Pete Utschig β the surfcaster behind Phase Gear, Project Magic Hour, and the Surfcasters documentary series β sits down with Peter Jenkins in Newport, two weeks into his annual pilgrimage north from Florida.
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They cover how one weekend trip turned Florida into Pete's winter home water, and how a spare-room guide service became a full surf fishing lodge: all-inclusive, 20 minutes from the water, 45 minutes from three or four inlets, running December through April β exactly when nobody wants to be in the Northeast. Rods, lures, and food are provided; you bring board shorts and a toothbrush.
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From there it's Pete's bucket list, which is organized by fish rather than by country: cubera snapper on topwater, GTs in Indonesia, corvina in Ecuador, giant tarpon in Gabon, and bluefin tuna busting sardines within casting distance of a European rock. Along the way: why daytime fisheries beat vampire hours for actually enjoying a place, what guides learn from their guests, and the line that sums up the whole episode β the best time to fish is anytime you can.
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To fish with Pete in Florida, reach out to @phasegear on Instagram or through phase-gear.com.
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Mentioned in this episode: Phase Gear Β· Project Magic Hour (dir. Mikko Huttunen) Β· the Surfcasters series Β· Kyle Schaefer / Soul Fly Lodge (Bahamas) Β· Larry Dahlberg's The Hunt for Big Fish Β· Steve Huff on the Mill House Podcast
Timestamps (podcast apps)
(00:41) Project Magic Hour β FL, the Northeast, Alaska (02:58) Discovering Florida surf fishing (03:56) Building the lodge (06:08) DecemberβApril, all-inclusive, "Get Tight" (11:43) Bucket-list fish: cubera, GTs, corvina, tarpon (16:44) Bluefin from shore in Europe (20:33) "Do you want to catch, or do you want to fish?" (22:01) "The best time to fish is anytime you can" (24:16) What's next for Pete
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