The Complete List: 85 Must Know Florida Saltwater Anglers [WITH VIDEOS]

Florida Fishing Rocks! 

Whether you non-Floridians want to admit it or not, Florida is the overall fishing capital of America (and perhaps the World).

We have more combined lakes, more coastal fishing space, species of fish (freshwater and saltwater), more marinas, more boats, and more avid anglers here in Florida than any other state.

We also have some VERY interesting and entertaining fishing characters here in Florida as you will see below…

So we took the liberty of putting together this Top 85 Saltwater Angler List, complete with a picture, quick bio, and a video of each Florida angler.

Some of these anglers are well known nationally, while others might be new names for some of you. Some of these saltwater fishing experts have nationally televised TV shows, some have the biggest fishing audiences on YouTube and Instagram, while some are just very well known and top ranked saltwater fishing guides in Florida.

You should recognize most of the living fishing legends, while others anglers that made this list are certainly the up and coming fishing pros that you might want to keep your eye on.

At any rate, we hope you enjoy this fishing angler list below, and we hope you get out and meet some of these amazing anglers throughout the awesome state of Florida.

Important Note: If we missed any must know Florida saltwater anglers, please let us know in the comment section so we can add them. We will continually update this list.

Finally, one requirement to make this list is that the Florida angler MUST have a public video that we can display… because let’s face it, in this day and age, if there isn’t a single fishing video of you on the Internet, you can’t really be a “Must Know” Angler.

If the oldest person on the list (Lefty Kreh at age 89) can have dozens of videos on YouTube, then any serious angler should have them as well.

85 Must Know Florida Saltwater Anglers

Note: This list of fishing superstars, fishing celebrities, and fishing experts in no particular order.

1. The Saltwater Experience Duo: Tom Rowland & Rich Tudor

Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor have one of the most popular saltwater fishing TV shows on the planet (Saltwater Experience), not to mention one of the overall largest social media following as well.

The saltwater fishing duo ironically used to compete against each other in fishing tournaments all over the Gulf, until one day they partnered up and realized they could really kick some fish butt together.

Combined, these two famous anglers have caught just about every type of fish in North America, and they continue to entertain anglers of all ages with their great fishing content.

Here is a peak at one of their highly viewed Saltwater Experience fishing shows (in this one they catch a Monster 800lb Hammerhead).

2. Capt. Rick Murphy, Brie Gabrielle & Dave Ferrell of Chevy Florida Insider Fishing Report

This list of Florida fishing celebrities wouldn’t be complete without Capt. Rick Murphy, Dave Ferrell, and Brie Gabrielle (Host and Co-Hosts of the popular Chevy Florida Insider Fishing Report).

And of course Capt Rick Murphy can also be seen on the popular fishing show “Sportsman’s Adventures”.

The popular Chevy Insider fishing show has been airing for years, and you can see it on Fox SunSports Thursday evening (along with some replays during the week).

Not to mention Brie’s celebrity status exploded recently as she was just named Miss Florida USA 2016!

Pa-POW! Well done and huge congrats!

Keep up the great work on the Chevy Florida Insider Fishing Report!

Here is a video of the duo on the live show talking about Snook.

3. BlacktipH – Josh Jorgensen

If you have ever been on YouTube looking at fishing videos, then the chances are very high that came across and/or watch BlacktipH in action.

The BlacktipH Fishing YouTube Channel is the most subscribed online fishing show in the world, with well over 50,000,000 views, not to mention he recently became the first saltwater fishing channel to receive the 100,000 Subscriber award from YouTube.

Josh Jorgensen (aka BlacktipH) is no doubt one of the very top trailblazers in the next era of fishing entertainment and fishing shows.

Keep your eye on this guy for sure!

Check out this video below from BlacktipH that has over 16 million views alone!

