Starting from humble beginnings, Fishing Headquarters is now the largest fishing charter company in South Florida. Back in the late sixties at age 12, Paul Roydhouse, the founder and owner of Fishing Headquarters started off working as a deckhand on the charter boats in the Bahia Mar marina. On his first few jobs, he had to tell people he was 16 years old due to child labor restrictions. He worked on boats such as the Diamond Lil, Jamie C V, Cynful, N-Joy, Dottie Red, Bluefin, Bolo, High Seas, Alamo, Southside, Quick Pic, Naughty Boy and the Heather Lynn. Most of those boat names will only be remembered by the old timer fishermen as many of those boats have been gone for decades. After getting his captain’s license, he paired up with Fred Marolf, owner of a boat called the COB. Fred was a big game marlin fisherman and together they fished the Bahamas Billfish Championship, the blue marlin tournament circuit that held events throughout the Bahamas. Together, Paul and Fred racked up a lot of tournament wins and losses and in the process gained tons of big game blue marlin fishing experience.
In 1994, Paul got a thirty thousand dollar loan to buy his first charter boat. It was called the Big Game. Every charter fisherman in Fort Lauderdale pitched in and helped work on the boat while in the boat yard getting ready for charter fishing. Six months later, the boat was finished and started running charters and it’s been nonstop ever since. Every year or two, as the business expanded, a new sportfishing charter boat was added to the fleet. Fishing Headquarters now has a total of eight sportfishing boats running trips every day. In the early 2000’s, two large capacity drift boats were added to the fleet, the Mary B III and the Catch My Drift. The Catch My Drift is Fort Lauderdale’s largest drift fishing boat and she takes out over 30,000 people fishing every year all by herself.
From a charter boat deckhand to operating the largest fishing fleet in South Florida, Paul Roydhouse and Fishing Headquarters have come a long way in the fishing industry. Capt. Paul and his sons still work and run fishing trips every day out of Fort Lauderdale. With the great weather and year round fishing, Fort Lauderdale is one of the best fishing destinations in the world. If you would like to experience the best fishing that the area has to offer, stop by or give them a call and tell them you want to go fishing! Be sure to tell them that Coastal Angler sent you.
FISHING HEADQUARTERS
301 SEABREEZE BLVD.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33316
754-214-7863
www.fishheadquarters.com