Email Capt. Rick Stanczyk
or call/text 305-747-6903 for more information!
If you are interested in booking an islamorada tarpon fishing charter you’re in the right place. While just about every backcountry/inshore fishing guide does some tarpon fishing throughout the year, many have other things they specialize in or prefer to do, especially during non-prime tarpon season (later summer/fall, late winter). You can bet if the conditions are right and tarpon are around, the Islamorada Tarpon Fishing crew is spending some time on charters trying to catch them. We don’t mind getting up early, going later in the evening, or spending extra time catching the bait to try to give you the best shot at catching a tarpon. Knowing where the fish are, what tide/time they are feeding on, where the bait is, etc… is essential to productive tarpon fishing. I pride myself on trying to keep up with that information on a daily basis. The crew has fished over 300 trips a year in Islamorada and Everglades National Park some years, plus have a close working/friendly relation with other great Islamorada tarpon guides so you can bet we’ve done our homework before we leave the dock! Here is a rundown of the most frequently asked questions and my best answers to them.
How do we go about booking a fishing trip?
For 2024, my personal booking calendar is open and you can contact me directly to book dates. I can assist you getting booked with the captains I have running my boats for me at any time and you can find out more about them on my website. You can sign up to my email list for when I do open available dates to fish with myself personally as well throughout the year.
If you already know when you want to fish, and want to secure a date with one of my captains ASAP, the best thing to do is contact Bud n’ Mary’s Marina directly and ask for the Contender Bay Boat or Seacraft Bay Boat. You can reach them at:
Bud n’ Mary’s Fishing Marina
305-664-2461 / 1-800-742-7945
What types of trips do you offer, and how much do they cost?
Here is pricing for fishing with myself personally, and my other boats which have different rates. Please be punctual for your tarpon fishing trip, if you show up late it can have major repercussions on our day. Tides play pivotal roles in tarpon feeding patterns and I plan my fishing around them. Also catching bait is imperative for good tarpon fishing and if we aren’t out there at the right time to do that, then sometimes you just aren’t going to be fishing for tarpon if the bait is too hard to catch.
For certain types of fishing, a longer trip may be required and you will be notified of that beforehand.
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How much do your fishing trips cost?
Contender Bay Boat pricing fishing with Capt. Rick Stanczyk
SEASONAL RATES (February through June)
FULL DAY (7 HOURS) BOOKING ONLY – $1535.00 All catch & release only, mostly tarpon fishing unless I feel conditions are no good then I may recommend something else. In ‘season’ I only offer this full day trip length.
OFF SEASON RATES (July through January) Off season we usually do more variety focused fishing, unless the tarpon fishing happens to be really good. I’ll also book shorter trips in the offseason myself personally
Half day (4 hours) up to 3 people – $935.00
3/4 day (6 hours) up to 3 people – $1135.00
Full day (8 hours) up to 3 people – $1335.00
3 people MAX on all trips, sorry no exceptions.
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Contender Bay Boat pricing fishing with Capt. Stephen Byrd
Half day (4 hours) up to 3 people – $935.00
3/4 day (6 hours) up to 3 people – $1135.00
Full day (8 hours) up to 3 people – $1335.00
(Capt. Stephen is willing to take a 4th person occasionally for an extra $100.00)
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Classic SeaCraft pricing fishing with Capt. Trentin Leary
Half day (4 hours) 1 to 3 people – $835.00
3/4 day (6 hours) 1 to 3 people – $1035.00
Full Day (8 hours) 1 to 3 people – $1235.00
4 people MAX on all trips, sorry no exceptions. Capt. Trent will take 4 however it’s usually recommended only on half days as the seating options are more limited.
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How can we pay for our fishing charter?
Cash or check is preferred, though we can take a credit card as well. Venmo works too. Credit cards/venmo are subject to a service fee of 4% so please keep that in mind.
What is standard gratuity for a fishing charter?
This is entirely up to the customer, however most people tip in the 15%-20% range for a good day on the water. While catching a lot of fish or a large fish usually encourages a good tip, we can’t always control whether that happens or not. Though if you felt we worked hard for you putting in the time and effort, we were courteous and pleasant to be around, had a clean boat in good shape, and you enjoyed your time on the water with us, then a tip is appreciated.
How many anglers can you accommodate on your boat?
