Andy Dear | Monday, 3 April 2023
During my tenure as a Front Page write from Sexyloops, I have alluded to (probably more times than I can count), the profound influence that the famous television series The Walker's Cay Chronicles had on my life. And, anyone who watched Walker's Cay with any regularity is familiar with the name Capt. John Donnell, AKA "Dozer". John appeared on The WCC more than any other guest, including the infamous "Broken nose on Buchanan Bank" episode that first aired in 1995.
And while we're on the subject of the broken nose episode, I remember watching this particular scene in my tiny one bedroom apartment when it first aired like it was yesterday. It was another one of those dramatic moments in WCC history that still draws gasps from the new generation of fly fishers who have never seen it.
A short while back Andy Mill and his son Nicky of The MillHouse Podcast did an outstanding interview with John. Like many of the guides in the Florid Keys, John has an extremely interesting and quite colorful life story. It's always interesting to me how different coastal locations have distinctly different flairs when it comes to their angling history, and the players who play the local game. One thing is for certain however, through The WCC, John Donnell has left his own personal fingerprint on the sport we all love so much. The episode of The MillHouse I have linked below is well worth the listen. I have also included a link to the aforementioned episode where Dozer takes a left hook to the schnozz....hope you all enjoy it!
Andy