The Team

Capt. Lionel James

Captain Lionel James grew up partly in Central Florida (Melbourne) where his father taught him to fish the intracoastal waterways, shallow flats and beaches catching Redfish, Trout and Sharks. At age of nine he moved to the Emerald Coast (Destin) where he continued to chase fish on the flats. Three years after moving to Destin he had to once again move, but this move was to the frozen tundra of Anchorage, Alaska, where he honed his fishing skills even further, fly fishing the rivers, streams and seas of the last frontier state.

Now as an adult, Lionel moved back to Florida in 2007 to pursue his fishing goal and become a full time fishing guide and tournament competitor. Lionel learned the ins and outs of the local fishing estuaries and spent every possible minute on the water, learning the fish patterns, locating the pot holes that hold fish and the water movements as seasons and whether changes and all around fish behavior. Lionel is a captain and a professional guide. When not with clients, he spends his days off seeking out new places to fish from his local home base, Destin to Pensacola bays, as well as the back country flats of Panama City.

In 2017, Captain Lionel James appeared on the nationally recognized TV show, Addictive Fishing with Blair Wiggins appearing on Fox Sports and the Pursuit Channel, among others. Lionel got to show the world the ins and outs of our Choctawhatchee Bay, inshore fishing for Trout and Redfish – his specialty. At 32,000 online views and counting, you can check out the episode below.

Captain Lionel James would love to be your guide and take you, your friends and family on a fishing adventure of life time! Share with you his years of knowledge and experience, and capture through pictures, the memories of your catches and your smiles for you to have and share.

Capt. Steve Burks

A Texas boy, Captain Steve Burks was born and raised in the city of Temple. He first picked up a rod, reel, and a bucket of crickets with his father Steve burks Sr., who would bring Capt. Steve to the nearby lakes and creeks for fish for Catfish, Bluegill and Brim. Capt. Steve spent the majority of his childhood fishing and hunting all over Texas.

After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and is currently on Active status, (10 years). His First Duty Station was Hurlburt Field, Florida where he bought his first boat 8 years ago after him and Lionel went on a deep sea trip in the Gulf of Mexico off the beaches of Destin, Florida. He knew from then he was hooked on deep sea fishing and wanted to one day give the younger generation what his father gave him, the joy of catching your first fish and the love for the outdoors.

Capt. Steve Burks has been fishing the emerald coast for close to 10 years now and specializes in bottom fishing for Grouper, Snapper, Amberjack, and many species living on our near shore reefs, as well as trolling for King Mackeral, Mahi Mahi, Wahoo and other Pelagic species.

“As your Captain, it is my mission to take you on a fantastic fishing adventure – a no pressure experience with smiles and life time memories on the house.” — Capt. Steve Burks