Light Tackle Backcountry Fishing in Key West, Florida since 1997

This is why I love what I do everyday:

“One thing Key West has in abundance is flats fishing guides. Here’s why I fish with John:

The short of it is: John does whatever he can to make your experience outstanding. First, John finds out what you want to do. Then he customizes your trip to meet your desires and your skill level. If you don’t know what you want, or how good you are, John will design a trip to give you a broad experience, and adjust the day as conditions and ability come clear.

Sure, John is experienced, knowledgeable and always ready early. He uses the best bait and his tackle is in pristine condition. You’d think that is a “given” for a professional fishing captain - but believe me, it is not.

My son wanted to catch barracuda. He has serious hip problems. John set up a cushioned seat on the bow - my son caught 15 ‘cudas in one day. My wife wanted to catch her first fish in the sea, and “bend a rod”. She caught eight (I think) redfish, all 24 inches plus, and a few big Jacks and a few ‘cudas. Yes, I’ve caught Tarpon - lots of them - plus Permit and ‘cudas in February and March. Even a 40+ pound Jewfish. We killed nothing - John’s preference, always.

But the key to John is this: when my wife threw her lure into the mangroves, Before she could say “oh no!”, she had a baited rod in her hand and John was pointing out fish. When I jumped a Tarpon off, John had another rod in my hand before I could say my version of “oh no!”. John runs around the boat to make sure you fish continuously. Never criticizes or rales on the client. This, too, should be a “given”, but believe me, it’s not. It’s fun to watch John coreograph the dance when both fishermen hook up at the same time. His focus is on your experience - many other guides simply don’t get this.

My wife sums up John with a simple “John is a gentleman”. Yes, he is.

Al Schultz”

I hope everyone had a Wonderful Thanksgiving!! Over the holiday Key West was hit with some heavy winds. We were having sustained winds of 20+ MPH. But that hasn’t slowed us down here at ShadowCaster Charters, yet another great thing about fishing the back country waters of Key West. There are always places to hid and get out of the wind and on the Fish.
We have been having some great success with the trout, jacks, ladyfish and some really Big sharks. The barracuda fishing is gearing up on the flats and this will be a target species throughout the winter months. They are a complete blast in shallow water on light tackle.
I can also report that the wind has laid down to a beautiful 10MPH and the skies are blue. The fishing should remain stellar throughout the month, so give Capt John a call @ 305.587.7669 to take get out on the water and take advantage of this great weather and awesome fishery!!

Summertime is here in Key West and the fishing is Great!!! Just yesterday we managed to hook 8 Tarpon and brought 5 boatside. What a Day!!! Tarpon are going to start their push northward throughout the month of July, so get in on the action now while these fish are still around.
Permit, Bonefish and Sharks are going to be a great target over the course of the summer. Above are just a few of the fish ShadowCaster has been catching this summer.
Give Capt John a call at 305.587.7669 or drop me an email to take advantage of some great Summertime Fun!!!!

October in Key West brings the changes in weather. As we start getting the cold fronts coming down from the north, everything changes. This is the time of year that we will start targeting Sea Trout, Jack Crevalles, Blacktip Sharks, Ladyfish, Pompano, Redfish and a handful of other species. This type of fishing is for everybody, you don’t have to be an experienced angler to get in on the fun. It is done on light tackle and can provide nonstop action. Just the other day we caught over 75 fish!!!
If you catch the weather right, in between coldfronts, there are still going to be some great opportunities for bonefish and Permit on the flats. Barracudas are also going to turn on as the water temps start to drop and sight fishing for Cudas in shallow water provides some of the most spectacular bites.
Call Capt John @ 305-587-7669 to take advantage of the cooler weather and some great fishing!!

Here a a couple of really nice Permit we caught this past week. Also a picture of Neil, a great customer and fisherman, showing off some of the beautiful waters we get to fish here in Key West.
The weather associated with Hurricane Irene is gone and we are getting back to our calm Southeast winds. Couple that with the low tides we will have this week I am expecting the Bonefishing and Shark Fishing to be great. September is one of the best months to pursue the Grey Ghost.

The Tarpon fishing has been great in and around the Key West Harbor. We have been catching BIG fish on both tides. These fish are usually making their push out of here by mid/late June, but I am not complaining. I hope they stick around for a little while longer. The Permit fishing is is great as well. They love the warm calm water that the summer months bring to Key West. It has been creating some great tailing conditions!!!!

My son wanted to experience the thrill of catching a barracuda. He hooked fifteen, and landed twelve, in a six-hour flats trip with John.
I have been coming to Key West for eight years and have fished with five different flats guides – none could match John in fish catching. John is excellent with the experienced angler, and extraordinary with the novice. He’s always “ready to go” when you get there, and you spend your time fishing, not getting supplies, setting up rods, finding bait or driving around the water. His gear is in excellent shape, and he has plenty of what you need on board.
I caught one tarpon in my first seven years of fishing here. In seven hours of tarpon fishing with John, I caught six (would have been one per hour, but I lost the seventh fish). Fish with whomever you like; I’ll fish with John.
Al Schultz
Buffalo, New York

Bonefish (Albula vulpes)
AKA: Grey Ghost

Bonefish represents one of the most sought-after gamefish species in the Florida Keys. They blend so well to their background that spotting them on the sandy flats can be very challenging. Smaller fish (4-7 pounders) often travel in larger schools sucking up everything in their path as they speed across the shallow bottom. Larger fish (7-12 pounds) will usually be loners or in small schools. On light tackle or fly rod bonefish provide lighting fast runs and can turn on a dime. Sight fishing for bonefish in super shallow water is what backcountry fishing is all about. So remember, once you are hooked up keep your rod tip high and your line tight.