Mothership Fishing, Sea Kayaking, Photography & Eco Adventures Aboard Fishabout!

Mothership Fishing Trips, the Fishabout Concept..

In October of 1996, Geoff Colmes began making plans to offer a service that he had wanted for some time to provide to his customers. In the winter months when the weather conditions for fishing the flats and backcountry of the Florida Keys can be difficult, just a couple hours away deep within the sheltered, estuarine areas of the Florida Everglades exists some of the finest fishing in the US. This fishing takes place in one of the most beautiful yet inaccessible regions of the country, home to tarpon, snook, redfish, largemouth bass – literally hundreds of species of birds, gators, American Crocodiles and Manatees.

The difficulty with visiting this region was always ease of access, as there is not always a sufficient amount of time in one day to reach some of the remote areas and return to the dock before dark. The obvious solution was to camp in the primitive sites provided by the National Park Service throughout the Everglades along the “wilderness waterway.” Along with his friend, Mike Burgreen a partnership, Fishabout, was developed, to provide this service. Geoff was responsible for the fishing side and Mike the outfitting side of the operation. The trips were marketed to Geoff's existing clients, who were primarily fly fishermen and regularly made trips to out of the ordinary destinations.

Pricing was set to be competitive with comparable experiences available. The key to success was to make the fishing experience and the accommodations exceed other destinations. Practice trips were scheduled, including scouting of fishing areas and testing of tents and equipment. It was decided everyone should have his or her own tent for comfort and privacy, a screen room for meals and socializing, and good food notwithstanding the very primitive setting. Over 30 trips were scheduled over three year period and all were successful despite El Nino, cold fronts with 30 mph winds, driving rain, and several mischievous alligators and raccoons. Countless nights after all the work was done and the customers were in their tents, Geoff and Mike discussed, late into the night, how much more comfortable everyone would be in a large "mothership" accommodating multiple anglers and guides.

The decision was made to research this and if feasible, to build such a vessel. After at least two years of research, they found a company called Trident, in Tavares, FL., which manufactures vessels perfectly suited for this purpose. Trident produces custom built industrial vessels such as riverboats, water taxis, fast ferry’s, dinner boats and the like. Now, Fishabout has moved to the next level, with Trident building a vessel to Geoff and Mike’s specifications. Pricing will have to be increased only slightly to improve the comfort level and to open their business to clients who are not interested in sleeping in tents.

Fishabout will have the ability to lodge groups of four to six in comfort, with guides and crew, making it possible to keep the price competitive with other fishing, kayaking, photography and eco experiences, anywhere in the world. The vessel has four guest staterooms, main and dining salon, multiple heads with showers, satellite TV, phone, full galley, separate crew and guides quarters with heads & showers, insuring privacy and comfort for all.

The mothership concept has enabled Geoff and Mike to expand the range, duration, comfort and types of trips they will offer. These new trips will include sea kayaking, eco and photography to added locations such as the Marquesas in the lower Florida Keys, and just about anywhere else in the coastal areas of Florida. They’re not limited to these areas in particular and would consider “custom trips” just about anywhere in the coastal S.E. USA - with a long enough trip duration. An example of this would be an extended trip to the Mosquito Lagoon for redfish, Steinhatchee, Apalachicola for tarpon fishing, coastal Georgia for sea kayaking, etc. The only limitation is your imagination.

More Info

Based in Islamorada, FL, Fishabout offers guided Mothership Fishing, Sea Kayaking, Marine Research and Eco/Photography trips aboard our 65' custom built vessel.
Fishabout was designed and built specifically to navigate the shallow estuarine waters of the Florida Keys to the Marquesas and Coastal Everglades.

Specs

Fishabout's passenger deck features the main and dining salon, galley, bar and four staterooms each with it’s own private head and shower.

The crew deck above includes five additional cabins with two semi-private heads and showers, wheelhouse and utility deck. Private and well-designed accommodations are available for up to six anglers, three guides, Captain and crew.

Fishabout is unique insofar that she is capable of operations from the Marquesas, Content Keys, to sheltered bays deep in the Everglades, drawing only 28 inches, reaching out-of-the-way areas that trawlers and conventional motor yachts can't.

Check out our specification page on our web site to view all the equipment and amenities such as a fly tying station, auto-tracking satellite system for TV's and email, dual generators, water maker, ice maker, washer and dryer, canoes and kayaks, and over 1350 square feet of climate controlled comfort.