Mill House Podcast

Many people know Jeff Maggio as a social media fishing celebrity but the few people who really know his true core will tell you that Jeff is a passionate, heartfelt, real guy who takes his job very seriously. Lunker Dog, as many people call him after coining that name himself, is not only one of the best inshore bait guides in Broward & Dade County but just an all around upbeat, enjoyable person that will constantly make you laugh.The Mullet Run in South Florida is a spectacle to see with thousands and thousands of bait being pushed down with colder temperatures and monster tarpon, snook, and jacks. Jeff is THE man when it comes to fishing around the mullet run. If you are looking for a quiet, remote fishing trip with back bays, mangrove shorelines, and herons flying low over your head, this is not your ideal trip. The Mullet run is complete insanity - non stop action with vessels coming at you in all directions while dodging 8/0 treble hooks being flung from shore. Everyone wants in on the action and for good reason.In the last couple of years, there has been a dramatic rise in sewage leaks in the state of Florida. Most recently, a couple of leaks in Broward County caused millions of gallons of sewage to be spewed in the Intracoastal waterways leaving thousands of fish dead and our precious waters ruined. Jeff has been using his voice to hold the city and elected officials accountable for their actions. He has spearheaded a couple of protests and has worked tirelessly to help people understand the disasters that are happening in our own back yard.I really enjoyed our conversation with Jeff. He is an intense fisherman with a fiery heart for conservation. I can’t wait for the next time we get to fish together. If you'd like to hear more from Jeff, check out his podcast - Reel Guy Podcast

The first time I met Mark Krowka was in the 80's in Ft. Lauderdale when he was honing his craft in the Hot Water Canal, New River, and Biscayne Bay. It was home to large tarpon, jack crevalle, barracuda, and snook.He was a man of few words but carried a large presence. Soon, he was gone - chasing a bigger playground in the Keys - less people and more fish. As a young man his focus was lazar sharp and it was here in the Purple Isle, Islamorada, where it would hit its mark.Decades later, Mark has amassed more shallow water victories than anyone, fly or spin, Mark has won almost all of them and a multiple of times. His record is a Hall of Fame nomination in any sport. His knowledge of currents, edges, and flats extend from Palm Beach to Key West and out to the Gulf's edge. His instincts and knowledge are legendary, no GPS - nor tide chart, pitch dark or high sun Mark is unstoppable. He and his anglers have caught 770 grand slams and still counting. No one takes their craft more seriously than Mark Krowka. 24/7 he is true to his mission; to be the best he can be. We all know he has super powers. Who knows where they come from, but they are there. In this episode, we chat about big Islamorada bonefish, his thoughts on carcass fishing, and the crazy things he sees hovering in the air at zero dark thirty. Don't miss what Mark has to say.

Wherever you look in life, you’ll find exceptional individuals who stand alone, capable of changing the game. Their names will forever have an asterisk aside them.Nathaniel Linville is one of those names. He has thrown the permit world and its perception of success off its axis, but getting there he had to survive some of life’s most devastating bombs. For a number of years his life was that of a hub cap knocked loose at 100mph. His academia had a similar road map. He was expelled from high school and his college residency had six different zip codes including some overseas. His abyss was dark and deep with just a sliver of light. But that light eventually found the owner of this lost soul and Nathaniel started to claw his way out. On today’s episode, The Angling Company’s store owner talks of his labyrinth road to recovery, his methodology to his staggering permit numbers, and his nine year war he and Steve Huff waged to capture his monster world record tarpon on 6lb test.

There has never been a more important person to tarpon fishing than Stu Apte, period. He has shaped his adventure filled life around this iconic fish and promoted it with a vengeance. As a result, catching a big tarpon is one of the most celebrated achievements in angling.Stu was born in Miami, Florida in 1930. Before moving to the Keys and becoming a fishing guide, Stu was a fighter pilot in the Navy during the Korean conflict. He then flew planes for Pan Am which lasted 34 years and during this time, he honed in on his real passion - Fly Fishing. Stu later went all in on guiding and had the honor of fishing many days with his mentor, Joe Brooks, and legendary baseball slugger, Ted Williams. He caught many massive world records, invented knots, and designed creative tarpon flies. One of which became a US Postage stamp.After having a prolific career on the water, writing an abundance of articles and two books, appearing in countless TV shows, Stu put tarpon fishing on the map. In 1969, Apte was inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame and in 2005 was inducted into the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Hall of Fame.This man is still vibrant and cheerful, ready for his next adventure on the water. In this episode, Stu talks about flying fighter jets, big fish battles in Homosassa, and the time when he almost ended his own life.

