About

The Captain Brock Horner Video or Best Fishing Guide In the World is a viral video of Captain Brock Horner, a Tarpon Coast fishing guide in Florida, yelling at a young man, Gage Towles', then jumping on his boat and threatening him, demanding an apology from Towles. The altercation purportedly started after Horner accused Towles of failing to use his lights in the early morning, with Towles claiming it was someone else and that his lights were on. The video was uploaded online by Towles on April 2nd, 2025, and went viral, inspiring support for Towles and backlash toward Horner. In the aftermath of the video, Horner deleted his social media pages and made a public apology via his lawyer to Gulf Coast News as the Punta Gorda police and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigated the situation.

Origin

On April 2nd, 2025, Gage Towles uploaded a video to Facebook^[1] of a confrontation he had with Captain Brock Horner, a Tarpon Coast fishing guide in Florida.

In the video, Towles is seen fishing when Horner, along with several friends, pulls up near him in a boat. Horner accuses Towles of failing to use his lights earlier that day when it was still dark, almost causing him to crash, then cussing him out. Towles insists he used his lights, that it was someone else who failed to use their lights and that he only yelled at Horner because he almost crashed into the other boater. Horner tells Towles he's a war vet and threatens to fight him. Towles tries to brush Horner off but Horner drives his boat up to Towles' and boards it. Towles tells him that he's "just a kid," apologizes fearfully and asks Horner to leave his boat, which he eventually does.

The video gained over 62,000 reactions and 13 million views in two days. Towles also uploaded it to Instagram,^[2] garnering over 346,000 views, and to YouTube,^[3] garnering over 232,000 views in the same span of time.

Spread

The video garnered viral spread over the following days, inspiring reactions, memes and backlash towards Captain Horner. People began sharing the video with links to Horner's Instagram^[4] account, which has since been deleted, along with the website for his fishing charter business.^[5]

On April 3rd, 2025, X^[6] user @ArmedNative shared a shortened version of the video, writing, "This guide is a clown. Make him Famous," garnering over 15,000 likes and 3.1 million views in a day. On the same day, X^[7] user @_Cowboy_Town posted the video, sharing the name of Horner's business, its phone number and a link to his website, garnering over 4,900 likes in a day.

Also on April 3rd, Facebook^[8] user Funny Fishing Memes & Videos posted a Marked Safe meme about the video, garnering over 1,500 reactions and 300 shares in a day.

According to Arrests.org,^[9] Brock Horner has been charged and arrested 12 separate times for crimes including DUI, felony battery and breaking parole.

On April 4th, 2025, Gulf Coast News^[10] published a story about the video, sharing a statement from Horner and his lawyer apologizing for the incident and discussing how it has affected him. The statement reads:

As both Brock Horner’s attorney and his friend, I want to address the recent video that has circulated widely online, showing an intense exchange between Brock and a young man named Gage.

First and foremost, Brock sincerely apologizes to Gage, to Gage’s family, and to anyone who was frightened or upset by what they saw. He is deeply sorry. What began as a moment of frustration and concern escalated in a way it simply should not have. Gage handled the situation with impressive composure and class, and that level-headedness helped prevent things from becoming far worse.

Brock is not proud of how he acted. But it’s important to remember: we are not the sum of our worst day. That video captured one moment--not the whole of who he is.

Since the video went viral, Brock’s business has been destroyed, his reputation damaged, and his family -- including his wife and mother--have been harassed and even threatened. Some have gone so far as to question his military service and accuse him of stolen valor.

Let me be clear: Brock is a decorated combat veteran who was severely injured in Afghanistan. He served honorably, earned multiple medals, and suffered a traumatic brain injury in combat. He is recognized as 100% disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs. That’s not an excuse -- but it is part of his story. He stood up when this country asked him to, and that service deserves to be respected.

We live in a time when online outrage can quickly spiral into personal destruction. But just as Gage showed grace in the moment, I ask others to do the same now. Let’s hold people accountable -- but also give them room to grow and make amends.

Brock is committed to doing exactly that.

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