Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 363 is my conversation with Meko Glinton, a legendary Bahamian bonefish guide from Abaco who has guided icons including Lefty Kreh, Liam Neeson, and Michael Keaton. We talk about his close friendship with Lefty, the bonefish knowledge handed down through the Glinton family, the legacy of pioneers like David Pinder Sr., and what it took to survive Hurricane Dorian and keep going through the storm and the COVID-19 shutdown of the Bahamas.
Listen now: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Press play in the player above to watch.
Meko Glinton is a renowned Bahamian bonefish guide from Abaco, in the Bahamas. He comes from the Glinton family of guides, grew up fishing the flats, and has guided everyone from fly fishing legend Lefty Kreh to actors Liam Neeson and Michael Keaton. He is known for his deep bonefish knowledge and his good heart.
Meko had a close personal friendship with Lefty Kreh and guided him many times. He shares in the episode how Lefty became especially close with his son in Lefty's later years, including a treasured photo of the two of them together, taken not long before Lefty passed away.
Beyond Lefty Kreh, Meko has guided actors Liam Neeson and Michael Keaton, among others, on the bonefish flats of the Bahamas. He has built a reputation as one of the most sought-after guides in the islands.
Hurricane Dorian devastated Abaco, including Marsh Harbour where Meko was located, and he describes surviving the storm and its aftermath. Combined with the COVID-19 shutdown that followed, Dorian made for an extraordinarily difficult stretch for guides and the Bahamian fishing economy.
The Glinton family grew up fishing the flats and is part of the lineage of Bahamian guiding that traces back to pioneers like David Pinder Sr. Meko learned the craft within that tradition and carries forward generations of accumulated bonefish knowledge.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 363 with Meko Glinton is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and iHeartRadio. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
Meko is one of those guides whose name carries real weight in the Bahamas, and the people he has put on fish read like a who's who of the sport. What drew me in was not just his skill on the flats but his heart. He had been through Hurricane Dorian and then COVID, and I wanted to hear how he was holding up and to let him tell some of the stories from a lifetime of guiding. Press play in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
Meko guided Lefty Kreh for years, and the way he talks about their friendship is the part of this conversation that stays with me. He describes how Lefty and his son grew close near the end of Lefty's life and a photograph of the three of them that means everything to him. Listen to that section in the player above.
Over the years Meko has had famous anglers in the bow of his skiff, including Liam Neeson and Michael Keaton. He shares what it is like to guide people the rest of the world knows from the screen, and why on the flats everyone is just an angler chasing the same fish. If you love guide stories, this is the part to hear.
Dorian was one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the Bahamas, and Meko was right in its path in Abaco. He describes riding it out, what he saw afterward, and the long road to rebuilding. Press play in the YouTube player above for the full account.
Meko grew up inside a family and a tradition of Bahamian guides that traces back to pioneers like David Pinder Sr. He talks about what he learned coming up, how that knowledge gets passed down, and why he feels a responsibility to protect both the fishery and the craft. Listen to how he frames it in the episode.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
What I take away from talking to Meko is resilience. He lost so much in Dorian and then in COVID, and he still talks about the flats, his clients, and his family with nothing but gratitude.
The Lefty Kreh stories alone are worth the listen, but the bigger story is a guide who keeps showing up for the water and the people he loves no matter what gets thrown at him.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 363 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Meko Glinton · Lefty Kreh · Liam Neeson · Michael Keaton · David Pinder Sr. · Glinton family · Abaco, Bahamas · Marsh Harbour · Hurricane Dorian
Meko Glinton is a celebrated Bahamian bonefish guide from Abaco who comes from the Glinton family of guides. He has guided fly fishing legend Lefty Kreh as well as actors Liam Neeson and Michael Keaton, and is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and respected guides in the Bahamas. He survived Hurricane Dorian and continues to guide the flats he grew up on.
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