I have always been drawn to the bluewater. The ocean has forever been a central part of my very existence. My earliest memories revolve around crabbing, fishing, claming and exploring the many mysteries of the salt water. Throughout my adolescents and early teenage years, I would sit on the shores of the ocean and fish from sun up until sundown and sometimes into the night. My curiosity often wondered as my eyes would scan the horizon. “There must be giants out there?” I was 16 years old, young and na?ve and a bit bored with what the inshore waters had to offer. While my friends and fellow school mates were getting summer jobs washing dishes, I was determined to find a way to transform my bluewater curiosities into an adventurous reality and see for myself what type of monsters prowled the off-shore waters. So, I walked the commercial fishing docks in Pt. Judith Rhode Island looking for a job as a deckhand on an off-shore commercial fishing boat. Most captains who saw me laughed and would not even entertain the thought of bringing a greenhorn young kid like me out to sea. These were not recreational sport fishing boats; these were long range commercial draggers and long liners. The crews on most of these commercial fishing boats were rough around the edges, to say the very least. So, the days passed and all I got for my effort was a lot of “No’s” and a few laughs at my expense. I was beginning to think that my dreams of truly experiencing the bluewater were never going to materialize. Then, I stumbled across a captain who was rebuilding his engine. I asked him, “You lookin’ for any deck hands?” He smirked and it was obvious that he could not figure out whether I was joking or serious. When he realized my determination and willingness to “do anything” he said, “Tell ya what kid, my boat is going to be on dry dock here for 2 weeks. You show up every day at sunrise and work through sunset. I won’t pay you, but I will feed you lunch every day. If you make it through the two weeks without being late and without complaining, I will consider making you part of the crew as a deck hand on the next trip.” Looking back, I know that he thought I would quit and never make it. But, that was not the case. I showed up before sunrise every day and worked long into the night cutting chains, mending nets, painting steel, splicing lines, cleaning fish bins and organizing gear. The two weeks came to an end, the regular crew stumbled back onto the boat with their bags and the captain said to me, “Jeremy, I appreciate your help, but the entire crew came back and there is no room for you.” I drove home, heartbroken. Then, while my grandmother was frying up some eggs for me the phone rang. Instantly, I knew this was my call and I ran to answer the phone. “You still want to go on this trip?” I responded, “Absolutely!” The rest is history and from that day throughout my college years, I worked on scallop draggers, cod draggers, long liners and gill-netters from Rhode Island to Florida to Alaska. I would sometimes spend up to 30 days at a time fishing 24/7 and 200-300 miles off-shore for swordfish, mako shark and various species of tuna. I saw the most amazing things during my days at sea and learned so much about the ocean and fishing. I saw and caught the monsters I had dreamed about. Giant sharks of all types, huge swordfish and marlin, dorado, big-eye tuna, yellow fin tuna, huge seas, massive storms and I realized how easily the ocean could swallow me whole. I had a new respect for the ocean and a new love for the bluewater and the monsters that only dwell in the deep blue water. At 23’ish I graduated from college and hung up the oil slickers and decided to pursue a life and career on land. Since that time, I have often been surrounded by all the annoyances of life on land and found myself daydreaming of the simple life at sea and the bluewater. A couple months ago, my friend Jeff was telling me about some of the bluewater fly fishing he does in Mexico. My interest peaked immediately and I thought to myself, “Just imagine Jeremy, fly fishing to the monsters in the bluewater.” This was an opportunity that seemed especially made for me. I was not interested in just catching marlin, dorado and tuna any old way; I had already done that. What interested me was re-connecting with the bluewater in a different capacity. I imagined fly fishing the bluewater and trying to get the off-shore monsters to take my fly. Something about that scenario seemed so much more rewarding for me, and so inherently different than the type of fishing I had done on the commercial boats. Rather than putting a price tag on the heads of these monsters and catching and killing hundreds of them per day; I simply wanted some pictures and video of the hunt and the chase and the catch. I wanted to catch a deep water monster on the fly and then release it back into the bluewater. Fortunately, the trip was a success and once again I re-connected with the bluewater and saw things that I had never seen before. I, once again, felt infinitely small in comparison to the massiveness and power of the bluewater and the monsters that lurk within. This was the trip of a lifetime for me. And, as always, my fly fishing journey continues to evolve and constantly amaze me.
