U.S.C.G.
License 1010563

Testimonials? Fishermen from all over agree that an instructor-guide like Capt. Hiles makes much more sense than just some guide who attempts to take you to the fish. Leo takes you "there" - then shows you how, and finally shows you how to find another "there." Now that's fishing.

We started out just around sun up. Got a nice picture of Leo headed back from his bait run. Then it was off to the first spot of the day where I got a thorough education into how to play a trout and how to play a redfish. We started out the those magical bone colored spooks where I pretty much showed the fish some world class uncoordinated walking the dog. No matter, the middle size trout obliged and Leo proceeded to unlearn all my bass fishing techniques. Before long I got pretty good at working the fish and getting him all tired out away from the boat. Just in time too as a 4 pound red engulfed that spook. With Leo's terrific coaching we landed that fish in short order. Next up was when we got serious and livelined a couple mullet, looking for a gator trout. All the while Leo is filling my head full of knowledge. I'll retain about 10% of it of course. Anyway before long the mullet is getting real nervous and suddenly there he is jumping out of the water trying to avoid the inevitable... That's right a very respectable 6.5 pound gator trout engulfed that poor mullet and the fight was on. Woohoo! Leo did a great job of teaching me, because even though we had a very tenuous hook up, we landed that fish!

Next up, we fished some dead bait for big redfish along a bank where Capt Leo saw some activity. We weren't there 5 minute and suddenly that dead mullet grew a tail and came back to life in the form of a 5 pound redfish! Yeah baby!

Okay, so now we have what can have for fish in the boat and I really wanted to have a stoopid rig leasson "on the water". Capt Leo was more than happy to accommodate that request and the topper for the day was a very satisfying hookup with a 16 inch redfish. Sweet! It was hooked right in the corner of the mouth and put on a very respectable fight. Leo was very gracious and didn't laugh once at my horrible casting with spinning gear. (I never use spinning gear except for live bait.)

We ended the day with a cast net lesson. I failed the final exam on that horribly.

All in all a terrific day that was all I could ask for and more. Thanks Capt. Leo!! If you haven't booked a trip with him yet you best just "git er done". I plan to buy trips for my kids and many more for myself.

Rick Marshell ISAA March 2006

With respect to my recent fishing trip with Captain Leo Hiles, I got all I wanted and needed from the experience. As a newcomer to the area and as a novice fisherman, I wanted to know just about everything. In 6 intensive hours, Captain Leo threw as much at me as he thought I could handle, and when I couldn't, he picked up the slack.

We cast, freelined, used live and dead bait, anchored, drifted, read the waters and relocated fast when the time was right, held off the bank and caught some fine reds and trout.

Captain Leo tailored the outing to my situation and level of experience. The mark of a true professional, there was no wasted time or movement. He focused on the basics and what I needed to know. For 6 hours we did not stop. It was a steep learning curve. I think I was up to it. Was it a great experience? You bet! Would I want to go again? Probably not. And whyzat? Captain Leo gave me everything he could. Now the rest is up to me to put into practice.

Would I recommend the trip to someone else? Absolutely. With a word of advice. You have 2 ears, 2 eyes and one mouth. If you go out on the pond one-on-one with Captain Hiles and you keep the first 4 open and the last one closed and you will learn a lot. It isn't rocket science. They do that 25 miles downrange from here. It IS fishing, and Captain Hiles IS a pro!

Good Luck! Dr. J. Grant Kelly

May 10, 2006. Thanks so very much for a terrific fishing trip today. I've been fishing for over 50 years, and over 30 years in Florida. I've been a lucky guy and have caught a lot of fish. One species that has somehow eluded me was the Redfish......that is until today, under your skilled guidance!!!

In my opinion there is nothing better than a one on one charter with a Guide that has your exceptional degree of skill, knowledge and abilities.

Lot's of my fishing buddies have caught Redfish for years and extolled the determined and prolonged fight a Redfish will give an angler. After today, I can understand why so many devote themselves exclusively to the pursuit of these strong and tenacious fighters. They are wonderful fish.

I feel privileged to have attended Captain Leo's College and look forward to pursuing an advanced degree in the near future. Thanks again for a most memorable fishing charter, I've never had better, and I look forward to my next trip with you.

