Taking a summer fishing trip? These south Florida guides are among the best in the nation

Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

Summer is almost here, which means it’s time to hit the water. As the weather heats up and the days get longer, Florida’s waterways and beaches will be filled with more people boating, swimming, surfing and fishing.

And if you’re a Floridian planning a summer fishing trip, look no further than home, sweet home.

Fishingbooker, an online platform for booking fishing guides, just released its annual report on the best fishing guides in the country and Florida had the tenth largest share of high-rated fishing guides in the country. More than 15 south Florida fishing guides were recognized in the company’s yearly awards.

“Every April since 2015, FishingBooker, the world's largest platform connecting anglers and fishing guides, announces its yearly Angler's Choice Awards,” FishingBooker’s press release said.

“This exclusive recognition acknowledges charter operators for their exceptional customer service, reliability, and quality of fishing trips.”

Here’s where Florida ranked on FishingBooker’s best states for fishing in 2024 and which south Florida fishing guides were recognized.

Which U.S. state has the best fishing?

“We ranked the states according to the share of winners compared to the number of captains listed on FishingBooker in that state, and this is the outcome,” the rankings list says.

Here’s FishingBooker’s list of the best states for fishing:

  1. Nevada

  2. Rhode Island

  3. South Carolina

  4. Mississippi

  5. Alabama

  6. Oklahoma

  7. Connecticut

  8. Colorado

  9. Georgia

  10. Florida

Click here to keep reading FishingBooker’s top 30 rankings.

What are the best fishing charters in South Florida?

“Breaking it down by county, Miami-Dade County has four winners, Broward County has six winners, and Palm Beach County has seven winners,” FishingBooker’s press release said.

“When looking at the performance of all U.S. states, Florida came in as the tenth state, by highest share of Angler's Choice Award winning captains.”

Here’s FishingBooker’s list of the top fishing guides in Palm Beach County:

  • Mike Szabo of Lake Ida Fishing Charters

  • William Wood of Fish With a Pro

  • James Fenn of Controlled Chaos Fishing Charters

  • Dave Aagard of Building Up Sports Academy – Captain Dave

  • Ricky Martes of FL Largemouth Charters

  • Eden White of Captain Eden - Great White

  • Rudy Neumann of Papa Bear's Fishing Charters

Here’s FishingBooker’s list of the top fishing guides in Broward County:

  • John Casselli of Ringmaster Charters

  • Ryland Dickey of True Grit Sportfishing

  • Michael Onega of Florida Adventure Outfitters

  • J.J. Logan of Marlin my Darlin Sportfishing

  • Anthony DiPilato of Never Enough Sport Fishing

  • Matthew Schenk of All Good Charters

Here’s FishingBooker’s list of the top fishing guides in Miami-Dade County:

  • Orlando “Orly” Muniz of Nomad Fishing Charters

  • Rafael Mayans of Sea Cross VIP and Luxury Deep Sea Fishing

  • Chad Raney of Old Hat Fishing Charters

  • Jimmy Vee of Salty Habitz Fishing

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida ranks in Top 10 states for best fishing guides in the U.S.

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