Book
- Alaska
- Guide & Fisherman
- Guiding: Choosing Your Guide And Choosing Your Customer
- Guiding: Do It Yourself With A Guide
- Guiding: Evolution Of A Guide
- Guiding: Freshwater, More Than Meets The Eye
- Guiding: Friends For Life
- Guiding: Know Where You Are
- Guiding: More Than Just A Fisherman
- Guiding: Mystery Of The Fisherman
- Guiding: Payment
- Guiding: Saltwater, A Different World
- Rough Fish
- Fly Fishing For Rough Fish: Why Do It?
- Introduced Rough Fish: The Carps & Other Invasive Species
- Methodology: Gear & Tactics For Pursuing Roughfish On A Fly
- More Roughfish: Bullheads, Whitefish, Goldeye, Burbot & Drum
- Rough Fish Environments: Where To Look For Rough Fish?
- Rough Fish Species: The Suckers
- Rough fish: A Lifetime Of Learning
- Rough Fish: Fishing For Dinosaurs (Gars & Bowfin)
- Rough Fish: What Are They?
- The Hook: Some Common Rough Fish Fly Patterns
- Spey
- Spey: Applications, Where Can You Do It?
- Spey: Atlantic Salmon, A Significant Fish
- Spey: Defined And Demystified
- Spey: Gear, The Nuts And Bolts
- Spey: Lines, They Are That Important
- Spey: Steelhead, New Traditions & A Modern Movement
- Spey: The Energy
- Spey: The Flies
- Spey: The Swing
- Spey: Two Critical Casts
- Striped Bass
- Striped Bass: Fishing Rocky Shorelines
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Beaches
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Flats
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Reefs
- Striped Bass: Fishing Tidal Rivers
- Striped Bass: Flatwing Swing
- Striped Bass: Fly Line Options & Choices
- Striped Bass: Gear, The Nuts & Bolts
- Striped Bass: Migration Patterns
- Striped Bass: What They Eat
- The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: A Natural Drug
- Fly Fishing: A Validation Of Freedom
- Fly Fishing: Don’t Fight The Current
- Fly Fishing: It Is What It Is
- Fly Fishing: Socialization For Asocial Individuals
- Fly Fishing: The Allure Of The Fish
- Fly Fishing: The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: The Simplicity Of It All
- Fly Fishing: Time Flies
- Fly Fishing: Times You Remember & Try To Forget
Jeremy, sweet video. Was that Jeff you were fishing with?
Mickey
Jeremy….what a great trip! You surely had the trip of a lifetime! You and I had been talking about this trip for a while…..as in the long plane rides, no fish, etc……but it obviously turned out to be an awsome move…..you “talked the talk and walked the walk” and got it done bigtime! I love how you got connected back to your bluewater routes in a micro level compared back to your college days. fantastic video….and dorado too???? sick!
Jeremy – UNREAL. By far the craziest fly fishing video I’ve ever seen. Something else to see that Marlin chasing down that fly from the back of the boat.
James
Wow, you were just in the middle of the Pacific Crushing everything in the horizon. Lighting up 100lb marlin with a big gun truly killer. Great stuff.
Ahab…you got some unreal shots out there, those fish are amazing…so glad it all came to fruition, you were totally determined to get down there and make the memory. You really came full circle in your journey…one “white whale” down! Hemingway would be proud
That has to be up there with one of my favorite videos on this site. Knock out fish for the fly stick, man.
Jeremy,
SICK is the only word to describe that video. Did your fish light up, as I have heard they light up in bright neon colors? How hard do they pull and how long did those fish jump? It looked increadbile on the video. I guess near shore fishing will never be the same for you now that you have had the taste of deep water fish. Congradulations, Well done.
Jeremy, that video was awesome. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to catch a marlin on a fly rod.
ya Jeremy, you don’t need me to tell you anything, you already know what I am going to say…..WOW!
