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

Myself and my (2) boys went on half day fishing trip….had an absolute great time…we caught a total of around 30 fish, including a shark and pretty big grouper.  Next time we come back to Marco Island we’re definitely hook’in up with Capt Rio again.  Great boat and even better guide!!!  I highly recommend him!!!

My wife and I were in a short trip to Marco and wanted to do some fishing. We called Capt Rio, and luckily for us he had a cancellation the night before and was able to accommodate us. Once we were in the boat , Capt Rio got us right on the fish, and we were pulling in Red snapper keepers on the first casts! He was super personable and extremely knowledgeable of the area and where to find the fish. I high recommend him for back water and near shore fishing. I’ll definitely be back.

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!