I have fished with Nick on five 3/4 day trips. I fish all over the country and generally fee.l comfortable fishing smaller Western streams. I don't know anything about fishing the keys but my son and I wanted to learn so we researched a few guides and "accidentally" found Nick when he was working for a guide service. We fished with him once then and had a good experience so we can be to him a second time when he started his own service. We just finished another two 3/4 day trips with him and, again, had a great time. Here is what I would say about fishing with Nick.
First, Nick will ALWAYS put you on fish. Every time I have been out with him, we have hooked Tarpon. That in and of itself is impressive. We have ALWAYS hooked Tarpon fishing with Nick. We USUALLY land one or two and we USUALLY lose one or two (our fault, not Nick's).
Second, as an added bonus, we ALWAYS connect with either Permit or Bonefish on our trips. So think about that. We ALWAYS get two of the three on EVERY trip we have taken with Nick. We have not yet done the Grand Slam but that is our fault, not Nick's. He will put you on fish. Period. It is our job to do what we need to do to catch and boat the fish but Nick does his part.
Third, Nick cares 100% about the resource. On our last trip, my son caught a large Permit that required a long fight to get to the boat. Nick released the fish and then notices it was not doing well so he emptied his pockets, took off his shirt, and dove 10' to grab the fish. He then spent 10min reviving it before it swam off.
Finally, Nick is just a good guy, Sometimes guides can be difficult with their own rules and biases. Nick is easy going, patient (ask me...I have missed more Tarpon strikes that should be allowed), and also excellent with young fishermen. My son and I are working on fly fishing for the big 3 and we are still developing our skills. Nick is always willing to coach and never gets mad (or impatient) when we blow something obvious.
So, I highly recommend Nick. That said, please do not book him on the dates my son and I are coming to the Keys. We need his help! read more
