Overview
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, something unique happened in the quiet little town on the west coast of Florida known as Homosassa. The best fly anglers in the worldāLefty Kreh, Stu Apte, Ted Williams, Tom Evans, Billy Pate, and othersāall gathered together to chase the same Holy Grail: The world record for the worldās most glamorous and sought-after fly rod species, the tarpon.
The anglers would meet eachĀ morningĀ for breakfast. They would compete out on the water during the day, eat dinner together at night, socialize, and party.Ā Some harder than others. The world record fell nearly every year. But records werenāt the only things that were broken. Hooks, lines, rods, reels, hearts, and marriages didnāt survive, either. The egos involved made the atmosphere electric. The difficulty of the quest made it legitimate. The drugs and romantic entanglements that were swept in with the tide would finally make it all veer out of control.
It was a confluence of people and place that had never happened before in the world of fishing and will never happen again.Ā It wasĀ a collision of the top anglers and the top species of fish which would lead toĀ smashed lives for nearly all involved, man and fish alike.
InĀ Lords of the Fly, Burke, an obsessed tarpon fly angler himself, delves into this incredible moment.Ā He examines the growing popularity of theĀ tarpon, an amazing fishĀ has been around for 50 million years, can live to 80 years old and can grow to 300 pounds in weight. It is a massive, leaping, bullet train of a fish.Ā WhenĀ hooked in shallow water, it produces āimmediate unreality,ā as the late poet and tarpon obsessive, Richard Brautigan, once described it.
Burke also chronicles the heartbreaking destruction that exists as a resultābrought on by greed, environmental degradation, and the shenanigans of a notorious Miami gangsterāand how all of it has shaped our contemporary fishery.
Filled with larger-than-life characters and vivid prose,Ā Lords of the FlyĀ is not only a must read for anglers of all stripes, but also for those interested in the desperate yearning of the human condition.
This book title, Lords of the Fly (Madness, Obsession, and the Hunt for the World Record Tarpon) - 9781643138558, ISBN: 9781643138558, by Monte Burke, published by Pegasus Books (November 9, 2021) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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