Friday, December 22, 2023
WADE FISHING FOR SHARKS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS WITH THE FLY ROD!
Monday, December 11, 2023
BONITO FROM THE BEACH ON THE FLY ROD, IMPOSSIBLE?
Thursday, December 7, 2023
FLORIDA KEYS WADE FLY FISHING FOR ANYTHING THAT SWIMS IN LONG KEY STATE PARK
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
THE BEACH BUM OUTDOORS SURF FISHING CLASSIC CONTROVERSY. HOW WAS IT RESOLVED?
Monday, June 26, 2023
ANDY MILL'S SPORTSMAN'S JOURNAL FROM 7 LAKES LODGE IN MEEKER, COLORADO, 1998
Many years ago, in the prime of my fly fishing guiding career in Colorado, I worked at a very high end lodge called 7 Lakes Lodge. The lodge was owned by Henry Kravis of the global investment banking firm KKR (Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts) and it was palatial. As guides we rubbed shoulders with many of the World's most notable celebrities, athletes and politicians, as well as some of the most wealthy people on this planet as they came to this remote playground to get away from their jacked up busy lives and try to relax and recreate for a week at a time. They would fly fish for giant hatchery stocked trout, shoot sporting clays or manufactured hand thrown bird shoots, hike, ride mountain bikes, have spa treatments, float around in boats, hike, horseback ride and drink and do business in the lodge that would in some cases change the world, or have affairs and make sure we kept our mouths shut with more than handsome tips. It was an amazing time in the fly fishing industry which was fueled by the movie "A River Runs Through It" which over glorified the sport of fly fishing and made it fashionable for the wealthy to wave a fly rod around in a fabricated fishery so we could send them a Christmas card with a picture of them holding a giant stocked trout for a season greeting. It was a bizarre time in my life for sure as myself and the other guides wondered how in the hell we ended up in this guiding utopia and wonderland. Some of us were chosen to do television programs which helped promote the lodge and it's offering. I was chosen to guide Andy Mill, the legendary tarpon fisherman of the Florida Keys and Olympic Ski Racer in the late 90's for his Outdoor Life Network Program, Sportsman's Journal. This was transferred to a digital format from VHS tape for the upload to YouTube so it's a bit rough, but you will get the point. So now enjoy Andy Mill's Sportsman's Journal, from Seven Lakes Lodge, with myself as Andy's guide.
Thursday, June 15, 2023
FLYFISHING SOME OLD COLORADO FAVORITES AND A GOPRO MOUNTAIN GAMES WEEK RECAP FROM VAIL, COLORADO
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
FISHING BALLS TO THE WALL IN COLORADO, THE OLD STOMPING GROUNDS
After working the games I checked water flows in Eleven Mile Canyon to see if it would be fishable, it was almost too fishable with flows in the low 40s, but I decided this would be my best bet to find big fish sipping small surface flies within a reasonable driving distance of two hours on my last day to fish my old haunches. It had been 30 plus years since I'd been in the canyon, It is still a spectacular spot to throw at technically difficult fish at very low water flows. The water flows are controlled by the Denver Water Board, and with so much rain in Colorado this spring, there is no call for water, hence the super low flows.
Saturday, June 3, 2023
LET'S JUST GO AHEAD AND DO THIS....
Where have I gone? The answer is absolutely nowhere. I'm just not addicted to bicycles anymore, for a lot of reasons. However, for those of you that have known me for any of my 65+ years on the face of this wonderful planet, I am and continue to be a fishing addict, hence, instead of starting a new blog, where I will also speak the truth at the risk of alienating every single person on the face of this planet, which I seemed to do when this was a cycling blog, I will speak my own personal truth about the fishing world. Whether it is about my past in the world of fly fishing or my current life as a surf, inshore and offshore (kind of) fisherman in the panhandle of Florida where I currently live retired with my wife and enjoy some of the best fishing opportunities in the world. So welcome to the NEW FACE of A2B which is now and forever called BALLS TO THE WALL FISHING. This will be a random collection of ramblings and experiences from here forward with some insight and reflection from the past. I've survived cancer, Covid-19 and a falling out with Brook Watts and Lance Panagutti many years ago. Hope you enjoy the ride, I'm gonna.