Rick Crawford
I was first introduced to the sport of fly fishing watching Flip Pallot on The Walker’s Cay Chronicles. Oddly, I don’t remember being all that enamored with fly fishing at the time, but I loved watching because of all the beautiful places fishing was taking Flip on the show. It’s always easier to look back and connect the dots to see how you ended up where you are, and I never realized how much Flip and The Walker’s Cay Chronicles influenced me until I started re-watching some old episodes. The memories came flooding back to the early to mid 90’s when I was in middle school, watching the show on Saturday mornings and then having a strong desire to get outside and go fishing. As I recently watched a few episodes, I also noticed that Pallot has a deep knowledge of his natural surroundings and demonstrated a conservation ethic on the show. Not surprising for a fishing guide I suppose, but perhaps watching The Walker’s Cay Chronicles planted the seed and put me on a path that eventually led me to starting Emerger Strategies and trying to protect the fisheries and wild places that I love, so thank you, Flip!
Flip is a true ambassador of the sport of fly fishing and is also a pioneer of salt water fly fishing, founder of Hell’s Bay Boatworks and done just about everything cool in the fly fishing world, but in order to become a full-time guide Pallot made the decision to leave the corporate world of banking to pursue a life outdoors, fishing and guiding. Some may call it destiny, or fate, but if Flip is as genuinely nice to everyone he meets as he was to me, I think being an excellent human being has more to do with his success than anything.
Flip has seen the sport of fly fishing grow and has also traveled extensively, so he has seen the impact plastic pollution is having. I had the pleasure of getting a few minutes with Flip to chat about the plastic pollution problem that is happening all over the world, and its negative impact on our fisheries.
How did you get into fly fishing?
As a young kid and at a time when salt water fly fishing was being introduced as a concept, people like Joe Brooks were bringing fly fishing to us in Florida and the Keys. The Florida Keys became the place where salt water fly fishing was birthed because it offered so many different species. My little cadre as a youngster was myself, Chico Fernandez, John Emery and Norman Duncan, and those were the kids I grew up with and began to popularize the sport. I was just lucky to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right people.
I was young and athletic and had tons of disposable time, but absolutely no disposable income. It was the perfect storm!
What have you observed in terms of changes to fisheries over the years?
I think I have observed what we all have observed, which is the rising interest in the lifestyle and the degradation of habitat. So at the same time one was growing and so was the other, but sadly they began to work against one another in many ways. It’s great that so many people who became interested in the fly fishing lifestyle because if they hadn’t we would not have any chance of saving the environment that gave life to the lifestyle. I’m not saying it’s going to be successful, but certainly without all these people it would be a moot point.
What have you seen in all of your travels that has been the most interesting takeaway from salt water fly fishing?
The sport of salt water fly fishing is relatively new, and by new I mean the past 60 years, so at one point it was really crazy to hear about someone catching a bonefish, then you would hear about someone catching a wahoo, and then kingfish, mackeral and even black marlin. So it’s what it became…people traveling all over the world pursuing fish and it all happened in my lifetime! I saw this whole thing unfold to an incredible angling feat, and how travel has wormed its way into the fly fishing world. It’s been interesting to watch it evolve.
It’s also been interesting to see who became involved. I mean at what time it was just a few of us barefoot chasing a snook in the mangroves to nowadays where a nuclear physicist will wait all year to travel to Belize to catch a big tarpon!
Have you noticed an increase in plastic pollution?
Absolutely, but we know plastic pollution is not completely caused by anglers, but from many different sources and is so far reaching. One story that comes to mind is in the early 90’s I traveled to Midway Island, which is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and absolutely in the middle of nowhere. Halfway between Hawaii and Japan and on that island is some of the world’s most amazing fishing and the world’s largest populations of the Laysan Albatross, which also happen to be some of the largest birds on the planet with a wingspan of roughly 6 feet! The parents fly from Midway to Japan, and the Sea of Japan, to feed at night and return to feed their babies, but all of the plastics like lighters, tooth brushes or straws are eaten and regurgitated to feed their young. They are actually killing them. This is crazy, especially that there’s enough plastic pollution to the point that its killing nesting birds on a remote island like Midway.
It’s when you stop and look around you, there’s so much plastic everywhere and it stays around forever!
I am sitting in my garage and looking at my recycling can, which is made of plastic, and my wheel barrel, and the chair I am sitting in…all of it is made of plastic. I mean, it’s just everywhere! All of this stuff used to be made out of wood, which is a renewable resource, but the ease of manufacturing and low cost of plastics just means it’s gonna be hard to get rid of. It’s like so many other things in our society…just follow the money, but the bottom line is you are either part of the problem, or part of the solution. How much of the world’s population is willing to sacrifice convenience for the betterment of the environment?
What are some of your favorite brands doing to address the plastic pollution problem?
Well, Costa’s Kick Plastic campaign is great, and I recently talked with Fish Hippie about all the plastic packaging that comes with their shirts, and everyone else’s shirts for that matter, and they are looking into finding alternatives. If that’s the kind of thing that becomes trendy, and then the public demands it, then it starts to snowball. When the public insists, then that’s the only time we will have the chance to make something happen at a large enough volume to make a difference.
We’ve got to start focusing on packaging. I mean how about blister packs? I even heard that there is a new tool that has been made to open blister packaging because it’s so thick with plastic that it requires its own tool to open it! By the way, the handles for the tool are made from plastic, so it has just gotten completely out of control, and the question is, how do we put on the brakes?
What is something you wish more anglers were doing to address plastic pollution?
I think we need to ask them to join a movement, but I don’t think that exists yet. Something like one of those online petitions where you can get a bunch of signatures, but there has to be an awareness about the problem first. Awareness and action are the keys to solving the problem, but there’s no action without awareness of the plastic pollution problem.
If people just became aware of how often they come in contact with plastic, then they might make a decision on personal level to make an impact.
Take Action
I completely agree with Flip, and I hope that this interview serves its purpose of educating and creating more awareness about environmental threats to our fisheries. I would like to thank Flip Pallot for all he has done for the sport of fly fishing, and for taking the time to discuss the plastic pollution problem with me. I also agree that we need to create a massive awareness campaign and there are some organizations who have done a great job in doing just that, so if you are looking for ways to refuse single-use plastics, here a few resources:
- National Geographic Pledge: Planet or Plastic?
- Plastic Free July
- Pollution: 5 Things You Can Do to Refuse Single-Use Plastics
- Plastic-Free Camping in the Everglades: Grocery Shopping
- Plastic-Free Camping in the Everglades: Gear
There are always environmental nonprofits hosting clean-ups, so if you want to get your hands dirty and keep plastic from entering our waterways, volunteering is also a great way to take action.
Are you a “Sustainable Angler?” Don’t forget to sign up for “The Sustainable Angler” Monthly Newsletter for the latest news and tips on how to protect what you love! Stay tuned for next month’s The Sustainable Angler, and as Flip would say, “Bye for now!”