DENVER (June 23, 2026) – On the most recent episode (#33) of the Fly Fisherman Loop to Loop podcast, Ross Purnell, Editor/Writer of Fly Fisherman Journal, sits down with one superb fly fisherman – Andy Mill. A world-class skier who was considered one of America’s prime downhill racers within the Nineteen Seventies and early ‘80s, the U.S. Champion in ’76, who skied 4 occasions within the World Championships (’74, ’76, ’78 and ’80), and twice represented america within the Olympics, ending sixth in Innsbruck in ’76 regardless of a extreme coaching damage to his foot, and ending sixteenth general in 1980 at Lake Placid, New York. Mill was an everyday on the World Cup Circuit till a career-ending snowboarding accident in Switzerland in ’81, and afterwards he went on to a really profitable, 20-year TV and broadcast profession protecting World Cup snowboarding and the Winter Olympics for CBS and different networks. Over his profession as a skier, Mill definitely proved that he had the center of a champion; nevertheless, one other ardour burned deep in his coronary heart, stemming from his childhood in Aspen, Colorado – fly fishing.
In 1960, the Mill Household moved to Aspen, the place as a youth Andy Mill excelled at quite a lot of sports activities – snowboarding, in fact – but additionally at soccer and baseball. An opportunity assembly with fly fishing pioneer Ernie Schwiebert whereas Mill was driving his bike to baseball follow alongside the Roaring Fork River would have as huge an impression on his future because the slopes of the Aspen Snowmass.
“At some point driving my bicycle to baseball follow I noticed this fly line going forwards and backwards [making a motion with his finger] and I assumed, ‘Wow, look how cool that’s,’ so I rode my bike over and it was Ernie Schwiebert. He was in Aspen on behalf of the Nation Retailer, which was a fly tying, fly fishing little retailer, and he was giving fly casting demonstrations, and I went over there and after the session he taught me how you can forged. Ten years later he was again on the town, and we discovered one another, and now he’s sleeping on my sofa. I used to be dwelling in Basalt. Now I’m 17 or 18 years previous, and he’s sleeping on my sofa, and we had been fishing the Fryingpan [River]. I had my vice, and he was tying flies on my Vega. I had a little bit Vega, and Ernie Schwiebert was tying flies and wading them out to me in the course of the river. After which, plenty of years later, I used to be fishing in Alaska with Ernie. So, Ernie was the nice Ernie Schwiebert, and we turned fairly tight and traveled collectively a little bit bit. After which, Chuck Fothergill taught me how you can tie flies once I was 11-12 years previous with the Wright brothers – Jonathan, Flip, and Chapin Wright – and Jonathan, as you understand, was climbing with Chouinard and was killed in an avalanche. Aspen was actually fly-fishing floor zero there for fairly a number of years, as a result of Chuck Fothergill had a retailer and lots of people began fly fishing. However once I began, there wasn’t anyone on the river, and I liked it!”
“So, when Covid hit,” Mill continued, “I had an opportunity to point out my son Nicky what I grew up with as a result of there was not one airplane on the airport. There was no person driving. The world was shut down. And I had an opportunity to point out Nicky what I grew up with on the Roaring Fork, once we went down and will go anyplace we wished and by no means noticed one other particular person. After which we bought into the Keys earlier than – it was shut down for the entire month of Might – we bought into the Keys and we had been tarpon fishing, and we by no means noticed one other boat from Bow Channel to Key West, 17 miles, perhaps 21 miles, by no means noticed one other boat for like two weeks, and each tarpon you noticed was excessive and blissful and wished to chew your fly… The very best day we had, we hooked 18 tarpon and caught 12, on the oceanside.”
“My relationship with fishing has sort of modified,” confided Mill, “due to what I’ve seen. , I’m an older man now. I nonetheless like to trout fish, however on my phrases, and the truth that I actually don’t care about catching a little bit fish anymore. I’d somewhat stroll the river and search for a giant fish that may be feeding beneath the floor and attempt to goal him. Or, throughout a caddis fly hatch, get a chew however simply don’t set the hook, and also you simply attempt to get a number of bites, smoke a cigar and go house. However fly fishing was as necessary to me as a younger child as snowboarding was.”