4. Bill Dance

Although Bill Dance is no doubt a living legend in the freshwater world, he also knows a thing or two about saltwater fishing. In fact, he has been on countless saltwater fishing shows, not to mention he knows a thing or two about catching a snook and nice redfish…

And even though he isn’t officially from Florida, the guy spends so much time fishing in Florida that he almost bought a University of Florida hat as a backup to his legendary Tennesee cap…

Just kidding, that never happened.

But if you ask anyone in Florida to name a Fishing Legend that they grew up watching, 9 out of 10 will mention Bill Dance (regardless if he wears a TN hat). So here’s to you Bill!

And what is a Bill Dance video without bloopers. Check out the king of fishing bloopers here in this Bill Dance blooper reel.

5. Lefty Kreh

By far the oldest (and most likely the most knowledgeable) of the top Florida saltwater anglers at age 89, Lefty Kreh is a true living legend among anglers from all across the globe.

Lefty not only helped write the books on saltwater fly fishing, he literally wrote a top-selling book called (one of the “Bibles” of fly fishing) called, “Fly Fishing In Saltwater”. You can see it here on Amazon.

Lefty Kreh even created one of the strongest loop knots that still beats most loop knots out there called “The Kreh Loop” Fishing Knot! You can see the video on how to tie it by clicking here.

Here is one of Lefty Kreh’s fly casting tutorials from the DVD Lefty Kreh Fly Casting.

Enjoy!

5. Team Fishing Tenacity – Capt. Bo Johnson and Deidra Bridger

Capt. Bo Johnson and Deidra Bridger are well known for their uncanny ability to land some of the biggest fish in and around the Boca Grande, FL area.

They exploded on the digital scene as a couple of their Goliath Grouper videos starting going viral.

HUK Fishing saw the huge potential in this entertaining and amazing angling couple and gave them a sponsorship. Can’t say I blame them.

Keep up the great work Team Tenacity!

Here is a pretty sick video montage of their Tarpon conquests. Enjoy.

6. George Gozdz – Reel Time Florida Sportsman

We had the privilege to meet and speak to Capt. George Gozdz at the recent ICAST event or Orlando, and it was easy to see why his fishing show, “Reel Time Florida Sportsman” is so popular.

George has crazy energy, he is quite funny, and has one of those contagious personalities.

To learn more about George Gozdz and Reel Time Florida Sportsman (it is associated and produced by the great people over at Florida Sportsman, click here)

Check out one of the most popular Reel Time Florida Sportsman episodes on Kite Fishing for pelagic fish.

7. Blackneck Adventures – Mike Goodwine

If you haven’t come across Blackneck Adventures yet, then you have missed out on seeing some of the largest redfish (Red Drum) ever pulled out of Florida waters.

This guy (Mike Goodwine aka Blackneck) has monster redfish dialed in more than anyone we have seen out there. So much so, that George Gozdz (from above in the #6 spot) had Blackneck on the Reel Time Fishing show as a guest not that long ago.

The main place you can see Blackneck Adventures in action is his Instagram page with 21,000 followers (click here to see it), and here is one of his sick videos from YouTube as well.

8. George Poveromo of “George Poveromo’s World Of Saltwater Fishing”

George Poveromo is no stranger to making top lists in the fishing world. Way back in 1983 he was recognized by Motor Boating & Sailing as one of the top eight anglers in the country (he was only 23 then)! He has also been the head honcho and editor at large for the popular magazine “Salt Water Sportsman” since 1983 as well.

Today, George is well-known as the producer and host of the immensely popular Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series, which is the nation’s longest-running and most successful educational course on recreational marine fishing techniques. The educational fishing series is now in its 28th consecutive year, the tour visits eight major cities annually, and has educated over 140,000 anglers since its inception in 1988.

Last but certainly not least, George Poveromo is the producer and host of the nationally televised fishing show called, “George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing”. Unfortunately, you can’t many full episodes on YouTube, but here is one of his more popular episodes that made it online.

9. Lunkerdog – Capt. Jeff Maggio

Do you know what the following fishing terms mean?

• Hogleg
• Mullet Run
• Reel Guy
• “A Dozen”
• Run That Dog!

