ALL ABOUT THE EVERGLADES
Click on the Link to Listen to the Podcast - Keeping You Informed About the Everglades
Josh Colins and I spoke about his 2,742 mile paddle board trip from Texas to the Statue of Liberty and his incredible story. Josh is a veteran that has a very extensive resume; a special operations combat veteran with multiple rotations to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia in support of the war on terror. Josh is a wounded warrior with 4 traumatic brain injuries (loss of consciousness from explosive blasts, 2 from parachute landing falls, and one from combative training). He retired in 2008, but continued to support the military as a contractor state-side and abroad. While leading a training exercise in 2013 he had his last traumatic brain injury, complete with a fractured nose, rib, and cervical spine compression. With the doctor’s prescribed medications and self-medicating with alcohol, Josh reached the limits of his functionality. Josh went from that to bouncing back…
Dr. Lori Schweikert is a researcher with degrees in Marine Biology from Florida who not only researches fish but is an avid fisherman. Lori gets a lot of inspiration from her experiences on the water and brings that stuff back to the lab. She has been able to apply a lot of her research to her fishing. I found out conversation super interesting about the Hogfish and mostly about the Tarpon. I had so many questions about what the fish could see and how that would help my fishing.
Chris Bush is an active duty Air Force Officer and angler from Louisiana. He is known for his association with and writing for The Speckled Truth which is a blog all about hunting giant trophy Speckled Trout. He has a benchmark for his group to catch the “dirty 30” which is a monster 30 inch trout. Data is collected on these giants that he hopes will help the species in the long run. Chris joins us to talk about his story, his Father’s record Trout tagging contributions and The Speckled Truth. Visit http://blog.thespeckledtruth.com for more information.
In this podcast we talked about the balance of people being able to do whatever they want to do (becoming a hunting or fishing guide) and follow their passion and also following a path that is the right way. Versus the wrong way. A path that creates respect from those around you as compared to a path that creates resistance from those around you.
Hank Patterson Fishing Guide is one of my favorite Fly Fishing personalities. I have to admit that I was more than a little star-struck while conducting this interview. From Yellowstone Survival Guide to Camp Hawgadawgaa, I have followed Hank for years and it was a real pleasure to find out what makes him tick. Check out today’s podcast with Hank Patterson Fishing Guide.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ashley Saunders during my time in Bimini and I had the good fortune of him showing me around the Dolphin House. Ashley told me about his life and how everything changed after he swam with a group of wild dolphins. Since then he began building this Dolphin House (or Poetry In Stone) 26 years ago and he is still building it. Ashley has dedicated his life to creating the house in honor of the dolphins that he swam with.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ashley Saunders during my time in Bimini and I had the good fortune of him showing me around the Dolphin House. Ashley told me about his life and how everything changed after he swam with a group of wild dolphins. Since then he began building this Dolphin House (or Poetry In Stone) 26 years ago and he is still building it. Ashley has dedicated his life to creating the house in honor of the dolphins that he swam with.
I am going out on a ledge and saying this is the first podcast in history that there has ever been a podcast done on the water, on a bonefish boat, in Bimini Bahamas. Eagle Eye Fred has been guiding for 47, he is a kind hearted, sweetheart of a guy and he actually has eyes like an eagle. Fred pulls a boat like a man half his age, he gets around like a man half his age and he’s just in great shape. We talked about things Fred has learned over his 47 year career and he taught me a lot about the history of Bimini. Before I recorded this I caught a bunch of bonefish and afterwards I caught a bunch more bonefish.
Captain Bouncer Smith has committed his life to sharing fishing with others through articles, radio shows, seminars, and taking people on his boat, Dusky 33. Bouncer shares stories of how he introduces kids and adults to the excitement of catching bait to catching monster tarpon and marlin. I’ve now had the good fortune of sitting down with Bouncer twice.
Hunter Leavine a college pastor, author, outdoorsman and occasional lawn guy - and Josh Wells a Firefighter, came together to make the Captains Collective Podcast. A podcast dedicated to gathering wisdom, knowledge, & stories from captains & industry leaders. They feature some amazing conversations with some iconic fishermen and recently released an episode with yours truly (CHECK IT OUT)
I had the opportunity to stop in Florida and visit a friend of mine who is known far and wide as a person who pays close attention to details. He’s known as a mad scientist of tarpon fishing - we hadn’t caught up in a long time and we had a lot to talk about. We spoke about what he’s got going on and what he’s getting ready to do; things that make him much more than a tarpon guide, he's an artist, a photographer and a very creative person.
Jeff Maggio has been the go-to tarpon guide for the Broward and Dade counties taking over 230 trips a year. He then teamed up with his buddy Lamont who was in the production industry and they began making fishing videos. Over the past 10 years LunkerDog has continued producing videos and showing the world how “reel” guys/girls fish.
I sat down with Heath Daughtry of Yellowfin Yatchs, Alycia Downs of Captains For Cleanwater and Chase Daniel from Yellowfin Yatchs to talk about the Florida Skiff Challenge. This event is not joke - you get in a Skiff (18ft or less boat) with a 70 horse-power or less motor. You take that boat around Key West and end in Cabin Bluff, GA. This event is 1,600 miles and you go for 48 hours nonstop. You don’t sleep.
Chris Wittman from Captains for Clean Water, Benny Blanco, TV Show Host and Everglades Fishing Guide and Steve Davis, Ecologist with the Everglades Foundation sit down to discuss the current water situation in the State of Florida. Recently Florida elected a new Governor and in his first 48 hours he asked for the resignation from the Water Board and signed an Executive Order called “Achieving More Now For Floridas Environment”. We discuss what this means for the State of Florida and what needs to happen to effect real change.
Many people have become aware of the water issues in South Florida. If you would like to get up to speed before listening to Benny, I suggest that you check out podcast #0012 with Capt. Daniel Andrews from the organization Captains for Clean Water and the update that I did with Daniel #0018 as well as my How2Tuesday #5 episode on How to Make A Difference In the Fight For The Everglades. These episodes can really help you to fully understand this issue. If you don't have time for that, simply watch Captains for Clean Water video below. Within 5 minutes, you will have a pretty good understanding of the problems that the Everglades is facing today.
Many people have become aware of the water issues in South Florida. If you would like to get up to speed before listening to Benny, I suggest that you check out podcast #0012 with Capt. Daniel Andrews from the organization Captains for Clean Water and the update that I did with Daniel #0018 as well as my How2Tuesday #5 episode on How to Make A Difference In the Fight For The Everglades. These episodes can really help you to fully understand this issue. If you don't have time for that, simply watch Captains for Clean Water video below. Within 5 minutes, you will have a pretty good understanding of the problems that the Everglades is facing today.
Daniel explains that we do not have to recreate the wheel to fix this problem. The solution is already out there...and passed. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was passed in 2000 and virtually nothing has been done since.
Red Tide and algae blooms are having devastating effects on the marine ecosystem of SW Florida. Capt Daniel Andrews of Captains for Clean Water joins us for an update and instructions for how you can help. This is the most important episode we have ever published. Please take action, share this episode and encourage others to take action as well.
Kyle Gemas recently traveled to the Seychelles by way of Dubai. As a once in a lifetime destination for most anglers, The Seychelles holds a particular allure. Kyle talks about the trip as well as his extensive tournament experience in the Florida Keys and how it helped him develop as an angler.