Mill House Podcast

Jake Jordan is a legendary figure in the blue water world. He is neither humble nor reserved when he speaks about his exploits over his six plus decades of catching tarpon, marlin and sailfish; we’re talking incredible numbers here. He prides himself with a technique he refined that has proven itself to many anglers that chase billfish. He’s not a record chaser, he is a numbers man. How do you document 10,000 sailfish he said he’s caught? For tarpon, he fishes at night under bridges in the lower keys. April and May, during a certain night time tide is when these fish let their guard down and catching a tarpon is almost a given. There’s no poling under a high sun, seeing fish swim down the flat here. But being 80+ years old it’s all but impossible for him to do the daytime game anymore. You got to hand it to him, he’s still out there getting it done!

Jake is a kind man. I’ve known him for years and see him at the trade shows. When asked, he said he'd like to be remembered mostly as an innovator, teacher and mentor. He’s been honored with the Chester H. Wolf outstanding Sportsmanship Award by the IGFA in 2022, and was inducted into the Southern Fly Fishing Hall of Fame in 2023. Thanks for coming on, Jake...

On board for this podcast, is a man that has lived fully in many forms; dentist, angler, artist, and as a free spirit that many only dream of doing successfully. Yes, Fred Troxel has excelled profoundly at all of these. Many know him as a highly professional dentist that has worked bare footed for years. Oxymoron? No, because working close to Key West where the liberty to live your life in whatever form works. He has won three All Tackle World Championship Bonefish Tournaments. All of them with the two greats: Harry Speer (1) and Michael Guerin (2). Troxel is also close with many famous writers/fishermen who used to skirt over to the Bahamas where the bonefish were as plentiful as the conversations were vibrant with intellect, nonsense, and always humorous… In this podcast, we talk about his love for hunting big bonefish, his spectacular road kill art, passion for his friends, and his excursions to Burning Man.

Today we get a taste of it all! Thanks for coming on, Fred!

Capt. Andy Thompson is, in my book, one of the greatest people you’ll ever have the pleasure of knowing, both on and off the water. He’s soft spoken, but his words carry incredible weight. Why?Because he’s truthful, genuine, and his integrity is gold! He’s also one of the greatest guides in the game. Andy grew up in Miami and at a very young age gravitated to fishing and never looked back. He refined his craft and eventually started fishing against the best in the world, in the biggest tarpon tournaments. He and his angler Mark Weeks won the Don Hawley twice, cementing their names in the history books.

Thompson's knowledge is also incredibly vast. He can confidently fish from Chokoloskee to the Marquesas and when the fall arrives, he’ll head west to Louisiana where the monster redfish cruise the shorelines. Nicky and I have had some of our best days there with him, where our minds were blown apart by what he knows and what we caught. Andy also loves to hunt - turkeys, waterfowl, deer and elk. Yes, he’s an extraordinary outdoorsman, but he’s even better as a father, husband, and unwavering friend!

Capt. Al Dopirak is arguably the best fishing guide to ever chase world record tarpon! He and Tom Evans have put more big tarpon in their boat than anyone. Records are meant to be broken but their 194.5 lb tarpon on 12 pound test is beyond imagination, well mine anyway! They also caught a 190.5 lb tarpon on 16 pound test that broke Billy Pate’s 188 lb record that stood for 25 plus years. Tom Evans has been inducted into the IGFA Hall of Fame, and a very large part of that success story, unquestionably, has to do with Al Dopirak. Tom said, “Al is the greatest. I fished with Al for 42-43 years. Best tarpon fisherman I ever fished with. And as a person - Just the tops!”

Dopirak is much more than a great fisherman, he is a loyal, loving husband, father and friend. When Evans ended up in the hospital while fishing with Al in 2022, Dopirak stayed with Tom 7 hours a day, never leaving his side. Al’s wife, Penny, and son, Brian, are his pride and Joy. I’ve been around this game along time and I can honestly say that you can put Al’s name on that very short list of, “legendary guides."

I have fished with many superstar guides throughout my career. Many were on my hit list for years before seeing that day on their bow, but there was one whose boat I never made it on and he was as famous as anyone, Butch Constable! Butch doesn’t just fish his water around Jupiter, he plays it like Hendrix did with his guitar. Inside and out he knows the timing of the fish that migrate through there as well as those that live there. I guess and presume he loves snook more that anything because is email has the word snook in it, but don’t let that fool all you other fish, because if his eyes hit yours, your dead meat! Top water or on the bottom he covers the water column like no other. Offshore sailfish to inlet snook, he knows the game and is the best at it. Butch also helped pioneer bilge pump live wells, offshore live chumming, and Jupiters’ tarpon and snook fishery.

He’s also a great fly fisherman. Trust me, Butch Constable is a master at everything fishing! Another great guide, Scott Hamilton said, “Butch is one of the most talented and intuitive guides I’ve ever met. His feel for the environment would justify him having gills!” And the best yet, he’s one of the most humble, kind men I know!

Rachel Finn is a fearless, free spirit that everyone loves. After attending Yale University in graduate school, she followed her heart and began guiding up in the Adirondacks some 30 years ago. Rachel is also a wonderful artist, friend, and inspiration to never grow up and never stop chasing your passions.

