Backcountry Fishing: Key West's Hidden Gems

Join Captain Ryan for a personalized 4-hour fishing adventure in Key West’s rich backcountry waters. Discover diverse species and local insights.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary - During a 4-hour backcountry charter, participants will fish in the local waters up to 13 miles from Key West, discovering grassy flats, mangrove islands, and shallow wrecks teeming with a diverse range of species. Depending on the season, anglers can aim to catch tarpon, jacks, permit, barracuda, sharks,…
What's Included
  • Fishing License
  • Fishing Gear
  • Bait & Tackle
  • Iced Coolers
  • Bottled water
Additional Information

During this 4-hour backcountry charter, participants will fish the local waters within 13 miles of Key West, exploring grassy flats, mangrove islands, and shallow wrecks that host a remarkable variety of species. Depending on the season, anglers can expect to target tarpon, jacks, permit, barracuda, sharks, snappers, and cobia. This trip offers the…

Location
5950 Peninsular Ave
Peninsular Avenue
Meet at Oceans Edge Resort & Marina at the end of Maloney Ave. Enter through the guard gate and take the first right. Continue straight to the floating docks on the right, where the Recon Sportfishing boat is located. Parking is in the lot on the right after the gate; park anywhere!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(13 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Connector58961366378
Jan 7, 2026
Amazing fishing trip! - Great experience! We caught so many fish!! Capt. Ryan was the best! Every cast we had a bite! Boat ride to and from fishing spots was amazing too!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brianbk3758ie
Nov 28, 2025
Awesome - Ryan is great down to earth captain who wants his clients to enjoy their trip. You can tell he loves his job and loves to fish even more
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ericlj5122ep
Nov 4, 2025
Great trip! - Went out with Recon Sport Fishing in Key West and had an incredible time. Captain Ryan runs a tight ship — professional, friendly, and clearly knows where the fish are. We caught a ton of them, and he kept the energy up the whole day. My son couldn’t stop smiling
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q3058cwshannonc
Aug 26, 2025
Must do fishing in Key West! Highly recommend Capt Ryan! - We had an amazing day of fishing with Captain Ryan! The boat ride to and from had beautiful views of various islands of the FL Keys. We caught snapper that we took back to our hotel and had it cooked for dinner. Then, we caught a variety of other fish and finished the day with tarpon ranging from about 10 lbs to 35 lbs. So much fun! Highly recommend Captain Ryan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J138tujimm
Aug 8, 2025
Smart, fun, instructive guide. Strongly recommend on a day of fishing. - Want to thank my new friend Ryan for a wonderful day out in August 2025 back country fishing. From the moment we stepped on the boat we were welcomed with a friendly smile and some laughs. His boat set-up was perfect for me and my son, but spacious enough for 4 grown men easily. Typically in a 4 hour trip, you don’t expect much, but after loading up with some bait fish he took us out on a 30 min drive (he doesn’t care about burning fuel to get you fish). Once we stopped, we had snapper in the boat 10 minutes later. We maxed out in snapper, than he drove another 20 minutes to a second spot. He said there were tarpon there. 2 casts in and I got a tarpon. 10 minutes later my son had a tarpon. It was an amazing experience building such great memories with my son. Ryan is a perfect captain to get out on the water. A true guide who knows where the fish will be, what bait to use and his chilled out instructions guided us to land a couple prized sportfish. I will use Ryan again on future visits to key west. You can’t miss with this guy!! Great day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jerold_l
Jul 17, 2025
Our trip was awesome, our... - Our trip was awesome, our guide was very friendly and professional!!! His gear was top of the line and we caught fish!!
Review provided by Viator
W9502nvbenp
Jul 12, 2025
Excellent Key West Fishing Guide, Highly Recommended! - Ryan is an outstanding fishing guide and I highly recommend him for your Key West fishing needs. My wife and I booked Ryan for a six-hour backcountry fishing/sandbar tour and our experience was fantastic, all thanks to Ryan (and the tarpon biting!). He is a first-rate fishing guide. His 24-foot Pathfinder was clean, comfortable, and perfect for backcountry/flats fishing. Ryan won't mention it unless you ask, but he served as a special forces operator with the U.S. Army Rangers in Iraq and Afghanistan. His experience with the special forces has equipped him to handle a wide range of situations, and it translates well to being a fishing guide (safety, high level of awareness, ability to navigate poor weather conditions, etc.). Ryan is also very engaging, polite, and an all-around pro. He took us to three amazing fishing spots where the mangrove snapper (we caught enough for dinner) and tarpon were biting (we caught 8 tarpon, an all-time high for me and I've fished for years). Again, I would highly recommend Ryan if you're considering a fishing charter in Key West.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M9626xhcourtneyh
Jul 5, 2025
Family three day adventure - Ryan was the best guide ever! He worked hard to find the best spots for our family to snorkel and catch fish and swim despite weather obstacles! His boat and gear was top notch and he was very knowledgeable about the area and waters and marine life! I would highly recommend him for any type of trip you choose! Thank you Ryan for making our trip so memorable!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J1924qskellib
Jun 27, 2025
THE BEST THERE IS - Captain Ryan is hands down THE BEST!! We fished with him 4 years ago, and booked with him again this trip. He is phenomenal with kids and truly makes the experience one to remember. Thanks Capt. Ryan for making this kids day with an amazing tarpon and memories that last a lifetime. ❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jkubala81
Jun 25, 2025
Great key west fishing experience! - Ryan is a great guy and very knowledgeable when it comes to fishing the keys. My wife and I enjoyed our time and caught plenty of nice fish. I would definitely recommend Ryan and Recon sportfishing. We will be using him again in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $800 (Per Boat)
up to 15 guests
1 - Traveler
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).