Long before I met him, Dean's reputation was already etched into the billfish world. Years ago, I became a disciple of Tom Evans and his tarpon game, and I’d heard about the two of them—catching all the world-record marlin you see in The Book.

Dean’s done a lot in his fishing life. Sure, he’s caught his own marlin records. But I can’t help thinking one of his finest moments was gaffing Enrico Compozzi’s 735-pound marlin on 6-pound test—truly one for the ages. Or maybe it was that 600-pounder he gaffed for Evans, the one that broke the gaffs clean in half. That’s who Dean Butler is—a fisherman through and through. As Lefty once said, “Dean Butler is the best all-around fisherman in the world.”

In 2015, Tom was inducted into the IGFA Hall of Fame. Dean followed in 2023.

No doubt about it: Dean Butler and Tom Evans were the greatest marlin fly-fishing team ever assembled.

On today’s podcast, we travel to Homosassa, Florida, to finally catch up with Dean—and hear the remarkable story of one of fishing’s true legends.