Jim Cameron
Ft. Pierce, FL
Jim is a retired, 32 years with the FBI

I have been to Florida many times and have always wanted to try and catch some big fish. I finally made it a reality on February 16th, 2006 when I went fishing with Captain Leo. On this day I caught my limit of Redfish and Trout all in about 4 hours. These were the biggest fish I have ever caught. I have fished many times in the lakes of northern Wisconsin which is great fishing but fishing down here was a step above that. Capt Leo taught me how to properly cast and reel in these fish with the proper technique. I would like to thank Capt Leo for this great experience and also my Father in Law for making this trip a reality. When I fish in Florida again it will be with Captain Leo Hiles.

Chuck Pamperin - Ticket Operations Minnesota Vikings

February 25, 2006. What more could I ask for? A bargain priced education and a class act. The morning started just as planned. I showed up about 20 minutes early, and Captain Hiles was ready to go! He greeted me at the clubhouse, and we started talking like we were life long friends. We took off in the blue ghost, a Captain Hiles original. We started out cruising up the ICW, and then the trip was on! I've never been in the north part of Mosquito Lagoon, but it was more than evident it was his home away from home. He knew exactly where we were going, where to run, and when to hide to sneak up on our prey. We did just that. Within only minutes my biggest two trout were in the boat! A nice 3 pounder, followed by my first gator trout! A five pounder!

I fish a lot, every weekend I can. I learned more in a just a 5 hours, than I would have ever learned on my own. He taught me new ways to rig baits, new baits to use, how to tell the difference between a school of mullet and a school of reds, and how to read the water. Fishing is a tough sport to master and Captain Hiles has done just that. He has the knowledge and experience we all wish we had. Most of us will never know 1/2 of what he knows. He knows where the fish should be, and if they aren't there, you know he's got a back up plan!

He takes pride in ensuring you get what you paid for. He probes you with questions to ensure your understanding and ensures you've learned the fundamentals:

1. Be Quiet!! (This can't be stressed enough)
2. The shore belongs to the bait, the bait to the fish, so never fish the bank
3. The wind is your friend. Use it to cast further, and to quietly sneak up on your prey
4. Best time to catch trout is an hour before or two hours after the high tide.
5. The backwaters are a big restaurant for fish. Sometimes they eat at home; sometimes they go out to eat. Sometimes the same place, sometimes somewhere new. Trout generally stay within a one mile radius, and reds wander all over!

Captain Hiles isn't a guide. He is your weekend fishing buddy who wants to help you in any way he can, and knows more than you could learn in a lifetime. He is a teacher of fishing techniques. He's exactly what ANYONE who likes fishing is looking for. If you want to learn how to fish, this is the trip for you. I looked for a long time before I found the perfect fishing charter. I could have done no better. This was my first of many of Captain Hiles charters.

Zac Ballard
407-595-9741
zacballard@msn.com

August 01, 2005, the river was calm and quiet. It flowed silently beneath the humid air of an early Florida morning. As promised Captain Hiles had his boat, and it’s contents, ready and waiting for fishing. He guided me aboard the “Blue Ghost” and in no time we were off through the mangroves. I wondered but never asked why he had named his craft as he had, but as we glided quickly and gently through the numerous channels swooping and turning over the water’s surface we kicked up the neon blue spray of a water heavy with phosphorous; and it glowed beautifully and brightly in the waning light of the moon. The craft was a blue ghost indeed.

As the light of the new day began to reach the mangroves, we stopped and tested the waters. Before the lure had a chance to become fully submerged on the first cast, a small trout broke the water’s surface and impaled itself powerfully on the lure’s small red forward hook. I had a feeling it was going to be that kind of a day.

I immediately immersed myself in his techniques, which he graciously shared and demonstrated. It wasn’t long before we had caught and released three large reds over the slot limit. We remained patient and soon afterward had boated our slots allowing us to shift focus to trout for the remainder of the morning. Captain Hiles answered every question from rigging, to moon cycles, to changes in barometric pressure without hesitation. I only wish I had more time to continue to inquire. The only thing I enjoyed as much as the fishing and the instruction was the scenery, which included the mangroves, some herons, a fishing osprey, a pesky dolphin, and many an empty handed professional fishing guide who passed us in their travels.

Through the heat of the morning, in the shadow of generously patient thunderstorms, we fished with the wind at our backs, well off the bank, remained quiet, fought the internal urge to do the wrong thing, and pleasantly did nothing. If all that sounds wrong to you, you’ve got a lot to learn; and Captain Hiles is just the one to teach it to you.

