OCTOBER 6, 2010
Vaughn Cochran with Bonefish
Guy Harvey announced today he is teamingwith 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 ³this legendary Club overlooks
flats abundant with bonefish and permit. Vaughn has the skills and passion
to help us promote Bimini¹s remarkable back-country fishery for its great
fishing and mesmerizing natural beauty.² 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, ³looking at Vaughn is a bit like looking in the mirror, so I¹m sure
glad he keeps his fishing to skinny water!
Black Fly Bimini will organize all of the Big Game Club¹s backcountry
fishing programs, with on-site staff, operations and merchandising support.
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Cochran and his fly fishing wife, 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 Suit², Cochran notes,
referring to the Blue Marlin that is synonymous with Bimini's reputation
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 managed some 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 IGFA¹s 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 company¹s 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 at www.vaughncochranart.com.
About Bimini Big Game Club, a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort and Marina
Founded as a dinner club in 1936 in Alice Town, the island¹s 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 guests looking 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 Club¹s Outpost concept is designed to take the resort
beyond that of a ³fishing 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 Station¹s world-famous shark lab.
Location: Alice Town (North Bimini¹s 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
