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You're in good hands

Book your trip with confidence — We only work with the best local guides that know where to put you on fish.

About Your Trip

Water Type

Inshore, Nearshore

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate

Weather

You won’t lose your deposit if the trip is canceled due to weather.

About Your Trip

Join Captain Eric for a fun-filled inshore fishing adventure in the beautiful waters of the Florida Keys, perfect for families, beginners, and experienced anglers alike. This trip stays relatively close to shore, making it a comfortable and productive option for anyone looking to enjoy great fishing without making a long offshore run.

You'll spend the day exploring productive inshore waters and shallow patch reefs located just a few miles from shore. These reefs are loaded with life and provide excellent opportunities to target a variety of popular Keys species. Depending on conditions and the season, you may find yourself battling Yellowtail Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Grouper, and Barracuda. These reef fish offer steady action, exciting fights, and excellent table fare, making them favorites among visiting anglers.

In addition to the patch reefs, Captain Eric may also fish the expansive waters of Florida Bay, a unique ecosystem known for its incredible diversity and year-round fishing opportunities. Here, anglers can target Speckled Sea Trout, Mangrove Snapper, Spanish Mackerel, and even Tarpon when conditions are right. The variety of species available means there's always a chance at something different, keeping the trip exciting from start to finish.

A variety of fishing techniques may be used throughout the day depending on the target species and conditions. Whether you're dropping baits around reef structure, drifting productive flats, or casting to feeding fish, Captain Eric will help ensure everyone has the opportunity to stay engaged and catch fish.

This trip is especially popular with families because the action tends to be steady and the fishing grounds are close by, allowing more time with lines in the water and less time traveling. Young anglers and first-time fishermen will appreciate the frequent opportunities to hook fish, while experienced anglers will enjoy the diversity of species and productive waters of the Florida Keys.

One of the highlights of the trip is bringing home fresh fish for dinner. Captain Eric will clean, fillet, and bag your legal catch at the end of the day, making it easy to enjoy the fruits of your adventure. Many local restaurants in the area will even prepare your catch for you, giving you the opportunity to enjoy a true dock-to-table meal after a successful day on the water.

Join Captain Eric for an exciting Florida Keys inshore fishing trip where shallow reefs, productive bay waters, and a wide variety of species combine to create a memorable day for anglers of all ages. With plenty of action, beautiful scenery, and the chance to bring home fresh fish for dinner, this is a classic Keys fishing experience you won't want to miss.

Amenities

Water Type

Inshore, Nearshore

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate

Tackle

All rods, reels, and tackle are included.

Fish Cleaning

This guide will clean your catch for you.

Beer

Feel free to enjoy responsibly, but please no glass.

Live Bait

Live bait is included for this trip.

Weather

You won’t lose your deposit if the trip is canceled due to weather.

Kid Friendly

This trip can cater to small children.

Flexible Cancelation

This trip can be canceled up to 7 days before the trip.

Boat Restroom

No, this boat does not have a bathroom on board.

Disability Friendly

This trip is not suited for those with disabilities.

Lunch

Please provide your own food / snacks.

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Pricing Matrix

	4 hours	6 hours	8 hours
1 Person	$650.00	$850.00	$1,000.00
2 People	$650.00	$850.00	$1,000.00
3 People	$650.00	$850.00	$1,000.00
4 People	$750.00	$950.00	$1,100.00
5 People	$850.00	$1,000.00	$1,200.00

Pay 15% of the price as a deposit today, with the balance due on the day of the trip.

About Your Guide

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

Eric S.

Certified Damn Good Guide

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

Outfitter 30 years of exp.

Talkative

Laid-back

Instructional

Beginner Oriented

Adventurous

Quality

About Your Guide

Eric S.

Certified Damn Good Guide

Outfitter 30 years of exp.

Captain Eric is the "Son of a Son of a Fisherman." Being a fifth-generation Conch gives Capt. Eric unparalleled knowledge of the Florida Keys Waters! Capt. Eric is born and raised in Islamorada Florida. He has 25 years of personal experience fishing the Florida Bay and Offshore waters. Islamorada Charter fishing at its best! Capt. Eric has fished the Redbone Celebrity tournament, Taking Stock in Children, The Back Country Challenge, Specializing in Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Fishing. All with great success!! His experience is not limited to the Keys. He does lots of traveling to the Bahamas on private boats. He knows how to navigate through those waters and has fished them for many years! Also has knowledge in many different fishing techniques. Which can only come from years of experience!!

