The Fishing Guy
Captain Fred Robert
Forty years on these waters, twenty-five as a full-time guide. Fred puts people on fish and makes the day easy, whether it is your first cast or your thousandth.
Local since 1985
Fred has fished the Atlantic off Daytona Beach, Ponce Inlet, Mosquito Lagoon, the Indian River, the Banana River and Spruce Creek almost every day since 1985. He turned it into a full-time job in 2000, and he has been running The Fishing Guy out of Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach ever since.
That is a long time to learn where the redfish stage on a falling tide, which beach the tarpon pods follow in July and which corner of the lagoon still fishes when the wind is howling everywhere else. It is also a long time to build a reputation: fair, punctual, courteous, professional, and on the fish every time.
Fishing around the world
Between seasons, Fred has guided and fished in the Bahamas, Cuba, Costa Rica (many times over), Indonesia, Thailand, Madagascar and the islands of the Indian Ocean. Different fish, same lesson: read the water, respect the tide, keep it simple. He brings that back to every trip on the lagoon.
Beginners and experts
Most guests are casual anglers, families and groups of friends. Fred teaches light-tackle basics in the first ten minutes, rigs every bait and handles every fish, so nobody spends the day untangling line. Experienced anglers get the other side of him: tides, moon phases, current seams, and the spots that took decades to find.
He does not run a party boat. Four anglers maximum, one group at a time, and a real conversation about what you want out of the day before the lines go in. Yes, the accent is French. The fish do not seem to mind.
The boats
Two EdgeWater 24 center consoles: one rigged for the inlet and the nearshore reefs, one for sliding onto the flats. More about the boats
Reviews
In their words
Tarpon, full day“Everything we wanted it to be and more. We caught 22 fish, including six tarpon.”
Snook“Captain Fred is the real deal. Landed a 37-inch snook.”
First-timers“Perfect host and a patient teacher for newcomers. Caught a bunch of fish and saw manatees and dolphins.”
Family trip“Awesome captain and person. My daughter landed three tarpon and some monster reds.”
Redfish“The only boat around bringing fish to the boat. You walk away feeling like you made a friend.”
Half day“Very knowledgeable, handled all the bait, put us on fish all morning.”
Read all reviews on TripAdvisor and Google, or see the reviews page.
Fish with Fred. Text him your dates.
Send your date, half or full day and how many anglers to (407) 948-5035. You will hear back fast, usually from the boat.
Text or call (407) 948-5035