WADE FISHING FOR SHARKS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS WITH THE FLY ROD!

With a one day window to grab the fly rod and drive down to the Florida Keys, you have to fish whatever hand you are dealt with the weather, water clarity and tides. Plenty of shots were had on this day including a giant tarpon shot while wade fishing off of one of my favorite beaches to fish in the middle keys. There are so many opportunities to chase dozens of species in the keys from the sand, here are a few of them...

BONITO FROM THE BEACH ON THE FLY ROD, IMPOSSIBLE?

When the Bonito are here on the gulf coast of Florida, there will inevitably be a week or two when it is possible to cast a fly at the schools from the beach. It is not the easiest way to take a fish with a fly rod, however it is possible, and on the right day, with the proper wind, tide and currents, you can have days when the shots at these schools go on for hours. A 7-9 wt. fly rod will get this done for you and these mini Tuna will give you all you can handle during the battle. Any of your favorite minnow imitations will work if you are persistent. Hook up and hang on for the fly fishing experience of a lifetime off the beach!

FLORIDA KEYS WADE FLY FISHING FOR ANYTHING THAT SWIMS IN LONG KEY STATE PARK

A one day trip to Long Key State Park in the Florida Keys produced some toothy critters as well as some memorable catches on the fly rod in one of my old stomping grounds from my South Florida days....

THE BEACH BUM OUTDOORS SURF FISHING CLASSIC CONTROVERSY. HOW WAS IT RESOLVED?

The Beach Bum Outdoors Surf Fishing Classic was held on the Gulf waters stretching from Gulf Shores, Alabama all the way to St. George Island, Florida. This is roughly 200 miles of surf fishing real estate on the north end of the Gulf of Mexico. 538 anglers registered for the first edition of this tournament, a big number for the first year. Winning anglers would be determined by weighing in each anglers top three Pompano and Whiting catches during the eight week period. Fish would be weighed at five different bait shop locations along the Gulf Coast. It was a fantastic tournament and the prize money was substantial. Pompano payouts were $5000, $2000 and $1000 for the top three spots. Whiting payouts were $2000, $1000 and $500 for the top three anglers in that category. The competition was fierce. The tournament was not without logistical and weigh in issues which is to be expected the first year. This video is my overview of how it all went down from my YouTube Channel The Forgotten Angler. Please like and subscribe to the channel and leave questions and comments both here and there if you have any. Thanks for checking in!

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.