Bud N' Mary's Fishing Marina

Great value guided fishing from just £1345pp (7 nights accommodation and 5 days guided fishing based on 2 travelling)

Located an hour and a half south of Miami, on the southern tip of beautiful Islamorada in the Florida Keys, you will find Bud N' Mary's Fishing Marina. Established in 1944 and home to over 40 legendary fishing captains and guides, it is the oldest and largest fishing fleet in the Florida Keys.

Islamorada is known as the Sportfishing Capital of the World, and rightfully so. More world record fish have been caught from our waters than any other location on earth. What facilitates Islamorada's reputation is that the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico all surround this island in the central Keys. Every fish that swims in our hemisphere can be caught here. GREAT FISHING TRIPS FOR 2 TO 20 PERSONS... Tailor made inclusive holidays. Great for serious anglers and couples.

Dave Lewis Bud n' Mary's Group Trip April 2011

I have often said that as a rule of thumb during an average weeks fishing holiday you should expect to get at least one exceptional days sport, perhaps two very good ones, a couple of mediocre days and in all probability, for whatever reason, during the week you’ll experience at least one poor day. I have based this on my experience over the past 15 years escorting countless groups of anglers to more than 20 destinations around the globe. While of course we have had trips that have failed to meet our expectations plus a few that have exceeded them, an honest appraisal of most trips will be close to the benchmark stated above. However during our latest group trip to Florida in April this year the sport experienced by all members of our eight-man group was simply off the scale.

Once again we based ourselves at Bud n’ Mary’s Marina in Islamorada, a firm favourite with myself and everyone who has been there. Ideally located at the self proclaimed yet entirely accurate ‘Sports Fishing Capital of the World’, Bud n’ Mary’s offers excellent accommodation, a superb breakfast café and a truly Stella line up of guides specialising in both shallow water back country and offshore fishing.

From day one of this trip the weather, always something of an unknown variable, was perfect, as was the fishing. April in the Florida Keys is tarpon time and by the end of the week all of us had released several tarpon over 100lb, the biggest fish estimated at 150lb+. These were mostly caught on live mullet and crabs, but this year a surprisingly large number of fish were caught fishing static dead baits on the bottom for shark, even when using wire traces.

Over the years I have developed something of a passion for saltwater fly fishing and previously having only caught juvenile tarpon on fly in Belize, I decided it was time to try and catch a proper one! Fishing with my good friend Capt. Bill Basset, who on the first day of the trip had managed to guide Justin Edwards to his first tarpon on fly, a sixty pounder, I rigged my favourite 12wt with a fly of Bill's own tying. At the end of a spectacular days fishing I returned to the dock with bragging rights for the successful release of a 60 pounder myself.

The next day I was joined by my life long friend Andrew Leaves, keen to get his first tarpon on fly, and he was visibly delighted when he caught a beauty that Bill estimated at 40lb. The next day again I was targeting tarpon on fly with Bill and Andrew, and almost immediately hooked what truly ranks as the fish of a lifetime. It was almost an hour and following one of the most visually explosive fights I have ever experienced with any fish anywhere before I got her boat side, where we could see just how large she was. Capt. Bill called here 110lb, I was ecstatic, and not surprisingly the rum n’ coke flowed freely that night!

During the week everyone caught plenty of big sharks including several bull shark from a gulf wreck that were estimated in the region of 500lb, plus big lemons, black tips, spinners, black nose and nurse sharks. We also caught an amazing five giant sawfish, the biggest brought to the boat by Ray Jennings, which was estimated to ‘somewhere’ in excess of 6-700lb. Other species caught fishing the backcountry included permit, redfish, speckled trout, mackerel, bluefish, various species of snapper and jacks, ladyfish, cobia and several others. A day offshore at the end of the week added lots of blackfin tuna, skipjack, bonito, dorado and sailfish to the mix.

Del Elliot got a 350lb Goliath Grouper from a Gulf wreck, one of three species in excess of 300lb he caught during the trip! Jim Butler who was on his first tropical fishing trip experienced the sort of fishing most anglers’ dream of! With a previous personal best fish of just 15lb, Jim’s first fish in Florida was a 300lb nurse shark, a couple of hours later he released a 120lb tarpon! During the week Jim also caught a 500lb bull shark plus a sawfish of a similar size, along with permit, redfish and most of the other species mentioned above; I think we’ll be seeing more of Jim!

