26-46 Outdoors

What is 26-46 Outdoors?

You’ve landed on a page that focuses on having fun as a second career. I spent 40 years in the architecture-engineering and planning industry, climbing the corporate ladder and chasing the almighty dollar. While I also spent much of my free time fishing, hunting and doing pretty much everything outdoors, I was always in a rush and there was never enough time outside doing the fun stuff.

In 2025, I said enough and I retired early to focus on my passions of anything and everything outside. I split my time between Southwest Florida, or 26 degrees latitude and my small ranch in the mountains of Montana at 46 degrees latitude. You guessed it; 26-46 Outdoors.

Join me and a few of my close friends as we explore gulf coast fishing on my offshore fishing boat, Big Sky Break for Snapper and Grouper then take long runs for Pelagic fishing in the Keys and Atlantic. Follow me on my flats boat where we stalk Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit, Redfish and Snook in Florida’s mangroves. Stay with me while we head up to my Montana mountain retreat each year as we chase trout on rivers and mountain creeks, hunt elk, deer, upland birds and build cool stuff in the vein of renaissance outdoor living. Follow me as we head into the world’s last best places seeking adventure, sport and most of all FUN in the quest to stay young and leaving nothing on the table at the end of the day.

Check me out on YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp for a quick peak of my latest adventure. If you’re bored and need a break to see what’s going on outside, I’m out here doing crazy sh*t so you can get your outdoor fix while saving your vacation days.

Come outside and play!

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26-46 Outdoors adventures:


While fly fishing into the wind I buried a #4 hook in my neck. This is usually not such a big deal but I had forgot to pinch the barb so I have to resort to a tried and true fisherman's remedy that everyone who fishes should know. Not for the faint of heart and some bleeding. Maybe a bit gross.

I hooked myself: How to remove a buried hook




While fishing in the Amazon for Peacock Bass my fishing partner and I hooked up on a nice double. I landed mine first, a somewhat rare species, Temensis, and released it. Our guide noted that a pink dolphin had tried to poach my partners fish as he fought it. After fast action, the mother dolphin grabbed my original peacock bass because it was tired. Watch how the guide solves the problem of the duet of Pink Dolphin raiding our tired out fish.

Dolphin Steals fish




I spent a week fishing at Agua Boa Lodge and Resort in the Amazon Rainforest. I'm posting the top twelve (12) things that I learned by going there. If you are planning a trip to the the resort, to Brazil or a fly in trip anywhere you will want to watch this video for pointers before you go. Don't do some of the dumb things that I did. A couple of these items might just save your trip.

12 Things I Learned in the Amazon




This is the second of a two part video chasing Peacock Bass and Arapaima on fly rods with barbless hooks. We are at the Agua Boa Lodge and Resort that is carved out of Brazil's Amazon Jungle. This is a fly-in destination where we fished a 100-mile stretch of the Auga Boa River, a major tributary of the Amazon River. I tied all my own flies for the trip and flew from Miami to Sao Paulo then back to Manaus, Brazil. From there one flies on a 2-hour charter flight directly to the Auga Boa Lodge. #peacockbass, #Augaboa, #flyfishing, #amazonrainforest

Peacock Bass: Fly Fishing in the Amazon Rainforest




I flew into Brazil's Amazon Rainforest for a week of fly fishing for Peacock Bass. Join me as I explore the reserve at Agua Boa Resort and chase massive peacock bass and Arapaima on barbless flies. I fished a 100-mile stretch of the Agua Boa River and caught more than 100 big fish during the week on 8 and 9 weight rods. The group enjoyed an immersion into the rainforest but came back to an oasis carved from the jungle that is the Auga Boa Lodge and Resort. We ran across weird animals such as the Capybara and Agouti and saw dozens of species of birds including Macaw and Toucan. This is the first of a two-part video that focuses on big peacock bass mostly caught on big top water poppers.

