By Andy Newman
In 1962, legendary Islamorada sportfishing captain Richard Stanczyk, then 16, made plans to attend his junior prom with his North Miami High School sweetheart Donna Harrison.
But his passion for sportfishing motivated him to go fishing on the morning of the prom. He figured there would be plenty of time to return home, don his formal attire and get into the limousine that had been arranged to transport the couple.
But he never expected to hook up to a “monster” blue marlin that he fought with his two friends for eight hours, beginning off Miami Beach.
By the time they lost the fish, Stanczyk’s 21-foot Fibercraft, purchased for him by his grandfather, had drifted off Pompano Beach. As the disappointed trio made their way back to shore, they ran out of gas in the Hillsboro Inlet, some 60 miles from where they started.
Stanczyk, who recently marked his 80th birthday, missed that prom.
So did Harrison.
“She was not happy,” Stanczyk recalled. “She had bought a special prom dress.”
“It took a lot of ‘philanthropy,’ because we didn’t break up at that time,” he said.
Eventually, Harrison, a model and aspiring actress, became Stanczyk’s first wife.
That love for sportfishing, and all his accomplishments while fishing in the Florida Keys and helping to develop Bud N’ Mary’s Fishing Marina in Islamorada as a sportfishing mecca, has landed Stanczyk in the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony is set for Saturday, Sept. 6 in Springfield, Missouri. Among other 2025 inductees is former Olympic skier Andy Mill, who is passionate about fly fishing for tarpon in the Keys and who was once married to tennis superstar Chris Evert.
According to the IGFA website, the Hall of Fame recognizes extraordinary achievements in recreational fishing around the world by anglers, captains, scientists, conservationists, writers or fishing industry leaders. The first class, honoring 29 of the sport’s luminaries, was inducted in 1998. Each year, five new individuals are inducted in the Hall through a rigorous committee process.
Previous IGFA inductees include Ernest Hemingway, Stu Apte, President George H.W. Bush, Tommy Gifford, Zane Grey, Guy Harvey, Michael Lerner, Johnny Morris, Flip Pallot, Al Pfleuger Jr. and Joan and Lee Wulff.
“When I heard (from the IGFA) that I was going to be inducted, I asked ‘Are you sure you have the right guy?’” Stanczyk said. “They said ‘Oh yes, we have the right guy.’”
“It was a unanimous decision,” the IGFA official said.
Stanczyk’s foray into sportfishing began at age 3, catching a bass on a cane pole in a lake near his birthplace in St. Louis.
He credits his grandfather, Carl Soker, for planting that seed as well as helping finance loftier angling experiences after the family moved to Miami.
Although he earned an accounting degree from the University of Miami, his first job at an accounting firm didn’t last for more than two years.
While visiting his dying grandfather in a Missouri hospital, “He told me, ‘Why the hell do you want to do this, if you’re not happy,’” Stanczyk remembered. “He wanted me to have the education, but knew I really loved to fish.”
Shortly after, he delivered the news to his mom that he was leaving the firm. She cried.
Although Stanczyk spent time running the family bowling alley as well as a bar, and even investing in an Alaskan gold mine, fishing was his life’s passion.
He bought his first charter boat in 1970 – a boat that was owned by the late Miami Herald publisher James Knight.
He fished out of downtown Miami’s legendary Pier 5 from 1971 to 1977.
He also fished frequently in the Keys, based at Bud N’ Mary’s for several years, and even won the 1970 Islamorada Sailfish Tournament.
In 1978, he purchased Bud N’ Mary’s, the historic marina he had fallen in love with, after a failed deal by another potential buyer.
After almost five decades, the marina has become a cornerstone of the Keys’ sportfishing industry and one of the reasons for Islamorada’s reputation as the “Sportfishing Capital of the World.”
Stanczyk’s sons Nick and Ricky are now principal owners and long ago became accomplished offshore and backcountry captains, respectively.
In the annals of sportfishing, Stanczyk is likely best known for pioneering daytime swordfishing. “We didn’t discover it,” he said. “We fine-tuned and made it work here.”
He, his brother Scott, son Nick and Vic Gaspeny adapted the practice that began in Venezuela for the much more challenging waters off the Florida Keys.
With speedy currents and 1,500- to 2,000-foot water depths, fishing for swordfish in the Gulf Stream required creativity and persistence.
After years of trial, error and absolute obsession, the foursome proved that swordfish could be caught consistently during daytime hours. In one two-day span, the team released 11 broadbills and also racked up 53 consecutive trips catching at least one swordfish.
But likely Stanczyk’s biggest accomplishment is the mentoring of captains, as well as recreational anglers, that he has fostered at Bud N’ Mary’s.
Although he still monitors daily accounting activities, he has stepped back — while resisting the opportunity to cash out by selling the valuable waterfront property to developers.
For Stanczyk’s induction presentation, IGFA creative and brand manager Adrian Gray wrote:
“He (Stanczyk) has stepped back, giving everything to his family without strings, ensuring Bud N’ Mary’s would remain in hands that understand its soul. It was his son Nick who expressed his discontent with a possible major development deal, reminding his father: ‘There are 45 captains and their families who depend on this place. I was born here.’
“Through it all, Richard has remained grounded in his original purpose: to preserve the experience of fishing.
“Yes, the fisheries have changed. Yes, the technology is different. And yes, the challenges ahead are real — habitat loss, overfishing, climate impacts.
“But Richard believes in the power of mentorship. His advice to young anglers is simple: If it’s in your blood, you’ll find your way. Fish from the shore, the pier, the bridge, the flats or offshore — just fish with heart,” Gray wrote.