If so, then that probably means you are one of the many millions of people that have watched Capt. Jeff Maggio (aka “Lunkerdog”) on one of his incredibly popular saltwater fishing YouTube channels.

And if not, then quite frankly the first thing you should do after you finish this article is to watch an episode of Lunkerdog Fishing (here is one of his popular YouTube Channels).

Below is one of his many fishing videos where he puts a huge surprise smile on someone’s face.

10. Jimmy Nelson and Luiza Barros

Sponsored by the awesome company Salt Life, Capt. Jimmy Nelson and Luiza Barros (from Fishing with Luiza) have one of the most popular saltwater fishing shows called “Extreme Fishing Adventures“.

And if you follow the duo on Instagram, you know they have a crazy huge following @CaptJimmyNelson

These two anglers travel all over the world, and catch some amazing fish both above and below the water (they do spearfishing as well)

Check out one of Jimmy’s recent fishing shows where he catches some monster Mutton Snapper!

11. Steve Huff

Known as one of the all-time best Florida fishing guides of all time, Steve Huff inspired and was a pioneer for many of today’s south Florida fishing guides.

And it was Steve Huff that turned the world on to permit fishing. Prior to Steve catching permit on the fly, these amazing fighting (and eating) fish were not a sport fish like they are today.

Here is a great video of Steve Huff and his background on why he made the IGFA Hall of Fame.

11. Sam Root – “Salty Shores”

If you were at ICAST 2015 in Orlando, you probably saw Sam Root.

Actually, even if you weren’t at ICAST 2015, you probably saw Sam Root posting reviews of all the latest fishing lures, gadgets, and tackle. And he did one incredible job at it!

So much so that my brother Luke and I couldn’t even keep up with him he was reviewing and posting so fast on his Instagram feed. The guy must have been hopping around the convention floor in warp speed!

But at any rate, Sam has really done it all in the Florida fishing world…

He is an amazing photographer and has done professional fishing photos for many of the largest names in the saltwater industry (including ESPN and Florida Sportsman Magazine), he owns SaltyShores.com, he is writer and ambassador for Outdoors360.com, he founded and runs the largest saltwater flyfishing tournament in America (Salty Fly), and he is one heck of an angler.

Here’s Sam landing a double redfish recently.

12. The “Into The Blue” Team – Scott Walker & Steve Rodger

Scott Walker and Steve Rodger are the two anglers behind the popular saltwater fishing show called “Into The Blue”.

Many of their shows are filmed down in the Florida Keys, but these guys go just about anywhere they can hook into a large fish. And this incredible fishing duo can catch just about anything in the ocean (both from a boat and while diving).

Steve in particular is an avid spearfisherman, and has multiple 100lb+ fish on his spearfishing resume.

Check out one of their awesome shows where they fish for big yellowfin tuna behind shrimp boats in Louisiana.

13. Flip Pallot

If you asked 100 inshore anglers who they would love to spend a day fishing with, I would imagine a big chunk of them would say, “Flip Pallot”.

Certainly a living legend in the saltwater fishing industry, and perhaps one of the most known and well-respected anglers around.

Here are just a few thing that Flip has done in the saltwater fishing world.

• He helped create Hell’s Bay Boats
• He was the guy we all watched as kids on the Walker Kay Chronicles
• Flip had another fishing show called The Saltwater Angler show
• He makes some appearances on Ford’s Fishing Frontiers
• Flip was on the Quest for Adventure which aired on OLN.
• Flip was on “Fishing the Keys” on the VERSUS network.
• Flip has written a book called “Mangroves, Memories, and Magic”

Here is a classic video clip of Flip Pallot permit fishing with the fishing legend “The Spanish Fly”

14. Team Salt Strong – Luke & Joe Simonds

Whether this is your first time on our site or you are one of the hundreds of thousands of anglers that visit our site (SaltStrong.com) every month, one thing is for sure… the Salt Strong brothers intend on the entire state of Florida knowing who they are before it’s all said and done.