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Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?

Blue Marlin

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

Fish fry

Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?

Blue Marlin

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

Fish fry

Whats your favorite band?

Country

How did you get started guiding?

Passed down from my grandfather and father

What makes you different from other guides?

I am 5 generations born and raised in the Florida Keys ,,My son’s are 6 generations

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Start Location & Lodging Options

Islamorada, Florida

Areas Fished

About Your Boat

1/2

Boat Type: Center Console
Boat Manufacturer: Pro Line
Year Built: 2015
Boat Length: 23'

About Your Boat

Boat Type: Center Console
Boat Manufacturer: Pro Line
Year Built: 2015
Boat Length: 23'
Boat Restroom: No
Engine Manufacturer: Suzuki
Total Horsepower: 250
Number of Engines: 1
Additional Amenities: Livewell , Radio Stereo, Coolers

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Trip Details & Amenities

Water Type

Inshore, Nearshore

Skill Levels

Beginner, Intermediate

Tackle

All rods, reels, and tackle are included.

Fish Cleaning

This guide will clean your catch for you.

Beer

Feel free to enjoy responsibly, but please no glass.

Live Bait

Live bait is included for this trip.

Weather

You won't lose your deposit if the trip is canceled due to weather.

Kid Friendly

This trip can cater to small children.

Flexible Cancelation

This trip can be canceled up to 7 days before the trip.

Boat Restroom

No, this boat does not have a bathroom on board.

Disability Friendly

This trip is not suited for those with disabilities.

Lunch

Please provide your own food / snacks.

Target Species

Color-coded seasonality below is based on .

View Full Species Seasonality Chart » View Recent Islamorada Fishing Reports »

Get it while it's HOT!
This species is in play.
You might get lucky (as long as things are in-season).
Couldn't tell ya! (no data)

Techniques

Everything Else to Know

Please bring what you need to eat and drink for the day. We recommend sunscreen, polarized sunglasses, and a hat. We provide fishing license, cooler, and ice. All tackle is provided.

You're all set! You don't need to buy a license for this trip.

This trip is managed by an outfitter. Eric will be your point of contact and you will go out with one of their guides.

We use a cashless autopay system. We'll send you a boarding pass, and on the day of the trip, your guide will scan your boarding pass to automatically transfer the remaining balance. The only cash needed is to tip your guide (we recommend 20%).

Cancel for free up to 7 days before the trip and receive credit back to your account. Cancelling within 7 of the trip will forfeit your deposit to the guide. Day-of cancellations and no-shows will be charged the full balance of the trip to their card.

In the event of inclement weather you'll be covered by out 100% Weather Guarantee and will not lose your deposit.

Reviews

4.9

based on 25 reviews

Tom

Verified Review

July 17

Had an AWESOME time with Captain Eric!

Tom

Verified Review

July 17

Had an AWESOME time with Captain Eric!

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Trip: Flats Backcountry Quest

Perry

Verified Review

January 7

Booked a half a day trip with Dylan Eric's son you can tell that they've lived on the flats their whole lives and they know exactly where to go seen lots of fish and caught fish highly recommend them also to they have beautiful boats perfect for fly fishing you really couldn't ask for any more thanks again Dylan can't wait to see you on the next trip

Perry

Verified Review

January 7

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Trip: Flats Fury With Captain Eric

Jim

Verified Review

May 6

My outing with Eric was amazing! He is a great guide. It was a very breezy day, slightly overcast. The fish were very co-operative, he has vast knowledge of the backcountry/Everglades area. We turned out a 5 species day.

Jim

Verified Review

May 6

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Trip: Flats Fury With Captain Eric

Rich

Verified Review

April 26

Great time this am with Capt. Pete…out for finicky Tarpon and it proved they certainly are. A couple bites but no luck…however, we did hook up on two nice 6ft nurse sharks! Will def come back.

Rich

Verified Review

April 26

Great time this am with Capt. Pete…out for finicky Tarpon and it proved they certainly are. A couple bites but no luck…however, we did hook up on two nice 6ft nurse sharks! Will def come back.

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Trip: Inshore Tarpon Trip

Gary

Verified Review

July 9

Had a great trip with Capt Dylan. He worked hard for us and he delivered. Super perfessional, easy going and fun. Couldn’t have asked for a better time! We will definitely be back!

