Episode 111: Capt. Al Dopirak - Homosassa's Greatest

Mill House Podcast

Mill House

Wilderness, Sports, Leisure, Education, Hobbies

5 • 973 Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2024

⏱️ 103 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Capt. Al Dopirak is arguably the best fishing guide to ever chase world record tarpon! He and Tom Evans have put more big tarpon in their boat than anyone. Records are meant to be broken but their 194.5 lb tarpon on 12 pound test is beyond imagination, well mine anyway! They also caught a 190.5 lb tarpon on 16 pound test that broke Billy Pate’s 188 lb record that stood for 25 plus years. Tom Evans has been inducted into the IGFA Hall of Fame, and a very large part of that success story, unquestionably, has to do with Al Dopirak. Tom said, “Al is the greatest. I fished with Al for 42-43 years. Best tarpon fisherman I ever fished with. And as a person - Just the tops!” Dopirak is much more than a great fisherman, he is a loyal, loving husband, father and friend. When Evans ended up in the hospital while fishing with Al in 2022, Dopirak stayed with Tom 7 hours a day, never leaving his side. Al’s wife, Penny, and son, Brian, are his pride and Joy. I’ve been around this game along time and I can honestly say that you can put Al’s name on that very short list of, “legendary guides."

Transcript

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0:00.0	Papa's Pappas Pilar is a spirit that embodies adventure, named after the late Great Ernest Hemingway in his boat, the Pilar.
0:10.0	The name says it all. This ultra premium blended rum is hand selected from around the
0:15.6	Caribbean and blended by master blender Ron Call. After a long day in the water
0:20.6	when the sun is descending the sky, end on a good note with
0:24.8	peelard by your side. Go support them at pappas peelard.com or a liquor store near
0:30.7	you.
0:39.0	Whether on the boat, on the river, or in the woods, Yeti products are by our side.
0:41.4	There are many innovative first-class companies in the outdoor market today, but none more so than Yeti.
0:48.0	In 2006, they took the industry by storm, when they produced first road of molded cooler that was reliable and built for the wild
0:57.8	17 years later with a multitude of new products they continued to raise the bar and be the gold standard for all outdoor
1:05.7	brands. We couldn't be more proud to have them as the Millhouse sponsor and a family member. Al de Peric has been one of the most insightful and successful guides to ever fish the
1:26.2	fabled homo-sassa water, were all the biggest tarpin swam for decades.
1:31.7	He and his anglers caught some of the largest tarpin ever caught on a fly.
1:35.4	His story is one we've been hunting down for two years. If you like chasing big fish,
1:41.7	you don't want to miss this one.
1:44.0	We broke everything.
1:48.0	We broke everything, we broke lines, we broke cooks, we broke rods, we broke our minds, we broke marriages, we broke the whole thing.
2:00.0	We came up with the idea of going out that night and chasing girls and whoever had the biggest pair of pain he was in the pot.
2:07.0	I knocked another arrow and he turned around the other way and I shot him going through the other way.
2:12.0	So I double-lunged him both ways.
2:14.0	But it was nothing for us to paddle an air mattress out into government cut.
2:18.0	I got him on all right now. I'm going to teach him a lot so.
	...

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