From the American Museum of Fly Fishing:
On the evening of October 19, the 2023 Heritage Award will be presented to Andy Mill at Chelsea Piers in New York City.
Andy Mill has led a sporting life with few contemporaries. Beginning his outdoor career as a downhill ski racer, Mill was a member of the U.S. Ski Team from 1969 to 1981, competing in two World Championships and two Olympics. He was internationally ranked as the number-one American downhiller six separate times and launched this success into a prolific broadcasting career, first in ski-racing coverage and later in fishing.
He brought the competitive spirit born on the mountain with him into a fishing life. No angler has won more tarpon tournaments than Mill, who has twelve first-place finishes, including five Gold Cups. His dedication and athletic mentality were a novel approach to competitive fly fishing, and he is famously known for lifting weights in his garage with a fly rod to check knots, rod strength, angles, and approaches for quickly fighting and landing fish.
Throughout these accomplishments, Mill has been a storyteller. It is for this work especially that the American Museum of Fly Fishing is honored to present Andy Mill with the 2023 Heritage Award.
As the host of Sportsman’s Journal on the Versus Network, Mill produced and hosted ninety-one fishing programs, which have been aired in dozens of countries worldwide. His book A Passion for Tarpon ignited the hearts and minds of tarpon anglers worldwide and set the stage for countless contributions to the conservation of this special fish.
Most recently and importantly, Mill has been cohosting Mill House Podcast with his son, Nicky Mill. Flip Pallot comments that, “It takes the likes of Andy to recognize and to connect with individuals who have woven the fabric of the outdoors mantles . . . and to draw from them the experiences and tales that kindle the spark of adventure in all of us. When the narrative is led by a person with Andy’s credentials, the effect of a Mill House Podcast is a foregone conclusion . . . and the long list of such podcasts represents a stellar report card.”
With more than eighty episodes released to date, Andy and Nicky have commemorated some of the great fly-fishing guides, luminaries, and figureheads across the country and the world. Their podcast preserves stories not just of how things used to be, but how we got to where we are now. Mill House tackles issues of conservation, innovation, and strategy both on and off the water, all with the classic style and grace that has come to define Andy Mill.
