In July member Tim Elms sat over Zoom! with Andy Mill.
Howdy! Usually, I would be writing about Snook and Juvi Poon, (and yes, they are still all over the place) but back in July, I got to sit down on ZOOM! with the legend Fly Angler Andy Mill.
Ever since he presented to our club, we have kept in contact and share pleasantries with each other. Andy agreed to let me shoot as many questions as I could at him. I never thought we would go over two hours, but he is by far the most open book fly fisherman I have ever talked to. Andy can be considered the top tournament fly angler of all time with 14 wins in the majors (12 tarpon, 1 bonfish, and 1 permit) including five Gold Cups and could not be a nicer dude. I would have published the video, but Andy and I are known to use inappropriate language, drink a few adult beverages, and just plain banter with each other.
This is a shortened version of everything we talked about. As you could imagine we interrupted ourselves with anecdotes and many jokes along the way. Speaking with Andy is so easy. I know for a fact he has accomplished his goal of being a nice man. If you watch or listen to Andy he will always use the fun nicknames of people. He calls me Timmy. I don’t let that many people call me Timmy but the way Andy does it is so endearing, only my late Grandpa called me that and he passed from Corona last year, and Andy says it the exact way Grandpa did. If you haven’t started to listen to the MILL HOUSE podcast you are missing some of the greatest fishermen — they’re mostly fly anglers but not always — tell the most amazing stories. It’s a Florida must listen.
SO HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Tim: Hey, guy! Good to see you again and thanks so much for doing this for me and my club. Let’s get going as I have a ton of questions for you. But first tell me about this hat. I see you in this hat all the time.
Andy: Thanks, Tim. This hat, I bought a long, long time ago and it’s become a big part of me. It’s a 4x beaver, so it’s pretty waterproof. I wear it all summer and fall in Aspen. I want to be cremated with it. A large part of my best life I was wearing it. I killed some great elk with it on. Many mornings it’s on before my underwear…
Tim: Great, so this is one of my questions, would you consider yourself superstitious?
Andy: Only once, and it turned out to be the greatest win of my life! It was during one of the Gold Cups, the most important tarpon tournament in the world. It was the last day of the five-day event. We were on the starting grid waiting for the horn to blow signaling when we could push the throttle down and race an hour and a half to where we usually fish. There were five fleets of five boats leaving at two-minute intervals. Every day we would rotate so everyone had a chance to leave first. We were idling, waiting for the horn when the late Kenny Collette yelled over to me that I had to go move my truck…I asked why? He said my parking spot had bad Mojo on it! Really, I responded, and he said, no question. I instantly knew he was messing with me. He then said I’m normally in the top three going into the last day and this year we were in last place. Yes, we were in last place, the week contained terrible weather and we had horrible luck with all our big fish falling off the hook. I wasn’t going to take a chance. I told Timmy Hoover, my guide, to take me to the dock. He was irritated and didn’t want to waste the time. I dug my tackle bag out of the front hatch as he motored over to the dock. Once there I jumped out of the boat and ran to my truck. The horn had now blown and all the boats were now racing to their spots. I moved my truck as far away from where it was parked as I could. When I got back to the boat I told Hoover that all week we were struggling, but today we had great weather. The leaders were only 1,400 points ahead of us. (In this tournament you received 10 points per pound for a fish over 70 pounds). I told him if he finds the fish I’d catch them and we were going to win this thing. That day we had five bites and caught all five, the largest was a 115-pound fish. We caught three on the ocean. Ran into a basin and caught a fatty, the 115. I told Timmy we needed one more to have a chance. He said we’ve lost the tide but there still might be a couple in Log Jam. We ran there and found one laid up on the edge. We caught him too! Four of the five fish we caught were over 70 pounds. We beat Rob Fordyce and Carlos Duncan at the buzzer. No one had ever caught four weight fish (fish over 70 pounds) before or since. Superstitious? Only once….