Myself personally I take a max of 3 anglers, especially for tarpon trips. If everyone is wanting a good shot at catching a fish then that is much harder to accomplish. Since I also catch a lot of my own bait, that gets much harder to do with more than 3 people on the boat besides me (and even with 3 sometimes it is harder, depending on how tough the bait is). However Capt. Stephen will take 4 anglers on his boat on all trips. Capt. Trent will take 4 anglers on half day trips.
Do you ever offer discounts?
Most of the time no I do not, and especially not during our busy season February thru July (which coincides with prime tarpon season). It doesn’t really matter how many days you book in those time frames, as I am always fishing every day I want to during those times. But truth be told ‘you get what you pay for’ is as true a statement with fishing as it is anywhere. Charters who offer discounts regularly are usually not going to burn the fuel, put in the effort, buy the extra bait/tackle/etc… so they will be making it up somewhere, usually at your expense some way or another. Occasionally you may get lucky and find a young hard working guide who is wanting to learn more and doesn’t mind making less – and in that case go ahead and book them while you can! That being said, in the offseason we do occasionally offer some discounted rates if we aren’t fishing much because we like to get out and stay in tune with what’s going on.
What styles of fishing do you offer?
We are primarily bait fishermen. We don’t currently offer any fly fishing tarpon trips, though we can recommend other guides for that. We fish a variety of live and dead baits (depending what is available, and what the tarpon are biting). So you don’t really need any fishing experience to fish this way which is great for the majority of our customers. Occasionally we may throw artificial but that is dependent on conditions. We fish mostly large spinning gear set ups with braided line, which are the easiest setups to use for our styles of fishing.
Do you fish for other things aside from tarpon?
Yes we fish for all different types of inshore species, however tarpon is definitely what we specialize in and are doing 95% of the time during our ‘tarpon season’ (March – August). Duing non-prime months (September – February) we often mix it up with other species and may try for tarpon all day if conditions look right, or just for a portion of the day if it doesn’t look like great conditions. In the winter when it’s cold we usually are not tarpon fishing much at all as it’s just usually not very good – but if its warm it can be worthwhile.
Do I need any prior fishing experience to catch tarpon?
No you don’t, but some fishing experience is always helpful. Though I have people who have never fished before catch tarpon on a regular basis. Actually many of these people do better as they don’t have any ‘bad fishing habits’ and listen to my instructions well. However being able to get around the boat, know how to operate the rod/reel, adjust the drag accordingly, see and know where the fish is, etc… definitely helps. Feel free to read my tarpon angling tips section for more info on landing a tarpon.
How many tarpon may I expect to catch in a day?
Well this depends on a lot of factors, but generally I tell people if you catch a tarpon you’ve had a good day. Lots of things can happen and tarpon aren’t easy to catch – that is why we enjoy doing it so much – for the challenge! They break lines, throw hooks, get eaten by sharks, go through bridge pilings, get under the boat and motor, and all kinds of things. Some times the fish are very large and take an hour or more to land. By the time this happens the ‘bite’ may have slowed down or be over with. Other times we are catching smaller size fish that you can land in 10 or 15 minutes, and you can catch 2 or 3 of them in that same amount of time. A lot of how long it takes to land one depends on how well you fight the tarpon (yes their is proper technique involved in doing so). Some days the conditions just suck and you may fish all day just for one possible bite out of a tarpon, other days it may be very good and you may get over a dozen bites. But if you read my tarpon fishing reports you can see which months are the most productive for me, and feel free to email me to get my personal thoughts. However like they say with the stock market – past performance isn’t always indicative of future results!
What is the best time to come catch tarpon in the Keys?
The short answer – Spring or Summer April through July. Though please read my page about the Florida Keys Tarpon Season for more detailed information as we do catch tarpon here year round. Feel free to email me as well.
Where do we meet you for our fishing day?
Our vessels dock at Bud n’ Mary’s Fishing Marina. It is located at 79851 Overseas Highway in Islamorada, FL, 33036. If you are familiar with the Mile Marker system in the Keys, it is at MM 79.8 (just south of 80), next to Tea Table Relief Bridge. You can usually just pull in and check in at the front office and have them find me, or if you are meeting me off hours/early morning, just email/text me and I’ll find you.
What about inclement weather?
