Capt. C.A. Richardson
Renown Fisherman, Guide, TV Host
Statistics
Born: Charleston, SC in 1965
Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL
Boat: Marquesa
Fishing Hole: Anywhere on Florida’s West Coast
Lure: Top water plug (Mirrolure)
Fly: Clouser Minnow (tan/white)
Fish: Giant Speckled Trout
Hero: Flip Pallot & Bill Dance (what a combo!)
Biography
Born in Charleston, SC in 1965, C.A.’s family relocated to St. Petersburg, FL in 1967 where he honed his angling skills on the beaches, piers, and inshore flats of Tampa Bay. C.A. is a seasoned professional angler who’s competed from North Carolina to Texas, as well as the Caribbean. In 2001, he started his popular “Flats Class” inshore fishing school to compliment his Flats Class Charter business. This popular fishing school travels around the southeast educating anglers through C.A.’s unique power-point presentation and features many regional inshore pros. In 2007, Flats Class TV debuted on the national outdoor networks and was an instant hit with anglers eager to learn inshore fishing techniques from the pros! He has gained the reputation over the years as “the inshore guide” to hire when it comes to fishing artificial baits. C.A. spends 200+ days a year stalking shallow water game fish with his clients and filming Flats Class TV.
“I’ve fished dozens of flats skiffs in my professional career, some good and some not so good. Eventually, it all boils down quality and performance for serious anglers and that’s exactly what the Hell’s Bay Marquesa delivers. My Hell’s Bay Marquesa provides me with truly unmatched performance… from its smooth, dry ride, to its ability to negotiate super skinny water without making a sound. Come experience the Hell’s Bay difference like I did… I promise flats fishing will never be the same! “
-Capt. C.A. Richardson, Host & Founder of FCTV
Flip Pallot
Fisherman, Guide, Television Personality, IGFA Hall of Fame Angler
Statistics
Born: June 16, 1942
Birth Place: South, FL
Hometown: Homestead, FL
Boat: Waterman
Fishing Hole: Brackish Everglades
Lure: White Bucktail Jig
Fly: “Left’s Deceiver”
Fish: Snook
Hero: “Lefty” Kreh, PeeWee Herman
Biography
Flip Pallot was born and raised in South Florida. An avid outdoorsman for as long as he could remember, Flip began his career as a banker, for “way to long” according to him. After finding the courage to leave the corporate world, Flip began his second career as a fishing and hunting guide. After 12 years Flip moved to television producing, bringing his life’s fishing travels to the small screen for us to enjoy. He is best known for bringing us the Walkers Cay Chronicles, which aired for 16 seasons on ESPN and as a founder of Hell’s Bay Boatworks. His keen sense for storytelling and bringing to life the best part of fishing adventures has continued with teaching instructional classes and writing books on Fly Fishing. Flip currently lives in Mims, FL . Flip was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame in 2015.
Chico Fernandez
Renown Fisherman, IGFA Hall of Fame Angler, Author
Statistics
Born: October 11, 1939
Birth Place: Havana, Cuba
Hometown: Miami, FL
Boat: Professional
Fishing Hole: The Everglades
Lure: Any Surface Lure
Fly: Crystal Shrimp & Sea-Ducer
Fish: Snook
Hero: Lee Wulff
Biography
Chico Fernandez was born in Cuba and moved to South Florida at a young age. With him he brought his love for fishing and began Fly fishing in Miami after meeting Flip Pallot. Chico began his career as an Accountant and Budget Director for Burger King, but after a short time he left the corporate world to become involved in the outdoors and fishing fields. This included writing, teaching and consulting on all things saltwater Fly fishing. He has broken and held several world records including the largest Redfish taken with a Fly rod and the first angler to land a White Marlin on Fly. Chico is a steward of conservation and is a strong supporter of the CCA and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. He currently lives in Miami, FL and spends his time teaching others the joys of saltwater Fly fishing.
Andy Mill
Olympic Downhill Skier, Author, Renown Fisherman
Statistics
Born: November 2, 1953
Birth Place: Aspen, CO
Hometown: Aspen,CO -Boca Raton, FL
Boat: Biscayne
Fishing Hole: Lower Keys
Fly: Toad
Fish: Tarpon
Hero: Flip Pallot
Biography
Andy Mill became world-famous as an Olympic downhill skier known for his speed and daring. For eight years, Andy created and produced the Sportsmen’s Journal television series for the Outdoor Life Network. A lifelong angler, raised in the Colorado Rockies, Andy has spent the last two decades in furious pursuit of Tarpon on the fly. He has applied his stamina and grace as an athlete, his intense ability to focus, and his exceptional instincts as a hunter to reach the pinnacle of this exciting sport. Andy has won a record 11 Tarpon tournaments and is the only fly fisherman to ever win a Tarpon, Bonefish and Permit tournament. He divides his year between Aspen, Colorado and Boca Raton, Florida.
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Stu Apte
Hall-Of-Fame Angler, Author
Statistics
Born: Miami, FL
Hometown: Islamorada, FL / Bozeman, MT
Fishing Hole: Flats of the Florida Keys
Lure: Whatever works for the species I am fishing.
Fly: Tarpon Fly
Fish: Giant Tarpon
Heros: Joe Brooks, Ted Williams, Flip Pallot, Lefty Kreh
Biography
Legendary Hall of Fame angler Stu Apte is still very active on the water at age 82. Apte continues to stay in the limelight with guest appearances on numerous TV shows, conducting seminars on all types of fishing, and hosting his annual fly fishing sailfish tournament every December in Guatemala. Stu’s considered one of the world’s best all round anglers sharing his knowledge on a wide variety of fishing subjects. He’s an iconic and patient fishing educator, especially with fly, promoting professionalism, ethics and conservation practices on the water. On layovers as a career pilot for Pan Am Airlines, Stu would scout out potential international fishing destinations gaining knowledge of fishing techniques and fish species. He achieved even more experience guiding in the Florida Keys where he makes his home. Apte has produced and directed Saltwater Flyfishing from A to Z, a four-part video, and additional videos including Quest for Giant Tarpon and Tarpon Country. He’s written hundreds of magazine articles, chapters and forwards for other people’s books, plus penned two of his own books. The first in 1976 was Stu Apte’s Fishing in the Florida Keys and Flamingo and a recent memoir Of Wind and Tides. His memoir tells details of the exciting tales of the early days of fishing in the Keys, guiding President Harry and Bess Truman, times with Ernest Hemingway in Cuba, and leading Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf to his first tarpon.