Singer, songwriter, columnist, and seasoned captain, Sam Crutchfield has mastered the art of angling in both fresh and salt waters. More than just an expert fisherman, Captain Sam is adept in Morse code and has even survived an alligator attack while bass fishing. An adventurer at heart, his stories range from epic battles with marlin off Walker Cay to various escapades across Florida and the Caribbean. “A day not spent fishing is a day lost,” he often remarks softly.

Early Life and Beginnings in Fishing

Born in 1939 in Polk County, Florida, Capt. Sam Crutchfield was hooked on fishing by the age of six. His father had a little boat and he would run out of Camp Mack on the Kissimmee River targeting big bass on shiners and artificials. His favorite holes were the Polk County phosphate pits, which according to Capt. Sam, made the bass really big. It was here that Sam caught his largest bass to date a 17.2-pound whopper. Sam recalls how the incredible bass fishing during his youth has changed. I remember the day they started dredging the Kissimmee to create the canal to Lake Okeechobee. It broke my heart, and its never been the same since.

Military Service and Early Career

After graduating high school, Sam enlisted in the Coast Guard. He pursued Radio School, mastering Morse Code with intentions of stationing at Fort Pierce to operate on the inlet. However, upon completion of his training, he discovered that Fort Pierce lacked a radio position. Consequently, he chose the Coast Guard station at Jacksonville Beach as his new base. Sam maintains his proficiency in Morse Code to this day.

Sam’s work schedule in Jacksonville, alternating two days on with two days off, was perfectly suited to his hobbies. “It allowed ample time for hunting and fishing,” Sam explains. During autumn, he hunted ducks on what is now the TPC Sawgrass Golf Club in Ponte Vedra, Florida—a region renowned for its abundant flyways teeming with widgeons, pintails, and teal. In the warmer months, he frequented the Jacksonville pier, where he observed numerous kingfish catches over fifty pounds. Sam proudly recalls that his largest kingfish, landed off Fort Pierce, weighed in at 67 pounds.

A Career in Sportfishing

Crutchfield earned his captain license in 1966. “I started running a small 19 inboard charter boat with a 70-hp named Lucky. We mostly fished the Ft. Pierce inlet and Indian River Lagoon for snook, tarpon, trout and redfish. I was lucky to be mentored by Capt. Rollin Matheson at the time. He was a big influence on me when I first started, Sam recalls. We used all conventional tackle with wire leader. I remember when the first spinning reels came out. Eagle Claw introduced cat gut as a type of mono and the spinning reels were awful. They got their names spinning because they would spin the line up in a mess.”

A couple of years later, Crutchfield upgraded his boat, purchasing the Lucky Too, a 23 T Craft with a 225-hp inboard Chrysler. The boat was equipped with two big live wells and two fishing chairs and could take a party of four fishing comfortably. Then, in 1973, he upgraded the boat again with a 30 T Craft also called Lucky Too with a CAT 3160 diesel engine.

My charter business progressed to mostly offshore fishing then. In 1976, Sam purchased a 40 Warren ONeal-built boat out of North Carolina. The boat was originally built for sportfish legend Omie Tillet and is still in charter service today out of Oregon Inlet. During the late 70s and early 80s, Captain Sam built a steady charter business from Ft. Pierce which evolved into a world class operation booking clients in the summers to fish out of Walker Cay in the Bahamas.

During the fall, Sam was dialed into duck hunting around Lake Okeechobee and Louisiana when he wasnt charter fishing his local Ft. Pierce waters. Sam also mentioned he forged a great relationship with his dock partner and friend Chip Shafer during the height of his charter career. Captain Chip friendship has meant a lot to me over the years, and we are still fishing buddies today, says Capt. Sam.

Transition to Private Boating and Music

In 1985, Capt. Sam retired from charter fishing, making the switch to private boats. His first private position was working for Charlie Campbell on the Escape, a 53 Hatteras out of Stuart, Florida. I had the opportunity to fish and help Charlie with his hunting ranch in Okeechobee. It was ideal, but short lived, recalls Captain Sam.

Around 1988, Capt. Sam switched gears again and accepted a new captain position on the 53 Hatteras Lillian B. The new job allowed him to return to Walker Cay on a regular basis. The position evolved into working on a second family-owned boat, a 60 Hatteras called Silver Streak. Captain Sam would split time on both boats. This lasted until the early 90s.

The Good Ol’ Days

Captain Sam recalls many evenings sitting around the dock at Walker where he and so many others were, as Sam puts it, living the good ole days but just didn’t know it. The dock parties at Walkers and Captain Sam’s love for music eventually paved the way for Captain Sam’s next career in the music business.

In 1995, Sam finally traded the ships wheel for a microphone, jumping full time into his singing career. Captain Sam recalls how Walker Cay charter captain Billy Black and friends and the many nights of singing and playing guitar on the dock following a day of fishing influenced many of his songs. Most of his lyrics were conjured up in the shadow of the iconic Walker Cay scale. If you like fishing even a little bit, you cant help but enjoy Crutchfield songs like Trollin, Ugly, The Mullet & The Mackerel & The Ballyhoo and Big Game Fishin.

I really enjoyed making music, but didnt realize that once you start making albums, every year you need to come out with another and another. I decided to quit making music after 13 albums, Captain Sam recalls.

Captain Sam Crutchfield A Lifetime on the Water

Captain Sam’s lifelong interest in fishing proved to be one of his best decisions. Through the years there were good times, bad times, sad times, and most of all, the wonderful times when good folks got together on a fishing boat to share the fun and excitement of sportfishing, he says. Recently on a morning fishing trip a young fella yelled ˜Hey old man, have you fished here all your life? ˜Nope, I answered. ˜Not yet!