ALL-STARS

EDITOR’S NOTE: In the late 1970s and early ’80s, something unique happened in the quiet, little town of Homosassa on the west coast of Florida. The best fly anglers in the world gathered to chase the world record for the most glamorous and coveted fly rod species, the tarpon. It was a collision of circumstances and personalities that was unprecedented in the world of fishing and one that will never be seen again. Monte Burke explores this chapter of fishing lore in his new book, Lords of the Fly. The following is an excerpt.

By 1978, all of the players were in place in Homosassa.

Stu Apte was born in Miami on Mother’s Day in 1930. He pronounces the name of his hometown as “My-am-uh,” in the same way that Flip Pallot does. Apte’s voice is, at once, deep and nasally — almost like he has a persistent head cold — which provides it