By Joe Cermele

This news story could have been much worse. Michelle Schmidt walked away from her exploding ice shanty with nothing but a little burn on the wrist, but when you see the wreckage, you'll understand just how insanely lucky she was. Guys, triple-check those propane connections in the shanty OK? Please? Here's the full story from Kare11 News in Wisconsin.

By Joe Cermele

Tuna fishing, I can tell you, is often a game of trolling around for hours looking for one or two fish. But every once in a while, the stars align and instead of hunting and pecking all day, you get into a situation where the tuna are so frenzied, they could care less about the boat traffic, and catching them becomes too easy. This video shot in Panama is by far the most epic tuna blitz I've ever seen. What makes it even cooler is that a cameraman jumps into the fray and gets insane footage of tuna attacking baitfish that are hovering around his head looking for shelter. Totally wicked. Come on summer!

By Joe Cermele

Blogging is supposed to be fun, but today, with a heavy heart, I have to use this space to inform you that this past Wednesday, John Merwin, fellow blogger, former Field & Stream Fishing Editor, and one of the most well-known voices in outdoor journalism passed away. John and I have shared The Honest Angler every week since August of 2008, but his contributions here are minutia compared to the countless fishing tales and advice he penned during his long career.

John began writing for Field & Stream in 1994, and served as our Fishing Editor from 2003 through 2010. His list of accomplishments is so vast that it’s difficult to touch on all of them, but before working with Field & Stream, John was a newspaperman and photographer, and a frequent contributor to Fly Fisherman in the 1970s. In 1979, feeling there needed to be a flyfishing magazine that catered to those with “a higher level of intelligence,” he launched Rod & Reel (now Fly Rod & Reel) from the basement of his Vermont home. Soon after, John started Fly Tackle Dealer, the first trade magazine for the flyfishing industry.

By Joe Cermele

Trolling for walleyes is not my favorite thing. There, I said it. That's partially because I didn't grow up in an area where walleye fishing was a huge deal, and partially because I'm used to fast-trolling tuna and wahoo, so that 1.5mph walleye speed makes me sleepy. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't recognize how potent trolling is for catching big walleyes, and how dialed in you need to be to execute it well. Despite my gripes with the method, last summer I hung a 30-inch, 11-pound Lake Erie 'eye on my wall thanks to the ridiculous trolling skills of friend and guide Ross Robertson. You can click here to watch me catch that fish, and see the mad scientist of walleye trolling at work. You can also get your hands on a copy of Ross's new book co-written by Curtis Niedermier, which I promise will become your Bible if trolling is your game and it's walleyes that best the 10-pound mark you're after.