We needed some fresh positive energy to spark the drive to re-build from a rough 14 months. Well when Rob called me the other day and said that the Louisiana series is ready to roll… it was just the news I needed to hear to get the team fired up.
Sure Rob is our partner in crime, but that doesn\’t stop us from being fans of his show. We started as a fan of his work which resulted in us eventually connecting as business partners. With that being said… we still get excited when a new Field Trips with Robert Field drops on YouTube. And of course we get even MORE excited when his show is on one of our trips.
So… the first episode dropped on Tuesday May 4th… check it out below if you missed it:
The video starts with a stalk… Rob, Rex and Brooks were chasing redfish into the skinnies when Rob laid down the perfect cast. He gets into the food, the people, the vibe and ummmm the wind. And it wouldn\’t be a Field Trips + Fish Village series if Rob didn\’t catch me stuffing my face with fish. Thanks Rob, appreciate the \’Johnny on the Spot\’ camera work!
The next video is scheduled to be released on YouTube next Tuesday May 11th. We also have a few more Louisiana stories to tell and people to thank so stay tuned to our blog.
One of the best parts of this trip for me personally was getting to meet some of the Fish Village pro staff in person. 2020 robbed us of just about every opportunity to meet with our team, our customers, our partners… basically humans. We were not alone with this… we know that everyone was basically in the same boat. So the opportunity to see even a handful of the team members was certainly one of my highlights.
The team members present for this event were:
Jesse Landry (Nor Cal)
Billy Centrone (So. Flo)
Sean Rigby (Mississippi)
Brian Nelli (So. Flo)
Derrick Benton (Pandhandle)
Why do we have a team? Why is that important to us? Because a team is considerably stronger than one. This trip wouldn\’t have happened without the support of a team. Every member of this group regardless of their affiliation to Fish Village acted as a member of a team. It was super cool to see.
This is why I have been taking the time to write my story about this event because everyone made it happen and I want to share my appreciation with all of you.
You guys know about my boy Jesse Landry already… I mentioned him in Part 2. Never met anyone that has a bad thing to say about Jesse… the dude is as solid as they come.
The Fish Village crew came to play, but they also wanted to help in any way possible. Billy without hesitation offered to pickup the Cali boys from the airport and then run them back at the tail end of the trip. Sean worked his ass off with Ivy to secure our incredible, custom Louisiana/Fish Village topwater lures from RD Fishing Tackle. These lures were part of the Redfish tackle packs provided by Fish Village and our partners.
I don\’t think anyone would argue that Brian Nelli was our pro among pros on this trip. His fishing knowledge leads his clients to the promise land year after year, all while competing in kayak fishing\’s biggest tournaments… and often finds himself on the podium. The best part about Brian is that you can just ask for some help and he won\’t be shy with sharing his tactics. Multiple people commented on how fishing with Brian makes them a better angler. Heck of a testimonial.
Our friend and tournament partner in crime, Derrick Benton actually wasn\’t that excited about the fishing aspect of the trip… I mean can you blame him when 3 Mile Bridge is just minutes away? Though the fishing wasn\’t foremost on his mind… the \”hang\” was. The opportunity to mingle, share ideas, talk shit, and laugh with some good kayak fishing minds was the golden ticket for Derrick. The best part about his journey was that he LOVED the fishing despite incredibly challenging conditions AND the social aspect was equally as rewarding. Why mention all of this… because I feel the same way. I wasn\’t hooked on redfishing in the marsh and I just wanted to see some of the people I respect and care about. I ended up walking away with such an appreciation for marsh redfishing and all of these human interactions on and off the water. Ohhh… he also got up before the sun rose and made sandwiches for the group, produced some BEAUTIFUL custom Fish Village rods for yours truly, my Pops and Joe. And if that wasn\’t enough, he and Ivy surprised me with an insane acid wrapped Fish Village rod just to say thank you for being a part of the journey. Simply incredible.
Thank you all for showing up in your own ways and making our team stronger.
Our trip had kayak anglers from all over the country including some of our friends from Central Coast and NorCal. Throughout our trip we referenced our friends from up north as the Cali boys. The name stuck and it was appropriate.
Let\’s start with the Above the Hook Productions crew… Ryan Arguello, Paul Williams and Alex Casillas. We have been on a few adventures together including Panama, San Clemente Island and now South Louisiana. These guys love to kayak fish and film which is perfect for us because we needed to have solid camera coverage all throughout our eighteen (18) person crew.
Ryan from the ATH crew relaxing with the rest of the team our first night in Louisiana.
The Above the Hook crew did an outstanding job of covering the trip despite the challenges that were thrown at them. The new territory, the stupid relentless winds and a new fishery make for challenging filming conditions, but did that stop them… NOPE.
At one point I had the privilege of bowfishing with Ryan, Paul and Alex (master drone operator) and got to watch them do their thing. From capturing the experience on cell phone videos and bad ass cameras, live social media updates and some of the baddest nighttime drone footage I have ever seen… these boys came to play. Watching them work as a team while we bowfished for redfish in the Louisiana marsh was rad. This moment stood out for me as a moment to remember.
Check out this teaser video they put together and released on Facebook… we love it and we want more!
Jesse rigging up before our first day on the water.
The other member of the Cali boys crew was our teammate Jesse Landry. Jesse has been a Fish Village ambassador before it was a thing… he has been on a number of our adventures and knows the Above the Hook guys well.
Jesse is the definition of chill. He looks out for others and is a heck of a fisherman. When we were loading up the kayaks into the trailer in Oceanside shortly before we took off for Louisiana, Jesse handed me multiple coolers full of beer and fish. Not just any beer or fish… but good beer and freshly caught and processed salmon, yellowfin tuna, wahoo and halibut. Are you kidding me?
His instructions were simple… share and enjoy. So we brought that beer to Louisiana and shared with our friends and my family has some damn good fish to eat over the next few months.
The funny story behind this generosity was that he was basically a zombie as he didn\’t sleep for 24 hours+ and was hopped up on Red Bull. First thing he did when he saw me was talk shit about my shoes and then hand me a bunch of beer and fish. It was like being slapped and then hugged right after.
Ryan, Paul, Alex and Jesse… thank you for being a part of our village.
To read the first installation of this South Louisiana: Behind the Trip series, click here.
This idea started months ago and to think that we are only five (5) weeks out is sort of bonkers. To say that we are operating with \”maximum effort\” is an understatement. The team is killing it, it is a sight to behold.
The details about the road trip are firming up… we are most definitely stopping by the Houston area for a bit to visit a couple of our new partners. Heath from Buggs Fishing is going to show us around his shop and how to use his lures. Wouldn\’t you know it… our boy Rex lives a few miles down the road from Heath – PERFECT!
Keep an eye out this week for a big giveaway announcement related to our Louisiana trip… you guys will dig it!
This is exciting news… \”insert clearing voice sounds\”
Fish Village is heading to Louisiana… ummmm via the 10 freeway. Yup, you heard that right; we are going on a road trip.
Times are a changing… how many people do you know that drove somewhere new this year? How many people do you know that rented an RV for the first time or re-visited their love for camping? So why fight it… let\’s roll. Let\’s get out there and see America, one road, one person, one fish at a time.
This trip is focused on creating adventures for all of you in Louisiana. This means marsh kayak fishing, inshore kayak fishing and more.
Get ready for a lot of Louisiana content because we are throwing our A-game at this project!
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