Cordell
Name(s)?
Cordell
Where do you live?
Coral Gables
How long have you lived in the area?
Since 2004
Where are you originally from and what brought you to town?
I grew up on a homestead in Palmer, Alaska. I moved to Miami for Angela.
Please share about what you do for a livelihood or what keeps you busy during the week?
I’m an electrician and fly fisherman. My fishing business is a green business, no fuel, no motors – I use a 15-foot canoe and a push pole. I am self-taught. Now, people come to fish with me from all over the world. I take people out for 6-8 hours depending on the season. We only use flies, that I make, and catch everything from bonefish, snook, permit, tarpon, redfish to black drum. Permit is my favorite, as it’s the holy grail of fly fishing.
How often do you come to the market?
If I don’t come every week, Angela or her mom comes to get tonic. But now that I have your phone number, I know I can find you anytime.
Do you have a market ritual? If so, please describe.
I make a bee line for your stand. I’m coming on a mission. I come to see you, then get a couple dog treats and get out.
What’s your favorite thing to buy at LNB Grovestand and why?
Before I have my colada each morning, at 4am, I have four shots of those Turmeric Tonic bad boys. I’ll drink a few more shots before dinner. When I first drank it, it tore me up, but I stuck with it. Now, I like the taste. I started drinking it in the beginning of June and started seeing things improve in my elbow tendon pain and a ganglion cyst that I’ve had for a year and a half is completely gone. Even rashes, that I’ve had since I was kid, are gone. I’ve got my friends taking it now. Last week was the best batch yet.
This week, I will probably go from three to a four jar a week guy.
For parents: A favorite activity we enjoy with our kids?
My dogs are my sons and daughters. I run them every morning, or they run me.
The best deal at the market is:
$1 dog treats from the dog treat guy at Pawsitive Pet . It’s only a dollar and they are decent sized and made of just dried meat. Somewhere else these would be $3-$4.
Most-frequented local restaurants and what dish to order:
Bugatti in Coral Gables – they’ve got great clam sauce and linguini.
Wagons West – they serve biscuits and gravy which makes a great breakfast.
For special occasions, I go to:
Any killer seafood place – especially Joe’s Stone Crabs. Stone crabs are a noble resource, the crabs are going to lose the claw anyway.
Do you have a family recipe that you would be willing share?
I like my fish cooked simple, cooked in a little wine or beer. As soon as it evaporates, the fish is done. I’ll make some cocktail sauce with a lot of horseradish and a little salt and pepper.
What’s the area’s best-kept secret?
There is lake behind Chapman Field on the way to the flats. If you go behind the baseball park, (after 6am when they open the gates) there is a kayak ramp. If you continue past the ramp, there is a walking path that goes to a dog park. If you keep going past the park, through the animal trails, you can get access to the bay. There are cool trails, tree forts and things back in the mud. I go there a couple times a year with my dog. You can actually catch bonefish there.
Rainy-day activity:
Rain ain’t gonna stop me, I have Gortex jackets for fishing. I’m hard core.
The most romantic spot around:
Angela does not love coming on the canoe so maybe a nice dinner.
Do you own your own business or offer a service? Would you share a pitch about yourself or company with the community?
I lead fishing tours through the canals and shallow water along the west side of Biscayne – from Matheson Hammock to Card Sound. I can take only one person in my canoe and have the ability to take more people if they want to push their own canoes. I have a couple extra canoes and also have two killer fishing kayaks that are very stable – they are stand up kayaks that are made for fishing.
I also sell my flies. They are all my inventions. They all catch permit – especially the Biscayne Bubble Gum Toad. When I first invented that fly three years ago, I only had six flies and I caught nine permit in nine casts. Now my flies sell in stores all over and on my website.
You can also contact me for electrical work.
Do you have any words of advice?
You have to play by nature’s rules. You can’t make something happen that isn’t supposed to happen.
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