Fly Fishing Back Then...

As a history buff I’m especially fond of fishing stories from the 1940s and 50s. This was a time when salt water fly fishing was still in its infancy. Back then there were maybe two dozen guides in all of the Florida Keys who specialized in catching tarpon and bonefish. They were a unique group of captains who, along with their intrepid anglers, where actually inventing the sport with each new fish they caught.

This was the post-war era and the many of these men were military veterans. From their time in the service they learned that the best way to stop someone from screwing up was to scream loudly. They ran their charters in the same manner. If they worked hard to pole you within fifty feet of a laid up tarpon, your fly was going to land exactly where they wanted it RIGHT NOW, and you better not miss. Or else.

The most well known member of this group was Capt Stu Apte. A jet pilot by trade, Apte flew fighters over Korea and later, 747s for Pan Am. For several years between those gigs he became the most sought after flats guide in the Keys. His world record tarpon catches are legendary and so was his intensity on the water. Stu demanded perfection from his anglers and their equipment. He was famous for meeting customers well before a charter to check their gear, and wouldn’t hesitate to tear fly lines and leaders apart if they weren’t rigged to his standards. Considering some of the primitive tackle back then this isn’t surprising. Apte’s time on the water was extremely valuable and he wouldn’t allow a possible world record to be lost by an angler’s lack of preparation.

Years ago I fished with an older gentleman who chartered Stu Apte in the 1960s. He talked about an unbelievable morning when the fish were rolling everywhere but he just couldn‘t get his act together. Apte put him on tarpon after tarpon but he blew every cast. Apte’s constant berating became so intense that the angler actually started having chest pains. He called it a day at that point but was back in the hot seat the next morning.

Most anglers today wonder why anyone in their right mind, especially a wealthy CEO, would put up with such treatment, let alone pay good money for it. I asked the same thing and his answer was obvious. Stu Apte was both an unforgiving taskmaster and the best tarpon guide anywhere. If you did what he said to do, when he said to do it, you would catch a tarpon on a fly rod. At a time when that was a rare feat, you truly something to brag about. Every morning on the water back then was a chance to make angling history and an open spot on Apte‘s schedule wasn‘t wasted because of some minor chest pains.

Apte’s impact on the sport went far beyond a his years as a charter captain. His work on TV in 1970s, especially with ABC’s American Sportsman series, really exposed the sport to the world. Seeing some of that old footage today, you can’t help but be impressed by how much they did with so little. Fiberglass rods, heavy boats, and huge cameras that used something called film made that aspect of Apte’s career even more fascinating.

Times have really changed over the past forty years. There are hundreds of fly fishing guides in the Keys today and very, very few of them are ex-fighter pilots. The competition for charters is fierce and anglers won’t pay $500 to be screamed at all morning. During my time in Key West I knew a couple guides who used that tactic but none of them were even close to Apte’s caliber on the water. These guys lost their tempers when clients failed but would then credit their own guiding skills when they succeeded. Ego and bragging rites at the dock were more important than teaching a novice or advancing the sport. Those are things that men like Apte had already done for us.

I’ve met Stu Apte briefly on a couple different occasions, both of them charity tournaments and he was extremely personable, especially to the younger guides who often act like little-leaguers meeting Derek Jeter. I’ve never fished with him but friends have told me that all his intensity is still there. It would have been an incredible experience to be on the water with Apte in the early 60’s. To see the undeveloped Keys and waves of tarpon unaffected by a gauntlet other boats has always been a dream of mine, even if it meant some serious chest pains every time I blow a cast.