps giving back… more contests

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You read that right… more contests. This trip has created so many unique opportunities and incredible relationships that we have to share it with you guys. Why… because that is what we do!

When you have support from NRS, Buggs Fishing, Z-Man, Bayou Buck Lures, Line Cutterz, Matrix Shad, Pure Waterports, BerleyPro, Tasline and ActionHat, we can\’t be greedy and keep it all to ourselves… or can we?

Don\’t worry… we won\’t do that to ya.

We have a nice tackle pack, much like the ones our entire team will be getting to giveaway in a contest. What can you expect in this redfish box of wow? A Plano 3600 filled with the same goodies that we are taking with us to Louisiana + a little something from NRS + Tasline + ActionHat. Serious… this is a bad ass giveaway.

Details about this mystery contest will be unveiled shortly before we hit the road. To keep up with our contests and shenanigan\’s in Louisiana… check out the Louisiana Road Trip 2020 page.

Trip News

11.01.20 One week away from this road trip actually happening

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HOLY SHIT! As I typed the blog title my heart started beating a bit faster. Am I saying holy shit because we aren\’t prepared… um NOPE. We are just about ready for this adventure… the only thing left is to actually make it all happen.

  • Road trip itinerary – CHECK
  • Tackle packs for 18 anglers + one giveaway pack – CHECK
  • Fishing gear ready – CHECK
  • Truck maintenance – CHECK
  • Out of office sign already on the door – CHECK

Basically the only thing left to do is to meet up with Above the Hook guys and Jesse Landry next weekend to grab their kayaks and fishing gear because we are hauling it across the country. How is that for service? We have this giant trailer available to us thanks to Tim and Chris Boyer of Pure Watersports so we might as well take our own kayaks and gear. A nice win for all of us traveling from California… our own boats in Louisiana.

Once we have all of the gear… it is time to batten down the hatches, close up the NRS Bill\’s bags, attach the trailer and GO. We are aiming to leave a week from tomorrow on Monday 11/9. This should put us in the Houston area by Wednesday night. First order of business in Houston is to visit a good friend of ours before stopping off to visit Heath from Buggs Fishing and Rex DeGuzman of ActionHat. From there we are off with Rex back on the road but this time as a convoy.

Remember… we will be blogging and posting a ridiculous amount of content throughout this trip. To keep up with it all, head to our Louisiana Road Trip 2020 page.

Trip News

10.25.20 2 weeks until we hit the road + NRS support

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Ummmmm we are two (2) weeks out… I repeat… we are two (2) weeks away from lift-off. Boxes are piling up and the gear keeps coming. We are in full swing preparing for what should be an amazing two (2) week adventure.

We have been getting shit done too…

  • Brake controller for towing handled
  • Buggs Fishing gear arrived and is ready to get bit
  • NRS dry bags arrived for the Fish Village trip development team
  • Canon R5 purchased (DOPE)
  • Canon R L Series 70-200 mm lens purchased (SICK)
  • All Daiwa reels spooled up with Tasline (Thanks Marty!)
  • Enjoyed some Pliny
  • Nearly completed the new trip experience for our website (expect to release this coming week)
  • Finalized first run of our new merch
  • Arranged kayak pickups with the boys from Above the Hook Productions and our teammate Jesse Landry

The good folks at NRS wanted to make sure that Fish Village was outfitted for success. Without hesitation they sent us their best bags from their repertoire for the Fish Village trip development team. Each Fish Village partner will receive the following:

  • NRS Bill\’s Bag Dry Bag 65L
  • NRS Heavy-Duty Bill\’s Bag Dry Bag 110 L
  • NRS High Roll Duffel 35L
  • NRS Tuff Sack 10L
  • NRS Tuff Sack 25L
  • NRS Ether Hydrolock Dry Sack 5L

We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with NRS in a capacity that enables us to do what we love to do. They have been a great partner over the past couple of years and we see them being a big part of just about everything we do moving forward. Thank you NRS for supporting our team and our vision!

More about our partners coming soon! Next week (tomorrow actually), we start receiving our Z-Man orders for the Louisiana crew. Let\’s just say that the crew will be well outfitted.

Be sure to follow along with us via our Louisiana Road Trip 2020 page.

Trip News

10.18.20 3 weeks until we hit the road

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It feels like we are leaving next week… but thank goodness we have three more weeks because shit is getting crazy. I mean don\’t get us wrong, we want to hurry up and leave already, but we still have some logistics to work through.

We have gear bags, tackle, tackle storage, more tackle, camera gear, hat samples, memory cards, Pliny (damn straight) and a few other things arriving this week. The UPS, USPS, DHL and FedEx are all making a stop at FV HQ at least once this week… if not multiple times.

