Captain
Mike Wilbur
Member since April 2015
Key West, United States
- Background
- Key West has been Mike's home since the early 70s, light tackle,fly fishing and guiding has been my only adult job. I bought my first fiberglass fly rod at Western Auto Hardware when I was 12. Smiling every day at the office, the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Salt Flats of the Lower Florida Keys and Key West. Fishing for the worlds great inshore game fish, Tarpon, Bonefish. Barracudas, Permit, Sharks and Pompano. Instruction in Saltwater FlyFishing, patience for the beginners and experience for Ol' Salts.
- Techniques
- Poling the inshore flats, basin's and backcountry of the Lower Florida Keys, Key West and Marquesas Keys. Sight casting using fly rods and spinning tackle in the gin clear flats. I enjoy teaching Fly Casting or Spinning Rod, mainly artificial Jigs, Lures and Flies. I'm not your guy for sitting in a channel watching a bobber and bait fish.
Hey, I'm Captain Mike Wilbur
- Background
- Key West has been Mike's home since the early 70s, light tackle,fly fishing and guiding has been my only adult job. I bought my first fiberglass fly rod at Western Auto Hardware when I was 12. Smiling every day at the office, the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Salt Flats of the Lower Florida Keys and Key West. Fishing for the worlds great inshore game fish, Tarpon, Bonefish. Barracudas, Permit, Sharks and Pompano. Instruction in Saltwater FlyFishing, patience for the beginners and experience for Ol' Salts.
- Techniques
- Poling the inshore flats, basin's and backcountry of the Lower Florida Keys, Key West and Marquesas Keys. Sight casting using fly rods and spinning tackle in the gin clear flats. I enjoy teaching Fly Casting or Spinning Rod, mainly artificial Jigs, Lures and Flies. I'm not your guy for sitting in a channel watching a bobber and bait fish.
My Charter Listings
angler's choice
US$ 450
Fishing Reports
Cool Front move baitfish and improve act
Early winter fronts from the north drive baitfish to The inshore Flats and basins with “Fun Fish “ following to give us action with Barracudas, Jacks, Sea Trout , Pompano. Light spinning and fly tackle get a thorough workout… Read Full Report →
Bonefish and Tarpon apply Key West Fly !
FlyFishing for Tarpon, Bonefish and Permit ....2 out of 3 We managed to have 5 tarpon gulp the fly but only hooked and fought one but lost him on the third jump...a little " Buck Fever " and it… Read Full Report →
Spring Has Sprung....Welcome Tarpon
Lots of Tarpon shots with a Fly Rod this morning with three schools 50-100 pound fish. One Tarpon hooked and jumped off after a fun 20 min. fight. We had problems when several big Black Tip Sharks moved into… Read Full Report →
Key West Flats Barracuda showing teeth !
Gulf side Backcountry Flats were holding a few Barracudas and 20-40 lb sharks...everyone sniff'en around for mullet or needle gars. We brought our " weenie rods " little graphite spinning tackle more suited for Oscars and Crappie and some… Read Full Report →
Key West Temp's cause Permit Attacks
The continued high water temp's in the Key West Flats and Backcountry have produced some great Permit fishing but there are Tarpon and. Bonefishing opportunities also. And it doesn't appear we will have significant cooling anytime soon so Christmas… Read Full Report →
Sharks on the Key West Flats, Bass Worms
Sight casting for Black Tip and Lemon Sharks with 10 lb line and Bass Tackle including the Lime Green 8 inch Cream Bass Worm. Sounds nuts ? Fly Rods and super light Spinning tackle in a couple feet of… Read Full Report →
Leaving in the dark for first light Poon
We could hear them slurping in the dark and the first Tarpon gobbled the Gurkin Fly as it landed just outside The limited visibility ....but we knew he was on, zipping the fly line from the deck. That was… Read Full Report →
Hot Hot....Tarpon and the weather !
Early morning or Night Tarpon is the only way to go, afternoon is " Siesta Time " for the Angler and Game fish Inshore. Our Tarpon were on and gone buy 10:30 this morning, two Tarpon of 50 and… Read Full Report →
Bonefish and Permit too !
