Santiva Saltwater Fishing
Santiva Saltwater Fishing
Santiva Saltwater Fishing
5
Boat ToursEco ToursFishing Charters & ToursBoat Rentals
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Full view
About
Santiva Saltwater Fishing is owned and operated Captain Jim Burnsed and his family. Capt. Jim is a 3rd generation Floridian who began fishing the Sanibel-Captiva waters as a professional guide 40 years ago. The Santiva Saltwater Fishing Team offers guided fishing, shelling, snorkeling, and wildlife/eco - tours for every age and level of experience. Santiva Saltwater Fishing is located at the Tween Waters Marina on Captiva.
Captiva Island, Florida
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
99 reviews
Excellent
93
Very good
2
Average
0
Poor
2
Terrible
2
Carrie H
Jonesborough, TN20 contributions
Jun 2020 • Family
We took our boys ages 16 and 10 out with Captain Jim. We had a great time catching a variety of fish. At the end we caught a shark. Jim was patient and taught them to cast with a spinning rod. They talked about Capt Jim the rest of the day. Even walking on the beach at sunset my 16 year old asked if I thought Capt Jim was thinking about our fishing trip.
Written June 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sean C
Atlanta, GA6 contributions
Apr 2021
Captain Jimmy (Jim Jr.) was great. We left on time and hit an amazing spot where we caught fish after fish- some allowable to keep and eat but many catch and release per current Florida regulations. Then we took a nice 20 min boat ride to another 2-3 spots where the fish were really biting and the dolphins were putting on a show. In fact, one fish my son (pictured) got on hook was quickly swiped by a dolphin with was hilarious and thrilling at the same time. Great experience, great price point, excellent fresh fish for dinner!
Written April 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt K
6 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
Inshore fishing with Captain Jimmy was the best part of our week in Captiva. My FIL and my 12 and 10 year old are all very novice fishermen. Jimmy had them catching fish right away. We caught sea trout, ladyfish, and a few other species I can’t remember….and he felt the kids had what it takes to try for shark. We had 4 or 5 bites and the kids each boated one. Above all Cpt. Jimmy was awesome with the kids and great fun all day.
We will absolutely be booking with Santiva and Jimmy again.
We will absolutely be booking with Santiva and Jimmy again.
Written June 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Acc81
4 contributions
Jun 2020 • Family
This fishing trip was the highlight of our vacation, we got so much out of it. There were seven in our group so we chartered two boats. Captain Jimmy was ours and Captain Josh on the other they were both really great! My boys are eleven, thirteen, and sixteen and they really enjoyed the shark fishing. They all caught one and my youngest caught the biggest one, too big to get in the boat! It was a gorgeous day, we also caught 25-30 other fish and even saw dolphins! They can’t wait to do this again. Great company to work with and super nice. Absolutely no complaints, do this and you will be so glad you did.
Written June 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom P
10 contributions
Aug 2013
The santiva saltwater website reads as though they were really into families and fishing trips. Unfortunately we got Jim the older and owner captain..if you read the reviews on trip advisor and the web site of the company. You will not see capt Jim mentioned as a good capt for children. The other two captains are praised as great with children on EVERY critique. Jim our captain fell way SHORT of our expectations. Reasons. It was raining that morning in many sectors--his comment was I should of checked the weather before going out???comforting---as we were hit by thunderstorms twice. We had our two grandchildren age 8 and 6. They were handed rods and reals by capt Jim not given a word of instruction as to how to fishetc,.etc Thought HE was a guide and supposed to be good with children. They were on their own--was terse and short with them the whole trip--we took a Break so the kids could get wet and look for shells. We stopped and our 8 year old had a bad reaction to the salt water from an injury he had had the nite before. He was in pain and we thought it best to go back to dock early due to his discomfort. Good decision by dad uncle and grandfather. As we were headed back to dock. CAPTAIN JIM said out loud and heard by my grandchild and quite hurtful to him--this is a quote "too bad that that kid messed up your fishing trip". Avoid Jim at all costs. His wife was super to work with. Jim needs some time off or work with adults! Needless to say it was a very disappointing experience for all of us.
Written August 12, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathy V
4 contributions
Apr 2017 • Family
After reading so many great reviews, we were really looking forward to our outing with Rob while on spring break with our family of five, including three teens. Rob was obviously having a busy day having just returned from a trip with another family that morning, and had someone booked after us. As soon as we boarded the boat, Rob received a phone call and proceeded to talk for the first 10 minutes of our trip, without any real greeting or introductions. He then wasted about 15 minutes driving the boat slowly, pointing out scenery that we were not interested in, especially since my daughters and I were being dropped off at a nearby Island while my son and husband were to fish; we were eating into their time fishing. When they finally were able to start fishing, my husband found that Rob was not particularly helpful and continued to be distracted on his phone. At end of our charter, we had to race back to the dock at breakneck speed to get there in time for his next customer, which made for an unpleasantly bumpy ride. Everyone can have a bad day, and perhaps this was for Rob, but it was certainly not the warm and helpful family-run business we were expecting. And it was particularly disappointing because this was an expensive outing for our family and was supposed to be a highlight of our trip to Sanibel.
Written December 24, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pop S
Sarasota, Florida42 contributions
May 2012 • Couples
These guys are great! They will take you fishing or take you out to see dolphins and collect shells. They are Florida Natives and are the best! This is so much fun and worth every penny. And for you plus size ladies like me, they are kind enough to help you in and out of the boat without embarrassing you.This family of fishing pros are the best Sanibel/Captiva has to offer. You won't be disappointed. We can't wait to come back and go out with them again! And Mrs.Burnsed is so friendly on the phone, she makes you feel like family!
