Reviews

OUR CUSTOMERS ARE OUR BIGGEST SUPPORTERS…HERE’S WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY!

“William is a great fisherman and guide who is patient, calm, and encouraging, making him one of my favorite people to fish with.”

~Nick Rizopoulos

“Having never been fishing before, I didnt know what to expect other than I was excited for the boat ride. William was great explaining how to use the pole and very thorough in detail. After learning how to cast, we set off to catch real fish and what do you know, within a couple of hours I had caught & released  2 Big Reds. Couldn’t have done it without William’s guidance! Great tour guide and friend. Can’t wait to get back out there!”

~Laura Wagner

“Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with William and I’ve never met a more  ethical sportsman.  This is equalled by his true love of angling and desire that you love the sport as much as he does.  You won’t be disappointed !!!!!”

~Chris Herring

“I recently had an opportunity to fish with William Townsend with Light&Fly Guide service.  I am a novice fly fisherman at best and was kind of nervous about my abilities.  We saw lots of fish and I had an opportunity to cast to numerous redfish and drum.  When a guide is professional, patient and supportive of the fisherman, it takes the pressure off and makes for a wonderful day..  If you want a great experience in a fly fishing trip with a professional guide then book a trip with Light and Fly guide service.”

~Alan Hunter

Captain William sought me out after seeing my fly fishing posts on FB late in 2015. I knew William from growing up in South Texas; Alice Texas to be exact. I had him pegged for an offshore RATT (Yes that is a reference to the rock group popular in the 80’s). You see, William and my brother were in the same grade, I am a year older. My brother caught a rather large amberjack on one of their offshore outings and I guess the moniker of William and his family being offshore fishermen stuck. I was mostly throwing bait and gigging flounder back then. I started fishing with artificial lures for speckled trout and redfish at the age of 16. William moved away before graduation. I never fished with him growing up.

Over the years I would ocasionally get updates about William from my brother; in Florida, Galveston, Port A, wherever…. I always assumed he was fishing offshore. Then one day my brother (MI hermano) told me “That fool (Term of affection coming from my brother) William is guiding fly fishing in Florida” and I thought to myself “How cool is that, he finally switched over to light tackle”. Turns out he had always fished light tackle mixed in with his offshore fishing. Had I known he was back in Texas and primarily bay fishing with light tackle and flyrods, I would have looked him up long before I started fly fishing.

It’s hard to put a factor on how fly fishing with William for the first time in spring of 2016 has improved my shallow water sight fishing with the flyrod. I can only say I have advanced in the sport faster than I would have trying to figure it out for myself.   The pictures on the Light & Fly Facebook page and website tell most of the story. William finds and catches fish for whoever is on the bow or wading beside him. This, and the fact that he has been bold enough to go out with flyrods  only in tough conditions and still deliver sight casting opportunities is another part of the story.  Williams confident yet easygoing nature will suit anglers of all skill levels. I have described him as a “Great and patient teacher”.

The rest of the story is yet to be written, but you will become a better angler the minute you start talking fishing with Captain William.

Yours truly,

~Captain Joe W. Sneed

Over the past several years I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to fish with William Townsend from Rockport down to the Land Cut and all points in between. William is a fantastic guide with an encyclopedic knowledge of the areas he fishes and the coming to goings of the species that visit these flats. While fishing with William I have had several “personal  best” — both in size and quantity of fish. Most recently, I took out my 11-year-old daughter with William. He worked with her and in no time she was hooking up on redfish. William’s skiff and equipment is top of the line and well maintained. William is also a wonderful person to spend the day with, he is courteous and patient, as well as fun to be around. Whether you are a novice or accomplished angler, should you ever have the opportunity to fish with William, don’t pass it up. As far as fly fishing guides go — I would rate him a five out of five!

~Jeff Davis