Trip of a lifetime to be sure. Great
My jaw landed on the keyboard. That looks like serious business. Beautiful fish, outragous video. I’m sure you still haven’t come down from that yet. Nice work, I gotta watch again.
Madness on the screaming reel , overwhelming insanity love it brother.. i am so happy for you and you closed the deal like a pro… as always…
Alex
Jeremy, NICE!! I have chased whites in OC, Maryland but I have yet to hook up, seeing your video just inspires me even more. Bluewater fly fishing is extremely addictive, I live in PA with some very good trout steams but I have let them alone for three years. All my fishing has just been for bluewater species all up and down the coast.
Great trip, the Marlin looked awesome as well as, my favorite, Dorado!
Congratulations on that marlin. That is too awesome. Looking forward to how you top this with your next “trip of a lifetime.”
bro, after viewing the video for my 100th time I love how you put the wood to that fish and brought it to the gunnel…Alex
Hey Jeremy,
Got your call…That is just unbelievable stuff. What weight rod did you have to use for that beast? I hope you’re not jaded for fishing around here next year!
jeremy,
sweet film work, that lit-up monster melted my screen. that water was full of life and you got it done like a champ. nice work. -Ed
yah
ya it was amazing to see the fish light up … all different neon colors .. the fish pull very hard and have amazing speed .. but they were relatively manageable .. these fished averaged 80-160 pounds … the fish seemed to have boundless engergy and 10-15 total jumps throughout a battle was common place …
hey man, how are ya … you would have loved it .. we used 14 weight rods … you could have gotten it done with a 12 weight in most cases, but a 14 wt was ideal ….. jaded for around here? are you kidding me? no way … bluefin tuna, albies, bonito, bluefish, stripers, sharks … when it’s on, the northeast can’t be beat … additionally, the funny thing for me is that i could go trout fishing here in maine and although the sizes of the fish change and the game changes .. i still get a similar sense of accomplishment .. and its funny how an 18 inch brook trout can produce a similar effect as a 100 pound marlin … that’s whay i love about fly fishing, everything is relative to the environment and the fish being pursued but the sense of the chase and accomplishment remain ….. can’t wait for the northeast salt next season .. what a season we had this year .. i still have some amazing albie/bonito/bluefin tuna video to put together .. including the stuff with you and the killer day we had on foot towards the end of the season … that was an incredible day
WOW …. thanks for all the comments everyone !!!!!
Dude that is awesome as all hell. Great story about what brought you to where you are now in the fishing world. The fish just speaks for itself. Incredibly gorgous colors. I can’t wait to see what is next on the list. Thanks for sharing.
Holy %&@#!
Incredible!
You got it done bro, Big Time!
Amazing footage and killer fish.
Before your trip I know you were unsure what to expect, well I’d say you attained your goal and went well beyond!
Congrats Jeremy!
This fish tale does not suck…
I’ll be watching it all winter
%*)&^*&* unbelievable. What a video, what a trip.
Great video! Fly-fishing for marlin is my dream and hope to do it someday. Also what wt of a rod were you using?
Wow, My friend you have really come a long way! I share your pasion for the blue water this video brings me back to a time in my life when all I could think about was blue water fishing.. Thanks for the memories
Joe
I was watching the video last night, several others in the house had to watch it and on my computer it does not shut off until you manually turn it off. I awoke at 2 am to your laughter coming from the videeo. The experience is now burned into my brain and I no longer need to go. Looks like one of those trips of a lifetime for me but another day at the office for you! Great video and article congrats.
Jeremy,
First, congrats on the great trip, awesome visuals!
Now for the reel question:
1) Do you ever actually work?
If yes, please send me a job application.
I fished with him last april. He is a real nice guy. The place he fishes out of has a sick ribbon fish on the wall did you see it? We stayed in Cabo so it was a 1hr 45 min trip to his place. Did he tell you about the trip where they go out for a few weeks on the water and fish for marlin only and catch 50- 100. We had no luck with the marlin but we did hit the spanish macs pretty hard. I also fished out of cabo and was lucky enough to catch a darado awesome when they light up.
