S7, Ep 42: Celebrating Legacy and Conservation with The Chocklett Factory

Hey, folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of the Articulate Fly. And we're back with another Chocklett Factory with the man himself, Blane Chocklett. Blane, how are you? I am here, but for how many more days?

For a day and a half. And back on the road.

Yeah. So you've been home, what, since Tie Fest, right? So you've been home for almost two weeks?

No, I was home for a couple days, maybe three days, and went down to had another trip, you know, to go chase some giant redfish that I was notified about and try to do that every year, and was able to get out and get on some super shallow water, biggest redfish in the world and had a great time. It was a good couple days. So I got back from that and packing to hit the road again.

Yeah. Rumor has it that you might have a cover photo in your future.

Yeah, I've been blessed this year. I've got two record size fish, one striper, and now a red fish that's about as big as they get.So just trying to change that game one fish at a time, you know what I mean?

Yeah. So. So before we talk about your, your next set of junkets, why don't we back up a little bit?And I guess it probably really, you know, I guess your last slug of travel really started with the premiere of Lefty's movie up in Maryland. You want to talk about that? And then we can talk a little bit about Ty Fest. I was down there with you for that one.

Yeah.So I guess starting into March, you know, I ran up to Pennsylvania and did some work with Fly Fisherman magazine and then stay with my buddy Jay to kind of go over some book stuff with my, you know, book that we're trying to get moving again so I can get that out on the market. And that was a good trip.And then, you know, Jay worked on Lefty's film that everybody's starting to see now that they had the world premiere in Maryland, where Lefty grew up in the theater where Lefty met his wife. And it was a very special event. You could feel Lefty's presence there. People came from all over to see it.It was sold out and, you know, Jay knocked it out of the park and, you know, Fly Fisherman magazine with Ross and, and everyone. I mean, it was, it was a very special evening.I got to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time and had a lot of memories, not only of Lefty, but people I'd spent time with over the years.And it was just One of those things that makes you appreciate, you know, where you've been and where you're going and never forgetting those that came before you. And, you know, if you haven't seen Lefty's film, the Greatest of All Time, it's. It's pretty amazing.Is a documentary, but it really kind of speaks who Lefty was. And, you know, Jay Nichols, I think he did an unbelievable job and had a task that to me would be unbelievable to try to even take on.But knowing Jay and. And who he is and his character was, it was not surprising, but still something that was very emotional and it captured who Lefty really was.And only a friend of Lefty and knew who he truly was would be able to capture that. And. And, you know, Jay did it. You know, it was. It was super special and now jumping forward, but I know you got to see it down in Florida, and I.I think it was pretty amazing. And, you know, it was world class, to be honest.

Yeah, I would say, you know, it's probably so. The runtime's probably 40 minutes, give or take. I would say, you know, I think Jay did an amazing job and it's not just a great fly fishing movie.I think it's a great short film just in.

Yes, it is. I mean, it tells his life. It tells kind of the history of our country, too.I mean, going into, you know, the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and, you know, what we dealt with as a country with the Great Depression and what Lefty grew up in and how he overcame all the obstacles because he came from nothing. He didn't have anything. He lost his dad when he was younger and pretty much grew up, like he said, in the ghetto. Couldn't.Couldn't rub two nickels together and basically was only able to go to school if he earned enough money on the streets and, you know, hunting and fishing and gathering enough stuff to be able to pay, to be able to go to school, you know, and that says a lot about who Lefty is and was. And it also is an example of how America's.How why it was so great and why it is and where everybody kind of needs to never forget, because that's what got us to one of the greatest countries in the world.

Right.

So that hard work and determination and never give up type of deal and just getting things done and doing what you're supposed to do and, you know, doing what you say you're going to do too.

Right.

So.And that just speaks about who Lefty was and, you know, my Grandfather, you know, that that generation was, was super amazing and you know, I think we could all learn from that.

