Who Am I

I was in my early to mid-twenties when I first plopped myself into the Pecos river amid the Sangre de Cristo mountains of New Mexico. I was a kid from Staten Island, and up to that point, I’d never been west of New Jersey. But there I was flailing with my recently purchased fiberglass Walmart fly rod combo, most likely standing in the best part of the run, absolutely clueless. I’ll never forget that feeling watching my first rainbow rise in those crystal clear waters and eat that fly. That was it. Instant addict. I would spend the next several decades, and still, figuring this fly fishing out.

Before we married, my wife and I moved to Portland Maine in the late fall of ’94. I started targeting stripers around these parts the usual way, pounding the beaches and chasing the tides at the rivers. Having spent the past 30 years in the hospitality industry (don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll bore you with the details whilst out on the boat), I’ve been extremely fortunate to have some great captains/friends/guides teach me the ropes up here. Not just about the fishing, but the water. I am so grateful to be out here now; most days on the water instead of a kitchen. I see and learn something new every time. Whether it’s sight  fishing for stripers on the flats with a fly, ripping a top water through a feeding frenzy or line screaming off a bait runner, I still get that feeling  just like when I was a kid…

Jay Villani is an avid sportsman and fisherman. He was the Executive chef/owner operator of the Local 188 restaurant group in Portland, Maine. He is now a licensed USCG captain, and registered Maine tide water guide.

Most mornings during go time, he’s catching, at least, the sunrise. Legend has it, when striper season is over, he could be spotted on some upstate NY lake Erie tributary pleading with steelhead to play nice.

When November rolls around, he can be seen napping in his tree stand; chances are good he’s dreaming of redfish.

Come smelt/ice fishing time, he’s most definitely in some shack complaining about the cold and trying to scheme a way to Belize or some place warm to chase bones, permit and tarpon.