Hooked Up Designs Magazine December 2016 | Page 49

My Name is Captain Johnny Riggs. I’m 42
years old and I was born and raised in Charlotte County, like most of my family before me. I
joined the military a few years after graduating
from high school. Majority of my two enlistments
in the U.S. Army I was a sniper. After being
Honorably discharged, I served five years in the
Middle East as a private security contractor and
almost two years as a High Threat Instructor with
the Department of State. Although a large part of
my life has been in the “gun game,” I have never
stopped fishing. I found it was one of the only
things that would help me unwind from deployments and where I always felt I was finally home.
Being from here and having many of my close
friends who are captains afforded me the opportunity to pursue fishing as a profession.

My mom, Sue, proudly holds up her
prized bucketlist snook.

“...as the day is closing, he turns to us and asks if we
want to move or stay. A question that can be difficult
when you know you have been killing the area for the
last two hours.”
ing is quieter than doing it yourself.” And with that logic you cannot be
wrong. And once we started landing fish he just smiled and said, “I told you
so. These fish are skittish when it gets chilly out.”
While fishing this oyster bar, we catch about 30 more fish between the
three of us, so as the day is closing, he turns to us and asks if we want to
move or stay. A question that can be difficult when you know you have been
killing the area for the last two hours. We let my mom choose since this is
her day. Johnny tells her if we move we can catch more snook and maybe
some reds and trout if we’re lucky, too. I guess that was all that was needed
for her to exclaim, “Let’s give it a whirl!”
As we got to our last spot of the day, I was able to relax and put down the
rod, as my mom was determined to score the last fish of the day. While the
day was wrapping up, my mom and I took the opportunity to thank Capt.
Johnny for our great day on the water and the awesome trip he provided for
us. Johnny’s personality and charisma makes him the ideal guide for a great
fishing experience your whole family will love. He thanked us for a fun
time, too, and just like that, our Mother-son day that we will hold fondly
forever came to an end.

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I Love that any thing can happen on the water!
I like helping folks mark off things on their
bucket list.
My favorite fish to catch is tarpon, although I
love catching anything that bites.
I enjoy fishing with people of all ages. Everyone brings a different perspective.
I enjoy people and above all, I want to give
them unforgettable memories.
My boat is a 24-foot Proline with a tower powered by a Yamaha 150 four stroke.
I offer fishing charters, island and beach excursions, dolphin cruises and custom trips as well.
I provide all tackle, cooler, ice, water and all
licenses required.

2016

HOOKED UP

49