Episode 53: Capt. Dan Malzone - Life of "Guido"

Dan Malzone experienced first hand the halcyon of Homosassa's
tarpon fishery when all the big guns were there chasing the holy
grail of Tarpon, a 200 pound behemoth. All the players were there:
Evans, Apte, Pate, Huff, Dopirak, Delph, Robinson, Chittum, and
everyone else who wanted a shot at catching the biggest tarpon on
the world. I showed up in the late 80's when the fish had already
been rapidly thinning out. I just wanted to see what all the buzz
was about, and hopefully catch some fat fish. Soon, I became
friendly with many of the big names I was awestruck by, and one of
them was Dan Malzone. Malzone, like most others was extremely nice.
With a big presence and a deep voice, he was respected greatly by
all his peers. I soon realized why. He was not only generous but
had world class skills on both ends of the boat. With Dr. Pete
McGary poling, he caught a 167 pound tarpon on 12 lb test for a new
world record. He later guided Dr. Balch to a 179 pound tarpon on 12
lb test pushing that tippet class to a whole new level
unimaginable, until Tom Evans shattered it with a 194 pound tarpon.
The world of record chasing back then had such an audience, Sports
Illustrated devoted an in-depth article to it. And right in the
middle of this historical time, Dan Malzone not only partook, but
helped push the boundaries and evolve the sport of fly fishing for
tarpon.