Finn is a well-known presence in the Adirondack guide scene throughout the fishing season. Serving as the head guide at the Hungry Trout Fly Shop in Wilmington, New York, she accompanies clients on expeditions across the numerous rivers, streams, and ponds nestled within the breathtaking mountains. Additionally, for many years during July and August, Rachel lead summer float trips in Alaska. She holds positions as a pro staff member for Scott Fly Rods, Airflow, and Nautilus Reels, while also being enlisted by Patagonia as one of their fly fishing ambassadors. Finn also is an ambassador and hosts a couple trips a year for SET Fly Fishing in Argentina. Her expertise has been showcased on ESPN's Great Outdoor Games and the Outdoor Life Network's Fly Fishing Masters.

As a 21 year old Vietnam veteran, Bob Popovics gravitated to fly fishing for striped bass and the people who chased them from shore. These guys became his family and the collective passion became a maelstrom for the north east striper fishermen. The power behind this fish was real and in 1965 a fishing club called the Salt Water Fly Rodders of America was formed. They exchanged information, established the criteria for world record catches (which would be handed over to the IGFA in 1978) and had chapters throughout the country extending to California and Australia. The chapters ran out of steam in 1977, but was revitalized in 1987. It was then that Popovics started weekly meetings and fly tying sessions at his house. Upstairs in a small room 50 fly fishermen would crowd over Bob’s fly tying vise and the creativity exploded. Lefty Kreh called Popovics the greatest fly tier of all time! Bob’s imagination was vibrant, and his designs became the flies of choice for the variety of fish caught in the North East surf.

His two books, Pop Fleyes and Fleye Design are a confirmation that Lefty’s statement was spot on and many felt the same. Above all, it's Bob’s heart, personality, and love for his fellow anglers will stand the test of time!! He is beloved by all…. And one more thing, Lefty’s last wish to Bob was, “Help preserve the history of salt water fly fishing!” With this interview and what Popovics has saved, I know Lefty would be very proud of his brother, “Bobby."

Capt. Sarah Gardner has been a full time fishing guide for over 27 years. Along with her husband, Capt. Brian Horsley, they are the go to guides for fly fishing in the area surrounding Outer Banks, NC. Sarah & Brian both run 23 foot Jones Brother boats and target Cobia, Redfish, False Albacore, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, & Sharks on the fly.

After getting her Bachelor’s degree in Illustration from Moore College of Art in 1987, Sarah worked in advertising for several years, but she never felt comfortable working inside. To be around other like-minded people and earn extra money, she took an evening sales position at Anglers Sport Center, a big outfitter in Maryland. Shortly thereafter, out of the blue, the legendary Lefty Kreh called and would eventually take her under his wing and help her flourish into the great writer and spokesperson she is today. Years later, Lefty was the photographer at Sarah & Brian’s wedding and their relationship continued until his passing a couple of years ago. 

Sarah is known by her peers as being a hardy, tough, badass of a human whether on the water, in the woods, or competing in Ironman races. Not only is she “fishy” on the boat but her love for teaching and educating is extremely inspiring. As people look up to Joan Wulff and Kathy Beck, many view Sarah as a role model and shining example on how hard work, dedication, and chasing your passions can lead to a extremely fulfilling life.

Thanks for coming on the podcast, Sarah!

Having growing up in Marathon, Florida with the Gulf Stream at his front door and world class flats everywhere he looked, George's playground was a fisherman's dream. It was the ultimate adventure park he’d take full advantage of. His bus ride to school had other kids that loved to fish, too, like Dustin and Chad Huff. They would all become world class at their craft. Sawley dreamed of being a guide and started to fish the bridges at night for tarpon. He began poling locals around at 17, and would mate on a charter boat for a while. George would eventually fish different locations with the legendary "Capt. Hook" (Ron Hamlin) and Benny Spaulding. He’d have his greatest success as a Captain chasing world record marlin with Harry Gray, one the the greatest offshore fly fishers of all time. 

Many years later, he began conversations with Hal Chittum regarding a mutual goal of building big offshore boats, which evolved to building Chittum skiffs, the greatest flats boat ever built!

On today's podcast, George Sawley goes deep into his wild life as a mate, captain, and adventurer.

Daytime swordfishing began in Venezuela when Aquiles Garcia and Captain Oscar Benito Marcano used a bag of rocks to get their bait down to where these prized fish swim in extreme depths during daylight hours. In 1997, on the La Guaira bank many Captains started to target these billfish with confidence. It wasn’t refined until two brothers, Richard and Scott Stanczyk started to consistently catch them in the Florida Keys around 2002. But it was Richards son, Nick, that took the swordfish game to new heights catching an estimated 2,000 fish with a personal best of a 757lber.

Nick grew up on the docks in the sport fish capital of the world (Islamorada) and began catching snappers before he could walk. He later attended the University of Miami but always knew he was going to make his living on the water. Nick has gained a massive audience in the last 8 years with social media and marketing himself as the guy that consistently catches broadbill swordfish. Currently he is taking more time off spending time with his family and growing his YouTube and Stanz fishing apparel line. Although, if you want to catch one of these monsters of the deep he still remains one of the top captains in this genre of fishing.

On todays podcast, Nick talks about his family’s relationship with swordfish and his profound legend of catching them...