We hooked one Tarpon on Fly Rod but had a few close calls with Permit Schools also...saw some Bonefish but didn't follow. Still we were happy to land the 60 lb Tarpon on a great morning after losing the… Read Full Report →
Tarpon Fishing is hot in Key West
The last two weeks have been super for Tarpon in the 60-120 lb range although the most fish jumped have been on Fly Rod, several have been caught on Spinning tackle with artificial lures. I've have more fly fisherman… Read Full Report →
Customer Reviews
4.64 out of 5 stars from 14 reviews
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, April 12, 2018
I’ve been a life-long fisherman but never had the chance to go flats fishing and catch a bonefish until I hooked up with Captain Mike recently. The weather was a bit off, as the wind was blowing pretty good, but Mike’s skiff is awesome and we were able to hook a couple of nice fish including my first bonefish. I’ll always remember it!
Tim Dohaney recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished April 2018
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Replied to this review on Saturday, April 14, 2018
Tim and his wife were fun and interesting, I had a great time and
although the clouds and wind were not helpful Tim managed
to hook 2 Bonefish on “ guess “ casts and landed the smaller of the two.
Saw one good Tarpon a few Permit and a Mutton Snapper but
visibility was tuff .
Good morning trip with a super couple. M
VERIFIED Went fishing on Saturday, February 17, 2018
My son and I went out with Captain Mike and had a wonderful experience. He is totally professional, finds fish and has many great stories. We asked to find Barracuda and shark and caught both. For a great day of fishing go with Captain Mike.
Robert Stacke recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished February 2018
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Replied to this review on Sunday, February 18, 2018
Bob Stacke and son Ben were a lot of fun and I hated to end the
trip, laughs and good fun.
Beautiful day and hope to see them again soon.MW
VERIFIED Went fishing on Saturday, July 29, 2017
Trip with the captain was great. A very knowledgeable fisherman who knew where to fish. The day was hot & humid and fishing was slow. Spotted a few and 1 bone fish threw the hook before it could be landed. Even though we were disappointed that none were caught, we were aware that July in the Keys presents a challenge. Would recommend him for his fishing knowledge and patience on a slow day.
Gregory Woodham recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished July 2017
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Replied to this review on Saturday, July 29, 2017
Greg and his grandson Cooper were a real treat, great Sports on a tuff day.
We saw a few Tarpon but they were not open to our suggestions so on to the Ocean Flats.
Cooper was making good progress learning the big Saltwater Fly Casting Rods.
We found a couple Tarpon and dozens of Bonefish in very shallow clear water.
The one Bonefish hooked shook off and spoiled our chance.Hope to see Greg and Cooper again soon.
VERIFIED Went fishing on Tuesday, April 25, 2017
We loved our day with Capt Mike. He is a great guy, awesome stories. We felt like we went out fishing with an old friend. He put us right on the tarpon, although they were finicky that day. We did end up hooking a 100# tarpon. We fought him for about 40 minutes. Unfortunately a hammerhead cut our line and toyed with the tarpon for about 15 minutes. It was quite a show. Great day! Highly recommend.
Daron Mosley recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished April 2017
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Replied to this review on Friday, April 28, 2017
Daron and Richie were great fun and got to see dozens of Tarpon on the Key West Flats.
We had two other Tarpon on briefly and finely Daron hooked a hot fish about 100 lbs that
Jumped 4-5 times 40 feet from the boat.40 mins and a mile away a 500 lb Hammer Head hit our Tarpon before we saw him, sadly
we got quite a wild life show..I’m looking forward to those two guys coming back for another adventure!
VERIFIED Went fishing on Wednesday, March 29, 2017
March weather wasn’t the best. Knew that when I booked trip. We had a great time and did catch some sharks and other flats fish. Will come back and fish with Mike again and highly recommend his skills!
Rory Poulain recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished March 2017
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Replied to this review on Saturday, April 1, 2017
Thanks a lot Rory, looking forward to next year but hope for less wind.
The Skip Jack, Mangrove Snapper and Blue Fish are fun and the Black Tip Sharks always a fight but the 300 lb Bull Shark was too close to crashing into the boat !
VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, March 2, 2017
The original booking time was 7-11 am. I called the previous evening between 6-8pm as he had instructed and was told to call at 7am the next morning for a weather check. I called at 7 am and he said day looked good and to show up at 8:30 with no reason for delay.
Equipment wars well used and fly line had abrasive sections which were hard on stripping hand. Mike was not very attentive to trying different lures or making sure we had time to also try fishing for bonefish which I finally had to ask to do. I continually had to fix the jig I was using on one of the spinning rigs instead of him looking at it to see if it needed replacement.
He is a very friendly affable person and full of stories. The boat was perfect for the type of fishing I wanted to do, fly fish/spin fish for tarpon and bonefish.
