Jon Ain Passes

Jon Ain, one of fly fishing’s top permit anglers and organizer of the March Merkin tournament in Key West, passed away yesterday morning from complications of cancer.

In addition to spending hundreds of days each year permit fishing in the Lower Florida Keys, Jon was on the board of Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, was a member of the Lower Keys Guides Association, and served on the Scientific Advisory Board of Psilos Funds, a group of venture capital funds.  Jon was a member of the Harvard Medical School class of 1970 and a former diagnostic radiologist who practiced in Colorado for many years.

Jon was an active proponent of fish tagging and resource conservation, and he landed and released hundreds of permit.

Jon’s love of permit fishing was infectious.  He once told me: “I simply cannot get enough.”  A lot of us understand that feeling, and Jon will be sorely missed among the fraternity of permit fanatics.