Tim: I’m happy when I land three bass. Who is Andy Mill as a fly angler? And do you want to be known as a fly angler, a pro skier, or a historian of our sport? (With your podcast)
Andy: Oh man. I’d like to be known as a great father and husband first! I know I was ok at quite a few sports but those are a distant second. I love deeply so I’ve pursued everything as hard as I know how. I’m extremely proud of my fishing success, and those don’t come without great guides. I won 14 big events with six different guides. I can’t catch what’s not there. They’re like my family members. I really feel what my son and I are currently doing with our podcast, Millhouse podcast, is extremely important. We are preserving the history of our sport. Stories die with icons unless they’re saved. And for the rest of time they’ll be remembered for their greatness on our Podcast now. I’m the luckiest guy alive that’s been blessed with an extraordinary life. I love deeply so I’ve pursued everything as hard as I know how.
An example of preserving history and storytelling is one with Tom Evans and the greatest tarpon story ever told. Monte Burke, a National Best-Selling author, came and did a story on me for Garden and Gun Magazine. https://gardenandgun.com/feature/the-heart-of-an-angler/
After a few days of fishing and hanging with Tom Evans I realized he was the guy to write the legendary story of Homosassa. Homosassa was where all the monster tarpon swam and where everyone speculated the 200-pound Holy Grail would be caught, and eventually did. It was an era of a mobster, drugs, and eccentrics that fished every day the full month of May. I asked Monte what his commission is to write a book. He gave me that number and I told him I’d find it. I went to Tom Evans, the greatest big game fisher of all time. He still holds the 12-pound test tarpon record of 194 pounds. He broke Pate’s 188 with a 191-pound fish on 16#. I told him with his financial success he needs to fund this all-important book. After over 75 interviews and a few years of research the book got written. Monte’s book, Lords of The Fly, will go down as the most accurate, documented history of all the players to ever chase big tarpon. It’s a must read by anyone who likes saltwater fly fishing. This is similar to what we are trying to do with our Millhouse Podcast.
Tim: What’s Evans like? He seems like the most intense and interesting guy.
Andy: Tom Evans is raw and brutally honest. I love the cat…. He’s the greatest big fish catcher of all time and his records prove that! Try a 194-pound tarpon on 12-pound test. A 191 on 16. How about a 273-pound blue marlin on 16? Right!!!! He’s the real deal!
Tim: You fish with some of the most famous people in the world, including President Bush ‘41 for a long time. Right? Who’s your favorite famous person you ever fished with?
Andy: It must be President Bush Senior, the most famous person I ever fished with and my favorite. President Bush 41. How can you be more famous than the President? Also, he was extremely cool. He had a great sense of humor! Every day with him was filled with activities. When we were at Kennebunkport we’d fish for stripers early, golf in the afternoon, and return to barbecuing, horseshoes, and a beer or two. President George H. W. Bush “He was a wonderful friend that cared deeply for not only me but my family. He and Chrissie were very close. He inducted her into the tennis hall of fame and wrote the foreword to my book
President Bush and I fished 20 years together. At 80 years old he asked me to help him catch a big tarpon. Captain George Woods and I helped him with his dream fish, a 140 pounder. We fished around the world together. I did a TV show with him in the Arctic Circle fishing for arctic char. He asked me to go rooster fishing with him in Panama once. I flew to Houston and spent the night with him and Barbara at their home. The next day we flew to Panama and met up with their President. We boarded three military helicopters and flew to the Island of Coiba where Carlos Slim, the billionaire from Mexico, had his mothership waiting for us, along with three other vessels and captains to help with our mission. He was a wonderful friend that cared deeply for not only me but my family. He and Chrissie were very close. He inducted her into the tennis hall of fame and wrote the foreword to my book. We were at Camp David with him when Kuwait was invaded. That in itself is an incredible, historical story. We also stayed a few times at the White House. I miss them greatly.
Tim: Tell me how you got involved with Hardy fly rods and reels?
