I woke to the sound of slaughter. Several times a night this happened. The noise was caused by a pair of prehistoric animals hunting beneath my bed at Brazil’s Uakari Lodge, a floating eco-resort nestled along a protected stretch of the Amazon River, about 400 miles west of Manaus. Guests are advised to sleep with…
Flyfishing businesses occupy a tempestuous microcosm tied to the sea-sawing health of rivers and oceans. Example. If there are no fish (participation catalyst), there is no you (potential consumer). And for brands that appreciate a prosperous tomorrow, backing nonprofits working to keep trout, tarpon, salmon, steelhead swimming makes sense.
FLOWING WATER, BY DESIGN, HAS A SANCTIMONIOUS way of pre-qualifying its clientele. Gentle riffles and wide gravel bars lure the false-casting masses, and boiling black holes rimmed with mossy ledge rock frighten them away. That said, I suppose there’s really no great mystery why the easy flows produce the fussy little degree-candidate fish, while the…
Xplor Andros is a multipart series from C1 Films, chronicling the adventures of Frankie Marion, Jeff Rybak, and flats guide Solomon Murphy as they embark on their first expedition to the Andros Island backcountry. In this second installment, tents are staked, tarpon are jumped, and it’s snapper for supper. Read more about the crew and…
The IGFA calls Steve Huff “the most well-respected guide in the history of flats fishing.” In Andy Mill’s book, A Passion for Tarpon, he calls Huff “bar none, the best tarpon guide alive, the best there was and the best there ever will be.” Though he spent the first half of his career guiding the…
Anyone who’s ever spent a season working in a national park will relate to Fong’s heartfelt recollections. And for anyone considering it, this story helps illustrate how hard it can sometimes be to re-enter the real world. From the second issue of The Drake, Fong reminds us that fiction often speaks the greater truth.
Four hundred miles is a significant feat, say for an electric car on a single charge. (Tesla is currently testing vehicles with a similar range.) It’s also a helluva push for a juvenile tarpon, a fish that would typically stick close to home until reaching sexual maturation. But according to findings from Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s…
St. Augustine is an angler’s oasis. It has redfish in the fall and winter; tarpon in the spring and summer; and world-class bass in the nearby St. Johns River, which is a roll-cast away in nearby Palatka.
KEY WEST, Florida Keys—Idaho angler Mike Dawes caught and released two permit to win the 2016 March Merkin Permit Tournament that ended on March 17.
From March 1 to March 23, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) is asking anglers to collect as many bonefish fin clip samples as possible from South Florida waters. The samples will be used for genetic analysis in support of YETI’s Bonefish Genetics Program. Whoever submits the most fin clip samples before the March 23 deadline…
These days there’s a fly line for almost everything. The short list includes long bombers, quick loaders, trout tamers, bassblasters, tarpon winchers, and an ever expanding string of options designed to perform really well in a world of specifics. But if you’re looking for one line that does double duty in both hot and cold…
You can hammer on kids all day, in the classroom, about how over-fishing, pollution and unsustainable development are destroying ocean environments—especially flats. But in order for those lessons to sink in, it helps to get students’ feet in the sand with a bonefish in hand. At least that was the goal of a recent bonefish…
Micro Management is packed with pint-size tarpon mastering the art of flight—all part of Dan Decibel’s submission to the 2015 POONFECTA (Baby Tarpon on fly Tournament) Film Festival. Which he won, by the way.
ATLANTA, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND, is not a particularly good fishing town. We have a striped bass run, as well as some nearby mountain fisheries for brook trout, but on the whole, it’s tough being a flyfisher in the Dirty South. When I moved to the city a decade ago, I took a stab at…
America’s National Park System includes more than 400 areas covering approximately 84 million acres. Hundreds of millions of visitors enjoy these protected lands annually, and within their borders development ends, species like buffalo roam, and native trout live free and prosper. National parks are awesome that way and they are not limited to the U.S. NP…
Meet Keys’ captain, Derek Rust, in the latest flats-fishing edit from Dan Decibel. Says the filmmaker, “Every time we fish, we always have an awesome time on his boat. We look for bonefish, permit and tarpon when the weather allows. Whether we catch fish or not, you can always bet on some crap talking during…
Facing glassy conditions, Key West-based angler Nathaniel Linville—guided by Capt. John O’Hearn of Big Pine Key—caught and released four permit to win last week’s March Merkin tournament. Linville, who was also victorious at the Del Brown tourney back in July, landed one permit on day one followed by three the second day for a total…
“Everybody’s got a plan until I hit ’em in the mouth.” — Mike Tyson “THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN FAST, OKAY?” I say to my angler, whose lips have curled into a half-smile. “The line is gonna burn your hand if you do it right.” He continues to search my face as I explain the violent…
LEAVE THE PASSPORT IN THE DRAWER, grab your rod, and head to sunny Florida for your springtime twofer. The combination of cozy Grapefruit League ballparks and hordes of saltwater game fish will cure your wintertime blues. First pitch for most games is on March 1, with the season going through April 4. Here’s your scouting…
Convincing a permit to eat your fly is similar to doing business in a foreign country in that success in both is hard-won. Guide and Tres Pescados Fly Shop owner, Wil Flack, can relate.
Shake, rattle, and slo-mo with a sumo-sized Glades tarpon. And stay tuned for more from the Shallow Water Expeditions film squad. Their topwater redfish-heavy edit Out of Touch hits F3T venues across the country beginning this month. Read More
When Michael Hackney set out to build the world’s first biodegradable plastic 3D-printed fly reel his simple criteria included a low parts count, a click check, clean aesthetics, and it had to catch fish. Two years later, Version 5 designs not only look the part but have all the basic attributes—from foot to spindle to ported…
90 miles is the physical distance between Cuba and the US. Culturally, and in many ways from a fisheries management standpoint, the two countries are lightyears apart. WorldANGLING’s “90 Miles” explores the relationship between the Florida Keys and Cuba—from a flyfishing POV. “Flats fishing for tarpon, bonefish, and permit is big business in the Florida…
We interrupt this Cyber-Monday spending spree—holster the Bitcoins—to bring you two minutes of inspiring, unadulterated tarpon. Enter the Florida Everglades and meet Leviathan!… courtesy of Chris Bamford and Captain Jeff Legutki.
FYI, “OMG” is a FTW baby tarpon video by Dan Decibel that will SRSLY make you say WTF. YW. Watch it Via Dan Decibel: This a baby Tarpon Video that I submitted to the “Poonfecta Fishing Tournament and Film/Art Festival” that was hosted by BARFLY SAFETY HARBOR. I ended up winning the film festival with…
EVERY TIME A GIRLFRIEND COMPLAINS about her husband or boyfriend going fishing again (insert big sigh), I bite off a small chunk of my tongue. I’d love for my husband to go fishing. A week in Montana? Hmmm- That doesn’t seem far away enough-or long enough. I hear there are big fish in Kamchatka. And…
El Pescador Lodge is hosting the Belize Tarpon Tagging Expedition this August. Group leaders include marine biologist, Dr. Jerry Ault, tarpon fishing legend, Stu Apte, and Chicago-based angler/conservationist, Adam Marton. Check out the teaser, and explore the $64,000 Question: “Are our fish their fish?” Watch it “This is a rare opportunity for folks who dream…