Tell Tale Fisherman John Woodson

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!