Thanks Captain. Hope to see you in February when the fishing is good!

Christopher B. von Elten, MD
Danville, VA

For Christmas 2004, my wife Lori purchased a guided fishing trip with a local legendary guide, Captain Leo Hiles. In April I went out on my trip and here is the account of it.

We glided across the Indian River, part of the ICW and wasted no time going into the backwaters which lie East of the ICW. We entered the backwaters on a plane into a tiny canal proceeded to make wide turns, narrow turns, lefts, rights, thru a great labyrinth of narrow twists and turns. The water depth as I looked down was about 8 inches at times as we skimmed across the water.

Capt. Leo then asked me what experience I had in fishing the backwaters, to which I replied that I had none. Capt Leo then proceeded to tell me a bit about the habits of trout and redfish. "all of the backwaters are a big restaurant for them, redfish will move around, but the trout have a tendency to stay in one of several places." There were many tips that Capt. Leo was affording to me all morning. Some random things I picked up (there were others, but these are the one that stuck out in my mind):

• Always keep the wind at your back- you can cast longer and drift up on your schools like that.
• If you make some noise catching a fish, motor out of the area and drift back in.
• Never throw your used bait over, other fish and birds will soon ruin your chances
• Look for sand spots and cast on the other side of them and bring your lure into the center
• When free lining, just let your bait drift on out keeping a loose line on them

I ended the day at 12:30 with the fillets from the four fish and a great learning experience. I highly suggest that if you want to learn to fish in the Mosquito Lagoon, you give Capt Leo a call - check out his web site on InshoreFishingTechniques.com

- Teckes in Florida

I knew I was in for a treat right away as we spotted some really nice trout on the way in. The first stop was to get me started off on the right foot, he went over some items such as stealth, way we were going to fish, baiting casting and setting drags, free line techniques that we'll be utilizing and in general how things work on the boat and how to stay out of his way

As he worked the area and we would come up on stuff such as points and structure he was great at helping me to read the water, know what to look for, different types of fish movement. Went to an otherwise quiet little area with a few oyster bars some small bait here and there. He asked if I thought there were fish in there and about that time 4-5 large gator trout showed us the answer. We anchored up and floated some bait. One live free lined and another chunked. To my amazement nothing bothered the live free liner, but that chunk of mullet picked up our first Gator Trout, 7lbs. Finally after boating that one, one of the others slammed that live free liner but didn't hold it nor come back at it.

We moved back over to check on the Reds and again they were just so spooky. Leo doesn't give in easy and we worked our way back around completely away from where you would think they went and bam we were on them - put a nice 26"er in the boat.

We moved around and he continued to point out places for fish to move and why. How to test an area to get the Reds to come up to the surface without really spooking them out. The next group we came up on was much larger group and as they came close by us I made the perfect cast and it was immediately picked off and we had another slot Red to the boat.

All I can say is no matter what I do, I will think about the lessons Leo taught me today on all my future ventures. Not only a great Captain but really teaches you what you might otherwise miss. One lesson I'll never forget is to bring the rod down to the fish to keep the line about the length of the pole as you boat the fish & thumb/cup the spool if he tries to go under the boat. It took me 4 tries to get it right and the last one he said I did perfect.

- Vince (AKA Flatoutfishn)

What a day! I had heard from several people about Capt. Leo. It all sounded too good to be true and I must admit that I took a lot of it with a grain of salt. Boy was I wrong. For the novice or the pro (which I am not) Capt Leo, in my opinion, really knows his stuff. The backwaters posed absolutely no problem for him or his boat.

He preached silence and after a bit I saw the reason why. Three Trout 6, 5, and 4 Lbs; two Redfish 6 and 5 lbs, a couple of trout (the size I normally catch) and a couple of lower slot reds.

All this in about 6 hrs on the water. I have had better days but not many, and mine were mostly caused by luck not skill. I learned a lot in a very short time. All in all a very enjoyable trip and experience. I highly recommend Capt Leo to anybody that is just starting to fish or to anybody that wants to learn the backwaters and how to fish them.

