Bamboo Charters

Had the pleasure of fishing with Capt Joe on Saturday and hitting the sandbar and the sunset with Capt Matt on Sunday with my son and his friend. Capt Joe is full of personality, runs a tight ship, knows the local waters, and guided the boys to catch tons of snook! He taught them about the lemon sharks in the area and also gave them tips on knot tying. A special treat at the end of our trip was the pod of dolphins that followed our boat and jumped in the wake - a perfect day! Capt Matt was our phenomenal guide on Sunday - easygoing and also full of personality and great stories, he got us safely to the sandbar, kept our drinks cool, the music playing, and kept the boys busy with snorkel gear and water toys. He capped our night off with a sail into the sunset, pointing out the history of the beautiful mansions we passed along the way! I cannot thank both captains enough for helping us make beautiful memories this weekend! If I could give ten stars I would! Highly recommend Bamboo Charters!

I i've been remiss in not reviewing Capt Matt Bellinger and Bamboo Charters sooner! We actually first met Captain Matt and used Bamboo Charters in 2003, (I don't think there was even a review process on line then?). Bamboo chargers has a number of different captains available for you , in different boats and can put you on the fish! Even if fishing isn't your main interest , he even has a bay boat and can take you out on a day charter for snorkeling or just time on the water, think "Alligator Reef Lighthouse"! Capt. Matt has given the fishing report over the radio for years down in the Florida keys. And if you want to go online and look at 'Reelin' in the Keys', and you will see him as a regular contributor with life on the water catching real fish in the Florida Keys! Capt. Matt is a wealth of information location and life on the water! I will personally guarantee that if you will have a very memorable day/time on the water with Captain Matt!

We had the absolute BEST time!!! Matthew is fantastic and knows all the spots. We went fishing the day before with another captain and this beat it!!! It was just the perfect day!

We had a wonderful time with Captain Matt Bellinger for our 4 hour sand bar boat tour. Captain Matt was very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife. He was so easy to connect with and he was especially great with our two children ages 4 and 6. We all had a blast and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Captain Mat was amazing. I made the booking online just one day before and he was very quick in reaching out to plan the trip and share all details. The boat itself was really nice, and he was very flexible in terms of the activities and how much time we spent. He is extremely knowledgable and shared lots of details about the area with us. Extremely friendly and great company. Will surely visit again and book with bamboo charters.

It is a special day when the kids excitingly ask, “when can we do that again!?” We had such an incredible trip with Captain Matt. He truly went above and beyond to ensure everyone in our party had a memorable day on the water, especially the kids. He was able to maximize our day with a variety of snorkeling spots including the famous Alligator Reef Lighthouse, a stop at the Islamorada Sandbar, fishing for the kids and as a special bonus we were able to see a pod of dolphins swimming right next to the boat! Top notch service and professionalism. I highly recommend Capt Matt Bellinger and Bamboo Charters for your day on the water in Islamorada!

Captain Joe is an excellent fisherman and guide. He is very knowledgeable and guided us amateur fishers in a very professional manner. I went onboard with an injury and he was very careful to make sure the ride was as smooth as possible. The boat was comfortable and very clean. They launch right next to the World Wide Sportsman so they are easy to find. After your trip you can take your fish to the restaurant nearby to be cooked or you can go shopping. Joe arrived right on time and ready to go. He asked us what our preferences are and he took us to an amazing spot in the back country. He moved around to different spots to make sure we had the best areas to catch fish. We did catch and release. He educated us on the waters, the fish, and the area without being too talkative. I appreciated his positive affirmations. The trip was very peaceful. Captain Matt owns this fine fishing charter company. We are excited to go on another adventure in the future.

We had the trip of a lifetime with our kids aboard the Chubby Mermaid with Captain Matt. His knowledge and passion for all the wildlife, and the way he engaged the kids in learning about each of them will be the highlight of our trip. Thank you captain Matt for making this such a memorable experience for our family!

Matt was knowledgeable and extremely personable! He made our Everglades tour fun and educational with his vast expertise on the ecosystems of the flora , animals and waterways. He took the extra time to take us past the resident crocodile that sunbathes on a private dock. A must do tour for everyone with Capt Matt when visiting Islamorada!

What a wonderful afternoon with Captain Matt! Knowledgeable and fun--we had a wonderful time! We learned a lot about the Everglades! Thank you!

Captain Matt gave us an amazing experience. Very friendly, super knowledgeable, and great conversation! My husband and I wanted a "hybrid" charter, a little fishing a little snorkeling and he delivered! We caught several snapper. My husband caught a shark and barracuda - bucket list items! We also snorkeled at Alligator Reef and that was absolutely incredible. 10/10 stars - would recommend to everyone I know! Can't wait to do it again. :-)

Went fishing with Captain Matt Bamboo Charters for the second time now. My 15 year old and I had the most wonderful time fishing. We max out on trout. My son love it. Captain Matt is fun, knowledgable, friendly and made sure we enjoyed our time fishing. I highly recommend Bamboo Charters. They are awesome!!!

We have had two wonderful experiences with Bamboo Charters with two different captains. I would highly recommend them! They listen to the customer and create the best experience for the group. The marina they leave from is clean and has a pool you can use after and a bar to buy drinks. The captains also care about the environment and want to teach the clients as well; which is awesome! Look no further, they are the total package!

