Nick Stanczyk’s passion for fishing began as a child growing up in Islamorada, Florida, and runs through generations of his family. Islamorada is a village of six islands ninety miles from Miami and is known as the “Sportfishing Capital of the World” and hosts the largest fishing fleet per square mile in the world. His father, Captain Richard Stanczyk, Sr, bought the iconic marina, Bud N’ Mary’s, in 1978, which is where Nick spent any time he could after school and on days off with a fishing rod in hand.

Nick Stanczyks Beginning in Swordfish Fishing

At the age of 18, Nick acquired his captain’s license, continuing on his journey to make his fishing dreams a reality. His next accomplishment was to follow in his father’s footsteps and graduate from the University of Miami in 2007, before returning to Islamorada to pursue his lifelong dream of being an offshore charter fishing captain.

Nick Stanczyk Pioneers Daytime Swordfishing

Despite an impressive resume that includes helping pioneer daytime swordfishing, arguably one of the most significant discoveries in the recreational fishing industry in the last decade, Nick Stanczyk is just 27 years old. Previously it was thought that you could only catch swordfish at night. Prior to the Stanczyk family’s 2002 discovery, few fishermen had caught swordfish during the daylight, and typically they were targeted only at night. The Stanczyks and their crew discovered how to fish for swordfish during the day, turning Islamorada into a top swordfish destination.

The efforts of the Stanczyks have been copied in other locales, with daytime swordfishing now taking place up the East Coast through North Carolina and the Gulf of Mexico into Texas. These last few years, Nick Stanczyk has captained swordfishing charters for visitors from around the world. Nick can be found fishing for anything in the Atlantic Ocean side of the Keys aboard his 34-foot Crusader, the B n’ M. The young captain hopes to carry on the Stanczyk family tradition, keeping the name of Bud N’ Mary’s Marina alive. While living and raising a family in Islamorada — Nick enjoys spending time on the water fishing with his own children, who hopefully will love the water and fishing as much as the rest of the Stanczyk family does.