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 Sight fishing the flats and
shallows of the Florida Keys and Key West. Join Capt.
Steven and the crew of Dream Catcher Charters for a day
on the flats. Light tackle fishing with spinning rods or
fly fishing with state of the art fly fishing gear.
Sight fish the flats as Capt. Steven poles you along
silently in search of your trophy. Key West has a
tremendous fishery on the flats making it a premier
destination for sight fishing anglers.
Capt. Steven Lamp has been
professionally fishing the flats of Key West and the
Florida Keys since 1994 Full time. Before that he was
spending most of his time in the backcountry fishing
part time and commercial diving. Capt. Stevens knowledge
of the Florida Keys backcountry is expansive and ranges
from Marathon all the way to the the Marquesas Keys. Knowing
the tides is a critical thing for a backcountry flats
guide Capt. Steven has made it a passion to know the
tides in many locations.
What Are The Flats
 The flats are generally 4 ft deep
or less. Usually covered with grass or can be sandy
areas they are an estuary for fish and critters large
and small. The flats are a very important part of the
ecosystem of a healthy backcountry. Sometimes flats can
become so shallow they actually show as dry islands. As
the tides come and go the fish come on to feed and leave
with the tide. As one can imagine the tides are very
important to flats fishing. The flats are found all
throughout the Florida Keys and Key West backcountry
around every island and channel of water.
Capt. Steven specializes in all
species of the flats. Guiding his clients to catch any
of them on Light Tackle, Bait Casters or Fly Fishing.
 Bonefish - Tarpon - Permit -
Cobia - Trout - Pompano - Lady Fish - Jack Crevales -
Yellow Jacks - Barracudas - Sharks - Baby Tarpon -
Redfish - Snook - Goliath Groupers -
Capt. Steven and Dream Catcher
Charters offers 4, 6, and 8 hour trips to fish the flats
off of Key West all the way out the the pristine waters
of the Marquesas Keys. The rates page will tell you
about costs of each type of flats fishing adventure. By
reading the choices below you can decide what type of
boat you would like as we offer traditional flats skiffs
and bay boats. Another choice is how you would like to
fish the flats We offer either light tackle Spin
fishing, Bait Casters or Fly Fishing for your added convenience. Bonefishing charters are also a common request,
check it out.
Traditional Flats boats. My lake and bay flats boats are Fast, Smooth and dry. With a poling
platform I pole you along the shallows in search of your
sport fish. The flats boat option tends to require the
anglers to have medium to moderate skills to be accurate
and good distance with a spinning rod or fly rod. Sight
fishing from the bow of a flats fishing boat is the
essence of flats fishing.
 For a creature comfort ride and super
casting platform my bay boats are the ticket. This is
fast becoming the preferred method of my regular anglers
that have fished with me all these years on my
traditional flats boat. We do more, see more and catch
more with more options for the day. On my bay boats I
can cover more flats and show you more fish and help you
catch them better. More fishing charter for the money.
Light Tackle Spin Fishing
 The
most common way to fish the flats of Key West and the
Florida keys. Light tackle means light line from 6 - 15
lb test and light rods to really feel the fight of these
amazing fish. The speed of the bonefish and the power of
the permit. Using live bait and artificial even the most
novice of casters will have a shot at catching a nice
trophy using light tackle Spinning gear. On my charters
everything you will need is provided although you are
welcome to bring your own.
Advanced flats fishermen enjoy trying
to catch these extremely weary fish using fly fishing gear. New fly
fishermen enjoy learning the ways of saltwater fly
fishing with the awesome back drop of the backcountry.
One day on the flats and we can have you catching fish
with the littlest experience. For advanced fly fishermen
Capt. Steven is a tournament proven fly fishing guide that will put you on fish day in and out. Fly Fishing for
permit is one of Capt. Stevens Passions.
Flats fishing is great all year
round! The Florida Keys and Key West are truly lucky to
have a year round fishery here that is incredible. The
only things that change a bit are the species that are
here and the methods we use to catch them.
January we start to get the resident
gulf tarpon along the edges in the channels, Big permit
tailing up on the flats, cobia tailing the sting rays
with huge jacks and monster Barracudas sunning
themselves in the warm run off. Shark fishing is great.
This is game on tarpon fishing on the
flats. A genuine "Go Time" for fly fishermen to target
these monsters in the shallows. Bonefish are back in
full numbers. Late April and early May can be lean for
Permit on the flats however they are in great numbers on
the shallow wrecks and reefs making easy shots with the
use of a bay boat.. Shark
fishing is great!
I call this the Slam season. Those
months are a flats fisherman's best shot at repeated
grand slams. Tarpon, Permit and Bonefish. Take advantage
of the low seasonal hotels rates and book a bunch of
fishing to enjoy the best we have for flats fishing all
year.. IF there is a peak in this year round fishery,
this is it. Check out the Reservations page to see about
special concessions for fall bookings.
If it stays warm no change... If it
gets cold from the early cold fronts then one can expect
our winter fishery of Jacks, Barracuda fishing, Cobia, Permit, and between the cold front tarpon to
entertain them for a day of fishing. I like December for
the smorgasbord of fishing that it offers on the backcountry fishing
trips.
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Traditional Flats Fishing Boat