What a ride. A candid conversation with Andy Mill: After a life running at full speed with a commitment to testing himself through competition, Mill takes a moment for a philosophical break to look back and ahead. Mill's life as USA's best downhill Olympic downhill skier, and TV producer, were his first chapter before finding his real footing as a fishing ambassador, champion angler (14 total Florida Keys fly tournament wins, see full list below) and co-host of "Mill House Podcast" (with his son Nicky). I first met Andy Mill when I jumped on a flats skiff in the early 2000s to find tarpon with my camera, and bear witness to an angler (Andy Mill) and guide (Tim Hoover) at the top of their game. Andy didn't know me from Adam, but he said to get on board and to do this thing. It was an attitude I appreciated from day one.
After retiring from a successful television career as the producer and host of "Sportsman's Journal with Andy Mill," Mill devoted himself to competing in saltwater fly fishing tournaments in the Florida Keys. His background as a fearless competitor was clear. Mill challenged himself to be the best, but it wasn't all wine and roses on his way to setting a new gold standard in Keys saltwater fishing tourneys. There were challenges and sacrifice.
Full BIO: Mill was a skier in the U.S. downhill from 1974-1981. He skied in two Olympics and four World Championships. For his 1976 Olympic performance in Innsbruck, Austria, Mill placed 6th while skiing on a severely injured leg, and was awarded the “Olympic Skiing Award." In 1993 he was inducted into the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame.
Mill spent 20 years covering two Olympics Games, two World Championships and "Sportsman's Journal with Andy Mill" won the Teddy Roosevelt Award for excellence in outdoor programming. Mill has won: 5 Gold Cups, the most prestigious tarpon tournament in saltwater fly fishing, 6 Golden Flies, a Don Hawley, Fall Fly Invitational Bonefish and the Del Brown Permit tournament, and was the first of only three anglers ever to win a bonefish, tarpon and permit tournament on fly.
In 2020 he and his son Nicky started the Mill House Podcast, interviewing the great icons of fishing. Their goal is to preserve the rich history of not only fly fishing but all aspects of sport fishing. He is the author of the instant classic, “A Passion for Tarpon” and a respected angling ambassador.
Andy has also worked closely with a number of companies including Hardy, designing saltwater fly rods, and reels.
Honors:
The City of Aspen Hall of Fame
Colorado Ski Hall of Fame
Curt Gowdy Media award from Bone Fish Tarpon Trust
Heritage Award from the American Museum of Fly Fishing
Joe Brooks Award by the International Game Fish Association
