Remembering Famed Saltwater Angler Jose Wejebe


Jose Wejebe fighting a Florida Keys permit.

photo vis spanishflytv.com

As you may have heard by now, the host of the fishing show Spanish Fly for more than 15 years, Jose Wejebe, died Friday afternoon when the single-engine plane he was piloting crashed soon after takeoff from Everglades Airpark in Florida. The plane was a kit model that Wejebe had built himself over several years. You can find the story of the airplane here.

Back in 2007, I spent some time with Wejebe at a charity fly-fishing event in Colorado, and I found him charming and personable. Of course, he had tons of great stories of life in the water, on boats, and in exotic locales. He had a big heart, as well, supporting Hooked on a Cure (where I met him), as well as donating his time to other charities, such as Make a Wish Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters. His loss will certainly be felt throughout the angling and non-angling communities he belonged to.

Take a few minutes to read the bio on his website, and you’ll see that he lived a fascinating life, starting out as a fishing guide and becoming one of angling’s great ambassadors. One of the things that I always found so compelling about Jose is that he simply flat-out loved fishing, no matter what the quarry or the method. He was also unpretentious, a trait that comes out clearly in the video clip below.

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