Dustin Huff was born a prodigy into the Royal Family of South Florida's flats fishing. Steve, Dustin's father, worked harder, pushed his boat further, won a pile of tournaments, and demanded an essence of integrity and humility that would set the lofty standard the life of a flats guide should have. Steve Huff's style and manner developed a devout cult for generations to come.Then his own son, Dustin, broke into this forbidden aura. Like a warrior, Dustin started to fill his father's shoes fast when he charged into the tournament fray with 6 wins and 5 seconds in 6 years, including two Gold Cups and three Don Hawley wins. The size of his and angler Thane Morgan's world record tarpon on 4 lb test is gigantic!I've never fished with a more complete guide and someone who has a higher set of standards than Dustin Huff! And how he demands himself to win is ruthless. He's done the Huff name proud...On this episode, we talk about his insatiable desired to win at everything he does, reinventing the tournament game, and getting to know the real deal... DUSTIN HUFF.

Capt. Skip Smith is a world renowned offshore captain who dedicated a large part of his life seeking record marlin in over 25 different countries. His incredible book, The Tales of A Hooker and Her Madam, documented his and boat owner Jerry Dunaway’s breathtaking 11 year adventure chasing the migrations of the oceans premier game fish. Their innovations and success was profound amassing a total of 49 IGFA World Records. For the past 25 years Skip has been the President of Smith-Merritt Insurance, Inc. in Pompano Beach, Florida, he continues to maintain the day-to-day operations of a multi-million dollar yacht insurance company while serving on several industry boards, including Chair of the IGFA’s prestigious Tommy Gifford Award - which is presented to legendary captain and crew nominees who are selected by a committee of internationally-renowned captains and mates. With Smith’s tight connection to custom-built sport boats, he helped create the Custom Shootout in 2002 - presenting the industry an opportunity to give back and benefit many charitable organizations for the past 14 years. Captain Skip Smith was inducted into the Broward Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 as a fisherman. What a career this man has had…

Capt. Skip Smith is a world renowned offshore captain who dedicated a large part of his life seeking record marlin in over 25 different countries. His incredible book, The Tales of A Hooker and Her Madam, documented his and boat owner Jerry Dunaway’s breathtaking 11 year adventure chasing the migrations of the oceans premier game fish. Their innovations and success was profound amassing a total of 49 IGFA World Records. For the past 25 years Skip has been the President of Smith-Merritt Insurance, Inc. in Pompano Beach, Florida, he continues to maintain the day-to-day operations of a multi-million dollar yacht insurance company while serving on several industry boards, including Chair of the IGFA’s along with the prestigious Tommy Gifford Award - which is presented to legendary captain and crew nominees who are selected by a committee of internationally-renowned captains and mates. With Smith’s tight connection to custom-built sport boats, he helped create the Custom Shootout in 2002 - presenting the industry an opportunity to give back and benefit many charitable organizations for the past 14 years. Captain Skip Smith was inducted into the Broward Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 as a fisherman. What career this man has had… In this episode, Skip talks about his harrowing encounters at sea and on land, great wins, and the battle scars of being an offshore captain in the 70’s & 80’s.

Sandy Moret is a successful, passionate, driven man. Once he sold his beer business and started chasing Bonefish in skinny water, his after burners kicked in and Sandy was re-invented. He was a dominate figure in the most prestigious Bonefish and Tarpon tournaments with 8 wins. In 1993, he opened one of the most premier saltwater fly shops in the world, and as a teacher at heart, has operated his Florida fly fishing school for 30 years! But his finest hour could be as a conservationist. In 2018, Sandy Moret was awarded the Fly Fisherman Magazine - Sage Conservationist of the Year and was presented the Orvis Company Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with the Now or Neverglades movement. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and Bullsugar.org. On a windy day in June, Sandy invited us over to his fish house in Islamorada to record this episode of the podcast. Walking by one of the most beautiful, old school Hells Bay Professionals lying in his garage, we entered Sandy’s casa. His home was covered with Millard Wells paintings and numerous tournament trophies. We chatted for 58 minutes about fishing Islamorada in the 70’s, what tournament fishing meant to him, and his celebrated work as a conservationist. Sandy's Fly Store - Florida Keys Outfitters

