This week, my guest is Capt. Benny Blanco of Islamorada, in the Florida Keys. Benny talks about his life in the Keys and about how he came to realize that the fishery on which he made his living was threatened–and how he learned to make a difference. . . .
Read Moreflorida fly fishing
Wednesday Wake-Up Call 06.15.22 
Welcome to the latest installment of the Wednesday Wake-Up Call, a roundup of the most pressing conservation issues important to anglers. Working with our friends at Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the Theodore Roosevelt . . .
Read MoreWednesday Wake-Up Call 02.16.22
Today’s Wake-Up Call is devoted to the important legislation pending in Florida, which threatens Everglades-restorations efforts by deprioritizing the EAA Reservoir project south of Lake Okeechobee and by changing the . . .
Read MoreThe One That Got Away #2: Don’t Be a Slacker
I moved to southwestern Florida in 2008 with visions of massive tarpon competing for my perfectly presented fly. But despite many concerted efforts to make that happen–often spending days at a time anchored up waiting on fish to show–it would . . .
Read MoreScientists are Homing in on Elusive Bonefish Spawning Sites in the Florida Keys
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) scientists are utilizing the latest technology and the historical knowledge of veteran guides to locate important bonefish spawning sites in the Florida Keys. Finding these nearshore areas where bonefish school by . . .
Read MoreWednesday Wake-Up Call 05.05.21
As blooms of blue-green algae–which can produce a variety of harmful cyanotoxins–on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee are bad enough in and of themselves, but the prospect that this toxic water may be released into . . .
Read MoreWednesday Wake-Up Call: Everglades Day ’21 Edition
Since 2012, April 7 has been celebrated as Everglades Day in Florida, marking the birthday of the the ecosystem’s most famous advocate, Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998). To commemorate Douglas’s life and work, . . .
Read MoreMoment of Thrill 03.17.21
Most tarpon are lost in the first few seconds of the fight, when the fish produces its most impressive, head-shaking leaps. Anglers are taught to bow to the fish, which introduces some slack into the line. A tight line can snap if . . .
Read MoreOrvis and Hell’s Bay Boatworks Collaborate to Support Conservation
Today, Orvis and Hell’s Bay Boatworks, the renowned Florida-based boat maker, announced the launch of a new special-edition skiff package that benefits Florida fisheries. The Orvis Edition Package, which can be added to . . .
Read MoreFish Facts: Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis)
Catching a really large snook is a bucket-list item for many saltwater anglers.
Photo via Livit Films
The most abundant of the twelve snook species, the common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) is prized by anglers for its aggressive strikes and go-for-broke fighting style. You can target. . .
Read More