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“This might be the most popular inshore fishing spot in the world,” says Aaron Benzrihem. He and Rich Janitschek are stocking up on tackle in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. “There’s just a world of end-less possibilities down here,” he continues as he sorts through packages of jig heads and soft plastics. “It’s gonna be freakin’ awesome!”
Benzrihem and Janitschek are two normal guys who love to fish so much that they’ve made filming their adventures a career. Both live in southeastern Florida. They shoot authentic, unscripted material, so Salt Water Sportsman decided to send them south in December to see what it’s like to trailer a boat down the Overseas Highway. We gave them three things for this trip: a boat, four nights in an Airbnb, and $300 to spend on bait and tackle. The boat was a skiff, an 18-foot Mako, but it was rigged bare bones—no trolling motor, no poling platform, just a basic ride with a reliable engine and a dependable fish finder. Were they up to the task? Could they find fish? The game plan was simple. We’d rent them a place on Big Pine Key, and they’d fish for roughly 72 hours. They’d target the flats, canals and bridges you can access from public ramps along the Overseas Highway. This 113-mile ribbon of asphalt and pylons was built out of repurposed sections of Henry Flagler’s old Florida East Coast Railway. Completed in 1938, the highway provided a lifeline for the isolated residents of the Keys and a gateway to the region’s incredible fishing—one that anyone with a truck, boat and trailer can experience for themselves.
Aaron Benzrihem (Abenz Fishing)
Aaron Benzrihem is an avid angler based out of southeast Florida. He grew up snook fishing on Sanibel Island and now writes, shoots, and edits fishing stories and videos that document his efforts to catch the biggest inshore fish Florida has to offer.
Richard Janitschek (Fishaholic)
Richard Janitschek grew up in North Jersey, then spent time living in Montauk NY, where he worked on a charter boat, guided surf casting trips, and ran his own light tackle charter boat. After graduating college in 2017 he loaded his kayak on his truck and started traveling, fishing, and filming along the U.S. east coast, finally settling in Stuart, Florida in 2021.
We’re planning more of these! If you’re a creator who is interested in joining our team, please contact Executive Producer Phil Hollandsworth. If you’re a sponsor interested in integrating products or services into these shoots, please contact our publisher, Scott Salyers.
