Capt. Peter Lawson-Johnston grew up in Connecticut just outside of New York City, He was very fortunate to be able to spend every summer with his family at their house on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. This is where he learned to fly fish and developed his passion for saltwater angling. He remembers being 8 years old in his grandparents backyard one summer, and hid dad said it was time to learn how to cast a fly rod. He demonstrated the cast and the mechanics and handed Peter the rod. He hasn’t been able to put down a fly rod since. He was instantly hooked and double hauling right then and there.

In the early years during the summers Peter would wake up early, force his dad out of bed and they would go chase striped bass, bonito, false albacore, and bluefish. Around that same time his dad had just purchased his first skiff. It was a ‘99 Maverick Master Angler. 17’ with a Yamaha 130 2 stroke on the back. Capt. Lawson-Johston still has that boat to this day and it is in excellent condition.

Over the years Capt. Lawson-Johnston has traveled to the Bahamas many times, Florida keys, Mexico - anywhere he can chase game fish on the flats with a fly rod in hand. By the time he got to College, Charleston was an easy choice for him to make roots. By the end of college he had the old Maverick down in the Lowcountry and began to take any chance he could to get out in the marsh and figure out redfishing from scratch. With the help of a couple key friends and going out at every low tide he could to learn the waterways, mud flats and sandbars, he began to master my skills. He began his guiding career in 2016 and has since become one the select few Orvis Endorsed guides in the surrounding area.

Fly fishing in the Lowcountry is something very special to Peter. What gets him the most is the tranquility of it all, the vastness of the saltwater marsh and winding creeks, the quietness of an early morning push along an oyster bank, and the beauty and color from an evening flood tide. When he is out there doing what he does best, he is at peace.

Q: What does the water mean to you?

A: The water is my lifeblood. It keeps me at even keel. With the ever changing world and society, there is great solace in knowing that you have the salt marsh to retreat to, learn from, and live off.

Q: What was your all-time favorite day on the water?

A: Up in New England on a perfect “Indian Summer” day in late September fishing the Derby (75 yr old tournament in MV) I was fishing off of Cuttyhunk island chasing false albacore solo one day in my father’s regulator. It wasn’t a perfect ride out that morning, slight stiff breeze and chill in the air. But as the morning opened up everything started to just become still. It was like a skating rink before the players arrive. And then the fish showed up. Acres and acres of false albacore starting blitzing. I was one of a couple boats out and everyone had more than enough room. So I maneuvered over to a bait ball and had one of the most incredible streams of fish after fish after fish for hours. I must have caught 20 or 30 in a row, I couldn’t stop. It was just too much fun. I love fishing with friends and clients, but those solo days can be some of the most rewarding. I ended up naming my dog Cutty after Cuttyhunk island and that day full of albies off the shore.

Q: How important are your sunglasses in your sport?

A: Sunglasses are basically required, every time you step on the boat. If you don’t have sunglasses on and plan to spend a day on the water fishing, you are going to be miserable.

Q: What are your go-to shades and why?

A: Smith Guide’s Choice Techlite glass either blue, amber, or the bright yellowy ones.

Q: Have you ever lost your sunglasses on the water?

A: I wish there was a room somewhere with all the sunglasses I’ve ever lost on the water.

Q: How have our floating keepers be performing in the field?

A: I have been super impressed with the atollas keepers. At first glance, you might think that they're not for you. But once you put them on and spend a day on the water with them you will quickly change your mind. I couldn’t even tell that I had them on. I thought that the sphere floating part would be getting in the way nonstop, or that the elasticity was too weak and might break if I pulled on them too hard. Nope, They are perfectly designed.

Q: What stands out about our keepers?

A: The weight really stands out to me. They are incredibly light.

Q: What’s going in in your world at the moment, and what does the future have in store?

A: I was headed into 2020 with super high hopes for the fishing season and year. I had been through the process of getting Orvis endorsed (they have a brand new store on King St. in downtown Charleston) and I made a ton of new connections with them at SEWE this year. I pretty much had March booked up better than I ever had before until the Pandemic. Everything was cancelled and no one was travelling. As we get further into May, fly fishing trips have started to trickle in for me, but in the meantime we still have no idea what the future holds during this strange time. I feel so lucky and fortunate every time my phone rings and somebody wants to get on the water. I hope that once we are “in the clear” people will really want to recreate and make up for lost time in quarantine. I hope that partnerships like this with Atollas and other fine outdoor brands I'm affiliated with will be connective tissue that holds things together and turns the season around!