Florida Sportfishing Outfitters, Logo
6 Generation Native

Phone Icon (941) 866-4317

"Captain Shawn, you always put me on fish even if they were not biting. The first time I ever fished with you, I hooked a very large Snook that got away due to my inexperience. The last time I fished with you, I caught back to back 37" & 39" Snook one right after the other. We always have a great time. 

Your friend,
Joe King "


"I started fishing with Shawn Crawford in the early 1990’s and continue to fish with him today. I bring my customers to Florida, from as far away as the West Coast, and they are always treated with the utmost respect. He is the most professional and knowledgeable fishing guide I have ever seen. He is also the hardest working guide I have ever used. His equipment is first class, from fishing rods and reels to his boat. While fishing with Shawn I have caught my personal best Tarpon, Ling, Snook, and Redfish. The Snook and Redfish were both over 44 inches long. All of my customers rave about him and it has helped me maintain an excellent relationship with each. I give Shawn Crawford my highest recommendation. If you want to have the best times on the water try a day with Shawn on some of the most beautiful water in the world.
Thanks, Shawn for all the great fishing.

Bill King"



"I lose count of how many times we have fished with Ca pt. Shawn, but we have slayed them every time without exception. It's a great way to spend a beautiful day on the water with your wife, and if you take a client, write the day off as a business expense!! Captain Shawn is a professional who follows the fish on a daily basis, so if there is any captain can put you on the fish for a great time, Captain Shawn is the man.

Neal young"


"Rollie and I were fishing with you on Jan.29,2009.We had great luck maxing out on our trout in 25 minutes.We then went to terra Ceia Bay and caught about 20 Snook and some flounder. