Estero, Florida
If you're lucky enough to have Lacey as a guide, you're learning from one of the best. Mastering Permit on the fly and guiding at premier outdoor lodges from Belize to her home state in Florida, Fly Fishing Ambassador Captain Lacey Kelly isn't limited to the water. While she can cast more accurately, tie better flies, and catch more fish than just about anyone, she'll also call and shoot any turkey out there.
What goes through your head when you first wake up in the morning?
Am I going to favour an incoming or an outgoing tide today? Wind direction & speed. Why isn’t my French Press ready?
Tell us a favourite story from a day out fishing.
That would take too many bottles of bourbon. I can’t pick just one, guess you’ll just have to come fish with me to have story time!
How do you up your game year after year?
I spend my vacation's booking other guides to fish with in hopes of picking up some new tricks of the trade. I’ve fished with some of the best and every time I take away a “game changer” that keeps me fresh. I feel there’s always something new to learn in this beautiful sport.
Who are your heroes? Who do you look up to?
My parents are my heroes. The older I get the more I appreciate who they are and how hard they work to live the outdoors lifestyle that I was raised in. Not only did they teach me the tools to survive in the outdoors but they gave me the stepping stone into my career.
What haven’t you accomplished that you aspire to do in your lifetime?
I would like to catch 100 Permit on Fly. I’m currently chasing number six so I have a ways to go….. however I would have to say shooting an Elk and a Osceola Turkey with my longbow rates high on that list too!
If there is any love-hate relationship with any aspect of what you do, can you describe what that is?
I love the friendships I’ve made along the way but I don’t love the competitive drama. Navigating around it can be challenging but at the end of the day it should all be about the fishing or hunting.