Middleton Fish Camp

I’ve been visiting relatives in Florida for forty years. Not sure why we never did this before. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. For one hour we saw numerous alligators, probably over 20; from small to large. Not to mention the birds, the eagle from fairly close, etc. Our guide was very knowledgeable and very personable. My brother in law said it was far superior to going out o... I’ve been visiting relatives in Florida for forty years. Not sure why we never did this before. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. For one hour we saw numerous alligators, probably over 20; from small to large. Not to mention the birds, the eagle from fairly close, etc. Our guide was very knowledgeable and very personable. My brother in law said it was far superior to going out on a larger boat. Our boat held six and there were six of us. Go ahead and put it down as a must do. You’ll be glad you did.

I booked 2 afternoon excursions into Blue Cypress Lake with Capt. Roy Bass of Middleton’s Fish Camp in early January, one for the pontoon ride and the other for the airboat. As we moved into the lake, I saw dozens of my favorite birds—ospreys—perched on the partially submerged trees in the lake. Some were nesting; others were returning to the nest with freshly-caught fish. We got so close to these... I booked 2 afternoon excursions into Blue Cypress Lake with Capt. Roy Bass of Middleton’s Fish Camp in early January, one for the pontoon ride and the other for the airboat. As we moved into the lake, I saw dozens of my favorite birds—ospreys—perched on the partially submerged trees in the lake. Some were nesting; others were returning to the nest with freshly-caught fish. We got so close to these majestic creatures that on numerous occasions the birds more than filled my frame. I saw and photographed several turkey vultures, a juvenile red-shouldered hawk, blue herons, great egrets, limpkins, anhingas, and other species. Most amazing of all, for me, was the sight of a common gallinule “walking” on water! Roy impressed me with his professionalism and his dedication to making this an optimal experience for me. Despite not being a photographer, Roy fully understood the basic concepts of proper lighting and angles. He reminded me throughout the ride that his sole purpose on that trip was to help me get the kinds of images I wanted. With his professional expertise at the helm, the pontoon was essentially at my command. The airboat ride was even more exciting. I saw and photographed a dozen roseated spoonbills living on their own mini “island,” a couple of patient alligators, and a peregrine falcon attacking a flock of American coots. Just a few feet from the boat, the peregrine struck a fleeing coot (but not fatally) and took after chasing the others. It was a remarkable sight—and Roy knew all about it. Throughout this trip, Roy cruised expertly through the varied terrain. I felt safe and comfortable at all times, despite the high speeds and the swift navigation through obstacles. Roy’s professionalism extended even after my second trip was over. Roy was present when I had trouble finding a cab to take me back to my lodgings at Vero Beach, so since his day was over, he volunteered to take me there himself. And when I happened to see some wild turkeys and several (my first) white ibises, he encouraged me to step out if I wanted to and get some close-up shots. And of course, I did. I couldn’t be happier with my excursions with Roy Bass of Middleton’s Fish Camp. Regarding preparations, I recommend sunscreen (year-round) and dressing in layers. For photography equipment, I recommend either 2 camera bodies, one with a 500mm/600mm and the other with a 300mm or less, or a single body with a good telephoto zoom. More importantly, though, I highly recommend Roy Bass to anyone interested in exploring and/or photographing the marvelous Blue Cypress Lake.

We used to live nearby many years ago and came back to Vero to visit after being gone from Florida for 12 years. One thing on my bucket list to do in life was to ride an air boat. We also wanted to go fishing while we were in Florida and my girls really wanted to go salt water fishing. I had talked with Roy on the phone and he seemed like such a great guy. Lucky for us, our plans to go to Ta... We used to live nearby many years ago and came back to Vero to visit after being gone from Florida for 12 years. One thing on my bucket list to do in life was to ride an air boat. We also wanted to go fishing while we were in Florida and my girls really wanted to go salt water fishing. I had talked with Roy on the phone and he seemed like such a great guy. Lucky for us, our plans to go to Tampa area feel thru so that meant we had to change our fishing plans. I quickly angled to go out air boat fishing on Blue Cypress with Roy. My wife was admittedly not excited with that decision but had made up her mind to at least give it a try and have a good time. WE ALL HAD A BLAST! Roy is incredible! He was chatting with us as we were milling around getting ready and grabbing a couple things out of the car. Within a couple minutes he asked if I had a bad back. Probably saw I had a brace on. My back is wrecked and that was my biggest apprehension about trying to do this. One big jar could ruin the rest of my vacation. He assured me he would be very careful and make sure I had fun. That was that. We climbed right on the boat. Which is a beautiful rig. This isn't some strapped together with zip ties and duct tape type of boats. This was obviously incredibly well built and taken care of. I even peaked down in the well under the engine and I don't think there was a drop of water down there. He took us across the lake and back thru the canals. The amount of wildlife is astounding. I'll bet on the first 1/2 mile of the canal we saw a dozen osprey and every one of them had a fish. There were so many other kinds of birds your neck could get sore trying to look around to see everything BUT IT WON'T because Roy is such a competent pilot. There were gators all over. I could see how a ride would be so much fun, but we were there to fish too. When we got to the end of the canal, we turned around and the girls thought we were going to park. No! He eased up to the bank and pulled right up over the levy. Awesome! We eased down into a swampy lake area and of we went. Over the huge patches of grass and even small islands. You could see fish darting away as the boat spooked them out of their hiding place. We finally came to what liked to us like just a spot along the edge of this grassy lake. Roy got us each set up. Even cast out of we wanted or needed him to and we were in business. I grew up fishing for bass and love it. This was, by far, the best fishing I've ever had. It seemed like one fish after another. Just enough down time between fish we could try to carry a conversation but it seemed like someone usually had a fish on. It was usually my wife. We ended the day with I would guess just under 30 fish landed to the boat. All were very nice fish. Most exceptional and several big! My caught caught the big one of the day at 8.25 pounds. What a hog! We had such a memorable time with Roy. We will be back for sure and he will be our go to guide when we come back to the area. I would recommend him for anyone if any level of fishing ability and physical capability. I really doubted I would be able to comfortably do this and Roy showed me it could be done and we could have a trip we will always remember for the rest of our lives. I could not recommend Roy Bass more highly. Stop searching, book him now and you will not regret it

Jeanne Middleton is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. The area is beautiful. They offer several types of small fishing boats and large pontoon boats for rent with reasonable rates. They also have very reasonable rates on their rental cabins or trailers if you want to stay. There website has all the info. If you are interested in visiting Middletons you should plan ahead and make reserva... Jeanne Middleton is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. The area is beautiful. They offer several types of small fishing boats and large pontoon boats for rent with reasonable rates. They also have very reasonable rates on their rental cabins or trailers if you want to stay. There website has all the info. If you are interested in visiting Middletons you should plan ahead and make reservations early.