Capt. Bouncer Smith has been taking people fishing for more than 50 years. He runs his 33 foot boat, Bouncer’s Dusky, out of Miami, FL. His awards and accolades are lengthy, highlighted by a lifetime achievement award from The Billfish Foundation. In 2014, Bouncer was inducted into the International Game Fish Association’s (IGFA) Legendary Captain and Crew Hall of Fame. He has guided anglers to more than 70 IGFA world records and helped popularize kite fishing and the use of down riggers in South Florida. He is one of the most versatile guides there is as he can consistently catch Swordfish in 1,000 feet of water, run to the reef to rack up pelagics, then sneak in-shore and catch monster Tarpon and Snook. This man can do it all. Bouncer is a gentle giant. I’ve always cherished being in his presence. In this episode, we talk about the abundance of Sharks in South Florida, thoughts on killing fish, and Bouncer’s longtime struggle with his weight.

Chico Fernandez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1939. When he was 20 years old, he left Cuba for South Florida and brought his white Mercedes two-seater with him. Chico later sold his fancy car to help pay for his education at the University of Miami. He quickly found himself surrounded by like-minded adventurers who were enamored by the water and the scaly creatures below. Later down the road, Chico eventually quit his corporate job to pursue his passion for saltwater fly fishing. Along with his contemporaries, he has helped develop and advance many techniques used in fly fishing today. Chico has written hundreds of fishing articles and he is the author of Fly Fishing for Bonefish and Fly Fishing for Redfish. This episode was recorded in Chico’s tranquil home in Miami, FL. We talk about his early years in Cuba, kite flying as a kid, and his introduction to fly fishing.

Jay Scott has been a professional hunting and fishing guide for the last 20 years. He also hosts the Jay Scott Outdoors Podcast which is the number 1 outdoor podcast today with over 33 million downloads. Jay has been fortunate enough to be a judge in the RMEF World Championship Elk Calling Contest three years in a row. This guy has been there, done that when it comes to big game hunting. From the elusive Dall Sheep in Alaska, to big bull Elk in Arizona, he has experienced it all. On top of all his hunting accomplishments, Jay has also been a successful realtor in Arizona since 1997. Jay is an exceptional human to say the least. It was a pleasure to sit down and chat with him today. His willingness to help and educate others is inspiring. There are no secrets with Jay, ask him whatever you want and you will get an honest answer.

Flip Pallot is undeniably one of the largest figures in fly fishing today. You might know him from his profound TV show, Walker's Cay Chronicles, or perhaps one of the hundred YETI commercials that accentuate his alluring persona. Anyhow, Flip is the exact person you think he is. He is the ultimate outdoorsman, a romantic born 100 years too late. Flip speaks fluent in Palm, Cabbage, and Turkey. There is no weakness in articulation or diction. Some say he is the most interesting man in fly fishing. He is a pioneer, a modern day explorer, and an innovator who’s spirit is fresh and wild. We drove three hours north to find Flip graciously observing his untouched native backyard under his airstream canopy undisturbed by the foul weather. Soon he invites us into his garage and we chat about TV, the early years of Florida Bay, and his best friend Lefty.

Angler Tom Evans, guides Dean Butler and Al Dopirak are the world's greatest fly fishing, big fish world record chasers of all time! In shallow water, the bluest of blue water, the biggest tarpon, the biggest billfish....The fishing world has been spellbound by their catches for decades. In 2015, the International Game Fish Hall of Fame (IGFA) recognized Tom's efforts and success by inducting him into this pantheon of fishing. We were extremely lucky that Tom, Dean, and Al all agreed to sit down and recap the years of chasing massive Tarpon in Homosassa and enormous Marlin in Vanuatu. Grab a cocktail and get ready for some incredible fish stories. This interview is raw, true, wry and extremely entertaining, nothing shy of the man himself, Tom Evans!

Capt. Steve Huff has been a full time fishing guide for nearly fifty two years. He is the God of guides - the chosen one. The man who sets the standard for other fishing guides. The hardest working guy in the room or on the water. Steve was the first fly fishing skiff guide to be inducted into the IGFA Hall of Fame in 2010. He has invented and innovated countless tools and contraptions to improve his effectiveness as a guide. From de-hookers to bow platforms, knots to fly stretchers - Steve’s creative imagination and eagerness to push the envelope makes him the legend he is. Steve has passed his relentless drive and wisdom down to his two sons, Dustin and Chad, whom have become scary good guides in their own right. Steve currently lives in Everglades City, Florida with his wonderful wife, Patty. We were honored that Steve invited us over to his man cave to talk everything fishing. We chat about fishing Key West in the 70’s, early fly designs, and inheriting his work ethic from his mother.