We have been assembling tackle packages for the Louisiana crew with gear from Z-Man, Matrix Shad and Buggs Fishing. It will be an all artificial fishing battle for Louisiana reds for this team.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been immersing myself into the various ways people catch redfish and other southeast inshore species. Every time I learn about how to fish for a new species I have to accept the fact that I am going to be lost initially. But with the help of my friends who just happen to be seasoned professionals… I am at least starting to understand how we are going to target redfish. I find it very interesting that redfish fall for some of the same fishing tactics as freshwater bass, I would have never guessed, then again I know next to nothing about largemouth bass either.

Crafted Fishing Rods and Above the Hook Productions released a sexy video on YouTube showcasing the giveaway built. It is freaking rad. To make it easy… we have it right here (see below). To enter to win… be sure to tag three friends on either Facebook or Instagram and then head over to our Louisiana Road Trip 2020 page to enter to win.

Trip News

10.15.20 Another one… Brian Nelli joins the Louisiana team

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We wanted to assemble a crazy good team for this content, media, trip development blitz that we are about to go on next month. We wanted some newbie\’s to the marsh/redfish scene and we wanted some pros that can help us catch some fish… our poor guide can\’t help fifteen (15) people at once now can he… or can he?

Having the likes of someone like Brian Nelli… dude that slays fish anywhere in any kind of water makes us a stronger team. We will have local perspective + perspective from professionals that have fished for redfish/various inshore species in other waters such as Mississippi, Florida and North Carolina. I can\’t think of a better way to learn but with a group of professionals with various backgrounds. This is going to be overwhelmingly and outrageously fun!

The team keeps getting stronger with each addition and we ain\’t done yet!

Brian Nelli background: Owner, head guide of Pushin\’ Water Kayak Charters in south Florida. He is an accomplished kayak tournament angler within the United States and abroad. He is also a partner in our trip development program with new trips being offered on FishVillage.com in 2021.

Trip News

10.13.20 B.T.T. Louisiana Trip Planning Pt. 2

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If you were to ask me what is at the center of this Louisiana effort, I would say that we are trying to put our best foot forward in our own backyard and connect people from all over the United States to incredible fishing adventures. This means more to us now than ever. Let\’s re-connect with the great fisheries America has to offer.

COVID has been a curse to many, very few have positive things to say about it. With all of that negative comes a few positives. We saw an opportunity to take our trip development program and rapidly build out new domestic locations with everything we have learned over the last few years.

This trip is the culmination of our \”pivot\”… yeah just like Ross said in Friends. This is setting us up for a very interesting 2021 which could see multiple new location and trip offerings.

The Fish Village way dictates that we live the experience. So that is what we are going to f\’n do! We are going to live up the opportunity as if it were our last trip. This means we are going to cram in as much as possible on the road trip, visit as many great people and operations as we can, fish as much as humanly possible and EAT!

We have some incredible partners getting behind this Louisiana program… NRS, Z-Man, BerleyPro, Tasline, Matrix Shad, Buggs Fishing and ActionHat have signed up to make sure that we can provide the best gear for our locations… what a team! This is just the beginning.

To keep up with our Louisiana Road Trip 2020… click here.

Thank you for your continued love and support.

Photo: We want the redfish equivalent in Louisiana… look at Brooks\’ stud snapper, from his recent trip to New Zealand.

Trip News

10.12.20 Brooks Beatty + Louisiana Nov 2020 \”Another one!\”

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Another one… queue DJ Khaled.

Brooks Beatty was such a hit in New Zealand that we just had to have him onboard for our next go around. He is a talented videographer, editor, angler that instantly connected with our crew. His skillset coupled with his knowledge of the Louisiana fishery made this a no brainer. He will be supporting Robert Field, host of Field Trips YouTube series to capture our adventure in Venice Louisiana.

We really like Brooks and expect him to be on future expeditions assuming our schedules continue to align. He is a perfect match for our team and he does something we are all not good at… fly fishing. This is a segment of the fishing industry that we want to explore more of… we see some opportunity for us to create some incredible fishing adventures much like we do for the kayak fishing community. But before we do, we want to create MORE incredible kayak fishing and small boat fishing adventures for you with Brooks in the mix.

If you didn\’t have enough reason to follow us along our journey, you do now! Remember that we will be blogging the entire trip, you can keep up with the Fish Village crew by following us on social media and on our Louisiana Road Trip 2020 dedicated page.

If you haven\’t seen any of his handy work, check out the incredible work he did for NRS with the A Resilient Paradise series. Here is a Facebook link to his latest short film shot in PAC Kayak Rental in where else… Louisiana.

Below is his first installation in the A Resilient Paradise series focusing on the Bahamas. With a backdrop like that, people will keep coming! Take a moment to watch the series to support our friends at NRS and the work that Brooks did.