Andy: Twelve years ago, the president of Hardy, Jim Murphy, came to me and asked if I’d be willing to help them produce a competitive saltwater rod and reel. At the time I’d just retired from tournament fishing. I knew what they needed. The rods they had at the time were extremely old school and terrible, just awful. I said I could help, but they needed to be serious and willing to spend some money. They were and I signed a contract which is still in place today. Their main rod designer, Howard Croston, and I got together, fished and consulted with each other. 3M had just come out with a new resin called Syntrex. which has small nano silica particles in it that become stronger when they’re pushed against each other, like on the inside of a bent rod. This resin enabled us to build not only a lighter rod but a much more durable rod. It was an instant success. We also built the first Fortuna reel which had a large arbor and a disc drag capable of 30 pounds of drag. Not that you’d ever use that much but it was a great selling point, and available if you wanted to fish outside of the confines of IGFA fly fishing regulations which limits you to fishing 20-pound class tippets or less. With our first prototype rod and reels Craig Brewer and Thane Morgan won the Gold Cup. Over the next twelve years Hardy’s was the most successful tournament rod in the Florida Keys. This year Hardy had the top seven places in the Gold Cup.
Tim: Why do you use a 10-weight for tarpon and not a 12 or 13?
Andy: I use 10 and 11weights for tarpon. They cast better than twelve weight rods, especially into the wind. The thickness of a 12-weight fly line is aerodynamically awful. The best wind rod is a 10 weight. Go out and throw a 10,11, and 12 weight into a 20 mile per hour wind. The 10 will win every time. I like the 11 better for pulling on big animals, but also on calm days the 10 has a softer presentation. So, my go to rod is an 11, but I’ll also have a couple 10’s in my boat.
Tim: I know tarpon are your number one, but do you like to fish for anything else besides trout back in Aspen.
Andy: Absolutely. I like it all. Sure, I love Tarpon like everyone else, but trout, carp, bonefish, permit, rooster fish, they’re all great. I’m not a big fan of offshore stuff because I get seasick. If I had one last fish to catch it would probably be wading for a 14-pound tailing bonefish or a 30-pound permit. I love wading! It’s just you, the water, sky, breeze and fish… No boat, no one’s in your ear, it’s as organic as it gets. Maybe my son is next to me but I’d be wading somewhere remote in the world.
Tim: Are you going to write another book like A Passion for Tarpon?
Andy: I don’t know. We’re talking about compiling some of our Millhouse Podcast interviews into a book. It’s not about the money. It’s about preserving history with these iconic stories.
Tim: How do you remember all the fish, weights, tippets, and dates?
Andy: I only know all the tarpon records because that fish has been my life for the last 40 years. I was obsessed with this fish and winning tournaments. I was never really about chasing records. I tried the 6 pound a few times and caught an 82- pound 4-ounce fish, which missed Stu Apte’s long standing 82.8 by 4 ounces. But I know all the record holders very well. They’re good friends of mine.
Tim: Do you want to chase a record still?
Andy: No, that’s not my bag. I only want to fish for fun now and pole my boat with Nicky on the bow. But if I did pursue records, it would be a quest similar to Tom Evan’s pursuit, which was catching the largest fish ever caught on fly. Fish that are quality game fish. Not some mud suckers that no one cares about. A small fish that weighs 50 percent of the breaking strength of your tippet may be a record but in my book that’s a lame record.
Tim: What’s worse, a bad cast or a fouled fly?
Andy: Fouled fly. With a bad cast your fly is still working for you, but a fouled fly and you’re just out of the game.
Tim: Is it the fly pattern or is it the way you wiggle your worm?
Andy: Well, I always want to feed a fish. So yeah. Feeding fish is about how you wiggle your worm…. Very rarely do you ever cast and just start stripping your fly. You might slide the fly until you see that the fish sees your bug, but then you may bump it, pause… bump, bump, pause etc. That’s how the greats get tricky fish to eat their bugs. Remember, good fishermen can catch a lot of fish, big fish too. But the greats can catch the fish that doesn’t want to get caught. The same with guides. The best ones can find the fish that are not easily found.
Tim: If you’re blind casting, how do you do that?
Andy: If I’m blind-casting I am always thinking the fish is right behind my fly and I know what they like and how to feed them. So, I always want to be, “Wiggling my worm”
Tim: Favorite weight rod?
