BALLS TO THE WALL FISHING

The only place to stay current on the latest manic ramblings from the Florida Panhandle.

CHEEKY FLY REELS, THE OFFICIAL REEL OF BALLS TO THE WALL FISHING

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.

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