After embarking on previous tarpon fishing expeditions and leaving empty-handed, I was cautiously optimistic heading into my overnight tarpon fishing excursion. A brief lul in the voyage was quickly turned on its head by 3 consecutive massive tarpon hits that yielded 150lb plus tarpons with 1 hour fights each. My dad and I had a blast would recommend this charter and this captain to anyone interested in landing this elusive trophy fish. Jon was both knowledgeable and very easy to talk to the whole night. High marks all around!

We came in from Michigan for a family trip, captain jon keep great communication with us before hand. Well the flight down was horrible we had to change our flight from Miami to Fort Lauderdale , out luggage never made it and the beginning of our trip was a disaster until Captin Jon. Game changer!!! one of the best things ever. I love to fish and have fished with other characters down in the keys but nothing like getting the chance to fish with Captain Jon. Probably one of the nicest Captain i have fished with and he even had my 18 yr old daughter bending the rod. We caught a variety of fish and a nurse shark, if you book a trip make sure to do 6 hr it’s worth it. Words can’t describe how amazing this fishing trip was, so he set the bar on a epic vacation even after all the bad airport stuff and it really going to be hard to beat this experience. Thank Captain Jon. I will be booking another trip in the future, looking forward to the night tarpon fish next year.

After keeping a close eye on the weather the night before, Captain Jon made the tough call to postpone our trip after the weather took a turn for the worse. He called me well in advance to understand my trip arrangements so that we could try again before I had to leave. He went as far as calling one of his regular clients to move their date so that he could get me on the water. I will forever be grateful because man, did we have a day!

It started off with a 40-minute fight on 12-pound test after hooking into a Spotted Eagle Ray that was as large as the front of the boat. It was pretty surreal seeing something that big fly out of the water but Captain Jon’s equipment and experience leveled the playing field.

After that, we switched spots and were able to catch our limit of Mangrove Snapper and Porgy with ease. Something I noticed that Captain Jon does that many others will avoid is chumming the water. It’s a small detail but it felt like it made all the difference especially if time is of the essence.

With plenty of time left on our trip, Captain Jon took out the ‘big guns’ so that we could target a few of the larger species. It wasn’t long before we were fighting a 200-lb Nurse Shark.  We could have called it quits after that, but Captain Jon was convinced that we could land one more before the day was done.  Sure enough, we caught another Nurse Shark of similar size to cap off the day.

Perhaps the best part of our trip was when we got back to the Marina and Captain Jon was able to bring over two Manatees for my daughters to check out while he cleaned our fish. Something so insignificant ended up being an ever-lasting memory for them.

I’m already looking forward to my next adventure with Captain Jon which will most likely be a Tarpon trip; his expertise.

John is FANTASTIC! I can’t say enough about him. My wife and I have been on 50+ chartered trips and John was honestly the best we’ve had! HIs boat is well maintained and provides a great ride. His gear is well kept (Diawa BG 4000’s are oiled and operate smoothly, monofiliament was not nicked, dry rotted, bleached by the sun, etc….) Even the hooks on the jig heads we were using were free of rust, and looked relatively new! He obviously takes a lot of pride in what he does. He was very easy to communicate with before the trip. He gave us a call after we booked and we discussed a game plan. He was at the dock and ready to go at the time we were scheduled to launch and he ALREADY HAD BAIT! (I love not burning a couple of hours in the morning catching bait!) We caught every species he said we would catch (Not always possible, but he NAILED it). My wife is about 3 years into her fishing career and is quite proficient. John quickly identified the areas she needed some help and was “on point” the whole trip! We didnt spend all day running from spot to spot, he had a great gameplan that kept us on the MEAT! Towards the end of the trip, he asked us if we wanted to try for a shark. Little did we know, it was about to turn into the trip of a lifetime! Within 5 minutes of setting up, my wife was battling a 7ft 300lb nurse shark. 35 minutes later, she had it to the boat. It was a hectic fight and John kept his cool (so many guides get a little fired up and make the anglers nervous on big fights, so I really appreciated this). She completely SOLO’d the Nurse! I’ve been fishing for 30+ years and John helped my wife and I create our NEW FAVORITE FISHING STORY. The best part of the trip is that he is VERY easy to fish with! My wife and I felt like we were fishing with a friend that we’ve known for years. It did NOT feel like we were “just a number” or “transaction.” We are going back in the spring to get on some tarpon, as John is THE GUY for big tarpon in the keys. Thanks John! See you soon!

Captain Jon and I had a plan in place, yet due to the winds and cold he had to pivot to make the day worthwhile and did so with a no problem attitude. This truly illustrated both his knowledge and expertise. What could have been a disastrous day turned out to be not only a fantastic day fishing but a day filled with laughter and learning for me. This honestly was one of the best days on the water I have had in a long time. He is patient, professional, experienced and everything you could want in a captain. Choosing him will be the best decision you make. And I guarantee you will definitely catch fish! I enjoyed today so much, I have already called my brother in law to plan another trip with Capt. Jon in May. Thanks Capt. for creating an incredible experience. My best, Jon Kaplan