Aside from my 100lb+ tarpon on fly, highlight of the week for me was an evening fishing with Richard Stanczyk, the long time owner of Bud n’ Mary’s who many of you will recognise from Paul Young’s various TV shows. Sitting and listening to Richard’s many stories of his life guiding and fishing in The Keys and beyond was a great pleasure and a real privilege; the fact that we got three tarpon to 140lb before a great dinner at The Outback Steakhouse next to the marina was simply the icing on the cake!

Not surprisingly we will be going back to fish with the guides at Bud n’ Mary’s next April, dates will be confirmed very shortly. Details of this and all forthcoming group trips will be posted on the Anglers World website.

For the latest information about group trips, either those escorted by myself or private trips, ring Anglers World Holidays on Tel: 01246 221717.

SERIOUS FISHING GUARANTEED... Holiday itineraries to suit your requirements.

World class saltwater fishing for a wide variety of species all with extremely professional and friendly guides. We operate regular group trips and virtually all guests re book. You are guaranteed a holiday trip of a lifetime. Dave Lewis personally landed his biggest tarpon on a fly - 140 to 150 pounds.! Clients caught Sawfish to 700 pounds, 400 pound Bull Shark, bonefish and redfish on fly and baits, big Tarpon on lures, Sailfish on baits - to name but a few of the many species here. Giant Swordfish trips available too. Prime time is March to May but good fishing is available November to February too.

Besides fishing, Bud N' Mary's offers:

• Tackle Shop
• Bait, Ice, Fuel
• Dry Boat Storage/Mechanic
• Bridge Fishing Information
• Transient Dockage - to 60'
• Outdoor Cafe
• Party Boat Fishing
• Motel Accommodations
• Boat Rentals
• Dive Shops - Dive Boats

How to get here

From Miami International airport - take the Florida turnpike south to exit 4 homestead/key west (approx 1hr) this meets U.S. 1 In Florida city. U.S. 1 takes you to Islamorada, some 45 minutes south. We are MM 79.8 Oceanside (left)  Mile markers - abbreviated as MM, mile markers are located along the overseas highway (U.S. 1) On the right shoulder of the road. Small green signs with white numbers, the markers begin at MM 126, just one mile south of Florida city on U.S. 1. Bud n Mary’s marina is at MM 79.8.

Ecotour Information

Customized fishing packages are available through seethefloridakeys.net . Captain Ricky Stanczyk also does Florida Keys Ecotours for persons and families that would like to sightsee, snorkel, swim, and do a little fishing if you like, without the pressure and additional cost of hiring a guide!

Everybody who visits Islamorada and The Florida Keys loves the natural beauty of the area. There is no better way to see that than out on the water with your family and friends, with a knowledgeable captain who can take you for an ecotour, snorkeling & diving, for a sunset cruise, relaxing at the beach, sight-seeing, bird watching, or doing a little fishing! Many visitors, especially families with children, would love to do such a thing, but often find that most captains down here run strictly fishing charters.

If you would like an easy day on the water and not spend the money on an expensive charter, then a Florida Keys Ecotour with Captain Rick is your best bet! I run a 20' SeaCraft bay boat, which comfortably can take up to 4 passengers with snorkeling/diving equipment, fishing equipment, or just plain lunch, cameras, and beach bags! I've grown up in The Florida Keys <http://www.floridakeys.com> over the last 25 years, and know much about the history of the area, as well as great places to sightsee, fish, and get in the water. The wildlife in the keys is phenomenal, with a huge variety of different fish and marine mammals, tons of different migratory birds, and other unique creatures such as alligators and turtles. The only living coral reef in the U.S. is found here off of South Florida, and has amazing coral heads and different reef fish. The everglades national park has many different mangrove islands, channels, lakes, and beaches going up through towards the mainland of Florida, and is truly a unique place unlike anywhere else in the world! Many of the different islands that make up the keys are connected by very historic bridges, which hold many different kinds of sea creatures around them as well.

Worldwide Game Fishing Locations Within Bud N' Mary's Marina