Hawks Cay Resort: My Base for World-Class Florida Keys Fly Fishing

For three days at Hawks Cay Resort, my life got pretty simple. Wake up, grab my fly rods, walk to the marina, and go fishing. Tarpon, redfish, mangroves, clear-water flats—This is the trip I've imagined since I was a kid.

An aerial view of Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key. You are right there in the middle of great fishing grounds, simple access to it, and easy livin. | Photo provided by Hawks Cay Resort

I wanted to hook a big tarpon; I wanted to chase some juvenile tarpon with an 8-weight fly rod, and I wanted to get some hours in sight-casting to redfish. If a snook crossed my path, that would be a bonus.

A Fishing Experience Bigger Than Hoped For

Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys promised me they could help with all of the above. Plus, I would stay in a comfortable villa, and they would set me up with a guide who could put me on all these fish.

Everything I needed would be available to me; I could get lost in fishing for a few days, and all my basic comforts would be within walking distance. 

Hawks Cay Marina is just a short walk from the resort accommodations, making it easy to grab your gear in the morning and be on the boat within minutes. | Photo provided by Hawks Cay Marina

The Dream of a Kid

I’d never fished the Keys. Growing up, it was a fantasy destination that was way outside my family's means. I'd read about the Keys in Outdoor Life or watched fly anglers fish it on The Walker's Cay Chronicles. I associated the Keys with Jimmy Buffett, Thomas McGuane, and Ted Williams. It was a kid’s dream.

Finally Fishing the Florida Keys

It took a long time, but I finally got there. I checked into Hawks Cay Resort, got a room by the water, and for three days my world became pretty simple. Fish, eat, sleep, and do it again the next day.

Hawks Cay Resort

My mornings were about as simple as I could ask for. I woke up in a one-bedroom villa, washed my face, put on my fishing clothes, grabbed my gear, and walked out the door.

Twenty yards later, I'm at the marina dock. Another short walk and I was at the boat meeting my guide.

From here, you can head out for some backcountry, reef, wreck, flats, bridges, inshore, and offshore fishing. | Photo Provided by Hawks Cay Marina

Better Than Coffee

As I'm walking the dock, I spot tarpon cruising around the marina — marina mascots—including two fish that were humongous. I don’t care that these are “Marina Mascots.” Seeing tarpon that big fires me up and pulls me out of my morning fog.

My guide is waiting for me by his boat. He's brought coffee, muffins, and bagels. We've already talked on the phone about the fishing and the day to come, so it's a quick handshake and we get going. 

Setting You Up With a Guide

The Hawks Cay Resort helped me find a great guide, Captain Reed Tudor. It would have been the blind leading the blind if I'd had to find a guide without their help. I don't know the Keys; I don’t know any guides who work in the area. The resort has a list of charters you can choose from on their website. The resort makes it simple, and I can focus on the fishing. 

Into the Backcountry

Once on the water, I was like a kid given free rein in a candy store. From Hawks Cay Resort, I could fish mangrove backcountry, shallow flats, bridges and channels, wrecks, the reef, or head offshore into blue water. With all those options come so many species of fish to choose from.

In the mornings, I wanted to fish the backcountry for juvenile tarpon, redfish, and snook. I’d use an 8-weight and ease my way into the experience. Whenever I pictured Florida fishing, I’d always see Jose Wejebe or Flip Pallot in my head, working the mangroves. This is what I wanted to do.

I Just Want a Shot

I also wanted a shot at a big tarpon. That's how I sold it to myself. "A shot." If I were dedicating a full day to chaseing only big tarpon, I would expect more. But in the window of a couple of hours, if I could get a few opportunities to get a fly in front of some big ones, that would be enough. Maybe the fishing gods would be smiling on me, and one would take. 

The Fishing Part

On an 8-weight, juvenile tarpon don't feel so juvenile. I grew up bass fishing, so a 20lb fish that will smack your streamer, jump, and run is my idea of a worthy fish.