I almost always tell my customers to show up at the dock when we are scheduled to depart and to make a game time decision regarding the weather. You can never really trust forecasts, especially long range ones. I’ve often gone fishing on days where they called for 80-100% chance of rain, and never had a drop hit us. And I’ve been out when the chances were slim, and gotten soaked briefly. Unless there is bad lightning, or it really looks to be raining cats and dogs for several hours, then we usually go fishing. Actually some of the best tarpon fishing during the day occurs on overcast, dreary looking days sometimes. As far as the wind goes, if it is 20 mph or under, we usually go fishing. If it is blowing 25-30+mph I leave it up to the customers. We often fish for tarpon very close by to the marina (within half a mile sometimes). So even when it is super windy, we don’t always have to go far and we can stay in protected water that is fairly calm. This way you can get your trip in and still often catch a nice tarpon.
Can we keep tarpon?
No it is illegal to posses tarpon and to pull any ones larger than 40 inches out of the water, they are strictly catch and release. They aren’t any good to eat anyways. We usually try to get pictures holding them boatside, in the water. Though occasionally in certain areas you can get in the water with them. If you are interested in keeping one for a mount we take measurements and use Grey Taxidermy which creates beautiful fiberglass replicas.
What about getting pictures of tarpon?
We are more then happy to help get quality photos of tarpon with your camera/phone or with mine that I can send you. However there are certain things to remember. Tarpon over 40″ are not allowed to be removed from the water any longer and it is against the law, so most of the time we get a ‘leader shot’ of the angler just holding the fish on the leader over the side of the boat. Though occasionally we are in areas where it is safe to jump in and hold the fish, in the water, on a shallow sand bar flat. If you are interested in doing this let me know and if we are in such an area we can attempt it.
What do you provide on the trip?
We provide all the bait, licenses, tackle, light rain jackets, and a cooler with ice. If we are fishing in the Everglades National Park, a park pass may be required (www.yourpassnow.com) which we’ll inform you of before the trip.
What should we bring on the trip?
Lunch and drinks are a must, I have a medium sized cooler. Though please pack accordingly as the boat is only so big, you don’t need to bring everything in your fridge for a 4, 6, or 8 hour day. We have room for a small bag or two of personal effects in dry storage. A good hat, sunscreen, and polarized glasses are recommended. For clothing I usually recommend wearing light weight, dry fit, long sleeve shirts. Light weight pants or shorts are usually recommended. In the summer (june – september) horse flies can be bad so pants are usually recommended then. A sun buff/face mask is usually good if you are worried about getting burned, and can help with bugs as well. Light soled tennis shoes are also recommended, no black/dark soled shoes please. You can wear sandals if you like, though you’ll notice most guides do not as fishing boats can be dangerous places for exposed feet.
Anything we should not bring on the trip?
Please no hard liquor on our tarpon fishing trips. This isn’t a booze cruise and the handful of customers that I’ve had bring hard liquor on trips I’ve usually regretted taking them. If you bring it and I even have a hint it’ll be a problem, the charter will be cancelled. A few beers are fine but again we are fishing for trophy fish and you’ll need to keep your wits about you. Under no circumstances are any illegal drugs or firearms allowed on board (this includes marijuana, even if it may be legal where you live). I also usually tell people to try and avoid spray-on sunscreen (it can make the boat very slippery if applied on board). Also black soled shoes are not preferred as they can mark up the boat. While not as big of a deal, avoiding bagged crunchy food is usually preferred (chips, popcorn, etc…) as it often blows all over the place and I especially don’t like it getting in my storage areas as it attracts rats which in turn can eat my wiring and such. Candy bars, cookies, single-serving snack packs, and more solid-type snack foods are preferred.
Will I get sea sick?
I’ve never had anybody get sea sick on a tarpon fishing trip. We are often fishing in more protected water so even when it is windy, the seas aren’t large with big waves. However this isn’t always the case, and some times we do fish more open water when it is windy as I have a larger boat that can do so. Though if you think it will be a problem, we can fish elsewhere. If you are really worried about it, I recommend taking seasickness medication the night before the trip, and again first thing in the morning when you wake up.
Are there bathrooms available while we are fishing?
We don’t have a bathroom on any of our boats so most people just have to hang it over the side. If we are fishing locally in the Islamorada area though there are usually bathrooms nearby that we can run in and use. Though that obviously can cut into your fishing time. When we are fishing back in the everglades, bathrooms aren’t always as accessible, though occasionally there are places we can go. If it is a necessity, we can figure something out.
Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing
