Captain GW Guide Service with Captain Experiences

About Your Guide

A Certified Damn Good Guide is someone who goes above and beyond to show you an incredible experience on your trip. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.

Gw De Pauw

Certified Damn Good Guide

Independent Guide 28 years of exp.

Talkative

Laid-back

Instructional

Comfortable

Quality

Beginner Oriented

I am a south Florida native and Florida Keys Resident since 1994. I started my guiding career at age 21 in 1996. I have been guiding and Islamorada for close to three decades, and I still love every day on the water. I am currently on the Board of Directors for the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association.

I started fishing the waters I guide in at age 6 in 1980, with my father. My father was a true shallow water fisherman at heart. He loved sharing his knowledge with me. It’s been an absolute blessing to be able to spend my life on the water.

My main style of guiding is sight Fishing for snook and redfish and Shallow Water with Fly and light spin tackle. I also love targeting tarpon, permit, bonefish, sharks, trout, triple tail, and snapper. The beauty of my area as we have all of the species to target. All skill levels are welcome from novice to expert. Children and women are encouraged to come along.

I enjoy wildlife and nature photography, and spend a lot...

About Your Guide

Gw De Pauw

Certified Damn Good Guide

Independent Guide 28 years of exp.

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Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?

The largest fish I’ve ever caught that was weighed, was a 280 pound blue marlin when I was 17 years old.

If you were cooking for all your friends what would you cook?

Dolphin in the Weeds! It was the signature dish at a restaurant in Islamorada called Bentleys.

Whats your favorite band?

If I had to pick one to listen to the rest of my life, it would have to be Jimmy Buffett

Whats your favorite movie?

The original Jaws

Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?

The largest fish I’ve ever caught that was weighed, was a 280 pound blue marlin when I was 17 years old.

If you were cooking for all your friends what would you cook?

Dolphin in the Weeds! It was the signature dish at a restaurant in Islamorada called Bentleys.

Whats your favorite band?

If I had to pick one to listen to the rest of my life, it would have to be Jimmy Buffett

Whats your favorite movie?

The original Jaws

Whats your favorite sports team?

The West Virginia mountaineers football

Whats your drink of choice?

Non-alcoholic would be an Arnold Palmer. I have taken a lot of ribbing for my beer of choice, Miller Genuine Draft

What do you want for Christmas this year?

To have all my family at my house. Which I’m happy to say worked out!

How did you get started guiding?

I actually started guiding before I was old enough to have a captains license. I grew up doing the kind of fishing I do now because when I got old enough to drive, I would take my friends that didn’t really fish much and “guide“ them I would also take my mothers friends from work husbands fishing, I would pick them up at the tackle shop I worked at and trailer down to flamingo, fish all day and trailer back to Fort Lauderdale for $75 a day, boy how times have changed!

What makes you different from other guides?

I am fortunate enough to guide on the same waters I’ve spent the last 43 years fishing. I would say I’m one of the few guides that really enjoys fishing with women, children and novices. It’s very rewarding to help people get more out of angling and experience through my instruction and experience.

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Captain GW Guide Service Trips

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Damn Good

Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.

Inshore, Flats Fishing in Islamorada

Islamorada Flats And Backcountry

100% (6) Guided by Gw

17 ft 1 - 2 People From $600

Damn Good

Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.

Inshore, Flats Fishing in Islamorada

Tarpon On Natural Bait

100% (6) Guided by Gw

17 ft 1 - 4 People From $600

Damn Good

Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.

Inshore, Flats Fishing in Islamorada

Islamorada Inshore Fishing Fun!

100% (6) Guided by Gw

17 ft 1 - 2 People From $600

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Recent Reviews of Captain GW Guide Service

5.0

based on 6 reviews

James

Verified Review

Great time GW worked hard to put us on fish in tough conditions. We will be back

James

Verified Review

Great time GW worked hard to put us on fish in tough conditions. We will be back

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David

Verified Review

We truly enjoyed our fly fishing trip with Capt GW. His boat was clean and comfortable and Capt GW was very personable and knowledgeable. We had some tougher conditions with wind that allowed him to give me so much needed help and encouragement on techniques to help my skills. But alas, no adrenaline moments of catching backwater fish, just the adrenaline of trying to make the right cast in the right spot. We...

David

Verified Review

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peter

Verified Review

Wonderful trip. Wonderful captain. First rate. Gentle but firm with a rookie- just what I wanted. Just what I needed. He would have stayed out longer but my arms, they were jello. Also, incredibly informative about the different fisheries, the environment, the current challenges facing the keys - a joy to watch cast a fly, tie knots and an all-around nice guy - thanks Capt. GW for a first-rate introduction to fly-fishing in the keys....

peter

Verified Review

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Philip

Verified Review

Philip

Verified Review

Captain GW was an awesome guide! As an angler I have a higher standard, however fishing with my 12 year old daughter, I was hoping that we’d get someone who was patient, knowledgeable and an all around good guy as well. Some guides are kinda too salty, but GW was great! Him and my daughter really hit it off, and he definitely put us on the fish, even with a hard wind. His boat kept us dry and rode really well despite the conditions.

You can tell that he really loves what he does and enjoys the “total experience” of fishing these beautiful waters. We saw manatees, dolphin, all kinds of birds including flamingos!

It was an awesome experience caught snook and redfish and had lots of action. Great guy, great boat, great experience.

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Aldo

Verified Review

GW was nice guide and enjoyed fishing with him. He was very knowledgeable about the snook and redfish habits, as a result we caught some fish…Thank You

Aldo

Verified Review

GW was nice guide and enjoyed fishing with him. He was very knowledgeable about the snook and redfish habits, as a result we caught some fish…Thank You

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Kaleb

Verified Review

Awesome full Keys experience. Seatrout, Snook, Sun, Rain it had it all. Saw dolphins, sharks, stingrays, and lots of birds. GW was great to talk to and taught us alot about the area. Will recommend to friends.

Kaleb

Verified Review

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Potential Target Species

Color-coded seasonality below is based on .

	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
Bonefish	Good	Good	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good	Good	Good	Great	Great	Good
Permit	Good	Good	Good	Great	Great	Great	Great	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good
Redfish	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Great	Great	Great	Great	Good
Snook	Good	Good	Good	Good	Great	Great	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good	Good
Tarpon	Good	Good	Great	Great	Great	Good	Good	Good	Good	Great	Great	Good