Gary

Verified Review

July 9

Had a great trip with Capt Dylan. He worked hard for us and he delivered. Super perfessional, easy going and fun. Couldn’t have asked for a better time! We will definitely be back!

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David

Verified Review

February 16

Very good trip. Well worth it. Slow start on the bite, but Capt was persistent on got us on some good fishing. Great guy, hope to do it again.

David

Verified Review

February 16

Very good trip. Well worth it. Slow start on the bite, but Capt was persistent on got us on some good fishing. Great guy, hope to do it again.

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Kevin

Verified Review

January 19

Fishing trip was a lot of fun, Captain Dylan was a true gem. Captain was very informative on fish and fishing techniques, not to mention the number of different species he helped us catch. Captain was a lot of fun while still being very professional, would definitely charter with Dylan again.

Kevin

Verified Review

January 19

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Brian

Verified Review

October 17

We had a blast. Dylan took care of us. Caught lots of fish and Dylan is good dude to just hang out with. Thanks for the fun bud!!!

Brian

Verified Review

October 17

We had a blast. Dylan took care of us. Caught lots of fish and Dylan is good dude to just hang out with. Thanks for the fun bud!!!

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Trip: Flats Backcountry Quest

Stephen

Verified Review

July 24

Five Stars!!!! We had a wonderful fishing experience. We fought one large, 100 pound Tarpon and caught and released one 80 pound Tarpon. What a great experience!! We also caught 3 Nurse Sharks. They were fun too!!
Thank you for a wonderful time!

Stephen

Verified Review

July 24

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Trip: Monster Hunt: Shark & Tarpon

Jon

Verified Review

March 28

Very good experience. Caught red snapper, grouper, and snook. Also saw dolphins. Overall good experience, Captain Dylan was great.

Jon

Verified Review

March 28

Very good experience. Caught red snapper, grouper, and snook. Also saw dolphins. Overall good experience, Captain Dylan was great.

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Trip: Flats Backcountry Quest

Stewart

Verified Review

March 6

Stewart

Verified Review

March 6

Eric was concerned about us going out because of high winds but we were here for a special occasion so his partner Dylan persevered and took us out in a bigger boat. The conditions were indeed challenging but Dylan worked extremely hard to see that we had a good time. His love of the area and the nature around was obvious and we benefited from it. My wife caught fish for our lunch and a really nice grouper that we were unable to harvest due to seasonal restrictions. We had a lot of fish on and boated, had a great chat, saw beautiful nature and even had two birds, an osprey and cormorant, go after our baits. It was a wonderful adventure. We’re going out with Eric or his crew again tomorrow. It was an awesome morning! Highly recommend them.

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Trip: Flats Fury With Captain Eric

Brin

Verified Review

June 13

Eric was awesome! Very nice guy and got us on the Tarpon!

Brin

Verified Review

June 13

Eric was awesome! Very nice guy and got us on the Tarpon!

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Trip: Monster Hunt: Shark & Tarpon

Jeffrey

Verified Review

April 15

Captain Pete was fun and professional. A third generation backwater captain knows the secret spots and how to catch fish even in imperfect windy conditions.

Capt Pete was putting us on the fish. We hooked up on tarpon, specs and a big ole 7 ft nurse shark too.

Fully recommend!

Urban Cowgill April 2026

Jeffrey

Verified Review

April 15

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Trip: Flats Backcountry Quest

Jon

Verified Review

March 27

Eric was great! He put us on fish quickly and could tell he grew up fishing these waters. Great trip and will book again when we return.

Jon

Verified Review

March 27

Eric was great! He put us on fish quickly and could tell he grew up fishing these waters. Great trip and will book again when we return.

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Trip: Flats Backcountry Quest

Shane

Verified Review

June 10

Eric was great. Polite, friendly and knowledgeable. We went out with him one day and went with his son Dylan the next. Both were great. Certainly recommend.

Shane

Verified Review

June 10

Eric was great. Polite, friendly and knowledgeable. We went out with him one day and went with his son Dylan the next. Both were great. Certainly recommend.

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Trip: Flats Backcountry Quest

Lou

Verified Review

April 21

Awesome time. Captain Dylan was very knowledgeable and great with my boys. We learned a ton and had a blast.

