All who have read “A Flicker in the Water” can probably feel throughout it’s pages the influence the Classic book “The Old Man And The Sea” had on it. In fact one of my favorite lines came directly from a sentence Hemingway used. In describing the old man Hemingway wrote. “Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated”. Which inspired me to write. “Neither fisherman nor fish go through a full season undefeated unless you are the 1972 Miami Dolphins”.
Today as we celebrate the birthday of Ernest Hemingway on what would have been his 127th year. Ernest or “Papa” as he was called has never really left the stage his classic works and larger than life persona continue to inspire readers, writers and sportsmen all around the world.
In fact a good case can be made that his influence on sportsfishing is nearly as great as his influence on literature. His boat “Pilar” pictured above with Ernest overlooking a Blue Marlin was a model of innovation for her time. The fly bridge, the installation of extra fuel tanks and a built in live well were all new innovations as were the rods & reels he and his crew used to land giant Tuna & Marlin around the Florida Keys, Cuba & the Bahamas. Legend has it because of the power & speed of the reels he was the first fisherman in the Bahamas to land a giant (probably bluefin) Tuna intact without it being mutilated by sharks.
I believe in today’s times Ernest would be a tremendous voice for conservation.
You may recognize the guy squatting in the photo above that is me at the Destin History & Fishing museum next to the enclosed case of a rod & reel Ernest used to fish in the Havana billfish tournament in 1960 which bares his name. The rod & reel were donated to the museum. The Hemingway billfish tournament still operates today usually in May or June under full IGFA rules.
Happy Birthday “PAPA”