Episode 142: Dean Butler - One Of The Best To Ever Do It

Mill House Podcast

Mill House

Wilderness, Sports, Leisure, Education, Hobbies

5 • 973 Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2025

⏱️ 95 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I’m not exactly sure when I first met Dean Butler, but I remember the moment well—he carried an unmistakable aura of quiet assurance. Being an Aussie with that indelible accent only added to the intrigue. Dean had the weathered look only the high seas can carve into a fisherman’s face, hair, and attire. And that smile—like someone who’d just robbed a bank and knew he was going to get away with it. Long before I met him, Dean's reputation was already etched into the billfish world. Years ago, I became a disciple of Tom Evans and his tarpon game, and I’d heard about the two of them—catching all the world-record marlin you see in The Book. Dean’s done a lot in his fishing life. Sure, he’s caught his own marlin records. But I can’t help thinking one of his finest moments was gaffing Enrico Compozzi’s 735-pound marlin on 6-pound test—truly one for the ages. Or maybe it was that 600-pounder he gaffed for Evans, the one that broke the gaffs clean in half. That’s who Dean Butler is—a fisherman through and through. As Lefty once said, “Dean Butler is the best all-around fisherman in the world.” In 2015, Tom was inducted into the IGFA Hall of Fame. Dean followed in 2023. No doubt about it: Dean Butler and Tom Evans were the greatest marlin fly-fishing team ever assembled. On today’s podcast, we travel to Homosassa, Florida, to finally catch up with Dean—and hear the remarkable story of one of fishing’s true legends.

Transcript

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0:00.0	We're proud to have Duck Camp as a supporter of the podcast for the last several years.
0:07.3	They've outfitted us for everything from hooking tarpen to our Elkhunts to the golf course.
0:12.9	Their fishing collection is thoughtfully designed by industry veterans and focused on helping
0:18.0	coastal anglers like us brave the elements.
0:25.1	Check out their new technical and everyday gear at duck camp.com.
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0:39.7	with Turtle Box, the indestructible speaker, perfect for any outdoor adventure. Fully crush-proof,
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0:53.0	and your wildest moments.
0:55.3	Keep the party going wherever you are with Turtle Box.
1:02.9	We broke everything. We broke lines. We broke hooks. We broke rods. we broke our minds, we broke marriages, we broke the whole thing.
1:17.6	We came up with the idea of going out that night and chasing girls and whoever had the biggest pair of panties went to pot.
1:24.6	I knocked another arrow and he turned around the other way and I shot him going through the
1:28.4	other way, so I double lunged them both ways.
1:31.2	But it was nothing for us to paddle an air mattress out into government cut.
1:36.2	I got him on.
1:37.5	All right now.
1:38.5	We're going to teach him a lesson.
1:41.3	I'm just an old guy that likes to fish.
1:43.1	I'm not quitting yet.
1:45.5	And he said, well, who the hell do you think you are, Sue App?
1:48.7	And I said, that's exactly who I am.
	...

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