Published On: March 5th, 2019Last Updated: March 24th, 20222.9 min read

Meet the Crew – Main Attraction II

On this week’s edition of “Meet the Crew” we are highlighting the second largest vessel of the fleet. Main Attraction 2 is a 42’ Morgan run by Captain Shelby Bentley. Some of our long-term clients may recognize Captain Shelby from years back. He has worked for Main Attraction now and then for more than 10 years.

Shelby is an original “Conch”, born and raised in Big Pine, Florida Keys. Shelby and Captain Marty Lewis basically grew up together which is why they get along so well! When Captain Shelby parted ways with the Main Attraction years ago, he ventured out on his own and guided flats and Tarpon charters in the Big Pine/Cudjoe Key area. Last year, Captain Marty needed an extra mate for one of his big Sailfish tournaments and Captain Shelby was thrilled to help. Soon after the tournament, Marty needed a reliable Captain to join our crew and there was no doubt Shelby was the right man for the job.

Shelby loves to fish and even on his days off which are few and far between, he can be often be found Tarpon or Sailfishing. Shelby is an excellent kite fisherman. Shelby also enjoys maintaining boats, which is usually a Captain’s least favorite task! Fortunately for us, he takes pride in his craft and understands the importance of maintaining a nice fishing vessel.

The Main Attraction 2’s first mate, Dylan Johnson, has literally been fishing since he was in diapers! He fell in love with fishing at a young age when he started fishing lakes and ponds in Central Florida with his father. He was a master bluegill angler and eventually wanted to try larger fish. Dylan’s parents saw his passion and took him on a deep-sea fishing adventure at age 9, and it was then that Dylan got the saltwater fishing bug.

When Dylan was old enough to drive, you wouldn’t find his truck without his fishing pole in it unless it was in his hand. In high school he wanted to share his passion for fishing with others, so he volunteered to be a captain for the high school fishing team. He would volunteer his time with young junior anglers and fished them for tournaments.

Dylan moved to the Keys in 2018, in search of a professional fishing career. He joined our Main Attraction team back in August, after we were in search of an additional mate. He was very persistent and called several times until we agreed to meet him in person. He immediately jumped into the “not so appealing” part of fishing, the boat maintenance work. Since then, he has become a vital part of the team.

Dylan’s passion for fishing is contagious which helps his clients have a great time on their trips. One of his most memorable moments happened over the holidays (2018) when his parents and siblings came down to spend a few days with him. When you are a fisherman you don’t get days off or holidays like normal corporate jobs, so his family came to see him. There was a day where the Main Attraction 2 was not booked and he was able to take his family out and catch sailfish wit his little brother Jacob, little sister Maddie, and his mom Henrietta. An unbelievable day that he will never forget!

If you would like to fish with Captain Shelby and First Mate Dylan contact us today and ask to fish on the Main Attraction II.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

TAKE YOUR VACATION TO

THE NEXT LEVEL

TAKE YOUR VACATION TO

THE NEXT LEVEL