John Anthony "Capt. Tony" Geisman

John Anthony Geisman, known and revered as “Captain Tony”, was born on September 18, 1948, and raised in Cocoa Beach, FL and Cape Canaveral. From the beginning, he always had a rod and a fish in his hand; his father and grandfather were involved in fishing, which led to him working on party boats in Cape Canaveral at the early ages of 10 and 11. He was such a natural boatsman that they would have him refuel the boat on his own, foreshadowing what would become a legendary career as “a wildly successful pioneer in the fledgling Distant Water Longline Fishery, fishing the seven seas” (as quoted by fellow fisherman James Budi).

His long career at sea began with the merchant marines, traveling around the world carrying his surfboard; when he returned, he acquired his first small boat called the Blue Waters, with which he bottom-fished until Marty taught him to handline swordfish on the Penob Scott Gulf (imagine that!). He then went on to captain a larger boat, the Jocelyn C; around this time, he came into Shem Creek where he met the love of his life, then Barbara McClellan, a College of Charleston student working as a waitress. She became his wife in 1980 and even joined him on many fishing trips; at the time he had a seven-year-old daughter, Charity Joy Geisman, who would eventually give them three beautiful grandchildren: Haley Joy (John) Coughlin, Addie Joy Mitchell, and Hayden Henry Holste.

But before then, he began working merit boats off of Pompano Beach, FL, where they asked him to run their largest boat, a desco named the Big Deal. At this point he met Skip Gallimore and, from the 1980’s to the 2000’s, they started running steel-hull boats (namely the Edward G) to catch swordfish and tuna. Many times, they would work 20 hours a day, if not 24. During this time, he and Barbara lived in Hawaii for four years. After this, he wanted to downsize to his own boat to bottom-fish tuna closer to home, and this was the Answered Prayer. However, because the fisheries were cut down drastically at the time, it seemed his new boat would no longer be a source of profit, and he was sent back out to the high seas. While surfing on the coast of Rincon, Puerto Rico, he got a call from Mica LaRoche that it had sunk by accident, marked a catastrophic loss - yet this boat lived up to its name as God blessed him and Barbara with a $50,000 payout, saving them in a time of great uncertainty.

It was at this time, in the 2000s, that he and several other captains began a joint fishing venture out of South Africa, teaching fishermen there to run a fishery. Here, he became interested in the beaded artwork which is a cultural tradition in South Africa, and this soon developed into a fair-trade business at the Charleston City Market in 2002, which he and Barbara managed for many years. He was already a revered teacher and mentor at this time, one of the people he taught being Jason, who wrote, “Tony, when I did this last trip at sea, I realized that I learnt a lot from you. You were always calm and controlled, not like some ruffian captain swearing and going nuts at the crew. I realized that your meticulous care of the gear and that things should be done correctly had rubbed off on me, I was obviously green, and you had to be patient, but 25 years later I can see that it paid off, so thank you for your care and training, it was a pleasure...”

Captain Tony was revered for his calm demeanor, strong leadership, and creative and innovative ideas which fundamentally changed the entire fishing industry. But “above all,” James Budi writes, “Tony was known as a gentleman. In a world where emotions and language often run unchecked, Tony's sage demeanor showed restraint, humor and compassion.”

His fellow fishermen, friends, and those he mentored have shared countless memories of his pioneering accomplishments and words of great respect and reverence, which follow below.

Vincent Montella - “Tony Geisman was the king of commercial sword and tuna fishing. Forget the hype of celebrity captains, he was the real deal. Anyone that has caught a swordfish over the past 40 years did it with something Tony pioneered.”

John Our - "Met him and Barbara in Honolulu waiting to unload 70000 pounds of swords off the Edward G. He was the King. Great couple. Rest in peace...."

Mike Foy - “Tony sure left a huge footprint on the fishing community. He helped 90% of the fishermen in the Atlantic and pacific. Everyone who encountered TG always talked highly about him, he will definitely be remembered.”

