Capt. Dave Lear has been licensed by the US Coast Guard since 1997. He retired as a light-tackle/fly guide after 15 years running charter trips in Apalachee Bay, St. George Sound and St. Joseph Bay. He was a finalist for the Florida Guides Association William R. Mote Guide of the Year award in 1998. He continues to share his knowledge of sport-fishing and boating by teaching seminars and posting reports, gear tests and tips.
Lear graduated with honors from the University of West Florida with a degree in Communication Arts. Days after graduation he started his journalism career as the editor of Marlin magazine. Under his direction, the magazine won several publishing awards and launched The Rip Line tournament newsletter.
While serving as the Communications Director for the Florida Conservation Association, Lear helped educate the public on the need to ban gill and entangling nets in Florida waters. The subsequent petition drive and campaign was approved by voters in 1994 by a 72 percent margin. Lear went on to run The Billfish Foundation as its executive director, working with federal and international management to conserve global billfish populations.
Capt. Lear has extensive experience working on fisheries management and public policy issues as a conservation advocate. He has testified countless times before federal and state agencies, as well as the Florida Governor and Cabinet, Florida Senate and House of Representatives.
As the primary consultant to a broad coalition of non-profit conservation groups, Lear helped organize the statewide public awareness campaign and constitutional amendment petition drive to unify Florida’s fish and wildlife management. That effort ultimately led to the concept being placed on the ballot by the Constitutional Revision Commission, where it was overwhelmingly approved by voters by a margin of 72 percent in 1998. Today, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages all of the state’s fish and wildlife resources under a constitutional mandate and is widely recognized as one of the top wildlife agencies in the country.
After seeing two state-wide conservation initiatives come to fruition, Lear returned to the publishing world. His award-winning articles and photography have appeared in numerous angling/boating magazines, newspapers and tournament web sites as a freelance contributor.
Capt. Lear is a life member of the Coastal Conservation Association and the International Game Fish Association. He was recognized by the IGFA as the 51st angler to earn membership in the Royal Billfish Slam Club after catching and releasing all nine species of billfish.
When not on assignment, Lear can usually be found poling his technical skiff along the shallow flats and tidal creeks of Florida’s Emerald Coast hunting tarpon, redfish and spotted seatrout.