Yeah, 100% and you know, to kind of, you know, fast forward.So I saw the movie with you Friday night, but then that Saturday we spent, you know, all day at, you know, I guess you'd really, you know, it's not just a home. I mean, Carter Andrews has a huge piece of property because he's got horses and all kinds of stuff.And we were there, you know, for Ty Fest and then for the fundraising dinner afterwards.

Yeah, I mean, I can't say enough about that event. You know, that that event to me meant everything in the world.You know, I've spoke about it before with you and I think we did it on one of the podcasts before.But you know, losing Bobby back in November and you know, me working with ASGA and Tony and Cody and Sue and Nick and the whole team, it meant a lot to me to try to bring back, you know, what we used to do with Ty Fest, which was all Tony and you know, eventually it was called Lefty Craze Tie Fest. And it really, it just brought out the best in what we love about our sport.The camaraderie, the caring about conservation and making the sport better and just making everybody feel a part of it, you know, and sharing knowledge and what better way to do that, you know, with the Jack Crevel science that we have going on.You know, working with Florida International, Mississippi State and the Lower Keys Guys association and trying to figure out the science that needs to be done for Jackerville conservation because they're not protected anywhere in the country, which is a shame. And what a chance to me talking to Tony's like, we got to bring this back and bringing it into Vero beach area.And Carter Andrews, who was such a gracious host and an amazing person reaching out to the fly fishing community. Yeti. I mean, I can't say enough about how Yeti stepped up and just brought everything to the table.Chefs, you know, that thousand gallon mill scale pit smoker and having an amazing dinner for everybody and doing that for two days, preparing all that stuff for over 250 people that were at that auction dinner and you know, Costa and, and all the other brands, I mean, I don't want to leave anybody out but you know, scientific angler, all of them, all my, all my family came to be there for the community and for conservation and you know, people like Rob Fordyce who just did an amazing job with, with his seminars and stuff. That he did.And you know, Hillary Hutchins Hutchinson getting out and hanging out with me and coming all the way from Montana to be there and Oliver White and of course, I can't say enough about Larry Dollar being there and you know, he doesn't like doing events like that. But, you know, it's super special for me to see someone that meant so much to me and was such an inspiration in my life and got me where I am.Based on his show and what he's done for the fishing community in general.

Right.

I mean, you know, he's well known in the conventional world, but you know, as a fly angler and designer with the Dahlberg diver and all that kind of stuff, I mean, he's so iconic.And then having Andy Mill there and doing his podcast with a lot of the legends and even Yellow Dog and Jim Klug and Brian, they, they came out, you know, I mean, we, the community showed up for us. I mean, Duck Camp, you know, all, all these companies were there for us.And to be honest, I wanted it to be a festival and a celebration of Lefty and Bob and conservation in general. I mean, it, to me, it was an amazing, amazing event and it made me so proud to be a part of it.And we raised a lot of money for Jack research, which this is a five year project.So we're going to try to get all that science put together with the biologists so we could give this to policymakers to make sure that we can get some kind of regulations on Jax because they deserve the protection. They deserve to be recognized as a game fish.And what better way to do that than have a celebration of our sport and those that came before us and those that are here now, I mean, we, we celebrated those that are past, those that are present and those that are coming up. I mean, I invited people that were that are, you know, people like Chase Smith, for example, a great talent and fly tying.We wanted to represent everybody that we could with a very short window.We only had four months to put this together and the fact that we did it without having any hitches and getting the community to come and be a part of it was unreal. I couldn't ask for a better weekend. And you were there. I mean, I felt like you could feel it. I mean, Lefty was all over that show.Or I would say festival, not a show. I mean, he was all over that.

Yeah, it was really neat. And I would say too that, you know, if you missed the event, you can still support the Jack project.If I Remember correctly, Blaine, there probably, there's still some of the limited edition Sightline bracelets that actually will fun tagging a particular jack. And I think, I think if I remember correctly, Tony said you would get updates on its location.Kind of what happens to the jack over I think five years, right?

