Fishing Guide, Inventor of the ‘Crazy Charlie’ Fly
Born on Grand Cay, Abaco, in 1936, Charlie Smith got an early start as a fishing guide when his father took him fishing with Ernest Hemingway.
As a young boy Charlie was guiding grown men on the saltwater flats of Abaco, fishing for bonefish, barracuda, permit and tarpon.
A pioneer of fly-fishing in The Bahamas, Charlie invented the famous “Crazy Charlie” bonefish fly, which revolutionised the sport of saltwater fly-fishing. His fly made millions for the fishing industry but Charlie never received any compensation.