Capt. Madison MacDonald

Captain Madison MacDonald is a young Nature Coast guide and the nephew of Homosassa legend Capt. William Toney. Fishing since childhood and guiding since eighteen, he poles an 18-foot Maverick skiff for redfish, seatrout, and snook around Homosassa, Crystal River, and Yankeetown, with a deep passion for big tarpon out of Bay Port. A hunter as well, he guides quail and chases spring turkeys. With In The Spread, MacDonald breaks down sight casting to the big black drum that roam the Nature Coast flats.

Instructor's videos

Fishing runs in Madison MacDonald's blood. The nephew of Homosassa legend Capt. William Toney, Madison grew up on the same Nature Coast water his family has fished for generations, learning it as a kid alongside his dad. He got his first boat in high school, earned his Florida six-pack captain's license right after graduation, and has been guiding since he was eighteen. He has become one of the most capable young guides working the Nature Coast, and a natural on camera for In The Spread.

Madison runs a Maverick HPXV, an 18-foot skiff built for exactly the kind of fishing he loves. It is a smaller boat, and that is the point. He takes only two anglers at a time and poles the shallow, gin-clear flats of Homosassa, Crystal River, and Yankeetown for redfish, seatrout, and snook, then runs to Bay Port when the tarpon show up. Big tarpon are his true passion, and chasing them is where his skiff and his skill set really come together. He is also at his best on big schools of redfish, working them with bait, fly, and artificial lures depending on the day and the mood of the fish, and for a change of pace he likes to hunt the big black drum that prowl the same flats and backcountry.

His approach is technical and hands-on. Madison favors a 7-foot-6 medium fast action rod matched to a 3000 to 5000 size reel depending on the target, a setup versatile enough to handle everything from a finicky trout to a hard-charging redfish. Sight fishing is the heart of what he does: spotting fish, reading their behavior, and putting a precise cast where it counts.

Madison is a hunter as much as a fisherman. When spring arrives, from March through April, you are more likely to find him in the woods chasing turkeys than on the water, and in the winter he guides quail hunts full time near Land O' Lakes. He is a true Nature Coast outdoorsman in every season.

Madison brings that same technical, sight-fishing approach to his work with In The Spread, where he breaks down how to spot big black drum on the Nature Coast flats, read whether they are feeding, and put a bait in front of them for the eat. With more on the water together already in the works, he is a guide worth learning from and watching.

Personal Website: https://homosassafishingcompany.com/