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!!

Our first Cold Front has come through the fabulous Florida Keys and it has brought some cooler temps. With the wind shifting to the East and NorthEast the water is cooling down and we are starting our Fall and Winter fishing.

Some of the species we will target throughout the coming months are Jacks, SeaTrout, Redfish, Pompano, ladyfish, Sharks and Barracudas. Yesterday we had a blast targeting all these species with light tackle. This type of fishing is for all skill levels and it is not uncommon to hook and catch dozens of fish. You just never know what the species will be on any given cast.

Permit Fishing will remain a great option throughout October in between these windy cold fronts.

Call Capt John @ 305 587 7669 to get off the island and really enjoy what makes Key West such a great place.

September is a great month to fish here in Key West. Above are just a few of the fish we caught over the Labor Day Weekend. Permit fishing is great this time of year, with the calm winds and the bright skies. If you are patient enough to put your time in and do the hunting, chances are you are going to be rewarded with some great shots at these elusive gamefish. People often ask me “What is your favorite fish?” Well my answer without question is Permit. When the conditions are right, it is a great species to target.

Sharks are also all over the flats right now and are a blast on spinning tackle. Lemons, Blacktips and Bull Sharks are going to be a great target through September.

ShadowCaster has some open dates in September, so call Capt John @ 305.587.7669 and Let’s Go Fishing!!!

Calm seas and Light winds of Summer are here. Sharks are going to be a main target throughout August and September. Lemons and Blacktips are going to be the most common with the occasional Bull and HammerHead making an appearance. Just last week, while fishing for Lemons a 10 Ft Hammer showed up and engulfed a 5lb Jack Crevalle and the fight was on.
There are going to be some “resident” Tarpon around in the early morning hours and we have been having some pretty good success with then this month.
Permit fishing is great during the warm months on Summer. This can be the time of year that you may encounter large schools of them feeding on the flats. A well placed live crab usually gets the job done.
Give me a call @ 305 587 7669 to get out on the water!!!

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!!

A few pics of some of the Great fishing in late September. The weather has been beautiful with light winds and clear skies most days. Look forward to some great October fishing. Bonefishing is at its peak this next month!! Sharkin on the flats for those big Lemons will remain great until the cold fronts start. Give Capt John a call @ 305-587-7669 for some great light tackle fishing in sunny Key West.

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.

They just won’t leave. The Tarpon fishing in mid-July usually cosists of targeting the baby fish in the mangroves. While they are a blast, everyone likes the Big Dawgs. And they are still here. Above are a few pics of some of the fish from this past week.

The Permit fishing has been great on the incoming tides. The very light winds have created awesome tailing conditions.