THE CAPTAIN
Captain Ben Zdan
Captain Ben Zdan was born and raised in Marathon, Florida.
When Ben was young, he started out cleaning boats for some pocket money. Eventually, Ben was offered to join local fishing Captains on some ride-alongs, and he had a blast! By 12 years of age Ben was riding as a mate for various charter Captains around town.
As soon as Ben turned 18, he got his Captain’s License. He went further and also got a 100-ton vessel license.
Captain Ben’s fishing experience is not limited to the Florida Keys either. Captain Ben has mated and captained professionally in the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Mexico, St. Thomas, and Bermuda.
Captain Ben started commercial fishing right around the time the COVID-19 pandemic began. This was unfortunate timing as the demand and prices for lobster and crab saw a significant decline. As a result, Captain Ben decided to return to his first love, charter fishing.
Capain Ben’s favorite fish to catch are Sailfish and big Dolphinfish (Mahi). Captain Ben especially enjoys it when these pelagic fish are in the shallows chasing ballyhoo. But for Captain Ben, nothing beats the thrill of hooking a blue marlin on a teaser pitch bait!
Captain Ben can remember the days when he and his Dad used to fish off the dock, eating hot dogs and catching snapper all night long. They would fall asleep until awoken by the bells on their rods ringing whenever they got a bite.
A lot has changed since then, but Ben still loves to fish and will always treasure those memories.
Through one of his past jobs managing a 52′ Viking out of Duck Key, Captain Ben met his soon-to-be wife, Karly. They have two daughters, Bentley, Kenna, and their most recent addition a baby boy named Fisher.
This is one of the reasons Captain Ben is so good with kids and loves to fish with families. If you wish to speak with Captain Ben, visit our contact page to fill out a form or give Captain Ben a call to chat.
