Category Archives: Lifestyle

Adventure, Conservation, Instruction, Lifestyle, Stories, Travel, Updates

Decal Currency

I was recently asked by April Vokey to craft a few words for an article on her platform; Anchored Outdoors.

Being a sticker nerd with a bad fly fishing habit, I chose to opine a bit about them:

Surely you have seen stickers for sale at a fly shop, picked up a few at a show or have been given one or two by a friend. While mostly viewed as a promotional item (even though most times you pay for them), there is a secondary market that exists for these colorful, uniquely identifiable pieces of vinyl.

Beyond their intended purpose of building a brand, promoting products or memorializing an event; stickers are themselves a form of currency in the fly-fishing community. A few years back I flew out West and joined a friend for a few days’ worth of adventure and the concept of their value really gelled in my mind.


Read The Full Article on Anchored Outdoors

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DIY, Lifestyle, Local, Mosquito Lagoon Fly Fishing Guide, New Smyrna Beach, Space Coast

CHARCUTERIE 101

CREATING A POSITIVE HAPPY HOUR VIBE

Create an inviting spread of meats, cheeses, crackers and pickled goodness to share over drinks with family and friends.

It is not hard to do. If you’re not sure where to start, this how to video will walk you through the steps needed to create a basic board.

Adding charcuterie to your casual afternoon happy hour can be the spark for great camaraderie and conversation.

Happy Hour Vibe

Act Locally, art, Explore, Lifestyle, Local, New Smyrna Beach, Space Coast, Support The Arts

Images: A Festival of the Arts

Our family had the opportunity to support Images this year by being a Patron for the event.

We thoroughly enjoyed the entire weekend.

Absolutely beautiful weather was the backdrop for an amazing first day of Images.

We spent time walking the exhibits and found a new piece for our home on the first day.

We found the perfect piece of art for our home and presented the artist with a Patron’s Choice award.

We enjoyed the hospitality of the Patrons Lounge.

Hospitality at the Brannon Center was top notch.

We picked up some small sculptures for our mantle on day two.

Our small school.

We awarded our second Patron’s Choice award to the artist, Matt Maher.

His work is amazing, you can find it by visiting Mojo Metalworks.

The green fish once lived its life as a wheelbarrow.

Throughout the event we, we were amazed at the vast variety of art, the pleasant crowds and how clean and tidy everything was kept by event staff and volunteers.

If you have the opportunity, jump at the chance to be a Patron at Images 2021.

The Atlantic Center for the Arts is part of the fabric of the New Smyrna Beach community and we could be more proud to have supported them this year!

Adventure, Lifestyle, Mosquito Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon Fly Fishing Guide, National Parks, Skiff, Tiller, Whipray 16

Work For IT

We don’t get to control the weather, we deal with it. That fact is a constant in life and often impacts when and where we fish.

Long ago, I resolved to worry less about ideal weather conditions and seize upon the idea of making whatever was happening work for me.

On a recent morning I had the opportunity to get on the water, but it was already sketchy with fog, low clouds and light showers filling the sky.

I went anyway.

Only one at the landing, a good omen.

I was joined by a good friend who was equally optimistic. We spent the morning hugging leeward shorelines as we hunted for a hungry fish to feed.

Despite finding a few, we were rolling snake eyes.

As we finished a long stretch of shoreline we emerged at a point of land where we could see to the south. It was not pretty. A wall of rain was working toward us across the middle of the lagoon.

No problemo, we knew exactly where to go.

Keeping the powder dry.

Once we were reasonable sure we had a window of opportunity, we made the final push up to our local joint, JB’s Fish Camp, for a little sustenance and a cold beer.

When we emerged, things had changed.

Afternoon Delight

We spent the next little bit spooking fish and blowing shots. The lull in wind soon evaporated as a northeast wind began to set in.

As we motored back to the ramp, we got a little wet from the light sprinkling that had begun to envelope the area.

As I drove home thoughts filled my head.

This Guide

Had we let the weather stop us, we would have never explored a new area, seen a juvenile bald eagle or spent a few hours completely ignoring the static of everyday life and the challenges it offers.

The next time you’re waiting for perfect weather to head out, don’t.

Explore, Lifestyle, Mosquito Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon Fly Fishing Guide, NSB Local Eats, Space Coast

The Local Pearl

Since moving to New Smyrna Beach, my wife and I have enjoyed getting to explore all the great locally owned and operated food options it has to offer.

Our home is a short two block walk away from the center of Downtown.

We recently had the opportunity to check out one of the newest additions to Canal Street, The Local Pearl.

NSB Local

Chef Henry Salgado is a neighbor and we were excited to see what he had created.

We started with an order of calamari while the final preparations were being made to open the raw bar. (oysters arrive fresh daily)

Lightly fried along with jalapeño slices, it was delicious.

We started with a dozen Texas oysters that were being featured for happy hour ($1 /oyster). They were followed with another TX order and a third that were a combination of oysters sourced from the Florida panhandle.

Kyle was on the oyster knife behind the bar & he was very efficient and a pleasure to talk with about our selections. It’s clear he enjoys his ambassadorial role and is well suited for it.


If you have fresh oysters on your mind in New Smyrna Beach, head down to Canal Street and visit, you won’t be disappointed.

