Southwest Florida’s barrier islands are known worldwide for their incredible wildlife and angling opportunities. What better way is there to get in on the action, than by taking advantage of local knowledge and expertise. Join Captain Matt Hawksley, one of Captiva Island’s premier fishing guides, and get ready to reel in some of the finest fish in Florida!
Capt. Matt has been catching fish in Southwest Florida since he was old enough to hold a fishing rod. He’s a 3rd generation Southwest Florida angler, and has guided thousands of fishing trips in and around the waters of Sanibel, Captiva and Ft. Myers. He also spent years partnering with biologists and naturalists to lead guided trips in Sanibel’s Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Tarpon Bay), and is particularly knowledgeable about the local ecosystem and wildlife. Because of this, Capt. Matt has the experience necessary to put you on the fish of a lifetime.
You’ll be fishing from your captain’s Maverick Pathfinder 2200 center console, a performance vessel designed to chase fish from Southwest Florida’s famous flats, to offshore gulf waters. She’s decked out with top notch safety and navigational equipment, as well as cutting-edge features like side-scan imaging, 3-D imaging, Chirp sonar, Power-Pole, trolling motor, drone photography, and more.
Capt. Matt will provide the best performance equipment and tackle. Penn Spinfisher reels, star rods, Power-Pro braided line, Yo-Zuri flouro-carbon and Trokar laser-sharpened hooks will ensure that, when your trophy fish bites, you will be ready to land it!
Rating summary
Photos & videos by reviewers (33)
Angler rating
Anglers claimed
Good experience
100%
Appropriate for children
100%
Friendly captain
100%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Recommend this charter
97%
Caught fish
86%
Lubbock, TX
Jun 16, 2021
4 Hour Trip - Fishing (PM)
Highly recommend Capt Matt! He asked us first thing what kind of fish we wanted to catch and after telling him we were looking for some good eating, he had us on some trout in no time. Quickly got our limit, so we moved to a new spot to try and catch a shark but a storm rolled in and ended our time on the water. He knew the area well and made sure we had an enjoyable trip. Will book with him again!
Highly recommend Capt Matt! He asked us first thing what kind of fish we wanted to catch and after telling him we were looking...
Madison, CT
Feb 11, 2022
4 Hour Trip - Fishing (AM)
Very nice guy with a clean boat and good gear. And he knows where the fish are!
Very nice guy with a clean boat and good gear. And he knows where the fish are!
Shelbyville, IN
Feb 4, 2020
6 Hour Trip - Fishing
Matt was great to be with. He did everything within his power to ensure our happiness including making sure hooks were all baited and giving us tips. He was also very knowledgeable about the wildlife and was pleased to answer questions. Went out of his way to make sure we were having a great time. Based on this experience, when coming back I will not even look up other Captains!!
Matt was great to be with. He did everything within his power to ensure our happiness including making sure hooks were all baited...
Huntington, NY
Mar 16, 2019
4 Hour Trip - Fishing (AM)
We had the absolute best day. Captain Matt gave us an incredible half-day trip. The fishing and his expertise were second to none. Everyone caught sharks, mackerel for bait and we even had a very friendly and up close visit with a talking dolphin. Captain Matt is knowledgeable and engaging and a true ambassador to the San-Cap waters. Impeccably clean boat (minus all the incidental shark blood). We hope to see him on our next journey. Our next stop is The Sanibel Fish House for dinner tonight where the chef is going to prepare the shark we caught.
We had the absolute best day. Captain Matt gave us an incredible half-day trip. The fishing and his expertise were second to none....
Lehigh Acres, FL
Jun 13, 2020
8 hour Trip - Fishing
Captain Matt asked us what we wanted to target. Our goal was to catch a Tarpon. Matt was relentless in finding pods of Tarpon to target and he did not disappoint. We had Tarpon around us all day. Matt used his experience to finally present the appropriate bait and we connected. Great experience and highly recommend Captain Matt in the Captiva and Sanibel area.
Captain Matt asked us what we wanted to target. Our goal was to catch a Tarpon. Matt was relentless in finding pods of Tarpon...
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Rating summary
Photos & videos by reviewers (33)
Angler rating
Anglers claimed
Good experience
100%
Appropriate for children
100%
Friendly captain
100%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Recommend this charter
97%
Caught fish
86%
Lubbock, TX
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
4 Hour Trip - Fishing (PM) on June 16, 2021
Highly recommend Capt Matt! He asked us first thing what kind of fish we wanted to catch and after telling him we were looking for some good eating, he had us on some trout in no time. Quickly got our limit, so we moved to a new spot to try and catch a shark but a storm rolled in and ended our time on the water. He knew the area well and made sure we had an enjoyable trip. Will book with him again!
Highly recommend Capt Matt! He asked us first thing what kind of fish we wanted to catch and after telling him we were looking for some good eating, he had us on some trout in no time. Quickly got our limit, so we moved to a new spot to try and catch a shark but a storm rolled in and ended our time on the water. He knew the area well and made sure we had an enjoyable trip. Will book with him again!
Madison, CT
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
4 Hour Trip - Fishing (AM) on February 11, 2022
Very nice guy with a clean boat and good gear. And he knows where the fish are!
Very nice guy with a clean boat and good gear. And he knows where the fish are!
Shelbyville, IN
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
6 Hour Trip - Fishing on February 4, 2020
Matt was great to be with. He did everything within his power to ensure our happiness including making sure hooks were all baited and giving us tips. He was also very knowledgeable about the wildlife and was pleased to answer questions. Went out of his way to make sure we were having a great time. Based on this experience, when coming back I will not even look up other Captains!!
Matt was great to be with. He did everything within his power to ensure our happiness including making sure hooks were all baited and giving us tips. He was also very knowledgeable about the wildlife and was pleased to answer questions. Went out of his way to make sure we were having a great time. Based on this experience, when coming back I will not even look up other Captains!!
Huntington, NY
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
4 Hour Trip - Fishing (AM) on March 16, 2019
We had the absolute best day. Captain Matt gave us an incredible half-day trip. The fishing and his expertise were second to none. Everyone caught sharks, mackerel for bait and we even had a very friendly and up close visit with a talking dolphin. Captain Matt is knowledgeable and engaging and a true ambassador to the San-Cap waters. Impeccably clean boat (minus all the incidental shark blood). We hope to see him on our next journey. Our next stop is The Sanibel Fish House for dinner tonight where the chef is going to prepare the shark we caught.
We had the absolute best day. Captain Matt gave us an incredible half-day trip. The fishing and his expertise were second to none. Everyone caught sharks, mackerel for bait and we even had a very friendly and up close visit with a talking dolphin. Captain Matt is knowledgeable and engaging and a true ambassador to the San-Cap waters. Impeccably clean boat (minus all the incidental shark blood). We hope to see him on our next journey. Our next stop is The Sanibel Fish House for dinner tonight...
Lehigh Acres, FL
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
8 hour Trip - Fishing on June 13, 2020
Captain Matt asked us what we wanted to target. Our goal was to catch a Tarpon. Matt was relentless in finding pods of Tarpon to target and he did not disappoint. We had Tarpon around us all day. Matt used his experience to finally present the appropriate bait and we connected. Great experience and highly recommend Captain Matt in the Captiva and Sanibel area.
Captain Matt asked us what we wanted to target. Our goal was to catch a Tarpon. Matt was relentless in finding pods of Tarpon to target and he did not disappoint. We had Tarpon around us all day. Matt used his experience to finally present the appropriate bait and we connected. Great experience and highly recommend Captain Matt in the Captiva and Sanibel area.