bios

As a kid, I chased fish all over the western US with fly and spinning gear to the exasperation of the teachers, the Boy Scouts and even my own Dad at times. I had to be taken off the water sometimes to get enough food to live.

Somehow, I got yanked off a trip to Alaska for a summer job in Kenai and sent to the Air Force Academy. It turned into a 28 year stint as a fighter pilot. Fly fishing was replaced with a love of flying. Like all good things, the flying had to come to an end. Our two kids finished school and gave me time to get back to the basics...fly fishing. My wonderful wife thought I would have more time to be a better pal. Boy, was she wrong. The first few post-AF years were spent chasing fish all over the middle latitudes. I branched out to Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico flats. Bonefish became routine and Permit a passion.

Soon, Tarpon took more of my life each year.

When I started finding fish as well as my guides and expert friends,

I began guiding. The Coast Guard rating and licenses came quickly.

I fish out of a Hell's Bay Marquesa flats boat.

My range is the west coast of Florida.

Capt. Unk has been fly fishing all over the world for more than 40 years and

still travels a good deal. We routinely schedule trips for people to Islamorada, Flamingo, Chokoloskee, Homosassa, Cudjoe Key, the Contents, the dazzling north end of the Grand Canyon at Lee's Ferry, Alaska, the Bahamas,

Costa Rica, Belize, Honduras and Mexico.

Capt. Unk is Past President of our local fly club, The Emerald Coast Flyfishers. He conducts fly-casting lessons each month. His boat of choice is a Hell’s Bay Whip Ray Professional 17.8.

Capt. Unk joined the late Jim Buckingham a few years back to do the Castlow Shows as a fly tier. He has tied in several shows. He regularly demonstrates fly tying and fly casting during the annual Florida Sportsman's event here in

Ft Walton Beach.

He has been a tier at the annual FFF SE Conclave in Gulf Shores.

Capt. Unk is an active member of CCA, FFA, and IGFA. Of course he's USCG Certified, insured and bonded. He's an Official Guide and writes the "Pensacola to Panama City Guide Report" for eAngler.com. He is a certified IGFA Captain.

Capt. Rob Cochran grew up in a commercial fishing family on the Texas/ Louisiana Gulf Coast. The last 17 years, Rob has fished the local waters of the Emerald Coast from Panama City to Pensacola. The last 8 years, he has been a professional guide seeking the best light tackle action the Emerald Cast has to offer. Rob specializes in putting clients on fish with the lightest fly or conventional tackle focusing on sight fishing for redfish & cobia along the gulf beaches or deep jigging gulf wrecks & reefs for grouper & amberjack.

Fishing out of Rob's 24' Hydro Sport's Vector allows the angler to venture into the shallow water along Gulf beaches and head off-shore to target Tripletail and Mahi-Mahi. Rob provide a safe, reliable and comfortable ride across the vast expanses of water that is often traversed. Customers may bring their own gear, but it's certainly not necessary as Rob has TFO fly rods and reels for the fly fisherman and the finest conventional spinning rod and reels Shimano offers for those anglers targeting bottom species, trolling for Pelagic

or sight fishing the shallows or weedlines.
Rob's genuine love of fishing combined with an in-depth knowledge of the surrounding waters, allows his clients a truly educational fishing experience.