TV Viewers Are Hooked on ‘Reel Rivals’
Florida Keys sportfishing is getting primetime broadcast attention these days — in a TV reality series now airing on The Weather Channel.

Meet the 'Reel Rivals.' From left are Scott Stanczyk, captain of the Catch 22; George McElveen, skipper of the Reel McCoy; Augie Wampler, captain of Predator, and Nick Stanczyk, skipper of the B n' M. (All photos by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)
It’s called “Reel Rivals,” and the first episode debuted in early May. It features the daily competitiveness of a quartet of world-class Keys sportfishing captains: George McElveen, Nick Stanczyk, his uncle Scott Stanczyk and Augie Wampler.
All four base their boats at Bud N’ Mary’s Fishing Marina, an almost-70-year-old Islamorada marina steeped in Keys sportfishing history.
The now-iconic marina was established in the mid-1940s by Bud and Mary Stapleton, a New England couple who knew nothing about fishing (!). After acquiring the property, they first opened a hotel and tackle shop — and only ventured into the charter business when Captain Don Gurgiolo convinced them to let him build a small dock for his boat so he could run offshore fishing charters.
“’Reel Rivals’ is about the competition between four sportfishing captains in the sportfishing capital of the world,” explained Brad Hebert, the co-executive producer for Optomen Productions, the company that created the show for The Weather Channel. “It centers on relationships, on and off their boats.
“They’re entertaining, comical and (episodes are) full of twists and turns,” he said about the 30-minute shows.

Augie Wampler (left), captain of the Islamorada charterboat Predator, displays a nice bull dolphin fish (mahi-mahi) caught by Weather Channel meteorologist Reynolds Wolf in Keys waters.
Hebert and his video production crew focused a slew of cameras on the four skippers for almost a month. They then spent four months in post-production to create six shows for airing — with the anticipation that the series will be extended on an annual basis.
And it’s totally fitting that the angling adventures were filmed in the Florida Keys. According to the International Game Fish Association in Dania Beach, Fla., the Keys are home to more sportfishing records than any other destination in the world. In recent years, the waters surrounding the Keys have produced an astonishing annual average of nearly 15 percent of all IGFA saltwater world records.
Viewers should be forewarned, Brad Hebert advised, that “Reel Rivals” is not a typical nuts-and-bolts fishing show — although there’s plenty of sportfishing action. The natural attractions and climate of the Keys add to the show’s appeal.
“The location (Florida Keys) is beyond what is advertised in terms of beauty as well as the diversity of species,” he enthused.

Captains Scott Stanczyk (left) and Augie Wampler do a live interview from Bud N’ Mary’s on The Weather Channel to promote the "Reel Rivals" show.
In fact, Islamorada is located between three different bodies of water — Florida Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean — and close to the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef and the Everglades.
Sailfish and dolphin (the fish, not the mammal) are two of the most popular offshore species pursued in the Keys. Flats fishing (sometimes described as hunting in shallow water) focuses on the “big three” — tarpon, bonefish and permit.
The appeal of the area is undeniable even for dignitaries, politicians and celebrities hooked on fishing. Over the years, notable Islamorada anglers have included former President George H.W. Bush, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, “Riders of the Purple Sage” author Zane Grey, former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson and actor Paul Newman.
Want to know more about fishing in Keys waters? Click here — and don’t miss upcoming episodes of “Reel Rivals.” They’re slated to air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT through the end of June.