Oh, yeah. Yep, yep. And Edgar at Sightline, great friend.He's, he came in big doing these unbelievable like he always does with his cuffs and his artwork and whatnot, with the, you know, the way he carves out these amazing metal pieces or the leather bracelets or cuffs or whatever you want to call them. Yeah. So basically you could buy one of those. You can go on the ASGA site and you're basically adopting a jack.And as we tagged them and we did, I mean, Hillary and I with YETI and some of the captains down there went out and we caught Jax, we tagged them.Not just pit tags, but acoustic tagging where we, the biologists were out there with us and basically did surgery on the boat while we had the fish in the live well, their heads in the live well, while they cut them open, put an acoustic tag in them, basically stapled them back up. And that way when they go anywhere in the country around a buoy, it pings and they'll let you know where they are.It gives a bunch of data back and where they've been and where they're going and where they're come from and all that. So when you buy one of these, you're. You're basically adopting a jack and you'll get all that information as we collect it over the next five years.

Yeah, very, very neat.I will drop a link to the ASGA site because I know they'll always take money and if I remember correctly, there might have been a couple or maybe one really high end destination trip that didn't make the minimum bid. So Tony still has that and we'll, we'll talk to anyone who wants to actually buy that trip to help fund the research as well.

Yeah, yeah.Overall it was really good, but there was a couple things that, you know, you learn from and you know, we, we tried to cram a bunch of stuff in at one time and with a not as much notice.But I mean, overall it was such an amazing event and you know, the communities just asked us to please do it again, which we're, you know, forever grateful and humble that, you know, every, all the momentum that we've kind of gained through this process and doing the right thing, which is what it's always been about. You know, it's always been about the fish. And 100% of the proceeds go to Jack Harvell research. And, and ASGA's got their foot in a lot of things.I mean, we want to start working in Florida with Snook.We're killing ourselves trying to fight for stripers, you know, in the mid Atlantic and Northeast and, you know, redfish in the Southeast, and they're not doing great. So we're, we're constantly battling to try to conserve and save these fish species. And we, we, you know, Tony works tirelessly as.Along with the whole team, we, we are on.We're on constant meetings with as, asmfc, the Atlantic State's Marine Resource Commission, where they, they're the ones that kind of decide on what policy and what is going to happen with these fish. And we try to give them the best science that we can to make sure that they have it, the best educated decision to make all this stuff happen.And we work state to state from Texas all the way up to Maine, and we're making sure that, you know, our fisheries are going to survive.So my kids and my grandkids and yours and everyone else's are going to be able to see some of the stuff that I've been very blessed and grateful to see in my life. You know, I mean, it's been a whirlwind.You know, I was in six states in five weeks, you know, from Texas to Georgia, Florida, you know, all up and down the East Coast. And, you know, that's what I want to do. You know, you know, I miss my family, but I want to. I want to do what I can to make sure that.That we do everything we can to save all the different fish species that we can and also, you know, make the fish, make the sport better than what it was before I came around.You know, I just, you know, not saying I'm picking up Lefty's torch, but he was definitely that beaming light that you couldn't not see it if you're around him. So, you know, I want to make sure that. And that was, that. That was what the whole event was about.You know, we want to make sure that everything that those that came before us built that we keep moving forward, right?So if you want to have a fishing industry, a fly fishing industry, or a conventional fishing industry, we gotta have fish to catch and we gotta have healthy fisheries. If you don't have that, you're gonna. You're gonna have people that lose interest in fishing. And we want to make sure.We say that, you know, could be selfish or whatever, but it's, it's important to me that we do all that stuff and you know, and you know, with all the designs and flies and materials that I have, I want to make sure that we have opportunities to fish in salt and fresh water. And my business can't be successful if we don't have good fisheries to fish to.

