My son(13) and I returned to Islamorada specifically to fish with Capt. Jon Paul again and it was another great experience. We cannot say enough good things about Capt. Jon Paul. I admittedly know next to nothing about fishing but my son loves it. Capt Jon Paul recognized this and those two ripped countless fish out of the water while I tried to get my sea legs. Amberjakcks, Jack Creval, snapper, etc were a plenty. Smaller boat so it only fits two plus the Captain but provided an incredible bonding experience with my son. We’ll probably be back next year.

If you’re looking for flats fishing in the backcountry this is the guide for you. Stand up guy -literally and figuratively, w a comfortable 19’ skiff w good electronics. Jon Paul will work his butt off to try to get you fish you target.
First 1/2 day evening trip told Jon wanted to focus on catching our dinner. Capt put us into the mangroves and into a ton of snapper. We had a tasty dinner plus fed others in the restaurant.
Next day -did a 6hr trip targeted at tarpon and permit ; got into the tarpon early on -while they were pretty skittish I was able to bring one in-awesome fish!! We didn’t see a permit but not because Jon didn’t pole up and down the backcountry trying. Did get several other species-Goliath grouper, jack crevelle Sp?. Had very enjoyable and fun time w Zion. Would do it again.
Jon is a capable and personable captain who will work to make your day what you’re looking for.
Curt Wilkins
Smithfield, RI

My wife and I picked Bank and Bight Back Country charters because it had positive reviews and it was close to our hotel. Those great reviews were definitely accurate. Captain Jon-Paul put us on the fish and was an absolute pleasure to fish with. He moved around from spot to spot, targeting different species, which was so much fun! We both caught bonefish, which was a first, and we had a nice bag of Mangove snapper fillets for dinner. Couldn’t ask for a better day!

Captain Jon-Paul was very easy to work, personable and patient. His vast knowledge of not only fishing but also the ecosystem and marine life surrounding the Keys made my 50th birthday trip something to remember.  We hooked a couple of tarpon and managed to reel one in. It was an amazing fight! And we caught many red snapper to supply us with a great fish dinner.
Thank you for an awesome trip and we will be back again!
Toni and Becky

Jon- Paul took 2 of us out for 3 half days in a row. He is a very down to earth, nice guy with midwest roots. He is very knowledgeable about fishing in the area and is well in tune with the tides and how they are affecting the fishing areas. Uses first class, light tackle fishing equipment. Although it is a smaller boat, it was a very smooth ride and comfortable to fish from and allowed us to get in very shallow water for tarpon hunting. We jumped 10 tarpon in 3 days and had takes on another 10 more. Two tarpon we each fought for a minute. A short double header. A third, I fought for 5 minutes before he came unbuttoned. On the last day, I finally got a tarpon in the boat. Jon-Paul was just as pumped as I was. Seeing how excited he is about his clients’ success says a lot about him as a person and as a guide. The guide’s job is to put us on the fish and give us an opportunity and he definitely did that. We also caught a bonnet head shark and a small Goliath grouper and a large puffer fish. We caught many mangrove snapper and could have caught as many as we wanted, if we chose to focus on them. We did keep some for a dinner one night, and they were tasty. We spent time trolling for large barracuda. We spent time all three days trying for a bonefish. Going into this, I had not really thought that was a possibility and appreciated the effort for chasing a bonefish. With Jon-Paul directing my cast, I apparently cast my DOA shrimp on the head of a good sized bonefish and spooked him. I never saw it. He is very attentive and hard working and we moved often when he felt the window was closing and another might be opening. We tried a variety of tactics and pursued a variety of fish. We enjoyed listening to his experiences with the National Park Service when the fishing slowed. Overall, an extremely fun experience!