We had a great trip with captain Rio.  He’s a funny and disarming personality but you can tell he keeps his boat and equipment in top shape and is very skilled at boating and fishing.  He is quick to get lines in the water, replenished out bait mid trip when we needed better and bigger live bait and put us on the fish.  My two sons and I caught plenty of fish and had a great time.  I would not hesitate to book Captain Rio again.

Had a nice family trip with my son, father in law, brother in law and sister in law. Cap’n Rio called a day ahead to let us know the fishing had not been good the prior 2 days and just wanted to let us know. I appreciated the honesty but wanted the experience so we went anyway. The boat and equipment was in great shape, Captain Rio made us feel comfortable with his humor and was accommodating in every way. We ended up catching more than enough fish for dinner and he cleaned them at the end of the day and even delivered them to the house we were staying at. It was a great experience for all of us and this was definitely not my last trip with Captain Rio! We appreciate the memories and the laughs… Tight lines everyone!
Aaron M
Frankenmuth, Michigan

We booked this trip to get our boys on the water and “catch really big fish” and we wanted to catch dinner and be on the boat. Both were accomplished! We booked a Friday morning trip on Thursday night at 9pm. I was nervous we would get a cancellation notice- you know how these things can go.. About 3.5 minutes after we booked, the phone rang with a local area code. We answered, I feared the worst… on the other end of the line was the most upbeat voice! “Hey this is Captain Rio! You booked for tomorrow morning?” He was so excited to have us; we weren’t an inconvenience that late at night! You could tell right there this man LOVES what he does. We caught tons of catfish, a couple sharks and one mangrove snapper (kept it). Because we only caught the one, with a family of 4, Captain Rio gifted us one he caught so we could enjoy a wonderful fish dinner!! Such an awesome surprise!!  We had such a great time, when we got in the car the boys asked “can we go again tomorrow?!” (13 and 5) So, we reached out to Captain Rio and asked what his availability was. Sure enough he made time for us!! Second day he took us to different spots. Right off the bat I caught 4 mangrove snappers, and a snook!! We caught something big, Captain said it was a big snook, broke the line!! We moved to a new spot and changed rods… got a big Goliath grouper and that sucker broke free also. You’ve never seen adults more bummed!! We chuckled and kept on fishing!! Joking ‘we’re gonna need a bigger boat!!’ (If you know, you know.) All and all we had such an amazing time, wish we would have found him on the beginning of our trip so we could have another day! We’ll definitely book early with Captain Rio for our next trip down!! The kids loved him, he was very patient, kind, funny, and knowledgeable!! 5 stars. Will fish with him again!! Oh! And we saw more dolphins, up close, than any “dolphin tour” could produce!! 40+ throughout the day!!! All within 5-10 feet of the boat! (Awesome to see, but those turds eat the fish we were trying to catch!! Flipper spooked them! Cool to see, but a double edged sword! 😁)

What an experience we had with Captain Rio! The moment we approached the dock, we were greeted by the biggest of smiles and level of energy we knew was going to make for a great fishing experience. Captain Rio was very knowledgeable and took the time to instruct our boys (9 and 11) on the tricks of his trade…baiting the hook, casting, setting the hook…AND CATCHING! The boat was immaculate and Captain made sure to keep it that way throughout our adventure so that everyone stayed keen….not green! He was fun, entertaining and easy to get along with – and kept a variety of fish biting as we visited a couple different spots. We were all smiles, all day!

Thanks, Captain Rio!

-Steve, Betsie, Ryan, Jake

This year I began spending more time in Marco Island and I’ve now been out fishing with Captain Rio three times. The fact that I’ve gone out three times should highlight what a great experience it has been!! Each time out, Captain Rio has got us into fish in no time at all (Mangrove Snapper, Snook, Sheepshead, Sea Trout) and on the most recent trip three hammerhead sharks - which was thrilling for my 9 year old nephew. Captain Rio is extremely knowledgeable about the area and how to fish it - but most importantly he’s a genuinely great guy whose fun to fish with, and he makes sure everyone in the boat is having a good day on the water.  I highly recommend Captain Rio and plan to get back out with him next time I’m down in Marco!