Written May 17, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John
Pittsburgh, PA58 contributions
Jul 2015 • Friends
Every July my wife, brother-in-law, and I travel down to Captive for the fourth-of-July weekend. Every year, we consistently used Santiva Fishing for a 3 or 4 hour fishing charter. The past two experiences have taught us that this year, it is time to move on to a different company. The problem is not with the boats or equipment used, but with the Captain. Last year (for example), we opted for a 4 hour charter which started at 8AM. When we left the dock, the Captain informed us that he needed to go and catch the bait...we spent an hour of our trip searching for bait. He was on the radio talking with other Captains on where they caught theirs and after multiple failed attempts, he found some... Please remember, it is $100 an hour for a charter...so we just spent $100 to watch him catch bait. Finally we were on our way to actually go fishing.
You would think this sounds fun, right? Well after 1.5 hours of fishing, I think the Captain realized he was running low on bait and that he wouldn't have enough for his 12PM charter. He said he was taking us out to go Shark Fishing!! We were excited at the prospect of fishing for a shark, but our excitement quickly diminished to frustration and boredom when we realized we would spend the rest of our fishing charter, 1.5 hours, watching one fishing rod sit in the water. In the meantime, the Captain played on his cell phone.
After 30 minutes, we decided we were done. We asked the Captain to return us to the dock and we forfeited the rest of our time. He seemed surprised, but I'm not sure why? Can you honestly think a group paying $100 an hour would want to sit and watch a fishing rod at $100 an hour?
We are returning to Captiva this year, but found another local fishing charter that charges the same rate and is run by only two Captains. Do your research and beware if you opt for Santiva...If you do pick them, ensure they have ample bait when you START the charter and tell them you don't want to go shark fishing. You just want to hold your rod and enjoy the day :) Good Luck!
You would think this sounds fun, right? Well after 1.5 hours of fishing, I think the Captain realized he was running low on bait and that he wouldn't have enough for his 12PM charter. He said he was taking us out to go Shark Fishing!! We were excited at the prospect of fishing for a shark, but our excitement quickly diminished to frustration and boredom when we realized we would spend the rest of our fishing charter, 1.5 hours, watching one fishing rod sit in the water. In the meantime, the Captain played on his cell phone.
After 30 minutes, we decided we were done. We asked the Captain to return us to the dock and we forfeited the rest of our time. He seemed surprised, but I'm not sure why? Can you honestly think a group paying $100 an hour would want to sit and watch a fishing rod at $100 an hour?
We are returning to Captiva this year, but found another local fishing charter that charges the same rate and is run by only two Captains. Do your research and beware if you opt for Santiva...If you do pick them, ensure they have ample bait when you START the charter and tell them you don't want to go shark fishing. You just want to hold your rod and enjoy the day :) Good Luck!
Written June 23, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amy T
Mountain Brook, AL1 contribution
Jun 2015 • Family
My husband and I took our two children, 14 and 9 out for a day with Captain Jimmy. Our hooks were not in the water but a minute before our son was shouting "Fish On!" We caught Trout, Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish, Blacktip Shark, Stingray and a Hammerhead Shark. Jimmy was the perfect Captain for our children. He kept us fishing just the right amount of time and then took us shelling on a remote beach. It was a wonderful day.
Written June 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MikeAmerica
Menlo Park, CA32 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
Wish I could give them zero stars. I booked a fishing trip 6 weeks ago before flying to Captiva Island for a family vacation. We had our gear & lunches packed and walking to the car when the guide calls me 20 minutes before the trip to tell me he's flaking out because of an eye infection. Uh dude, you couldn't call the night before to tell me you are having an issue?
Called Laura Burnsed who set up the trip, she couldn't have cared less and made no attempt to set up another guide. She said "oh well these things happen, bye".
This outfit is a joke.
Called Laura Burnsed who set up the trip, she couldn't have cared less and made no attempt to set up another guide. She said "oh well these things happen, bye".
This outfit is a joke.
Written June 15, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am sorry that your trip was canceled on short notice. First, let me clarify that you were scheduled with Capt. Shawn Kelly who is not a member of the Santiva Saltwater Fishing Team. We set the trip up as a referral only because our guides were booked. Capt. Shawn has his own listing on Trip Advisor, Tarpon Snook Redfish, and your review should have been posted there. However, since we did refer you to Capt. Shawn I felt I should offer a response to your review.
Capt. Shawn didn't cancel the night before because his intention was to take you out. He made the decision to cancel that morning for a couple reasons. First, his condition had worsened over night and he was concerned for his own health. The entire side of his face was swollen, his eye was swollen shut, and he was in severe pain. Also, he needed to get to a doctor before the holiday weekend.
Your perception that no one tried to replace your guide is incorrect. Both Capt. Shawn, Laura, and I contacted multiple guides to try and get you out. Unfortunately, there were no captains available. Also, Capt. Shawn did offer to take you out after he went to the doctor, but you declined.
It is rare that we cancel trips and even more rare that a trip is canceled because a captain is ill, but it does happen. I sincerely apologize that it happened to you and it was certainly not our intention to disappoint you and your family.
Written July 19, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
how many can your boat accommodate? i have a large family and up to 10 people may want to go fishing. we could fish at different times
Written December 27, 2015
Our guides run center console, open fishermen boats that range in size from 23' to 25' and there is no restroom on board the boat. However, there is a restroom at the marina available before and after your trip.
Written May 20, 2015
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