There are local oysters you can have on the menu as well. The are raised just a few miles away in the backwaters of Mosquito Lagoon by the Indian River Oyster Company.

Adventure, Film, Friendships, Lifestyle, Mosquito Lagoon Fly Fishing Guide, Social Media, Stories, Tiller, Travel, Whipray 16

Off season

Actually filmed during 2019 MLB Spring Training , Orvis just released a short vignette profiling Rick Porcello and his love for fly fishing.

Rick and I have been sharing the water together in Mosquito Lagoon and SW Florida for around eight years, so when he asked me to come down to help by running my skiff in support of the effort, it was an easy yes.

Working around his daily workout at Fenway South, we managed to spend a fair amount of time in the afternoons and evenings on the water.

My skiff makes a cameo appearance in the back half of the video.

Here is the result of David Mangum & Cavin Brothers work behind the lens.

Thanks to Simon & Tucker from Orvis for taking good care of me while I was there!

Act Locally, Adventure, Conservation, Ethics, Lifestyle, Mosquito Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon Fly Fishing Guide, Space Coast

Catch A Buzz

Have you ever had the pleasure of poling a remote shoreline in Mosquito Lagoon early in the morning while being serenaded by the buzzing of thousands of wings?

No, not the insects for which the area earns its well deserved name; honey bees and bumble bees are omnipresent when mangroves are blooming. So much so, their collective buzzing nearly drowns out all other sounds in the area.

The next time it happens, slow down and poke your nose into the shoreline and watch them work. It’s a fascinating service they perform as they glean nectar from blossoms and collect pollen.

The lagoon is an amazing place, down to its smallest detail. Just like these little overachievers, we all need to do our part to make sure we’re acting in a manner that contributes to its sustainability.

Our responsibilities lie in how we treat it today and how we leave it for tomorrow.

Adventure, Catch & Release, Explore, Friendships, Lifestyle, lowcountry, Skateboarding, Skiff, Skiff Dog, Stories, Travel

Up & Down in the Lowcountry

There is something about Charleston… The entire place has a vibe about it that is unmistakable. It’s the kinda of place where everyone is welcoming, happy and looking for the good in every situation.

After working the first half of the week in Washington, DC it was a welcome place and change of pace to wind down the week and ease into the weekend.

My family loves the place as much as I do, so they welcomed the chance to meet me there.

The next few days were spent eating, skating, fishing, drinking and being merry.

This is what Good Clean Livin looks like:

While we were there we made sure to get our yellow lab, Cabo, a session with Bre Williams. She takes amazing photos, check out her latest work on Instagram or click here.

Adventure, Aviation, Bahamas, Bonefish, Catch & Release, DIY, Explore, Friendships, Lifestyle, Stories

Flying Below The Radar

For a couple of years, I would get a call from time to time to fly right seat over to the Bahamas with a good friend who was working in South Florida as a charter pilot.

We would take folks over for the day and while they did whatever they were there to do, we would harass the local bonefish on the “airport flat”.

Getting there and back was also a lot of fun.

Get out there and seek adventure, even if its just for a day, or a few hours!

Act Locally, DIY, Explore, Flybrary Project, Friendships, Lifestyle, Space Coast

The Flybrary Project

In February 2019 I was minding my own business, gassing up my skiff and slapping a couple of stickers on Pump 1 at the Oak Hill Sunoco (The Meth Lab), when I noticed an old strip of double sided foam tape that was stuck in the middle of the sticker collage. My first thought was to scrape it off to make room for more stickers. As I contemplated it, I looked in my Whipray’s aft locker and saw a fly box laying there and decided to stick a couple of clouser minnow flies on it instead. I posted a story on my Instagram profile, @saltbum, offering them to a good home.

Over the next few weeks, the two flies disappeared and miraculously, new ones appeared from other fly anglers who frequent the store. After visiting Castaway Customs to order fly patches for the Tailer Trash Fly Fishing Podcast, I stuck a 239 Flies patch on the pump to see if something a little more formal would inspire even greater participation.

We later talked about the number of stickers that had been accumulating on the gas pump as well as the addition of the fly patch on an episode of Tailer Trash. Thats when it really started to take off.

Carl Granger and I needed fuel before heading out to watch one of the rocket launches that frequently happen here along the Space Coast and while we were there, we posted another story featuring the fly patch with the “Need one, take one – Have one, leave one” mantra that is often associated with a cup of pennies alongside a gas station cash register. During the next podcast, the term Flybrary was used for the first time to describe it.

We sent a couple of our new Tailer Popper fly patches to our good friend Ben Sittig in Colorado so he could put them up, creating the first two Flybrarys outside of Florida. When he did, he posted a story on his Instagram and the response was HUGE.

Since then, the Flybrary Project has taken on a life of its own, creating a sense of community and a positive vibe within the fly fishing community nationwide. Flybrary Projects come in all shapes and sizes. The spirit of the movement is to create a community of sharing and collaboration amongst anglers. get out there and found a Flybrary in your neighborhood.

Trailhead Flybrary
Mobile Flybrary
Riverside Flybrary
Riverside Flybrary

Learn More about the Flybrary Project by reading about it on Fly Lords. Click Here