Mickey
“Did he tell you about the trip where they go out for a few weeks on the water and fish for marlin only and catch 50- 100” ……
this was that trip 🙂
Sick video Jeremy.
Thats why I love/hate your videos… They make me wanna go fish soooo bad.
Right now the wind is blowing and it’s freezing cold outside here in Denmark. You can go and fish for seatrout, but its still not the same.
So for the time beeing it’s work, work, work, so I can get some money for the spring and summer fishing trips.
Can’t wait to see the next video.
nic and chromefinder … i had been looking for the perfect tag line for the fliesandfins.com logo for years .. but could never find it .. then, i wrote the last response to nic’s comment, which also related to chromefinder about “work and how fliesandfins is an escape, a source of entertainment and a way for me to “live the dream” .. i then realized .. “that’s it!!” that’s the tag line i was looking for … so, check it out .. i created a new logo .. top left of site .. with the new tag line “live the dream” … that is just what i was looking for and that tag line … absolutely captures the essence of fliesandfins.com …. thanks!
Don’t take my sarcaism the wrong way.
I completely jealous of the fact your out fishing and I’m not.
“Live the Dream”
exactly … and chances are your probably going steelheading this weekend or sooner than me anyway, and i am not ! … so, i am completely jealous of that! big time! … so, the theory is even when i am not “livin the dream” .. you are .. or someone somewhere in the world is! … so, collectively .. we’re all “livin the dream!” .. 24/7 … 365 … i love it … somehere in the world, right now as you are reading this, some fly fisherman is “livin the dream” and about to make the cast of a lifetime to the fish of a lifetime while on the trip of a lifetime .. if it can’t be me … mine as well be you .. or anyone else .. just as long as the “dream” stays alive! … now, go find some chrome and make me jealous!.. later brotha.
so .. did you pull the trigger on that switch steelhead stick or something similar?
Jeremy..sweet video buddy. That is very cool! Wow.
Nope! But I am hoping that Santa comes through and delivers one X-Mas morning.
Marlin and sailfish have been on my list for a while now. I spent some time working on a project in Stowe, VT. a few years back and went out to dinner one night with a bunch of ski freaks one night at the local Mexicali joint. They were all talking with the blonde owner about a ski trip they’d all just gotten back from to Argentina when she mentioned she’d been down in Belize looking for a lodge for to chase marlin out of. Within 10 minutes her and I were flipping through photo albums looking at the fish her and her husband had been tackling on fly rods. Needless to say, the rest of the crowd was dumbfounded over how we went from talking Argentina skiing to hard core blue water fly fishing. Your video proved the point that I need to make that trip sooner than later. Nice work.
ya know what .. prior to actually doing it .. i kinda thought, “is this just a novelty thing .. and not really something that makes sense to do with a fly rod” … well, i realized very quickly into it … that all of the same thrills and anticipation that arise when a trout rises to a dry fly are there when a marlin gets on your fly … like all forms of fly fishing for any species there were unique hurdles to overcome and figure out .. like finding the fish, getting them to eat, making the cast when it mattered etc .. and these fish were very reasonable to target and catch on the fly rod .. meaning, at some point a fish is just to big to catch and the fun/sport is not really enhanced by size … if it was, we would be casting to whales … so most of these fish ranged 80-160 pounds … similar to big tarpon or bluefin tuna in that respect … so, prior to the trip i was kind of convinced that fly fishing for marlin is just kind of a one time novelty experience that i wanted to try once … well, guess what .. i can’t wait to do it again … definately not just a novelty, and a form of fly fishing that is well worth the experience … that is just my opinion …
i read a quote somewhere once that said something like, “at some point every salt water fly fisherman is drawn to the bluewater” … i thought that was cool .. and after this experience, my mind certainly keeps wondering there … go get ’em if you get the chance! you won’t regret it.
When you have the passion the rest just falls into place. That’s what it is all about…Live the Dream man and thanks for the wintertime escape! The tale, the music, the video, the experience… amazing.
Awesome story Jeremy. Reminds me of my brother and me in Washington State when we were kids, trying to get on the salmon boats. We ended up getting onto a couple and it is an unreal experience. Thanks for sharing and bringing back some old memories.