Our Photographer Spotlight Series highlights the men and women behind the lens who capture the moments that define fly fishing—moments words simply can’t describe. In an effort to shed light on these talented individuals, we sit down to learn more about their story, passions, and journey into fly fishing.
For this year’s Tarpon Week, we connected with Dylan Schmitz, whose passion for tarpon fishing has shaped his career while pushing the boundaries of tarpon photography. From his early days of shooting fly fishing with a GoPro to his current role as VP of Marketing for Chittum Boatworks, Dylan’s work is synonymous with the Silver King. So follow along as we talk about his early days of tarpon fly fishing, the evolution of his career in the current media landscape, and his recent journey into tournament angling.
Flylords: When did you start fly fishing?
Dylan Schmitz: I actually started tying flies before I ever started fly fishing. When I lived in Rhode Island, I worked for The Saltwater Edge Outfitters, tying flies for the shop and daydreaming, looking at the photos on the covers of the magazines we had. I discovered stripers swam shallow and became obsessed; I used to take ladders out to the flats on Cape Cod until I got my first boat, a 20-foot Lefty Kreh-edition Seacraft. I remember seeing an ad for that boat in a flats fishing magazine, and I ripped it out and stuck it on the fridge. About a year later, one fell into our laps while visiting Montauk, and I began guiding part-time once I got my captain’s license at 16. In 2012, I moved to Key West, the motherland of flats fishing, bartending at night, and wading during the day. I was tormented by permit those years. Since then, I bounced around between Austin, TX, Charleston, SC, and now live in Sarasota working for Chittum, but every year I migrate back to the Keys with the Tarpon for 2 months.
Flylords: Can you tell us about your early days in fishing media and Badfish?
Dylan Schmitz: When I was guiding for stripers, Badfish was actually the name of my Seacraft and charter business. After getting that boat, I started an Instagram with my buddy Marty Gallipeau, called Badfish Angling. During this time, I was working on some web development stuff and decided to make a website that would aggregate fishing videos people submitted and display them in a feed and on a map for others to see. Eventually, this evolved into many things, but mostly a production company documenting our adventures and shooting commercially for brands.
During this time, I actually got my first real camera, a Sony A7SII, to assist in shooting stills on some of these video shoots. It was a great run-and-gun setup but not great for photos. Around then was definitely the turning point for us, working with brands like YETI, Patagonia, Columbia, and Free Fly. It was such a niche space, and we had a strong presence and unique (at the time) approach to fly fishing that caught the interest of brands in the outdoor space.
Flylords: How do you set yourself apart from other photographers in a saturated space?
Dylan Schmitz: I think right now we’re in a pretty interesting place. I mean, the elephant in the room is definitely AI, which can’t for the life of it replicate a tarpon, so I’m not too worried about that yet. But it has infiltrated every form of media, and it’s such an oversaturated world of content out there already; the opposite of where it was when I started out. I’m friends with some more talented photographers and artists than myself, and if I had to sum it up, authenticity and dedication really help them stand out. Having a passion in a niche that’s hard to do maybe helped me out a little too.
I think I have my own type of style/eye for things, but it’s not something I’m deliberately thinking about all that much. When it comes down to it, my favorite shots materialize when I’m with some badass people and some crazy stuff happens, and I make sure I’m ready for it. I just do my best to capture the moments I find cool.
One of my more well-known photos is the one of the water spout and the Chittum. It was towards the beginning of a tarpon season, and I was fishing with a buddy, Brian Hall, to get him his first tarpon on fly. We left the dock for a gentleman’s start (due to some frozen beverages at Lorelei the night before), and there were some storms behind us, so we ran in the opposite direction, but they were closing in. Then these water spouts started dropping down. As we were running past them, we saw a skiff staying put, and I thought “bold move” and stopped to line up a shot. We fished the rest of the day and successfully got him his first tarpon! And actually, some of my favorite tarpon jumping photos are from that fish. I was so focused on the photos of his fish that I forgot about the water spout shot until a couple of months later when I was catching up on some editing and came across it.
Flylods: Can you tell us more about your current role with Chittum?
Dylan Schmitz: I took the job of VP of Marketing at Chittum Boatworks as I moved back to Florida 2 years ago. I’ve always loved helping build brands, and the company had so much potential there and no marketing. At Chittum I get to have my hands in a lot of different areas with the company, which keeps it interesting. Our main focus these days is staying on the cutting edge of shallow water innovation, which is really fun, tinkering with these boats and coming up with new solutions. I’ve been in the boat world for a long time, but not the boat-building world, so it’s interesting and rewarding to help connect the people who run our boats with the crew that builds them. We’ve seen big changes over the past few years across every area of the company, and I’m excited to keep growing with Chittum.
