(Left) Aboard  the "Lil' Effie", catching a big tarpon in Boca Grande Pass is very exciting.  (Right) Capt. Willie's 21 Carolina Skiff is sure to get you where the snook and redfish roam.

Capt. Willie Mills on Land and Sea

       Willie Mills was born in Ft. Myers, FL on Sept. 1st 1961.  He has fished and farmed ever since.  Willie's family were always fishermen.  He is a 4th generation commercial fisherman and proud of it.  Willie's dad and granddad were responsible for catching hundreds of  thousands of pounds of mullet and mackeral.  Decades ago this was Willie's first experience with fishing.  As a boy Willie can remember those huge catches of mullet from the Sanibel and Ft. Myers areas.
       Willie moved from Ft. Myers to Marathon in the Florida Keys in 1971 to finish his school years.  The  Keys also had great fishing experiences for Willie.  Single mackerel catches could easily number in the tens of thousands and crawfish crawled the sea floors all along the Keys.  Marathon however, was not just about fishing for Willie.  At Marathon High School, he was highly recognized for his sports ability.  At both football and baseball Willie excelled.  After he graduated in 1979, he was drafted by the Chicago White Sox organization for his pitching.  He played in their organization for two years.
        In 1981, Willie moved to Yeehaw Junction in Central Florida to work as a rancher and horse trainer.  All the while he was working cows and training horses he still enjoyed coming to Boca Grande to fish with long time guide and his Uncle, Lamar Joiner, and Cousin, Wayne Joiner.  
       Willie's horse training paid off when his father's horse, Super De Kas, ran in the All American race in 1988.  Although the horse did not take the million dollar first.  Third did produce a fine pay check.  In 1990, Willie hung up the horse training to try a little farming.  
       Willie moved to Adel, Georgia to farm and to try raising ostrich, emus, and rheas.  Willie made a good living at farming, but Georgia was just to far away from the family.  In 1996, Willie came to Boca Grande in the Fall to Commercial fish for mullet.  This started the gradual move back into fishing year round.  With all of Willie's family living primarily in the Boca Grande area, it was hard to resist being here all the time.  The following year, he was here full time, fishing for a living.  Willie mullet fished in fall, blue crabbed in the winter, and slowly began guiding.  As of right now, Capt. Willie Mills fishes the backwater for snook, redfish, and trout; the passes for tarpon; and on the beaches for mackerel and cobia.  Commercial fishing still does give Willie some off season income, but guiding for tarpon in Boca Grande's world famous pass is what Capt.Willie likes to do.

     To Book Your Charters Call Capt. Willie Mills At
941-270-0353
Or
941-697-0707