Fishing the World

Who doesn't like fishing? Well, a lot of people, actually. But I personally love fishing, and try to go at each and every opportunity. A quick personal overview of where I have fished follows:
1) Texas - I  grew up catching catfish and bass (striped and green), as well as perch and other assorted fish. I like fried catfish with hush puppies, and a big iced tea. I fished in the Gulf of Mexico for shark, and anything else I could catch. I caught a 343 pound tiger shark, and quite a few huge hammerhead.
2) Alaska - My parents move tod Alaska for health reasons, and lived there for eight years. I was still in the Air Force, and took my leave each year o go visit them.  My dad and I caught trout, salmon, and halibut. I caught a 64 pound salmon that came close to the record for that year. We then cut them up into squares and smoked them for 24 hours. Then we vacuum sealed them and I was able to take a whole suitcase of them to Okinawa with me.
3) Okinawa - I was there six years as mentioned before. I  caught mahi-mahi, tuna, shark, king mackerel, spanish mackerel, and a lot of other ocean fish. It was a blast!
4) Colorado - When stationed there, I went fishing for trout about 4 times a week. Rainbow trout, speckled trout, and any other kind of trout I could catch. I caught them on light action reels, flyrods, and whatever else you can think of. One of the most beautiful places I've been, it offered majestic scenery with snow capped mountains. I caught trout in the middle of summer, with aspen trees all around; and in the middle of winter, with snow one or two feet deep. It's invigorating! (Not to mentiuon freezing!).
5) Diego Garcia - While TDY there, I caught yellow tails (jacks), mackerel, and other fish. I also caught another darn shark.
6) Philippines - I've caught so many fish here, of so many types, that I can't possibly name them all. I live a quarter mile from a major inlet, so I go fishing when the tide is high.  Sometimes I come home with one or two buckets full of fish. I  use a bamboo pole about 7 feet long, and can bend like you wouldn't believe, without breaking.
7) Japan - I have fished on mainland Japan, right off the bay, close to Tokyo. It's easy, but expensive, to charter a boat, but these guys know exactly where to go to catch fish.
8) Hawaii - I have fished off the beach, using a surfcasting rod. Man, you can send that thing a freaking mile, it seems. And you don't know what you're going to catch! But you don't lack for scenery!
9) Arizona - I have caught so many trout here it's impossible to remember. Yes, trout. The base stocked it's ponds with them. But if you're going to fish a while, you better like being in the sun.
10) Iraq - Not really! Just messing around.  I never saw a place to catch fish. I was a bit busy trying to stay alive. But I caught alot of spiders and black scorpions.  As you may have noticed, my call sign was goldscorpion. There were reasons for this, but I won't get into that.
11) Mississippi - I like to type that! It's like trying to spell it out loud quickly. I was chest deep in Biloxi bay, using an 8 foot throw net to catch mullet. If you think that's easy, try it! They swim in schools, so you have to watch the water to see their movement, then cast in front of them. You also have to watch out for sand sharks, who like to bump into your legs.  It's a little unsettling. There aren't really too many things I'm very afraid of; just the normal stuff like dying, crapping my pants in public, or driving off a cliff. But I have a deathly fear of sharks.  Yes, I catch them everywhere, but in the back of my head, 100% of the time, I have a fear of falling overboard and getting eaten alive.  Scares the hell out of me, and I'm man enough to admit it.  So why do it? I wish I knew the answer.
12) Florida - I went deep sea fishing on charters many times, catching whatever was in season at the time. I don't really like being on a boat, or I would have joined the Navy, but I just love fishing. So, I take my dramamine, and try not to get sea sick. I also got a guide (a retired buddy of mine) to take me to catch red fish in the keys. This is a special kind of fish, and we used a flat bottom boat to stay shallow, with special gear.  It was a great time!
13) Hong Kong - I didn't go there to fish.  I went there on vacation with my wife. But, as our hotel had it's own marina, we took a walk along the piers.  There was a local guy there fishing off a pier.  We stopped to watch him catching small fish.  He smiled at us, and handed me his fishing pole. I guess he recognized another fisherman. The language of fishing is universal. He didn't speak a word of English, and I sure don't speak Chinese. I caught two small fish, with my wife watching, laughing at me. Of course I gave them to him. That counts as fishing. So I put it here.
14) Mexico - Being from Texas, and living about a hundred miles from the Mexican border, of course I went there many times. There are some of the biggest bass I have ever seen anywhere, in Mexico, if you know where to go. I had a friend, who had a cousin, who had a friend, that took Americans on fishing trips.  So we went with him, and he surely did know where the fish were. I couldn't believe the size of some of these bass, or how many we could catch.  There is no limit there. If you have ever fished for bass, then you know exactly what I'm talking about, because they are one of the most explosive, agressive fish anywhere. You pulse will race when they strike, even if you've done it a hundred times.
15) Singapore - I went there for a three day TDY when still in the military. We were next to the coastline, so, of course, I found a way to go fishing. We just rented two poles and gear, bought the bait, and sat at the end of the pier. We actually jsut wanted to chill out and relax, as we both just came from a "hot zone". The locals said we wouldn't catch much there. They were actually surprised when we started pulling out good sized fish from the pier.  Some of them were over three pounds. We caught two bucket fulls in about 3 hours (while we drank some beer). And they were good quality fish, so one of the restaurant owners close by asked to buy them from us. What are we going to say? NO?  Of course we sold them to him! We were poor G.I.'s! They still don't know why the fish were biting for us. I do! It's because we attracted them there with our charm and easy going attitude.  Fish can sense that stuff!
16) Georgia - I had to attend a six week training course at Ft. Gordon for Satcom. So I talked with the G.I.'s that were stationed there, and found out where to go fishing.  I had to get a license, of course. But I got a military discount. Some of them decided to go with me.  We hit a few ponds, caught a few in some, and nothing in others. But, like they say, "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work!".
17) Louisiana - I spent a lot of time in New Orleans (duh!), and Baton Rouge. I went there on many weekends to catch a Saints game live (my underdog team).  I was there when they were the "Aint's", and people were putting brown bags on their heads at games. I have eaten my share of crawfish. I have drank my share of Hurricanes and Rainbows. I listened to jazz music floating into the streets.  I attended numerous Marti-Gras. And, I did my share of fishing.  I fished in many different places.  Caught many different kinds of fish.  I did NOT catch an alligator. That's in the shark category.