Florida Charter Guide Loses His Mind At Guys Fishing A Bridge, Boards Their Vessel, Gets Lit Up By The Community

If there is one thing I know for certain about fishing communities it is that world travels FAST when someone in the community steps out of line. I grew up in Sarasota / Siesta Key where this incident took place and despite the county growing at a meteoric rate over the past decade the fishing community here is still as tight as it ever was… Which means that when Captain Brock Horner stepped out of line the word spread fast. (Updates to this story have been included below as law enforcement released statements)

The video below is disturbing and quite honestly, it’s a surprise that it didn’t end in tragedy given how heated things were. In the 4+ minute video, Captain Brock Horner of Punta Gorda, Florida can be seen pulling up on a younger guy fishing a bridge and losing it on them.

UPDATE: Brock Horner has been arrested by Punta Gorda Police. He was charged with Burglary with Assault or Battery.

How The Captain Brock Horner Incident Began

The incident begins as Horner accused the kid of ‘cussing’ at him earlier. Gage Towles, the person alone on the boat filming, tells Capt. Brock Horner he’s mistaken and tells Horner that he cannot come “flying through the (Barron Collier) bridge area.” This set Horner off who then snapped back asking if he “wants to f—— go” to which Towles responded “I don’t wanna go … I want you to get the f— out of here.”

At one point he boards their vessel which many people in the comments on social media have suggested is a maritime felony but I’ve contacted a captain for comment on that and it is unclear what the charge might be in this instance. Capt. Brock Horner unleashes on these guys all because of a case of mistaken identity. He mistook them for another boat… Horner is 40. Towles is 22. At one point while feeling threatened, Towles can be heard on video saying “chill bro, chill bro please! I’m a kid bro, I’m a kid.”

After realizing the error of his ways and that he was in the wrong he surely apologized and made good, right? RIGHT?! Obviously not. Captain Brock then brings up his military service. He is a veteran. And the group being mistakenly verbally assaulted thanks him for his service but the tirade continues… Here are two clips, one of the unedited/full incident and a second clip from @the_reel_skipper, another military veteran, who breaks down everything that happened in the video. There is some strong language in this video so be forewarned about that.

Here is the full unedited clip/without commentary:

If you take a look at the comments across social media, you get a sense of how powerful the blowback is to this. I’ve already heard from friends who fish tournaments against this guy and are not at all surprised by this behavior.

‘I’m the best charter captain you will ever meet in your mother f—— life’ is such an outlandish statement for a guy who has only been tarpon fishing this area for about 10 years…

Horner Apologizes, Authorities Are Investigating

On Instagram, Capt. Brock Horner shared this message: “I apologize for my actions.”

UPDATE 1.0: around 11am ET on April 3rd the Punta Gorda Police Department shared a message that they are aware of the incident which occurred underneath the under the Barron Collier Bridge, that a police report has been filed, and the incident is currently under investigation:

Update 2.0: the U.S. Coast Guard released a message on Facebook that they too are investigating the incident as they have “authority and jurisdiction over merchant mariner credentials.”

Update 3.0: Attorney Scott Weinberg has released a statement on behalf of his client, Captain Brock Horner, who is “deeply sorry” over the incident. Here is the statement in full:

I started above mentioning how quickly news travels in this tight fishing community in and around Sarasota and that’s particularly true this time of year as we are on the verge of tarpon fishing season. Sarasota is one of the global capitals for tarpon fishing from late April/early May until early July-ish. People come from all over the world to fish for ‘the silver king’ in this region from Boca Grande up to Tampa Bay with Sarasota smack dab in the middle of that.

How do most people traveling from around the country find fishing captains to book for charters? They search online. And the chatter from the fishing community around this incident has hit a fever pitch. The only fishing outfitters/bait shop on Siesta Key (CBs Outfitters) released a statement saying they are in no way associated with Capt. Brock Horner who lists CBs as one of his sponsors on his website.

The counterpoint to ‘he does catch some big tarpon’ is you’d have to be a pretty awful captain in order to NOT catch big tarpon in this area during the early Summer. From what I’ve heard, he has been fishing the region for about 10 years. I’m born-and-raised in the area and honestly, about 33% of the people in my life could take you out in the Summer to catch a tarpon. It’s in your blood if you grew up fishing around here…

But if you are in the market for a tarpon captain then hit up CBs Saltwater Outfitters for recommendations because they’ve got some incredible guides!