A seriously beautiful fish. Tarpon. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

We found the young tarpon feeding in or near the mangroves. Capt. Reed Tudor was very good at getting me into a prime position to make a cast. I hooked several fish and landed two. The way these fish shake their heads while in the air reminds me of a pit bull when it locks on to something. If you don’t get the hook set deep, it’s coming out. Even the “small” ones will test you.

After the morning bite died down, we shifted gears and went on the hunt for redfish. This wasn't so foreign to me. I do a lot of fishing for reds back home in Charleston, SC. Sight fishing for cruising and feeding redfish is a game that never gets old. Our only limitation was time, or I would have added a few hours of chasing snook to the day.

The Big Ones

Then there were the big tarpon, and you don't have to travel far from the resort to find them. 

There is something different about seeing a really big tarpon in shallow, clear water. You can know how big they get. You can see pictures. You can watch videos. Then one swims towards you, and it's a different animal. You think you know big until you see a 6-foot tarpon swim past you.

I Had My Chances

I got a fly in front of a few large fish. One followed my fly long enough to get me thinking this might actually happen. Then it lost interest.

That was as close as I got.

I would have loved to say I hooked one and spent the next hour hanging on. I didn’t. But the experience was enough to ensure I'll be back to try again.

The Resort - Fish, EAT, Sleep

At the end of the day, we pull up to the dock, and I go straight from the boat to the Anglers & Ale restaurant at dockside for happy hour.

I’m a sucker for conch fritters, and they have them. Pair that with a cold drink and a view of the water, and I was in a good place.

The Restaurants

Salt + Ash

On my first night at the resort, I figured I'd treat myself to a fancy dinner. The resort has a restaurant called Salt + Ash. It’s an upscale establishment, created by Michelin-starred chef and Top Chef winner Jeremy Ford. I don't eat fancy often but the thought of fresh Florida seafood, and ingredients from Ford's own farm convinced me to give it a try. 

I'll take crispy fried fish every time. Yellowtail Snapper. | Photo by Michael Pissari

I’m not a food critic. I can tell you the food was great; the place was fancy but comfortable and relaxing. I didn’t have to dress up to feel welcomed. The staff was friendly and invested in the customers' experience. I find most “fancy” restaurants heavy on the show with little substance. This place had substance and warmth.

Angler & Ale

When I wanted something more casual, I went back to the Angler & Ale. It is located in the marina dock area; I could sit at the bar, take in the water, and enjoy the food. Again, everyone was out-of-their-way helpful, and it was a great way to end a day.

This became my go-to spot after a day of fishing. Conch fritters and a cold drink. | Photo Courtesy of Salt Water Experience

Then I’d walk back to my villa, get some sleep and do it all over again.

You Don’t Have to Fish

Hawks Cay is a full-on resort. There are pools, a spa, and plenty of things to do that have nothing to do with fishing. My wife could enjoy the resort without ever picking up a fly rod, and I could see a family with kids having plenty to keep everyone occupied.

But that’s not why I was there.

I was there to get lost in a fishing experience.

The Saltwater Experience

And that's what I did. For three days I didn’t have to think about anything beyond fishing, eating, and getting some sleep. My villa was clean and comfortable. Capt. Reed Tudor was an exceptional guide; the fish were plentiful, and when the day was over, food and a cold drink were easy to come by.

Hawks Cay Resort has been the home base for the TV show Saltwater Experience since 2009. If you want to see what the resort, the fishing, and the whole experience look like, the video below does a pretty good job of showing it. It captures the water, the fishing, and the reason I wanted to come here in the first place.

~KB Follow me on Instagram @KenBaldwin7. I share the stories behind my articles, photography from my fly-fishing adventures, gear I’m testing, wildlife encounters, and the outdoor places that inspire them.

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"Slow down...listen to the hoppers...be patient with yer wife...eat sardines with hot sauce... catch “Gagger” trout!!!" – Flip Pallot

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