Jumping tarpon

Expert

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Perhaps you’ll be oceanside watching schools of 50 tarpon swimming in clear water. Or maybe seeing the cycle-shaped tail of a feeding permit on a back-country flat. Laid up tarpon, tailing bonefish and redfish, cruising snook and countless other sights raise the heartbeats of saltwater flats fishermen.

The Fish & The Places
Andy Thompson with a tarpon

Tarpon

Watching a 100 pound tarpon inhale your fly and go airborne is one of the great thrills of Florida fishing. There is no place in the world that is better for sight fishing these magnificent creatures in shallow water. We fish for them oceanside and bayside in the lower, middle and upper Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay. We also often find them in Everglades National Park or up the southwest coast to Chokoloskee. Tarpon fishing is most reliable in the spring and early summer, but can be fished year-round when the weather is right.

Bonefish

Much has been written about the challenges that the Keys bonefishery has faced. After some difficult years, we are now seeing signs of recovery and improvement. They are once again a viable year-round target. We sight fish for them, with a stealthy approach, throwing flies, lures or bait. The screaming run of the bonefish is your reward for an accurate cast and good presentation.

Bonefish
Permit caught in the Florida Keys

Permit

We fish for permit the full length of the Keys, from Key West to Biscayne Bay. We find them on oceanside or backcountry flats. These powerful fish make great targets for fly fishers and light tackle anglers providing thrills and lasting memories. We often see them tailing and mudding in skinny water or cruising the deeper edges. Considered a great prize on a fly rod, they will eat a well presented fly. For the light tackle angler, permit will aggressively attack your live crab.

Redfish

The Flordia Keys and surrounding flats are home to some of the best redfish angling action in the country. Sight-casting with fly or light tackle to cruising or tailing reds is  exhilarating.

 

For a special experience, if you’d like to sight fish for really huge redfish, Andy charters out of Venice, Louisiana in the fall. There is no better place to catch a monster redfish that you saw and targeted.

 

Redfish get into water that is so skinny you’d think they must be walking, not swimming. Andy’s Hells Bay skiff is ideal for chasing skinny-water fish.

Huge redfish on fly with Andy Thompson in the Florida Keys
Snook

Snook

With an aggressive bite, snook  are found in good numbers throughout Everglades Park and up the southwest coast of Florida. They can be sight fished or blind fished. You might see them laying in potholes on the flats, cruising a shoreline, or using cover as an ambush point.

And Much More

Many other species can be targeted or become targets of opportunity. This includes sharks, cobia, mackerel, trout, tripletail, jacks and more. All can be fished with fly or light tackle. The combination of species choices, water types and tackle options makes our fishery among the richest, most varied and most exciting anywhere.

Cancellation Policy

Windy or less than perfect weather are not grounds for cancellation. Only dangerous weather as determined by the captain is grounds for cancellation. Client is responsible for all days booked unless the captain is able to rebook those days. Days the client cancels or chooses not to fish will be billed the full charter rate.

2016 Charter Rates

Daily rate: $650

Louisiana daily: $700

Tournament daily: $750

Required deposit: $200 per booked day

Ready to book your next South Florida adventure?
Call Andy Thompson to schedule your fishing or hunting trip.