-Jim Griffin in Florida  
      

ANOTHER GREAT DAY WITH CAPT. LEO! This was my second year fishing with the Capt and I can highly recommend any fisherperson, either novice or skilled, spending 5-6 hrs under his instruction. He is my kind of fisherman, a lover of the beauty and serenity of nature and also a masterful reader of the water. He not only shows you the wild serenity of Mosquito Lagoon but is constantly instructing you in the art and science of fishing for big reds and trout. Note that I use the word "Science" because that is what he has learned over the years, and applies in finding and catching big fish. He is a true teacher in that he is willing to share his knowledge.

After I boated a couple of big reds and a nice trout he moved off the area to let other fishermen try their luck. We could have loaded the boat with big reds and trout but moved on, and I appreciated that! Looking forward to fishing with you next year!

Rueben C. Buse - Wisconsin

It was my birthday and my wife asked what I wanted for dinner. Fish of course! Leo made sure that a trip to the store wasn't needed. Fresh trout and red fish on the table. It was great.

If ya haven't done it - do it. You'll be glad you did. Caught trout a 4 lb (released), a 5 lb, and a 6.25 lb. Got the line cut off on one and missed one and one under-size. Also caught 2 keeper reds.

All this from 6:30 to 8:30 including the ride into the back waters. Leo is the one for teaching ya how to fish with live mullet. I've always had trouble with detecting the bite and how to get the hookup. Problems solved after the first fish. Leo saw my problems and taught me the right way.

Learned how to read the bait movements while they are in the school and on the end of my line. He improved my confidence 100%. Don't miss this bargain priced education.

Leo, I'll be seeing you again when the weather cools. Free lining the shrimp sounds like fun to me.

-Gary Pratt St. Cloud, Fl.    

May 18th trip with Capt. Leo Hiles - North Mosquito Lagoon. Capt Hiles is a master of stealth in equipment and technique. Right off on the flats he put us on a school ('till I squeaked the fishing chair and spooked about a hundred reds within 50 ft).

Reds 27" and 24"
Black Drum 20"
Trout 20"

Thanks for a great day Leo.

- Richard Jones in Florida   

My friend and I've been fishing together for nearly 40 years and, quite honestly, we didn't catch much. My pal told me that the problem was not his bad luck but that Capt. Hiles told him that we might be making too much noise. He said that I clump around the boat too much, bang into things, drop things and generally make a racket. He made me go fishing with Capt. Hiles.

Let me tell you something. I've never caught more fish in so short a period of time and I've never had so much fun fishing. I've been out with many a guide but not like this. This guy actually took the time to show me how to catch fish, and more importantly, how to be quiet. It just goes to show you that a native Floridian like me can learn new tricks. Moreover, now when I go fishing with my pal, I actually catch more fish than he does.

- Steve Curry in Ocala, FL.

Great day out on the water with Captain Leo. It was cold so we started out late (9am) and went through Orange Island Creek to some very skinny water. Soon we found some schooling reds and threw out a mullet with his tail cut off and a 3/0 circle hook. It wasn't long before I had boated (2) reds, both of them 4 pounds.

Once the reds left we moved maybe 50 yards further down and saw some large trout in sand holes so we anchored and tossed out whole mullet with 3/0 Big Moe hooks (Daiichi). After several missed hookups I finally boated a 3 pound trout.

By now the front had arrived and the winds were blowing 20 mph out of the west, so we went back to our morning spot and started casting out whole mullet for the trout we had seen ealier. The first bait had barely hit the water when a redfish took it and proceeded to put up an amazing fight for a four pound fish.

Now we threw out the mullet with their tails cut off because we knew the reds were there. It wasn't long before I hook up with something a little bigger. I was fighting it like a redfish when Leo instructed (yelled at) me to take it easy that it might be a large trout. I didn't think it was a trout, but I followed his directions and a few minutes later I had boated my first gator trout...six and a half pounds!

ISAA Member - msb3golfcat

Using the techniques learned from my trip with Captain Leo a week earlier, I hit it big on the first day of my spring vacation. Just before sunset we hooked into something big on a live finger mullet. After a long fight, my ten year old son landed a 30" redfish! We couldn't have done it without applying everything that Captain Leo taught me.

What a confidence booster to know you are using the right bait, tackle, fighting techniques and other little tricks that Leo teaches. After a quick photo, we released the fish to catch another day. If you have invested money in your own boat, do yourself a favor and spend just a little more on a fishing lesson with Captain Leo. It will be money well spent.

Mark Burton Orlando, Florida