Episode 58: Capt. David Mangum - Megalops Mania

David Mangum is unquestionably one of the most highly exposed
tarpon guides there is. His early notoriety came with a film shot
by Howard films titled “Location X,” located somewhere in the
Apalachicola region of the Florida Panhandle. The darker water and
monster fish that swim there are much more prone to eat a fly,
creating the opportunity for some highly energetic footage. It was
an eye opener. Many locals already knew about what was going on in
the Panhandle, but now there was a movie. Then in 2017, Yeti
produced a short tarpon film, “120 days,” which represented David
Mangum’s tarpon season that rocked the house. Shot in black and
white, it was electric and it went viral. It’s an incredible look
into a sport and a fish we love, and a man that has refined his
craft. But the words I heard expressed, and the way he caught his
fish raised a red flag that made me take a closer look. I knew our
paths had to cross at some point. Then, I met David in the Florida
Keys while we were both filming separate TV shows with Jared
Raskob. David was awesome, funny, effervescent and engaging, but I
held my questions that I hoped one day would be answered. On this
podcast, we tread into some deeper water with Mangum and talked
about some very important topics including: passion, legacy,
ethics, and spot ownership. He was articulate about our differences
and cared about how he would be heard, everything we’d hoped for!
Thank you so much for coming on, David!