Richard Billington - “Tony was in a class by himself when it came to fishing, he was the top producer, and his easy-going attitude made him the Captain you wanted to work for.”

John Caldwell - “TG was just a pleasure to fish with, always a gentleman, and someone who just had a wealth of knowledge in our industry. May you find some comfort knowing Tony was a man of faith and is with God now. His memory will last forever in my mind, and everyone whose lives he touched.”

Will Leland - “I am thankful I got to see him down at the Geechie dock. I enjoyed hearing more of his stories.”

Don Landry - “humble and knowledgeable beyond most people's comprehension.”

Bill Cox - “He has always been on the Sea and land a Pioneer, moving on to things we have not done before and coming up with new techniques to fish, catch, rig, systems development; as well as policy recommendations on things most of us didn't come to dream could work… In one of our many adventures, he thought we should modify the boat extensively to Deep Fish the Atlantic 7 or 8 years ago. The Ellen Jean is not a battleship, but he said it could be done, so Captain Greg and I followed his instructions to the T for Tony! With Doppler in hand, Different Depth recorders, Hydraulic Line shooters, and a massive rigging changeover we followed his creative guidance for that sized vessel. It was a nail biter for me because it was quite the investment for unknown results, but Tony would contact me or me him and he would calm me down each time and sure enough it was a great success...”

He continued to fish on the high seas until he semi-retired and became a consultant and advisor to other fishermen. “Tony played a key role in fishery management as his increased time at home allowed him to represent the fishermen isolated on the high seas. He was a founding member of the American Sword and Tuna Harvesters Association. He fought for equitable treatment on behalf of the Distant Water Fishermen whose livelihoods have been constantly under attack by elites and NGO's. Tony saw the ocean's bounty as a food resource for the American people - not playthings for the wealthy or ideological fodder for preservationists. His expansive knowledge and far-ranging experience on the regulatory battleground will be missed.

“All that said, Tony's focus at sea was on land. It was on his family and a complete devotion and love for his wife Barbara. In ports thousands of miles from home he was at home virtually with Barbara. There was always an ‘us’ in his existence.” (Budi).

He was blessed to come off the high seas and live a peaceful life with his family recreationally fishing on a Carolina skiff, walking his dogs Rex and Lou, exploring the waters and islands right out of his backyard, watching sunsets, and cooking great meals. During their time managing their fair-trade business, he made art out of swordfish bills, which were “original in their sculptured diversity and highly sought by visitors to the Charleston market that Barbara kept for many years.” (Budi). Many think that Captain Tony suffered near the end of his life due to his many bouts with illness, but he lived in peace with his family and was only burdened by his illness for a short time. Joanne Ellison writes, “my sense is that the Lord has been extending, miraculously, Tony's life over years because he needed those days on earth for his mission that I described to be completed. I watched miracle after miracle as he would come back from his illness time and time again.”

Indeed, by the grace of God, he went to the Lord surrounded by love on April 30th, 2025, in Charleston, SC.

Bill Cox writes that his final message to all was: “Keep the Fleet Going!”

Captain Tony is preceded in death by his daughter, Charity Joy Holste; and his siblings, Mary Anne (John) Russ and Christy Archer. He is survived by his wife Barbara McClellan Geisman; grandchildren Haley Joy (John) Coughlin, Addie Joy Mitchell, and Hayden Henry Holste; great-grandchildren Oliver and Jasper Coughlin; siblings-in-law Leland (Bet) McClellan, Andy McClellan, Jena (Bob) Davis and Mitch Archer;  and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held to honor his life and contributions on Saturday, May 10th, 2025, at St. Andrew’s Historic Church, 440 Whilden St, Mount Pleasant, SC at 11:00 am. Interment will follow in McClellanville Cemetery. Arrangements are being handled by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Mount Pleasant Chapel.

Memorials may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.