We were spending a week in Bonita Springs, and pretty much intended to spend our days at either the…read morebeach or the pool. We always like to do one new thing each time we visit, and this tour caught our eye. I went with my boyfriend and my two young adult children. They warn you that there are no restrooms at the launch site, so they tell you to go to the nearby boat yard to use restrooms before arriving. I used my GPS to get to the boat yard, then when I tried to use it to find the launch site, NOTHING. No GPS signal at all. I was freaking out, and without cell service, I couldn't even look up their phone number to call for directions. We just started driving down the street from the boat yard (you can only go in one direction) and then we saw some people walking and drove down to ask them for help when we realized they were in the parking lot of the launch site (big sign indicated where we were). So we got really lucky - but definitely plan for this if you go. Learning to steer the boat was a little tricky for my BF, but my son picked it up pretty easily. We were sunburned already from some overexposure earlier in the week, so we immediately put the shade screen into place before leaving which was really appreciated! You are still fairly exposed, so bring sunscreen, but it definitely helped keep your head and shoulders pretty covered. You start out slow in a no-wake zone, then you start picking up speed. That wasn't a problem until we started zig-zagging through mangroves - that made us pretty nervous and we definitely were lagging behind the others as we weren't brave enough to go full speed. Out in the open water, we came across a pod of dolphins that were playing and jumping which was so cool to watch. Then we headed to the small island where we could get off our boats. We were given about 20 minutes to check out the beach (got a few awesome shells!), saw a ton of tiny little crabs, and managed to go into the water to cool off before getting back on our boats. Then the drive back to the launch area was pretty straightforward, but due to other boat traffic, we were bouncing around on others' wakes which added a little thrill to the experience! We loved every minute - it was fun to be on the water, you did get to see some things (but this is not a nature tour, so don't plan on it), and it was fun speeding along. Definitely plan to wear things that can get wet (those wakes sprayed us good), plus you might want to dip into the water to cool off the way we did on the island. Leave the towels in the car - they aren't really useful on the boat unless you are using them as a sun shield. There is a dry box for your phone if you need it, and I brought a small Ziploc bag to carry shells in. They give a small cooler with bottled water and ice to every boat, so you don't need to bring drinks. We really enjoyed it - you will too!

This was an absolute incredible experience. The lead that navigated us through all the turns and…read morekeys was Devon. He was totally professional, his instruction was easy to understand, he educated in many areas (boat operations, on Bismal Key, on White Horse Island, about dolphins, etc.). My wife and I had one of the most memorable vacation experiences ever, thanks to Devon with Backwater Adventure. I am now so excited to share my experience with others!!!!

We had a wonderful family fishing trip with Parker. He put us on fish very quickly. More…read moreimportantly, Parker was kind, patient, extremely knowledgeable, and so great with our kids. If you book a trip make sure to ask for Parker, he's great.

Did 3 full day charters with Captain Brandon! We had an absolutely amazing time. Captain Brandon…read morehas fished this area for 25 plus years and knows exactly where to go depending on tides, winds, temperature, etc. He put us on trout, redfish, snook, sheepshead and many other species each day. He is also very professional. He was always fueled up, rigged up and ready to go by the time we arrived each day. Additionally, he is great with a fillet knife and we ate our fillets each evening at a restaurant he suggested. This is a family business, both his boys guide and his wife owns the marina. He also gives a military discount! We will not fish with anyone else! Book him today!

5 Days. 9 Friends. 5 Crew Members. Nearly 5,000 lbs of Fish!…read more Just wrapped up the most epic fishing trip with American Hunter Fishing and WOW--what an unforgettable experience! From sunrise to sunrise (yes 24hrs most days), the Gulf showed off with perfect weather and nonstop action on the water. Huge thanks to the dream team: Captain Brycen - steady, strategic, and a legend at the helm First Mate Matt - always one step ahead Deckhands Nico & Wyatt - nonstop hustle, keeping us ready and reeling ‍ Chef Jeff - kept us fueled with food so good it deserves its own charter Almost 5,000 lbs of fish caught, countless laughs, and memories we'll be talking about for years. If you're thinking about booking a trip--this is the outfit & crew you want. #FishingTripOfALifetime #AmericanHunterFishing #AmericanPatriotFishing #DeepSeaDreams #HookedForLife #CharterKings #GulfAdventures #TightLines

Our party of 5 did a Tortugas trip the 1st week of April. Friday night and Saturda were pretty…read morerough seas with 2 of our party getting seasick. First stop was around 9pm after a 6 hour ride. Fishing was slow. Captain Bryson headed south for mutton snapper grounds. Around daybreak we had fishing chaos for a couple of hours. Big muttons, big porgy, some mangroves and vermilion. Bite stopped and captain moved multiple times looking for fish. We found plenty of American Reds which were out of season and forced some of the moves. Picked up a few keepers (mostly vermilion) at most of the spots but nothing significant until a late afternoon move to a ledge. More fishing chaos with huge porgy, red grouper, mutton snapper, big mangoes, with some yellowtail and vermilion mixed in. It was incredible well into the late evening. Fish stopped biting. Many ate a late dinner. The tide changed and fishing chaos resumed until early morning and we headed for Marco. We filled 3 coolers with big fish. Wish I could post pictures! It was my 5th trip on the Hunter. I live on Marco and can deal with the inconvenience of weather cancellations. The other 4 in my party had to deal with an inconvenient weather cancellation last fall wasting PTO and vacation. This is a bucket list opportunity for a lot of quality fish which are hard to come by inside of 80 miles from Marco Island. The captain and mates worked hard and were accommodating and energetic. Food was excellent. Never a reason to be hungry (unless you were seasick). I have noticed on my trips that hot afternoons produce little action. Sunrise, sunset and night fishing produced the most action and mitigated shark and barracuda pilfering which would be abundant on daytime wrecks. I used the boat rods which are designed to rest on the rail when you are fighting big fish. Snapped my favorite grouper rod on a prior trip. But you must bring your own terminal tackle (sinkers, swivels, hooks, etc,). Bring 4-10 ounce sinkers because of huge tide fluctuations. Plenty of different circle hooks depending on what the action requires eg. Yellowtail and vermilion vs big mutton, porgy, mangrove and grouper capable of straightening weaker hooks. I think the Tortugas trips are more predictable to produce fish than the Pulley Ridge trips. It's anchored over structure vs drifting. Fast current is hard to fish in 200 feet of water when anchored. It can be a nightmare in 800 feet of rough water while drifting and trying to maintain contact with the bottom. The Hunter is smaller than the Patriot with fewer amenities. The trade off is more space to fish with fewer fishermen resulting in fewer tangles. Tangles are truly frustrating when the bite is on and you are missing out on fishing chaos!

