Tarpon champion Andy Mill: "Failing as a skier enabled me to win as a fisherman"

Andy Mill is a two-time Olympian, competed in the downhill event in four World Championships, and went on to win 12 major fly-fishing tarpon tournaments as well as a Del Brown Permit tournament title and a Fall Fly Invitational Bonefish Tournament, making him the first person in history to win major tarpon, permit, and bonefish tournaments. He had a celebrity marriage and very public divorce, he was friends with presidents, and he wrote the greatest book about tarpon ever written. He learned to trout fish from Ernest Schwiebert, tied flies with Chuck Fothergill, and went on to become host of "Sportsman's Journal with Andy Mill." He was mentored by Steve Huff, Flip Pallot, and Lefty Kreh, and is widely considered the most successful saltwater angler of all time.

Now, Andy and his son Nicky are the host of the very popular Mill House podcast. Andy took the time to sit down with Fly Fisherman editor Ross Purnell in person in Florida and discuss his life, what he's learned about the dynamics of winning, and his current passions, which include bowhunting for elk in Colorado, golf, and conservation efforts with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, American Saltwater Guides Association, and Captains for Clean Water.

Look for Andy Mill on the cover of the Aug.-Sep. 2026 issue of Fly Fisherman and the story "The Many Lives of Andy Mill" by author Monte Burke.