Went out with Captain Keith today. What a blast! He did a great job. Nice guy and very knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend him and Bamboo Charters.

Such an awesome day on the water with Joe! He took us out to the Everglades where we did some fishing and got to see manatees. We then went out snorkeling and ended our day at the sandbar. He was very knowledgeable of the area and the sea life. If you're looking for a fun relaxed day on the water these are your guys!

This was our first trip to the Florida Keys and my wife and son's first ocean fishing charter. I did lots of research on charters in the area, knowing there were lots of companies to choose from, being the sport fishing capital of the world. After a few calls and conversations, I was able to talk with Captain Matt with Bamboo Charters on the phone. I was instantly excited and felt like we'd known each other for years! Matt assured me that we would have a blast and catch some fish. From the minute he pulled up at the marina, he made us feel like we were pros, and that he was excited to hang with us for the day. He was right! We pulled out of the marina and he took us through the red mangroves and taught us a great deal about the ecosystem of The Keys. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. We made it to our first stop and immediately started catching some ladyfish for bait and to get some casts in. He took great care to make sure my wife and son were comfortable with the technique and also having a great time. We landed some large trout, which we ended up eating for dinner at a local restaurant, some catfish, and even hooked a shark, which he let my son reel in. He then cruised us around the area and we did some awesome snorkeling in the beautiful waters of Islamorada. Captain Matt and Bamboo Charters were, without a doubt, the highlight of our trip. They will be our first phone call on our next trip to The Keys. Highly recommend!!!

Absolutely awesome time fishing! Captain Keith was very knowledgeable and knew where to catch the fish! He was patient and made sure my boys (8&9) had a great time. Highly recommend! Will definitely do again on our next visit! Ask for Captain Keith.

Two days fishing the Everglades with Eric was the best! He really knows his way around and took us to some great spots where we caught a bunch of fish. Snook, snapper, trout, goliath grouper, lemon sharks, etc. He also told us a lot about the everglades and pointed out lots of different birds and got us up close enough to take great pictures of a crocodile, without disturbing it.

Great day on the water with Captain Anthony Vargas. We booked a full day of fishing with Bamboo Charters and every part of the trip was excellent. Captain Anthony led us to us a limit of nice Specks to start the day off. Then we went in search of Tarpon, Snook and Sharks. He found them all. We landed and released a large Snook, jumped numerous Tarpon and then landed a 5' Nurse Shark to top off the day. Captain Anthony was also very good with navigating around several large t-storms that blew up and kept us fishing, catching and having fun all day. I highly recommend Bamboo Charters and Captain Anthony Vargas if you are looking to go "catching" while you are in Islamorada, Florida!

AMAZING day out fishing with Joe and his extensive knowledge on fishing in the Islamorada waters. Will definitely book when we are back in the Keys... such a fun day on the water...

Loved being out in the bay with Matt! Great fishing (barracuda & mangrove snapper) & we couldn't get enough of snorkeling so he took us to Chica rocks, loved it. We had been on a snorkel boat the day before which was awesome but it was so much better being on our own, better gear, & no crowds at any spot. We can't wait for our next Keys trip & Matt/Bamboo Charters will be our first call to book! Per recommendation, we had our fish cooked up minute later at City Hall Cafe & it was delicious!

My boyfriend and I went out on a tour with captain Keith. We had an AMAZING time. We didn't catch a ton of fish (turns out it wasn't a good catching day for anyone), but we did get to see some of the most spectacular sights that I will never forget. We saw manatees, dolphins mud netting, an albino turtle, curious crocodile, and sharks. We did catch a jack that was used as bait to catch the 2 sharks we caught. We had a wonderful time!! And then to top it off we got some drinks at their bar that we were members of for the day! We 100% recommend you spending the day out with this guy!! We will be back !

I Booked a back country trip for my son and I ( one of the main reasons why we went to the keys ) I selected Bamboo Charters for the great reviews on all the different platforms. My contract stated for us to confirm our trip the day before we were to go out . I called in the morning and was concerned because the weather was a bit windy and unpredictable. Nobody returned my phone calls or emails until almost 8 o'clock the night before . She told me the trip was on and everything was fine. When we arrived to the dock Captain Keith told us if we wanted to shorten the trip in case we weren't catching fish and if it was too windy he would understand and didn't want to take our money. (Setting us up for failure before we even left the dock) Anyway, We we started the trip with a few speckled trout and some bait fish but nothing for the rest of the time. Kieth mentioned a few times if we wanted to go back he wouldn't charge us for the full day. So fine we went back .. obviously either there were no fish in the Everglades or he didn't know where to find them. Also , Upon booking my trip I requested to do top water fishing with lures . Kieth said we were going to but we never did . So all in all , Keith was personable ,knew his way around the Everglades , the boat was clean and nicely equipped. I could be wrong but it seemed like if the fishing is slow within his routine trip little effort was put into getting us on fish outside of his regular spots . With all the reviews of people being on fish there whole trip and Capt Matt (the owner of Bamboo Charters) doing radio fishing reports and talking about how great the fishing is in the back country, I feel like We got the only sh$&@y trip that still cost me $600.00 and a day of my vacation . Lastly, I have also emailed Bamboo Charters with my concerns before posting this with no response . There are lots of other options besides Bamboo