Lou

Verified Review

April 21

Awesome time. Captain Dylan was very knowledgeable and great with my boys. We learned a ton and had a blast.

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John

Verified Review

June 13

Fantastic guide! Friendly and helpful. Had a great time.

John

Verified Review

June 13

Fantastic guide! Friendly and helpful. Had a great time.

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Trip: Flats Backcountry Quest

David

Verified Review

March 30

Good effort in pleasing the client. Weak bait preparation. Had to return to the dock for bait.
Repeatedly removed the pole from experience fisherman's hands and cast the line. Short with instructions, long with distgust in not following instructions.

David

Verified Review

March 30

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Response from Captain Experiences:

Hey David, thanks for this feedback. Captain Eric's number one priority is always safety, but I am sorry if anyone in your party was made to feel uncomfortable in any way. I'd love to offer you a coupon for another trip with us in hopes that you'll give Captain Experiences another shot!

Response from Captain Experiences:

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Bob

Verified Review

March 21

Had two great days on the water with captain Eric. Even though it was pretty windy Captain Eric put me in fish. Enjoyed the fishing and enjoyed my time on the water with captain Eric. Next time I'm in the Keys I will be looking forward to fishing with Captain Eric.

Bob

Verified Review

March 21

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Trip: Flats Fury With Captain Eric

Gerald

Verified Review

March 4

Had a great time.

Gerald

Verified Review

March 4

Had a great time.

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Trip: Flats Fury With Captain Eric

Michael

Verified Review

January 31

Cold front moved in fishing not great . Eric worked very hard and tried all kinds of fishing styles. We caught fish and had a great time. Will definitely go out fishing with him again.

Michael

Verified Review

January 31

Cold front moved in fishing not great . Eric worked very hard and tried all kinds of fishing styles. We caught fish and had a great time. Will definitely go out fishing with him again.

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Trip: Inshore Tarpon Trip

Zach

Verified Review

January 19

Captain Eric was awesome. Had a wealth of knowledge of the area. Got us to a spot where we were able to catch some smaller species, and got us a shark as well. Great experience!

Zach

Verified Review

January 19

Captain Eric was awesome. Had a wealth of knowledge of the area. Got us to a spot where we were able to catch some smaller species, and got us a shark as well. Great experience!

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Trip: Monster Hunt: Shark & Tarpon

Matthew

Verified Review

June 28

Great trip. Capt Eric knew where the fish were and made sure we had a great time. Would do it again.

Matthew

Verified Review

June 28

Great trip. Capt Eric knew where the fish were and made sure we had a great time. Would do it again.

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Trip: Flats Backcountry Quest

Jay

Verified Review

June 9

friendly. good stories. good fisherman

Jay

Verified Review

June 9

friendly. good stories. good fisherman

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Trip: Flats Fury With Captain Eric

Sean

Verified Review

February 14

We had a great time. Through windy conditions we were still put on fish and enjoy the overall experience. We will be back.

Sean

Verified Review

February 14

We had a great time. Through windy conditions we were still put on fish and enjoy the overall experience. We will be back.

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Trip: Flats Backcountry Quest

First Time Booking with Us?

Captain Experiences is home to thousands of quality, vetted fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports guides across the US and beyond. Our mission is to Unlock the Outdoors by making it quick and easy to book the trip of a lifetime every time with our Damn Good Guides.

We vet our guides and only partner with the best of the best. Our guides do their very best to keep you safe, show you a great time, and send you home with a memorable experience shared with family and friends.

Once you've paid your deposit at checkout, we'll send you a QR Code boarding pass. Just show your guide your boarding pass on the day of the trip, they'll scan it, the remaining balance will transfer automatically, and you'll be all set to get out there. Just make sure you bring a cash tip for the guide!

In the event of inclement weather, our guides will check the conditions and make the final call on whether its safe to go on the trip. If they decide the trip needs to be postponed, we'll work closely with you to reschedule or provide a credit for the full deposit, which can be applied to any of our trips in the US and beyond.

Each trip's price is determined by the guide and reflects all associated costs. A significant factor in pricing is often the type of boat and the corresponding fuel expenses. Additional costs may include leases, marina or slip fees, and the expenses involved in providing and maintaining the necessary gear for your trip.

After booking your trip, we'll connect you directly with your guide to discuss additional details. In the meantime, our team is here to answer any questions via email, text, or phone.