In a sentence, Team Salt Strong is DISRUPTING how fishing entertainment, fishing videos, and fishing tips (how-to) are enjoyed and consumed in America.

Look for some big things coming soon from Salt Strong in the fishing media world…

In the meantime, check out the saltwater music video we produced last month (all filmed in and around Boca Grande and Little Gasparilla Island, FL)

15. C.A. Richardson “Flats Class TV”

C.A. Richardson is one of those guys that everyone loves.

He is classy, he is an incredible teacher, he’s always engaging and energetic, and he’s one heck of a saltwater angler!

Capt. Richardson lives and fishes out of St. Pete, FL, he has an award winning fishing TV show called “Flats Class TV”, and he can put just about anybody on a nice snook, redfish, trout, or tarpon.

Here is a great video of C.A. Richardson fishing with our mutual friend Capt. Ryan Lambert.

16. Guy Harvey

If you love fishing and you don’t know who Guy Harvey is, then it’s time to come out from under your rock and get some fresh air…

Guy Harvey is one of the most recognized names worldwide when it comes to marine life, conservation, fishing, and Florida.

He powerful brand is on endless amounts of apparel, he has one of the top fishing magazines in the industry (Guy Harvey Magazine), he has his name on quite a few hotels (the Guy Harvey Outposts), and his aquatic and marine life paintings are treasured by anyone that can afford to get their hands on them.

Guy is certainly one of those “living legends”, and we should all be quite grateful for all that he has given back to the saltwater community.

Here is some footage of a white tip shark attacking Guy’s marlin during a Guy Harvey expedition.

17. Capt. Lacey Kelly

You might recognize Capt. Lacey from many of the Sims Fishing fly fishing images, as they have used Capt. Lacey’s contagious smile and fun attitude in many of their promotional pieces.

Capt. Lacey spent a great deal of time down in Belize where she became a go-to guide for permit, tarpon, and bonefish on the fly.

Today, she is back in her home state of Florida fishing and hunting every waking hour.

She is one of the younger anglers on the list that will certainly be around for many years to come.

18. Peter Miller

The Tom Brady of saltwater fishing (minus Deflatagate), Peter Miller is one of the ultimate fishing ambassadors for our beloved state of Florida.

The guy is also known to always be the best dressed at events like ICAST and other fishing industry events.

And Peter Miller is a “3 time world sailfish champion”, a “Telly Award winning T.V. Host with his popular show “Bass 2 Billfish”, Director, Producer as well as a motivational speaker and marketer.

Did we mention that he has been a Professional tournament fisherman for 27 years as well? This guy knows his stuff out on the saltwater.

Check out more about Peter on his main website here.

And definitely check out one of his episodes from Bass 2 Billfish where Captain “Wild Bill” of Deadliest Catch joins Peter in an awesome day of fishing.

19. Capt. Ben Chancey

If you have ever spent any time on YouTube looking at big game fishing videos, there is a really good chance you have come across Capt. Ben Chancey of Chew On This TV.

This Florida captain has more Goliath Grouper videos with 1 million or more views than anyone, and if you want to catch some serious inshore fish (especially big fish) anywhere in Florida, Capt. Ben can make it happen.

Definitely keep on eye on Capt. Chancey as he is certain to a big time player for many years to come.

Here is Capt. Ben Chancey in what must be the first video proof of someone landing a Goliath Grouper from a paddleboard!

20. Cameron Kirkconnell

Although 13-time world record freediving/spearfishing expert is much more well known for spearfishing than traditional fishing, when you consider he has caught larger fish holding his breath with a spear in one hand than most people catch in their lifetime, it is impossible to leave this guy off the list.

Not to mention, he knows a thing or two about catching fish on a rod and reel (when he gets bored of spearing 200lb+ Dogtooth Tuna and taking his frequent spearfishing trips to Ascension Island).

You’ve got to see this video below where Cameron not only spears a 19lb Red Grouper, but also grabs an 8lb lobster on the way up! Sick!