Bill Dance Outdoors Blog

I’m looking forward to a fun fishing trip soon with two guys from North Carolina who outbid everyone else in a charity auction sponsored by racing great Dale Earnhart, Jr.

In planning his auction, Dale had contacted me and my good friend Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops and asked if we would provide a bass fishing trip for the winner(s). Of course we agreed, and they’ll be flown by private corporate jet to my hometown of Memphis, TN (roundtrip) where they’ll have dinner with Johnny and me and then be guided by the two of us the following day. Johnny is also providing the winners with a $500 gift card to BPS. I’ll let you know later how the trip turned out. If either one of these guys catches a bass weighing over 8 pounds, Dale has agreed to strap him in the # 8 car in the next Nextel race and run him around the track ten times at over 200 Mph. Now, you probably thought I was talking about the guy who catches the bass, but wrong! I was talking about the fish!

It’s been years since I’ve fished the Everglades, but I got to go again recently. My fishing buddy there is a friend I’ve known and admired for probably 100 years— Billy Crosno. The glades have changed some since the last time I was there, but they’re still as enchanting and beautiful as they’ve always been. Caught lots of bass and had a ball chatting about old times!

Stren has just come out with a first for braided line that I wanna share with you. It’s called  “Microfuse Fluoroscent Glacier Blue,” and it’s hailed as the first clear superline! Microfuse fluoresces in outdoor light to an ultra hi viz, yet the remarkably clear superline is hardly visible down below! It’s the first braided line that casts like a monfilament. Watch for it and give it a try!

On another recent film trip, I actually caught the biggest fish I’ve ever caught in my life. With friends Johnny Morris, owner of Bass Pro Shops and TV Host Roland Martin (I’ve always called him Roland Morgan), I hooked and landed a 186 pound giant Goliath Grouper near Marco Island, Florida! It was quite an experience, because the fish was literally pulling me over the side of the boat. Johnny had a hold on me around the waist and Roland was holding Johnny. It was quite a show (which we captured on video). The same thing happened again when Johnny caught his 155 pounder!

You ever heard of a fish called the “Baramundi?” Well, I hadn’t either until recently when I had the opportunity to fish for em. I was joined by my long time friend, Barry Johnson for a quick shot at corraling some of these Australian snook!  Talk about a warrior, they grow at a rate of ¾ pounds per month or about 10 pounds a year. They stay in the air as much as they stay in the water, once hooked.  They’re absolutely, the strongest fish I’ve ever hooked in fresh water. This trip was great and I’m sure going back. Also, I think you’ll love this show when it airs.

By now, you’re probably familiar with the new “Dancin’ Eels” that Yum came out with. We’ve aired a couple of shows on them. I had a hand in helping design the original version of this lure several years ago, and I’m glad that Yum decided to introduce a new, improved version of it. I’m also really pleased to see how well viewers like them. I just learned that Over 100,000 have been sold in the past month.

 I recently got a great catfishing show on Pickwick Lake, Tennessee that will air on late April and early May. I was fishing with my  buddy and popular guide, Phil King. We caught some great catfish, but Phil really put the hurt on me by catching the 3 biggest ones- one over 30lbs and two over 40. I’ve been beat many times but never that bad. I guess that’s why they call him “Pickwick’s Top Cat.”