Light Tackle Backcountry Fishing in Key West, Florida since 1997

Welcome to Key West, a truly year-round and world class fishing destination. Whether you came here for the party on Duval Street or to relax with friends and family, one thing is for sure: A trip to the Back Country of Key West to catch some of the most sought after fish the ocean has to offer should not be missed.

This area to the North of Key West is known as The Great White Heron and Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Many visitors to Key West never get to experience this area that still looks today like it did hundreds of years ago. In the Back Country you are surrounded by living mangrove islands, beautiful white sand flats only inches deep and calm, narrow channels all filled with amazing wildlife.

Upon graduating from the University of Georgia, Captain John settled in Key West and has been guiding his customers to trophy fish since 1997. As the owner and operator of the Shadow Caster he insists on delivering a personalized fishing adventure. With Captain John you can expect Professionalism, Preparation and Performance, qualities that Capt. John has learned from the best in the business and keys to his continued success.

On the Shadow Caster you can rest assured that Captain John will always have a well-thought-out fishing plan and the appropriate bait and tackle to handle any situation. Whether you are the seasoned angler or the beginning fisherman, Shadow Caster is about catching fish and enjoying what makes the Florida Keys such a great place.

Bob and his fishing buddy Raymond really wanted to catch a Permit and here is a picture of thier double header. Bob went on to release another and Raymond caught and released a Tarpon about 100lbs. David Plummer and his wife came fishing with the ShadowCaster and released two Permit on a 6Hr Trip. So needless to say the Permit fishing has been great this summer.

Sharks are also a great target this time of year. Above is a picture of the business end of a nice size Blacktip Shark. Along with the Blacktips we also caught a alot of Lemons and a few Bull Sharks this past week. The Sharks are weighing anywhere from 30lbs to over 200lbs. Great fun on light tackle in skinny water.

Key West is covered up in Fish!!!! (Not Oil) So anyone wondering about the Oil situation here in Key West, there isn’t one. We are completely free of any oil form the DeepWater Horizon.

The fishing this summer is exactly how it should be. Tarpon-Permit-Bonefish-Sharks Galore. Above are a few fish caught this week. Laura and Kelly Kilbur came back to KW from TX for some great Tarpon fishing in which they managed to release quite a few fish topping the 100lb mark. Laura did it again this year with her 28lb Permit.

Bonefishing has been heating up as the summer moves on with multiple shots every morning. Above is Dr Rob Boone with his first ever bonefish.

Tarpon fishing is in full swing. The fish showed up a bit late, but what can you do about the Coldest Winter anyone in Key West can remember. But that is all behind us now and Spring Fishing is great. You never know what you are going to catch here in the Key West BackCountry. Above is a 30lb King Mack that hit a live bait intended for the SilverKing. Not what we were after, but a great catch!!! Permit fishing is also great right now and should continue until the fish decide it is time to spawn and move to deeper water.

Look for Tarpon fishing to stay strong through June.

Lola and her Father, John, had a great day on the ShadowCaster during one of our many cold fronts this winter. Lola released all the fish above along with ladyfish, blacktip sharks and a few dozen mangrove snapper. Thanks again Lola and John and see ya next year!!!!

It may be freezing in other parts of the country, but in Key West the sun is still shining. Although we are experiencing a colder Jan/Feb then usual it still isn’t snowing!!! Above are some of the winter time SeaTrout that frequent our backcountry during the colder months. They may not be the Mighty Tarpon or Elusive Permit, but they sure taste good and provide us with some great action this time of year. Cold Winter = Warm Spring = Huge Tarpon, that is what we have to look forward too!!!!!

With the heavy winds of Ida now passed, Winter is settling in here in Key West. Our days are bright and sunny with winds out of the north. The water temperature is cooling down bringing in our winter time fish. Barracudas are showing up on the flats and this fishery should only get better as the cooler temps continue. There aren’t many fish on the flats as exciting as a Big Cuda. When fishing the shallow waters the fish cannot dive deep, so their only means of escape is going away from the boat. Thus the runs are long and fast. Another winter fish is the Sea Trout, yep we get them down here. Mixed in with the trout are Jacks, Pompano, ladyfish (the poor man’s Tarpon), bluefish, mackerals, and blacktip sharks. Your skill level is not an issue here as this type of fishing is fun for everyone!!

September has to be one of my favorite months to fish the flats around Key West. Above are a few fish that we caught this week aboard the ShadowCaster. The Tarpon fishing has been strong in the early AM, once the sun comes out and it heats up, these fish take for deeper, cooler water. That is when I switch gears. Throughout the week we were having strong incoming tides, flooding the flats with cooler water and the Permit have been loving it. We were getting multiple shots every trip out. Bonefishing should continue to stay a targeted species throughout Sept. and Oct.

Get out on the water to cool off….Summer in Key West can be down right HOT!! A great way to beat that heat is getting out for some fishing in the backcountry. There is usually a breeze out on the water that is not felt on the island. Another great thing about Summer fishing is the lack out fishing pressure. You can fish all day in the backcountry and not see another boat. Dennis and his son came down from North Carolina to take advantage of the “off-season” and it really paid off. It was thier first experience fishing the flats and at the end of the day we had the GrandSlam (catching a Tarpon, Permit & Bonefish all in the same day). Above is Dennis with his trophies. Summer is also the peak time of year to catch the Big Sharks that frequent the shallow water. The most common sharks are the Lemon and BlackTip, both are Big, Mean and SuperFast when hooked in 2 feet of water. Take advantage of the “slow season” and give me a call at 305.587.7669 to get hooked up.

June is such a great time to fish in Key West. This is the month that really kicks off the summer fishing. The winds are calm and the water temps are consistent. The Tarpon are everywhere. The Key West Harbor is holding Tarpon in Huge numbers. Permit and Bonefish are flooding the flats searching for a meal. The Kilburs had a couple great days in Key West fishing on the ShadowCaster. Thanks to some great casting by them we managed to land three permit (pictured above) on Day one. Oh yeah, we also landed one Tarpon estimated at 80 lbs. Day two we concentrated more on the Tarpon and got four to the boat after hooking 7. We rounded out Day two with another Permit and a Big Barracuda. So if that sounds like fun to you give me a call @ 305.587.7669 or drop me an email for some Great SummerTime Action.

Fishing in Key West just does not get better than the months of May and June. Above is Eric after fishing on the ShadowCaster. This is Eric’s 3rd year in a row with me and there aren’t many flats species that he hasn’t caught. If calm water, light winds, warm temperatures and Big Fish is what you are after, then this is the time of year to come to Key West for some flats fishing.