We are beginning to have guests visit us again. Which is wonderful. Most guests want to take an…read moreairboat ride. I have been on many airboat rides and this one is the calmest I have ever been on. Most of these rides are somewhat like being on a roller coaster with the captain performing all sorts of spin moves and spraying us with the water. This is NOT on of those. Our guide Levi spoke with knowledge and experience. This tour could be an eco tour with lessons about the mangroves and their importance to Florida. It also could be a bird tour, snake, or alligator tour. Really depends on what the guide sees. We saw a couple of birds and that was it. So most of the tour was about the mangroves and how they came about to the coast of Florida. The property we were on was owned by the tour company and the pathways are also maintained by the company. This tour there are no marsh grass.

Came for an airboat ride and had an absolute blast!…read more Made a family day and came way down in the Everglades for an airboat tour and weren't disappointed. The staff is friendly - boat was piloted by Captain Mike. We saw 4 gators - 2 were small, one medium sized and one absolute monster! The big one was about 12' long and we got plenty close for great pictures. Besides the gators we saw birds aplenty including egrets, ibis, herons, and more. While they don't make any promises; they tell you in advance the only things you'll see for 100% certain are mangroves and water - they more than delivered. The price was $53 per person and includes the airboat ride, which lasted about 45-50 mins. We did plenty of spins and donuts along with a variety of speed and slower travels. It seems like most of the airboat tours in this part of Florida are highly rated, but we would highly recommend Erv's.

Our fishing trip with Captain Rio this morning was wonderful! He was attentive and engaging with…read moreeach person in our party. The boat was immaculate, the equipment top notch. We all caught fish and laughed a lot. Thank you, Captain Rio! Mary C

Scheduled with this guy a few weeks ago. He confirmed. Woke up at 6 o'clock during our vacation and…read moredrove to his location. He completely forgot about us, never answered his phone. Cost me 30 bucks in Uber. Would avoid this jerk at any cost.

Great experience overall: value, process, equipment, personnel, etc. Family run, Dwayne and Paul…read morecommunicated well and the 20' skiff operated as expected. Easy pickup/dropoff and the island was beautiful. We saw lots of dolphin and manatee

Have rented 4 years in a row. This year was for a full week pontoon rental. Very nice boat, ran…read moreexcellent. This is a great local family business that I urge you to support. First class all the way. The easiest logistics part of my vacation every year is working with these guys and renting the boat is always the best part of our trip.

Fantastic job! I've done a lot of these fishing charters and this was trip was very enjoyable…read more Dylan is laid back, easy going, and not trying to be overly funny like many do. He'll get you on the fish and makes it a memorable day for the entire group. He knows the waterways well and where to take you. Expect to fish inside the islands and not go out to deep sea, which is comfortable for fishing on windy days.

I did a tour and a kayak rental through Everglades Adventures and I gotta say everything was…read moreexcellent and incredible all the way around I stopped into the office before my tour time just to go over my kayak plan and get any advice and knowledge for my kayak camping trip Dylan, who runs the rentals and tours was SO knowledgeable and SO helpful! We discussed my original plan, and unfortunately I had not planned well enough. Dylan helped me adjust my plan, and guide me to a better, more attainable set of camping sites. With his knowledge and advice, I ended up leaving one day later, BUT it was definitely for the best. Dylan's knowledge is key! Always take his advice! By taking Dylan's tips and advice, I had an amazing kayak camping experience - I paddled out to Tiger key, during the calm part of my trip, and then hunkered down on Tiger for a few days - which Dylan had warned there would be a storm. With his advice, I took a book and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I paddled around some of the other Keys and headed back on a safer day. My Eco tour was with Alec, and he was an excellent tour guide - he took us through the mangroves and we saw some alligators, water fowl, and ospreys- super dope! He gave us some really interesting history about Big Cypress and the Everglades, and was all around just awesome. Finally, shoutout to Matt, who was super helpful setting up my kayak rental and getting me paddles. He went above and beyond to make sure I had two sets of breakdown paddles for my journey - just awesome! Thanks so much Dylan, Alec and Matt, you all rock! Highly recommended!

We had great time kayaking with the Everglades Adventures Kayak tours. We requested in advance and…read morewere able to secure a private tour for just the six of our group. In all the kayak tours I have had (which is plenty) this was one of the most memorable one. The tour guide was excellent and we were lucky to see lots of wildlife. We took the morning tour but also heard the afternoon (sunset) tour was excellent as well. Thus, next time we return to Everglades area we are surely doing the tour. Five star kayak tour! Highly recommend