Andy: Aww, that’s impossible. Trout? Ha ha. My favorite rod is the one piece 11 weight Zane Pro Hardy. It’s not only the best casting rod on the planet, but it’s the best fishing rod. You may want to know what’s the difference? The best fishing rod is one that gets the fly quickest to the fish whether the fish is at 30 feet from the boat or 80. Rods that are too stiff in the tip will throw a long way but struggle delivering the fly at a close range. The stiffer tip won’t turn over a 15-foot leader very well with a fish that’s close. My Hardy rods do it all well.
Tim: Do you always comply with IGFA rules?
Andy: The only IGFA rule I break is the length of my bite tippet. Often, when we’re testing new flies and I need to tie several of them on, I’ll use a longer bite tippet than the 12 inches we’re allowed. This will save time and monofilament. But we never fish more than the maximum 20-pound class allowed. Last year Nicky (Andy’s son) caught a 180 pounder on 16.
Tim: Speaking of Nicky, is he going to fish the Gold Cup next year?
Andy: No not yet. He’s waiting for the right guide. And they’re not available yet. He will soon enough.
Tim: What’s your preferred bite tippet?
Andy: 40 to 50-pound test. and during tournaments we used 60 a lot.
Tim: What’s your preferred fly line? Andy: My favorite ocean tarpon fly line is the Cortland 9-foot Ghost tip. I like the 9-footer better than the 14-footer. With the 9 foot I can pick it up when it’s still 20 to 30 feet away from the boat and recast it. The 14-footer I have to strip it all the way back to the boat before recasting it. The 9-footer is a much faster fishing line. I used to fish the all clear, but I lose my fly too much with an all clear fly line. With a 9-foot clear tip and a 15-foot leader I have 24 feet of clear material which still allows me to cut strings of tarpon very effectively.
Tim: Leader builds, line? Knots?
Andy: My leader is built with a 50- or 60-pound monofilament butt off the fly line tied with a seven-turn Albright. I pull the first three wraps over the end of the fly line before tightening it, which helps taper the knot. I have six feet of that. I then I tie 40-pound monofilament to the end of that with a blood knot. This should be at least three to four feet long. I then tie my class tippet to the 40 pound with an improved blood knot. My class is usually 16-pound Mason and I have it shoulder width in length. The other end of my class tippet is tied with another improved blood knot to my bite tippet. The bite tippet can be no longer than 12 inches when you’re record or tournament fishing. I tie my fly on with an improved Homer Rhode loop knot. I use a variety of Fluorocarbon for my bite. It’s thinner and harder than monofilament which works better with a hard mouth, chasing fish like a tarpon.
Tim: Do you ever use a spin rod?
Andy: Well, yes. I use spinning rods when fly rods are not suited. Like fishing with live mullet or if I’m blind casting for fish. I hate blind casting unless there are a lot of fish around and you’re getting a pile of bites.
Tim: Do you ever use a Clouser minnow?
Andy: Yeah, sure. Well, when its appropriate… I love Bob Clouser. He’s one of the greats in our game, a true icon and a good friend! (hmmmm Sounds about right)
Tim: Cars or Motorcycles?
Andy: Oh man. Both. I have lots of great bikes. Ducati 996s, some Harleys, some motocross and lots of others. But I also love cars. I’ve had Testarossas and Porsche 993 turbos etc.
Tim: Favorite stogie?
Andy: I love ‘em a lot. Cohiba, Montecristos, Davidoff. You know the good ones.
Tim: What’s next? What’s the bucket list telling you?
Andy: I am travelling in December to go after free swimming striped marlins on a fly. No teasers, just marlin chasing bait balls. How fun would that be?
So many thanks to Andy. And thanks to all the club members for reading my fly-fishing pages over the years. I would have never had the opportunity to talk with such an icon like Andy Mill without the Suncoast Fly Fishers. Now that we’re inspired, let’s go get some poon RIGHT NOW! They are there.
—Strip Strip Strip!!! Tim
If you want to learn more about our great fly fishing club here in Pinellas County Florida, please join or or reach out to our president!
Any refence or post requests of this articale or photo props please email tim@suncoastflyfishers.com