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.