Captain
Frank Viola III

Member since March 2021 Crystal River, United States
Background
Every year Captain Frank's family would take a trip to Islamorada in the Florida Keys. He saw his first Tarpon and all he could think about was one day adventuring the ocean as a professional fisherman. After ten years of playing professional baseball, the captain dove into the fishing industry head first. He started shooting photo and video content for some of the industry leaders in 2016 and continued to create content for companies such as Yeti, Hell's Bay Boatworks, and more. After spending years on the water, he decided to become a full-time captain. Sharing the outdoor experience with others is why he decided to make a career of this job and of course, you and he absolutely will catch fish!
Techniques
Captain Frank prefers to fish any way that will get the job done. Sometimes you'll live bait fish, sometimes you'll use artificial. Spinning, conventional, fly, it all depends on the time of year and the target species. His favorite style of fishing is the one that puts a smile on everyone’s face after a successful day!

Hey, I'm Captain Frank Viola III

Crystal River, United States
Background
Every year Captain Frank's family would take a trip to Islamorada in the Florida Keys. He saw his first Tarpon and all he could think about was one day adventuring the ocean as a professional fisherman. After ten years of playing professional baseball, the captain dove into the fishing industry head first. He started shooting photo and video content for some of the industry leaders in 2016 and continued to create content for companies such as Yeti, Hell's Bay Boatworks, and more. After spending years on the water, he decided to become a full-time captain. Sharing the outdoor experience with others is why he decided to make a career of this job and of course, you and he absolutely will catch fish!
Techniques
Captain Frank prefers to fish any way that will get the job done. Sometimes you'll live bait fish, sometimes you'll use artificial. Spinning, conventional, fly, it all depends on the time of year and the target species. His favorite style of fishing is the one that puts a smile on everyone’s face after a successful day!
Anglers Choice
111
Reviews
11
Fishing Reports
Verified
Our Team
August C.
Captain

My Charter Listings

Turtlehead Charters Crystal River

State licensed
Excellent
5.0 / 5
(99 reviews)
Angler's choice
Crystal River
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $400

Turtlehead Charters LKN

Excellent
5.0 / 5
(12 reviews)
Angler's choice
Mooresville
 Last booking: 9 hours ago
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $300

Fishing Reports

Fishing has been AMAZING lately!!!
Fishing has been AMAZING lately!!!
Mar 1, 2022 Crystal River
Water temperatures are on the rise which means our spirt fishery is heating up too! Redfish and snook are becomjng more active and starting their journey to stage and migrate the beaches. Baitfish are showing up which means pelagic species like king mackerel will be here soon. Finally, tarpon season is right around the corner! Whag a great time of year to visit and catch your fish if a lifetime!
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Itโ€™s Winter Time!
Itโ€™s Winter Time!
Dec 19, 2021 Crystal River
Winter time water temp drops mean redfish, snook and trout move into the shallows! There isnt much better than fighting a sport fish in a foot or less of water! As the water cools, these fish move shallow to stay warm and scavenge. Sheepshead and other great table fare move in and get active as well! What a great time of year to catch game dish or fill the cooler with samething tasty!
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Snook fishing is crazy right now!!!
Snook fishing is crazy right now!!!
Oct 7, 2021 Crystal River
Yall, the snook are losing it! Never seen anything like this in my years on the water. Tarpon are around, the redfish bite is awesome! The transition is happening, the fish are feeding, the water temp is dropping and as soon as these fish find their inshore holes to settle into for the next few months, the king mackerel will be here!!! Lets get out there together!
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TARPON FISHING IS ????
TARPON FISHING IS ????
Jun 5, 2021 Crystal River
They are moving and shaking yโ€™all! The fish were staging down south for most of May but they are now in the move. Flying silver every day, these fish are prepping to spawn and theyre chewing like you wouldโ€™nt believe! If your bucket list fish is a 100+ poind tarpon, book now before the run is over! In all the years Iโ€™ve fished tarpon this has to be the craziest bite Iโ€™ve encountered! Kudos to the FWC and the countless non profits on their efforts tk protect these silver lings bc were reaping the rewards of a healthy fishery!!! See you soo!
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Tarpon Season Has Begun!!!
Tarpon Season Has Begun!!!
Apr 29, 2021 Crystal River
The full moon has the migratory fish moving through the area. A few nights ago we caught a couple small tarpon and a very large snook! The next evening we jumped several adult migrators that were all 100 pound class fish! The day time tarpon fishing will be getting better and better throughout the month, but if you wanted to try your hand at catching one now, the evening bite has been electric and will continue to be! Book your evening trip today and catch your fish of a lifetime!!!
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Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
5.0 / 5
out of 5 stars from 111 reviews
See details
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (161)
Great trip
Great trip
Great trip
+158
Angler rating
106
4
0
0
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
97%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
99%
Appropriate for children
94%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Caught fish
96%
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Showing:
5 of 111 reviews
Zachary B.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

June fishing trip

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (AM) on June 22, 2025
Zachary B. recommends Turtlehead Charters Crystal River
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Michael Y.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Very professional

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (PM) on February 15, 2025
They stuck with us through some adverse weather.ย  They were very helpful in changing tackle many times to target specific...
Michael Y. recommends Turtlehead Charters Crystal River
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Isaac H.
Very good
4.0 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Very good
4.0 / 5
Crew
Very good
4.0 / 5
Overall

Less than ideal!

VERIFIED   Full Day Trip!! on July 14, 2025
The weather conditions for the day we had booked was not ideal and sometimes the fish donโ€™t corporate.ย  That said we still...
Isaac H. recommends Turtlehead Charters Crystal River
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Nicholas G.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great guide tons of fun

VERIFIED   Full Day Trip!! on December 7, 2024
Frank was amazing great guide tons of fun to break care of my kids are very knowledgeable I highly recommend
Nicholas G. recommends Turtlehead Charters Crystal River
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Nicholas G. recommends Turtlehead Charters Crystal River
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Cameron H.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great trip

VERIFIED   Full Day Trip on April 15, 2025
We saw tons of redfish caught a few over slot redfish and some for dinner overall the trip was great.
Cameron H. recommends Turtlehead Charters LKN
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