About Us

Islamorada’s back country has some of the best Tarpon, Bonefish, Snook, Red fish, Permit, and Trout fishing in the world. We’re also just a short boat ride from the Everglades National Park for Spanish mackerel, black drum, sharks and sea trout.

Meet us at the dock at World Famous Bud n Mary’s Marina or depending on where you’re staying, we can easily arrange pickup by water (weather & location permitting). Learn more about the Action Craft here.

We love our repeat guests and we love to give the seasoned angler an exciting new experience every trip. But we also welcome the first timers with patience and encouragement. Bringing the kids? We’re happy to customize the day to keep everyone happy.

If you’re looking for an unbelievable day on the water Flats or Fly Fishing in the Backcountry of Florida Bay or if you’re interested in the wilderness of Everglades National Park, give Captain Mike Venezia a call and we’ll plan your perfect adventure.

We call the beautiful, shallow waters that surround us, the “flats.” Our amazing clear waters are ideal for sight fishing. Sight fishing is almost more like hunting than fishing. We stalk the prey; usually red fish, bonefish, permit or tarpon. We pick out the fish for you to target, so casting accuracy undoubtedly helps. We can customize your trip to include some casting instructions for out of practice fly anglers or spin rod rookies. Sight fishing can be a bit frustrating at times, but is definitely the most rewarding.

The Florida Keys Backcountry refers to the Gulf waters of the Florida Bay and within the limits of Everglades National Park (less than 2 miles away). Fishing Everglades National Park, 1.5 million acres of incredible wilderness, and home to bonefish, permit, tarpon, redfish, snook, sea trout, black drum, jack crevalle, ladyfish, gag grouper, jewfish and Spanish mackerel to name a few. There’s nothing like a day in the undisturbed peace and quiet of the backcountry – experiencing the birds, the variety of marine life – and of course the fishing!

The Florida Keys is the ideal place for fly fisherman to land game fish like bonefish, permit and tarpon. It’s an amazing challenge, but it depends on good casting. Fortunately, barracuda, jacks, sea trout, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and shark all provide great alternatives and are usually a little easier to spot and cast to. We can easily schedule a casting practice day – on or off the water – if you’re a little rusty or if you are just learning to fly fish.

Just looking for a great, stress-free day on the water? Let’s take the pressure off and go “fun fishing.” There’s a number of fish species that will keep everyone happy and reeling them in; from barracuda to Spanish mackerel this is a great way to introduce a non-angler to the sport. We can also get into some mangrove snapper that you will be able to take to one of our local restaurants to have cooked for your dinner. And – if we aren’t having fun fishing, there’s plenty to see and experience in the beautiful backcountry, from Everglades wilderness to deserted sand bars.

I supply all tackle, licenses, bait and ice. You should bring polarized sunglasses (an absolute must for sight fishing), sunscreen, lip balm, camera, and appropriate clothing, including deck shoes or white soled sneakers. For the summer months long sleeved fishing shirts and pants will keep the sun off and provide some protection from biting insects. For the winter months a light jacket is recommended.

Food and drinks are not included. Please bring what you’d like to eat and drink for the day. Also we recommend cans instead of bottles.

I supply rods and reels from IM Fishing, G. Loomis, Tibor, Hank Brown Hookup jigs, Star Rods, Shimano and Penn Reels. Please let me know if you are thinking about bringing your own gear. Ask before you pack – some tackle may not work well in salt water or may not be environmentally friendly.