John Yousko

JOHN YOUSKO IS LIVING A DREAM, ONE THAT SOME OF US USED TO ENJOY WHEN WE WEREN’T TIED TO THE MIDLIFE CRISIS, THAT BEING THE SUDDEN REALITY OF A FRESH WIFE AND FRESHER KIDS, A MONSTER MORTGAGE AND, SOMEDAY, SOONER THAN WE THINK, COLLEGE EDUCATIONS TO DEAL WITH. Well. You get the point.

And then there’s Yousko, known as JY in the industry, a hardworking fishead who gets to angle his life away at some of the most enticing fly-fishing locations on the planet.

When he’s not on the road representing SIMMS angling products and apparel, JY can be found away from his Bozeman, Mont., home, throwing line in the Seychelles, on the famous British Columbia salmon and steelhead streams, in the Keys, Mexico, and the Virgin Islands, and even at Christmas Island in the Pacific — trying to deliver the smackdown on a giant trevally.

One of JY’s favorite ways to fish in saltwater is to target beachcruisers, including some oversized snook in Mexico (see photo). According to JY, that snook weighed 26 pounds … but he’s seen larger fish finning in the surf.

“I caught that fish in Ascension Bay, but those snook aren’t easy,” Yousko explained. “I’ve thrown at a hundred of them and I’ve only hooked two. That particular fish just exploded on the fly. It sounded like an M-80 had gone off in the water. The next thing I knew he was charging down the beach and I was into my backing.”

While Yousko likes the beach fishing game, it’s not for everyone, as evidenced by the lack of determination and patience Yousko sees around him.

“Most guys come out for a half-hour and they give up,” he said. “If you are patient on a beach and you have good eyes, you’ll find some fish, fish that aren’t pressured and are pretty willing to eat. From that beach in Mexico I’ve had shots at permit, bonefish, tarpon, snook, ‘cuda and jacks. No matter which beach you’re fishing, you just have to believe in it and eventually something will swim by.”

Even if you find a fish cruising the beach, you may not be able to entice it to eat. To see a fish and not be able to hook it can be maddening. It’s a game Yousko is familiar with, especially when chasing those oversized snook.