RIP - Jon Ain

I first met Jon Ain at the Fly Fishing Retailer show in Denver when he approached me about Patagonia sponsoring his March Merkin Permit Tournament. Despite not having the budget there was something about the man and his passion for permit that persuaded me that we should be involved. So that first year we scraped together some shirts and Patagonia's involvement with the tournament, and my friendship with Jon, grew over the years.

Every year Jon would invite me to his place in the Keys and every year either work or family obligations prevented me from making the trip. It wasn't until last year's Fly Fishing Retailer show in New Orleans that we had a chance to chase some redfish together. After a great day on the Bayou he insisted I make the trip to his place in the Keys for some permit fishing.

I'll never have the chance to make that trip, Jon passed away yesterday morning after a courageous battle with cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and many friends. Jon was a true gentlemen, a great angler, and his legacy will live on in those of us he inspired to protect the fish he loved.

April Slab of the Month: Permit #301

Jon Ain, the man behind the annual March Merkin Tournament, sent us this pic of his 301st permit which is also sporting a fresh BTT/Costa Project Permit tag. According to Jon the fish gave him a sneer and swam off happily after tagging.

BTT and Costa sunglasses plan for this project to be just the beginning of a major permit program in Florida. If you fish for permit in the state of Florida, and want to take part in this program, please send an email.

How do you place a spaghetti tag into a fish?