Tracy Collins was born and raised in Cedar Key, Being a fourth generation Cedar Key Native, he has deep family roots in Cedar Key. Tracy has spent his entire life as a “waterman” in the Cedar Key area, having been extensively involved in commercial fishing and running charter boats. Tracy learned much of his craft from a true Cedar Key legend, his Uncle Edgar “Yellow Legs” Campbell. “Yellow Legs” fishing career began in the late 1920’s and spanned the next seven decades as a charter and commercial fisherman in Cedar Key as well as in the Florida Keys.

Tracy began fishing on his Uncle Edgar’s charter boat as a child. In 1992, at the ripe age of 19, Tracy obtained his “Captain’s License” issued by the US Coast Guard (at the time, one of the youngest to ever receive the license) and started “Barhopper Charters” (“Barhopper” named for his first charter boat). Tracy estimates that, along with mating for his uncle, he’s been on more than 2000 charters. There are few living people that possess his knowledge and navigational ability of the waters surrounding Cedar Key. Despite his experience, Tracy freely admits he’s still learning. Tracy considers himself a student of the local ecosystem/environment, always taking note of seasonal weather/sea conditions and the movement and migratory patterns of fish and wildlife.

                To those that knew him, Yellow Legs was an unforgettable character. His lifetime of adventures and exploits ended with his death in December 2000. Today, Tracy carries on that legacy and like his uncle, is a wealth of knowledge of Cedar Key’s people, history and culture.