Flylords: When did tarpon fishing become an obsession for you?
Dylan Schmitz: When I first moved to Key West, I was focused on permit. I didn’t get out much on boats, and wade fishing around Key West was… a learning experience. Lots of soft muddy bottom that Google Maps doesn’t point out. I’d waste days out there pursuing permit to get a couple shots, blow them, and not know why. Thankfully, there were bonefish and redfish around. I’ve moved all over in those years, but always made it back for some trips during tarpon season and crashed with my buddy and Guide Jamie Connell. He was super gracious in letting me overstay my welcome every year. I’m still trying to take him out every season and chip away at all the days I owe him for pushing me around to spook permit. Eventually, I decided I needed to commit fully and went to Islamorada, bought a skiff, and became much more interested in tarpon since I could fish a little deeper than thigh-high.
The moment I keep coming back to in my tarpon career happens to overlap with my photography. One day, I tagged along with Baker Bishop while he fished with guide Alonzo Sotillo. These two competed in all the major tarpon tournaments, and getting on the water with them shifted something. I watched how seriously they approached it. Tarpon weren’t any easier than permit, but I got a chance to see how these oceanside tarpon could actually be caught—that it demanded a whole new level of technical precision and approach, which opened up an entirely different world for me.
Flylords: What drew you to tarpon tournaments?
Dylan Schmitz: Spending time in the Keys, shooting and fishing alongside some of the most obsessed anglers in the sport, really drew me into the tournament scene. Seeing those varying levels of commitment and strategy firsthand was incredible. I started out just trying to be a fly on the wall, documenting the events with my camera because, honestly, the whole scene was pretty intimidating. I realized then that this side of the sport—the absolute pinnacle of saltwater fly fishing—didn’t get nearly enough exposure.
Fly fishing for tarpon is exceptionally difficult most of the time, and that’s exactly what makes it so rewarding. Coming from a sports background, I’ve always loved competition; it pushes me to be better. From the technicality of the tackle and the boat to the necessary teamwork, it’s a rabbit hole I’ve found worthy of a lifelong commitment.
Flylords: This year, you finished second in the Herman Lucerne Tarpon Cup and fourth in the Don Hawley. Take us through what it’s like fishing in one of these prestigious tournaments and what it means to place for you.
Dylan Schmitz: This was my second year in the tournament circuit, and my main objective was simply to learn and refine my approach and do better. Finishing second in the Herman Lucerne and fourth in the Don Hawley gave me some confidence, but those results really just reset the bar for me. Every day out tarpon fishing now is more of a learning experience because these tournaments are undeniably the most fun I’ve ever had on the water, though it’s physically and mentally grueling. If tarpon were swimming year-round and the tournament calendar was any longer, I’m not sure how any of us would be able to function in society.”
Flylords: What has been your favorite fly fishing shoot? Why?
Dylan Schmitz: I don’t think I have a favorite. The most recent shoot for Chittum we covered the Golden Fly Tarpon Tournament, and that was pretty special. We did daily video recaps and got a chance to shoot with some of the best tarpon guides and anglers in the world for the first time ever. It’s rare you get to have a camera on a boat with these guys, so it was super cool. We’re editing a full-length film from that right now actually.
One of the wildest shoots would have to be the second time I went to Los Locos in Baja for a Sage and Los Locos photo shoot. I was working a lot with Sage at the time; we had gone to Alaska and Jackson, and they were releasing some new saltwater big game gear, so George and Rudy came to mind to show us some Marlin and adventures below the border. And they did not disappoint, they showed us all that Baja had to offer, and I mean all of it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. This was in their early days of getting the operation going, so we pushed the limits with a flexible agenda. We went marlin fishing on fly, we drove across sand dunes in pursuit of roosters, and got stuck. We camped out with the coyotes, we met some narcos, we broke boats, we fixed boats, we found permit and ate some damn bueno tacos. A lot of memories and stories from that trip that I’ve been sworn to secrecy to not share. But if you ever run into George and Rudy, they may let one slip over a Tecate, but I’m sure they have many others. I did manage to capture a few photos too.
Flylords: Do you have any advice for aspiring fly fishing photographers?
Dylan Schmitz: Put the work in before the shoot but also value the relationships more than the shot list. Know when to shoot, when not to shoot, when to be a fly on the wall and be respectful of the fish, the place, and the community of anglers and guides. That’s all.
