Booked a half day backcountry outing with Capt Eric for my wife and I as part of our 25th anniversary celebratory trip to the Keys (yes I’m a fortunate man!) Promised my wife a fun day on the water with some fishing thrown in. :) Had hoped to perhaps try my hand at some Tarpon on the fly but a cold front and steady north winds diverted us to a trout hunt instead. Eric delivered putting us on a mess of trout, lady fish and assorted others.  Ended up with just two legal for the creel but had a great time and learned a ton about the area and the local fishing scene. Also enjoyed the ride out to the marine sanctuary. Was made all the better by the Captain’s friendly nature and good conversation. So much so that I look forward to my next outing with him and can recommend to others without hesitation. Next time here’s hoping I can start my schooling in the saltwater side of fly fishing as well. Tight lines all!

What an awesome day with captain Eric. First and foremost my wife, who is new to fishing, felt comfortable and included the whole time. Captain Eric taught both of us a lot and had her catching fish after fish on soft plastics. We missed a tarpon early at the bridges and headed to the backcountry shortly after. We caught dozens of large trout and had a ton of fun bringing in ladyfish and jacks. We hooked up to numerous large sharks and ended the trip catching a large bull shark that gave us an incredible fight. Can’t wait to fish with captain Eric again next time we are in Islamorada.

To start, my plan was to surprise my husband and his brother with a Tarpon and Shark fishing trip.  Easy enough. I contacted Blackwater Charters and talked this through.  They seemed like a good fit so when I offiicially booked, I even added that info to the booking.  Fast forward to fishing day.  We arrived right on time and the captain wasn’t ready for us.  We waited a bit (not terribly long) but it felt clear he wasn’t prepared for us.  Just as we’re getting on the boat, I mentioned something about Tarpon and took him by surprised.  He was prepared for a leisurely day of fishing.  So, we started the day by catching bait.  He should have been ready for us.  Then, we went to his first spot (saw several tarpon on the way) and he realized he needed more rods.  So we waited for his dad to bring him two more.  We didn’t catch any but that’s to be expected.  We know fishing is unpredictable.  So, about halfway through the day with no action, he asked if we wanted to abort and go look for small snapper.  We said no, we wanted big fish. He knew just the spot for big snapper. (that confused us but we went along).  Again, no biting.  We ended up having to outrun a storm which was a highlight.  I want to make it very clear, he was nice but wasn’t very organized or prepared. After outrunning a storm, we anchored under a bridge, about 200 yards from where we started.  We caught two jack fish - one right after another.  Coincidence? I’m not sure.  We then moved another 100 yards away and immediately caught two nurse sharks, one right after another. That would have been ok but he burst the bubble of the guys by telling them that he baited that spot.  They didn’t get their hunt.  I should add that I told him several times they were avid fisherman and wanted to do everything yet he didn’t let them cast at all. And when a fish bit, he did the initial work. That would be great for a beginner but not for us.  Definitely not worth the price.  Again, to be clear, we understand fishing is unpredictable. We paid for the experience. Which we didn’t get.  I wouldn’t recommend this charter.  Talk to your charter before you go.  If you have specifics you want, get it in writing.  And definitely make it clear how you want your day to progress.  Bottom line, nice guy, the charter wasn’t worth the money.