Amazon Fly Fishing: Part 1




Do you ever wonder how fishing guides find obscure fishing structure and catch gobs of fish? They've either worked years, built a network of friends who shared locations, utilized radar technology and stole someones spot they were fishing on, OR they've stumbled on a great spot while fishing. I'm going to show you how I find new structure WHILE I'm fishing with a planer. In essence, I'm fishing while putting in the time mapping new areas looking for key fish habitat including shelfs, man made structure, reefs etc. Join me for a day in the Gulf of Mexico while I fish a unique type of planer setup and scout out a new area off the coast.

Mapping Bottom Structure




Today I'm trying out my Ray Ban Meta glasses to film a Fly Tying Video! This is some powerful technology and I wanted to discover where I can fully utilize these bad boys. Can they replace some of my other bulkier camera equipment. Where do they best work.

Smart Glasses




Running out 40 miles offshore of SW Florida to fish on cratered limestone seafloor bottom for big Red Grouper. Today we haul up a mess of big Porgies while anchored over structure and run into some Big Reds in a free drift over exposed bottom.

Gulf of Mexico Fishing: Big Grouper




I just had an Osprey dive bomb a Talapia on a spawning bed on my morning coffee walk. These two animals have found a way to survive in Florida's urban fabric.

Osprey Talapia breakfast




Join friends Tom, Joe and yours truly fishing wrecks 50 miles off the coast of Fort Myers. Today we're joined by Captain Les Achilles on my Boston Whaler 330 Outrage for a day of wreck fishing for large Mangrove and Red snapper while fighting huge Amberjack. We grab pin fish and pilchards for bait on Sabiki rigs first then collect dinner of Vermillian and Mangrove Snapper fishing a live bottom before heading out to a couple wrecks. We score a clean warm day in the middle of one of SouthWest Florida's longest cold spells in years.

Offshore Gulf Fishing: Big snapper & Amberjack




Whether chasing Northern Pike, Walleye, Largemouth or Peacock Bass, learn to tie Marcy Projects homegrown fly; the Ashy Larry. 4/0 hook, red flash, 400 Den black thread, black poly hair, black deer hair hackle, white poly "ashy" hair with black double pupil lead eyes.

Fly Tying: Tying the Ashy Larry Predator Fish Fly




This video highlights last year's fly fishing efforts in salt water, big rivers, lakes and creeks. We chase trout in Montana and Colorado. We hook up on Salmon in big rivers of Michigan and Steelhead in Ohio. We hook into Blue Runners in the Gulf of Mexico wreck fishing. And we go to Northern Ontario hunting lake trout, pike, smallmouth and walleye: all on the fly.

Best fly fishing memories: Highlights of 2024




I'm solo camping under a lite tarp high in the mountains of Central Montana testing a canvas bedroll with a sleeping bag insert. The weather drops to 15 degrees and a winter snowstorm descends. Join me as I prep for the storm keeping a heathy fire going all night as the snow moves-in. Made from scratch biscuits over the fire.

Winter Camping: Winter Prepping in a snowstorm 4K




My friend and frequent channel collaborator, Tom owns a Whitetail Deer and Turkey hunting property in Illinois. He is transforming much of it from softwoods to Oak hardwoods. I asked him to develop an educational video on how he is using locally sourced Bur, Chinkapin, White and Red Oaks to propagate seedlings from acorns. Learn how he has perfected the process of inducing dormancy for specific species of Oak and hybrid Chestnuts, forcing germination of the acorn then moving the seedling through a natural growth process in temporary compost for a year before transferring the seedling to their permanent location on his hunting property.

Wildlife Habitat Improvement: Growing Oaks from Acorns 4K




I am sharing my late mothers secret recipe for cooking fried chicken in a cast iron skillet. I'm doing it over a campfire on a famous Montana trout river. My mother, Louise, passed away in 2007 and never would share her secret recipe for "Weezy Fried Chicken". My sister-in-law remembers making it with her 50 years ago as a young girl and recreated the simple, yet delicious recipe. Join me as I try it out paired with $25 red blend bottle of wine on a desolate river camp in the middle of a Montana winter.

Campfire Cooking: Shoreline Fried Chicken with Secret Recipe 4K






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