I finally did catch a jack crevalle, a bluefish and a few skipjack. Would not recommend for families or wives.
Mike did not accept credit cards as originally advertised by Fishingbooker. Luckily I had a check.
Your literature says, “remaining balance is paid to charter operator in one of the following methods: cash, visa, etc.”Mark E Mengering does not recommend Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished March 2017
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Replied to this review on Saturday, March 4, 2017
My early morning concerns were about Popup Squalls moving in our direction from Cuba and
fortunately we were spared until later in the day.
I always am concerned about comfort and safety and frequently adjust the departure/ return time.
Sorry for the misunderstanding but that was the reason I asked Mark to call me the evening before and explained the possibility of weather and wanted to see the early am radar.
Standard operating procedure.I’m sorry that Mark’s first Flats trip didn’t live up to his expectations,
and I want to assure him that the Sage Fly Rod he accidentally broke will be replaced by
Sage with a small service charge to me.Mark and his wife were great company on the boat that morning.
VERIFIED Went fishing on Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Captain Mike was I great learning experience. His ability to cast a fly 60ft was amazing to see. The fish were hiding on this day in Nov. but it didn’t stop Mike from moving around and trying different approaches. We caught many Jacks and enjoyed every minute. Will probably try this again in the Spring..! Thanks again Captain Mike!
Mark Hansen recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished November 2016
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Replied to this review on Friday, December 2, 2016
Thank you Mark
Hope to see you again soon, enjoyed your company and although weather and fish were disagreeable you were a good sport and student of Saltwater Fly Casting.
VERIFIED Went fishing on Monday, November 21, 2016
Terrific guide with complete knowledge of keys fishing. We caught lots of fish and enjoyed every bit of it!! I plan to contact Capt. Mike when I’m planning my next trip!
Patrick Espy recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished November 2016
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Replied to this review on Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Patrick thanks and you were great company too !
Went fishing on Thursday, April 21, 2016
Mike is the most experienced guide in Key West with over 40 years of experience; this guy knows his stuff. Many guides stake out in approximate areas where they believe the tarpon will pass and they do this with varrying success. Mike, however, thinks like a fish and figures out quickly by observing the tides and the structure of the bottom how, where and why the tarpon will pass. Consequently, we had success in jumping a large tarpon and even caught an aggressive bonefish after casting to 3 tarpon moving out of a channel. Mike’s boat is clean and is of a good enough size to keep fishers stable on board when staked out. He has a lifetime of experience and a million great stories. When looking for a Key West guide, always start here.
Leon Jackson recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished April 2016
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Replied to this review on Monday, May 16, 2016
Thank you Leon we had a great push of Tarpon with that new moon and after 15+ years of fishing with you, I even understand Quebec Qua !
See you in July ...
Went fishing on Tuesday, June 17, 2014
I have fished with Capt. Wilbur for 35 years and I have spent thousands of $ with other guides as well. Wilbur is the VERY best. His knowledge of the KW fishing is immense. He is very honest about your prospects and will never mislead you just to have a charter—unlike many other charter guides. I have found his guiding to be productive even when the fishing is tough and slow due to his experience and knowledge. He is quite willing and able to guide for fly or spincasters, but will give you good advice as to which choice you should make on any given trip. An added plus is that even on slow days, Capt. Wilburs conversation and anecdotes make the trip enjoyable and memorable.
If I were to fish only once more in my life, it would be on board Chaser with Capt. Wilbur!! Good luck to you!!Eric Evans recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished June 2014
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Replied to this review on Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Eric that was very nice of you and sure hope to plant you among the Tarpon again soon !
Went fishing on Thursday, October 8, 2015
Mike is one of the finest shallow water guides in the Keys. At 19 yours truly got his intro from someone. Fly pole in hand on a post high school boondoggle Mike was the guy who first showed me the ropes and boy did he do a job on me. 20+ years later I’m still hooked. Those tarpon got under my skin. Thanks Mike! If you want to spend a day in the lower Keys fishing with a guy who wrote the rules we all now follow Mike Wilbur is your man. Go find out what a real “technical poling skiff” is and how an angler and guide work together to roust em out. A real Keys Legend in my book. Thanks for the laughs Mike and also all the days on the water together You are a gem! less
Adam Martin recommends Capt. Mike Wilbur’s Chaser Key WestFished October 2015
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Replied to this review on Friday, April 29, 2016
Thanks for that Adjum !!
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