Gary Gillett
Waters: Mosquito Lagoon to Sebastian Inlet Boat: 1999 Hell's Bay Whipray, hull #45 Fish: Redfish, tarpon, snook & seatrout, year round Launch: Anywhere in Brevard & Volusia, closest to you
AboutYou're booking a person, not a boat.

Who's poling the skiff

I'm a fly fishing guide, writer, and native Floridian, and I've been fishing Florida waters from a skiff since I was a kid.

I'm a voracious reader, a literary dork, and a holdout for the old ways, so I'll talk about anything on the boat, from the therapy couch to the Oxford comma. I guide full days from Mosquito Lagoon to Sebastian Inlet.

My skiff was first owned by Flip Pallot, then sold to Tom McGuane, and it keeps its stories the way a pickle jar on a kitchen windowsill keeps pennies: quietly, and more of them than anybody ever bothered to count.

The dayOne boat. One or two anglers.

A full day of fishing, includes a shore lunch

Six hours, starting at daybreak, with a shore lunch in the middle.

  • MorningShake off the dust with a sunrise and tailing redfish
  • MiddayShore Lunch, Lies
  • AfternoonOne last go with a full belly

What you're paying for is my time spent finding fish, and the day around it.

Gary seated on the bow of the skiff at sunrise, holding a redfish in front of the mangroves
First light.
The Whipray pulled up on the sand at dusk beside a long wooden dock, running lights lit
End of a full day.
Who it's forRead this before you book.

Not every client is for me, and I may not be for them.

A good fit

  • You're fine with a fishless day, or a day without a shot.
  • You care about the place: its history, how it connects.
  • You'd rather come back to one guide than tick off destinations.

Probably not

  • You're counting fish.
  • You want a photo and a dock by noon.
The Whipray anchored among the mangroves at sunset, sun low over the lagoon
The Whipray. McGuane's note is still on the hatch.
The boat

Hell's Bay Whipray

This 16-foot Hell's Bay Whipray (hull #45) has stories baked into the Kevlar. Its shallow draft and easy poling put us into places other boats couldn't dream of going, and its quiet hull keeps us stealthy once we get there. Light as it is, the classic hull design keeps us safe, dry and comfortable on long runs. I'm grateful to call a skiff with such an incredible history my office.

Hull1999 Hell's Bay Whipray, #45
Anglers1–2
CaptainUSCG licensed & insured
Rate & bookingFull days only.

Book a day

Full day
$650

Mosquito Lagoon to Sebastian Inlet. Six hours on the water, starting at daybreak, though we can set the start around your schedule. Shore lunch on an island, hunting shark teeth. Lunch, water and a cooler full of ice included. Flies and tackle provided, and every fly is hand tied by me. If you have gear you love, bring it.

Call me
321-363-2666

The fastest way to book is a phone call. If I'm on the water, leave a message and I'll call you back.

Rather write? Send a request with a few dates. I'll write back to talk it through before anything is set.

Read

Writing

SubstackField notes, fiction and the occasional bad poem The QuorumA fiction book club that sharpens how we see the outdoors LatestWithout Yield
Photo

Photographs

Aerial view of a skiff anchored off a mangrove island in shallow green water A tarpon on the leader in clear water over seagrass Aerial view of a skiff in the winding creeks of a tidal marsh Launching the skiff at first light, gear and a surfboard in the truck bed Close view of a redfish held at the surface before release Two anglers on the skiff lifting a redfish beside a fly rod