Guy Harvey announced today he is teaming with fellow artist, conservationist and fly fishing personality,Vaughn Cochran, to launch Black Fly Bimini, a Guy Harvey Outpost Outfitter operation.
Black Fly Bimini will operate out of the newly reopened Bimini Big Game Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort and Marina.
In making the announcement, Harvey commented “this legendary Club overlooks flats abundant with bonefish and permit. Vaughn has the skills and passion to help us promote Bimini’s remarkable back-country fishery for its great fishing and mesmerizing natural beauty.” Commenting on the varied fishing opportunities his Bimini Outpost has to offer, and their spirited competition as renown offshore and back country anglers, Harvey is quick to add, – looking at Vaughn is a bit like looking in the mirror, so I’m sure glad he keeps his fishing to skinny water!
Black Fly Bimini will organize all of the Big Game Club’s backcountry fishing programs, with on-site staff, operations and merchandising support. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Cochran and his fly fishingwife, Jean, oversee Black Fly Inc., a collection of enterprises featuring fly fishing merchandise, art and travel. The couple has recently opened Black Fly Bonefish Club, their newest lodge, located on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas.
“Hands down any day, for a pure adrenaline rush, the Grey Ghosts of Bimini can hold their own against the Man in the Blue Suit”, Cochran notes, referring to the Blue Marlin that is synonymous with Bimini’sreputation among off-shore anglers. “Now with the help of the island’s legendary bonefishing guides, we’re going to revitalize awareness of the great bonefishing that Bimini offers.”
In addition to featuring Guy Harvey sportswear and gifts, the Outfitter shop at the Bimini Big Game Club will feature Black Fly merchandise and fly fishing supplies, including assorted flies developed by Cochran especially for conditions on the Bimini flats.
About Vaughn Cochran
A Florida native, Cochran grew up in the art community of St. Augustine and earned art degrees in ceramics and painting at the internationally known and respected Art and Printmaking Department of the University of South Florida. Arriving in Key West in 1972, he started his fishing career, teaching Jimmy Buffet how to fly fish while playing the washboard, banjo and bass guitar for his Coral Reefer Band. Becoming one of the most respected fly fishing guides in the Florida Keys, Cochran later managedsome of the legendary fishing lodges of the Caribbean and Central America, including Parismina Tarpon Rancho in Costa Rica and Turneffe Island Lodge in Belize. Along the way, he nurtured his artistic calling, and today his works are found in numerous private and corporate collections, including a recent one-man exhibition at the IGFA’s main gallery.
“Although I still enjoy painting the traditional fishing and seascape scenes that I’m known for, my newest work is in the pop style from earlier in my painting career. I started with pop art fish and have moved on to other images and icons of the fishing industry, he said.” These paintings are now available as prints as are many of his more traditional scenes of the flats he fished on a regular basis.
With his quick wit and entertaining laid back style, Cochran is a frequent host and guest of various fly-fishing TV shows including the popular “Spanish Fly” with fishing pal, Jose Wejebe.
What started out as Vaughn Cochran’s marine art gallery years ago has turned into one of the most unique destination fly shops in the U.S., Black Fly Outfitter, a full service technical fly shop specializing in saltwater flies, custom fly kits, fly rods, fly reels and clothing for tropical fly fishing destinations around the world.
The company’s sumi-style Black Fly logo adorns a complete line of fly fishing merchandise, gear and gifts. Original paintings, fine art prints, ceramic tiles and art pottery, Black Fly merchandise and additional T-shirts are available.
About Bimini Big Game Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort and Marina
Founded as a dinner club in 1936 in Alice Town, the island’s cultural hub, by Nassau entrepreneur and bon-vivant, Neville Stuart, the Big Game Club has over the last 74 years hosted world-class fishermen, major tournaments, international celebrities and tens of thousands guestslooking to bask in the unique “Islands in the Stream” mantra made famous by author Ernest Hemingway who fished and lived in Bimini in the mid 1930s.
Today, the Big Game Club’s Outpost concept is designed to take the resort beyond that of a – fishing lodge (though admittedly a majority of visitors will be there for the world class fishing) to create an eco-destination attracting both fishing and diving enthusiasts while focusing on adventure travel, sustainable tourism and marine conservation.
The Big Game Club, which is located on the main navigation channel in Bimini Bay, currently features a 51-room resort and a 75-slip marina capable of accommodating boats up to 145 linear feet. By Spring 2011, a full service fuel dock will be operational.
There are Phase II plans that will include a Guy Harvey Theater, guest lecture series and interactive sessions with Dr. Harvey and the Guy Harvey Research Institute at NOVA Southeastern Oceanographic Center and day trips to the Bimini Biological Field Station’s world-famous shark lab.
| Location: | Alice Town (North Bimini’s Southern Tip) Marina |
|---|---|
| Facilities: | 75 Slips |
| Regular Rooms: | 35 |
| Penthouse Suites: | 4 |
| Cottage Rooms: | 12 |
| Restaurants: | Bimini Big Game Bar & Grill |
| Pools: | Freshwater |
| Other Activities: | Outpost Outfitter Shop |
| Reservation: | 1-800-867-4764 |
| Website: | BigGameClubBimini.com |
By: John Bell
