FLATS FISHING:  This huge area north of the Florida Keys is Florida Bay. It averages two to three feet in depth, and merges with the Everglades and other national parks and the Gulf of Mexico. Because the channels are often nothing more than prop ditches, and usually unmarked, it is rare for anyone to venture into this country without a guide. Also the ecology here is most fragile and vulnerable to damage from boats, and the guides jealously guard their territory against damage brought about by ignorant boaters. 
  In prime-time tarpon season, you'll need to make advance reservations with your guide as the backcountry specialists are called. They are a specialized group of fishermen with finely tuned, distinctive shallow-draft boats, rigged with low platforms, electric motors, and the traditional 20-foot fiberglass poling pole to sneak silently and safely into the shallows.

BACK COUNTRY FISHING: In the strictest sense, it is an expedition north from the Keys into the wilderness of uninhabited Keys and mangrove shorelines of Florida Bay. These trips are highlighted by beautiful scenery, plentiful bird life, and, for the most part, superb fishing. It is a true get-away-from-it-all trip.
  The term "backcountry fishing" is also used in a broader sense to cover the various types of fishing done by a backcountry guide, including fishing the flats and channels in the nearby waters of the inhabited Keys.
  Not surprisingly, a special breed of boat was developed to deal with the many varieties of fishing encountered by the Florida Keys guides. The backcountry flats skiff averages 16 to 20 feet in length and has a very shallow draft (drawing 10 to 12 inches with the motor tilted up), so that it can fish (or run) in very shallow water.
  A platform is positioned above the motor of most skiffs to provide the captain maximum visibility as he poles his skiff quietly across the flats in search of fish. The rest of the boat is constructed with fishing in mind -- flow-through livewells, excellent storage areas for rods and other gear, raised bow area for casting, and gunwales wide and sturdy enough to walk on. The backcountry skiff is, in effect, a clutter-free highly mobile, casting platform.

FLORIDA BAY FISHING: Located at the southernmost tip of the Florida Peninsula. Florida Bay lies between the mainland and the chain of islands known as the Florida Keys. The Keys and the Florida reef tract extend 220 miles south and west of the Florida peninsula. The islands were formed from ancient coral and sand shoals, which are covered by mangroves and tropical hardwood hammocks. The bay itself is characterized by many shallow interconnected basins, with an average depth of only three feet. Most of the bay lies within the boundaries of the everglades national park. The bay and the Keys are part of the greater South Florida ecosystem, one that is unique to the world. This South Florida or Everglades ecosystem is approximately 10,800 square miles extending from Orlando to the Dry Tortugas.
  Florida Bay is a shallow inner-shelf lagoon located at the southern end of the south Florida watershed. It is an area where fresh water from the everglades mixes with the salty waters from the Gulf of Mexico to form an estuary that is surrounded by mangroves forests and encompasses over 200 mangrove islands. It’s nearly 1,000 square miles of interconnected basins, grassy mud banks, and mangrove islands are nesting, nursery, and/or feeding grounds for a host of marine animals: the American crocodile, the West Indian manatee, the loggerhead turtle, bottlenose dolphins, a variety of bird species and many game fish. Parts of the bay are also the nursery grounds for the economically valuable pink shrimp and Caribbean spiny lobster.

KEY LARGO FISHING: Key Largo is the first island of the Florida Keys, south of the Florida mainland. You can reach Key Largo by driving for about 1 1/2 hours from Miami Airport. If you look at the mile markers placed on the overseas highway – US1 – Key Largo will be marked from "m.m. 90-106". The island derived its name from Spanish; "Largo" means large. It is the longest and largest island of the Florida Keys and referred to as the "Diving Capital of the World."
  The John Pennekamp Coral Reef Park is designed under water. Most of the upper areas of the island are protected regions and uninhabited too. Coral Reefs The corals in this island are known for their beauty. There is an artificial coral reef--Spiegel Grove, which is 510 feet long and also the only living coral reef in the Continental United States.

RATES INCLUDES A LICENSED USCG CAPTAIN, FISHING RODS AND REELS, LIVE AND ARIFICUAL BAITS, WATER AND A COOLER FOR YOUR FOOD AND SNACKS. TO BUY YOUR RESIDENT OR NON RESIDENT FISHING LICENSE CALL 1-888-FISH-Florida

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO BRING WITH YOU INCLUDE SUN SCREEN, CAMERA, A HAT OR DEPENDING ON THE SEASON RAIN JACKET OR WARM CLOTHES. PLEASE CHECK WITH US AT THE TIME OF BOOKING AND WE WILL BETTER INFORM YOU.