Right.

So it's might be self serving, but it's also something that, you know, means a lot to me in future generations.

Absolutely. And speaking of your business, we were talking before we started recording.You've got a lot of nifty stuff kind of coming down the, the pipe at the Chocklett Factory. You want to clue folks in a little bit?

Yeah, so, yeah, so a lot of the micro changers and a lot of the crawl changers and micro crawls and you know, leeches and the smaller bugger changers and the hellgramites and I've got shrimp and crab patterns that are going to be hitting the market here in the next couple months. But the factory's getting super ramped up to start delivering a lot of new stuff here in the next three to four weeks.So I'm super excited about that.And you know, it's just, just keep marching on, you know, just, you know, saving fish and you know, trying to make sure that we have a place for my products in the future.

Right.

I mean, you know, I want to support all the fly shops that I have very blessed to have some of the best shops in our country behind me.And you know, like Brian from Mad river came down to that event in Florida and was shooting video and all that to bring out more awareness to what we're doing. And you know, a lot of, a lot of people were doing that so that you're going to start seeing a lot of stuff that we were doing in Florida.Starting to hit the, hit the social media scenes and all that. And super exciting. And you know, the chocolate factory put in a lot of work.Not just me, but all my team, Jason and Christy and Isaac and you know, the whole team, man. I mean we, we Zach and I mean the Chopka factory is a family and we, we're all in it. You know, we're in it to the end.I mean, we've got our hands on a bunch of different stuff, you know, from our shanks to all our time materials and the flies and you know, working with our factories overseas and making sure everything's right. And you know, we've got a couple cool iterations of the finesse changers and the feather changers coming out this year.You know, in the original chocolate factory release we have the very realistic finesse changers with the realistic tail. But for me, I like that fly. It's great. But to me, some of the best flies in the, in the finesse, I guess platform is the mop tails.I mean, you want the best swimming action, the best results from fish and fishing. Those mobtail changers are unreal. And those are up.They're up next and they'll start being available here, like I said, in the next three to four weeks along with the, you know, the crawl changers have been holding off because the, all the new body parts that I have on those and I'm really excited about it and it's, it's tireless effort on the whole team.You know, late nights, early mornings, meeting with the overseas factories and making sure everything's right and sourcing materials, dealing with all the other crap that's going on with tariffs and all that and figuring all that stuff out. It's herding cats, buddy.

There you go. Well, you better put a couple nitrous canisters on the struggle bus then, right?

That's just part of it, man.

Yeah.And so before I let you hop, you're getting ready to in the next day or so, load up your suitcase again, you know, where can folks see you on the road kind of heading into the early part of the summer?

Yeah. So getting ready to head up back up to Pennsylvania, go see PCO and State College in Boyland Springs.I'm doing a fly tying event at State College on Saturday from I Think Noon to 4 and Boiling Springs TCO same time on Sunday. And then I'm heading back down to the coast, working with ASGA and the chocolate factory, getting some good footage of some pretty amazing stuff.You know, I told you about some of these record size fish I've caught over the past couple months and we're going back down, try to get some of that footage on drone and professional cameras and working on a jerk changer article with fly fishermen that's going to highlight some of these record size fish that I've caught here in the past couple months and you know, then moving on, man, just my schedules. I'll be in Michigan a couple times this summer. I'll be in Louisiana, Montana, South Carolina, back down to Florida, back up to the Northeast.So I'll be all over the country here in the next three or four months.

Yeah, I think there's a Johnny Cash song in there somewhere.

Yeah, right.

Well, maybe everywhere, man. There you go. Maybe our. Our paths will cross around the 4th of July. We can have a couple Cronus together up in the. Up in the Old Dominion.But I hope you have safe travels. And folks, as always, say this time of year, before it gets crazy hot, you owe it to yourself to get out there and catch a few.Tight lines, everybody. Tight lines. Blane.

Thanks, you, too.