Take heed to the Fly Fisherman Loop to Loop podcast, in partnership with Patagonia, G. Loomis, Mayfly Outside, TroutRoutes and Cigars Worldwide, on Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, and at FlyFisherman.com.
After Mill’s catastrophic ski damage, he went into the published sales space and held quite a few different jobs associated to his snowboarding profession, however he wasn’t blissful as a result of he now not was chasing a aim. “My aim in life was by no means to be a TV present host or to be the director of snowboarding. My complete life was like making an attempt to win baseball video games or go catch a fish or attempt to win ski races, and now my complete life was flatlined. After which the Out of doors Life Community known as and requested me to do some specials. So, I hosted a few of these specials for them and so they loved my work, after which they stated, ‘Hey, how about internet hosting and producing a fishing present.’ And I stated, ‘I’ve no time in any respect.’ However I began to assume a little bit extra intently about it and my life on the time, and I used to be making actually good cash. And I known as them again and I stated, ‘I’ll inform you what I’ll do. You match what I make as a skier, all my contracts, all my clothes sponsors, skis, boots, bindings, what I used to be making from the ski firm and the TV stuff. You match that, and provides me a five-year contract, and I’ll change careers. I’ll depart snowboarding.’ And so they did…and we traveled the world for seven years producing nice reveals, after which I bought concerned in fishing tournaments within the Keys, however that mainly modified my life in such an enormous method as a result of now I used to be having enjoyable once more, I used to be chasing stuff. I used to be fishing with the very best anglers on this planet catching these big fish.”
In the course of the Nineties, Mill went on to host and produce over 90 episodes of Sportsman’s Journal with Andy Mill for the Out of doors Life Community (later Versus Community) and he fly fished around the globe. Moreover, he has gained a dozen saltwater fly-fishing tournaments, together with 11 main tarpon tournaments (essentially the most ever by a single fisherman), and he additionally gained event titles for bonefish and allow, making him the one angler to win a tarpon/bonefish/allow event on fly. Mill’s aggressive dominance duly earned him membership in each the Bonefish & Tarpon Belief Corridor of Fame (Class of ’22) and the Worldwide Sport Fish Affiliation Corridor of Fame (Class of ’23).
When requested concerning the finish of his snowboarding profession and making the transfer to fishing, Mill merely stated, “Life strikes on. Life is about surviving, proper. Life is about restoration. It doesn’t all the time go effectively. We be taught extra from our errors and our failures than we do once we win.”
“I’m so grateful for the time Andy Mill was capable of spend with me,” stated Purnell. “I’ve been a fan all through his profession, and I’ve to say that I’m amazed at his snowboarding profession, and I’m in all probability extra amazed at his fishing profession, and his event accomplishments on the saltwater flats which will by no means be matched. His guide, “A Ardour for Tarpon,” is an authoritative must-read, and you may guess that I’ll proceed to tune into the Mill Home Podcast that he hosts along with his son Nicky.”
Don’t miss Monte Burke’s function article, “The Many Lives of Andy Mill,” within the August-September 2026 version of Fly Fisherman journal, on sale Tuesday, July 7.
Obtainable on Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, and at FlyFisherman.com the most recent episode of Fly Fisherman Loop to Loop podcast is a must-listen for fly fishing fans of all ranges who need to keep knowledgeable.
About Out of doors Sportsman Group: Out of doors Sportsman Group is comprised of the world’s foremost media and leisure manufacturers for outside journey fans. It contains three main multichannel networks: Out of doors Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Community, in addition to Sportsman Channel (Canada) and MOTV, the world’s main subscription streaming platform created for outside life-style fans. The Group additionally consists of quite a few established publishing belongings: 14 outside magazines together with Weapons & Ammo, Sport & Fish, Petersen’s HUNTING, In-Fisherman and 20 prime web sites. Moreover, Out of doors Sportsman Group contains tv manufacturing operations, Winnercomm. For extra info, go to www.outdoorsg.com.
