by Denise Wauters
If you’ve spent any time around the docks in Everglades City, Chokoloskee, or Goodland, you already know our captains are something special. This week, six of them were named among the best fishing captains in the world.
FishingBooker — the world’s biggest platform for booking fishing trips — just announced its 2026 Angler’s Choice Award. Out of 9,463 captains worldwide, only 791 earned the honor. That’s the top 8.3 percent on the planet, and six of those winners run out of our own backyard.
Our Local 2026 Angler’s Choice Award Winners:
- Bobby Johnson and Captain Slade — Waterboy Charters, Everglades City
- Ariel Alejo — ARF II Charters, Chokoloskee
- Matthew Keegan — Uncharted Adventures, Goodland
- Eddy Rodriguez — Shotime Charters, Goodland
- Stephen Quinn — Wishin’ I was Fishin’ Charters, Goodland
- Jason Bramble — 4thStoryCharters, Goodland
And how about Goodland! Four winners out of one little community — that’s not a coincidence. That’s a village that knows its water.
This award isn’t handed out lightly. To earn it, captains had to keep a 4.8-star rating or better from at least ten verified reviews, run 98 percent of their booked trips, respond to every booking request within 24 hours, and stay fully verified on vessel registration and legal operation. And they had to keep that up for four quarters in a row. One bad month and you’re out.
The reviews only count if they come from anglers who actually booked through FishingBooker, so these scores aren’t padded. They’re real days on the water with real customers who came back happy.
Vukan Simic, FishingBooker’s CEO, called Southwest Florida “one of the most extraordinary fishing destinations in the world.” We don’t need anybody to tell us that, but it’s nice to hear all the same.
An honor like this is earned the hard way, one early morning, one good trip, one happy customer at a time.
Congratulations to all six captains. You’ve reeled in a big one, and we couldn’t be prouder.
You may also be interested in How A Life of Fishing Led to Someplace Unexpected or our local Fishing Reports.
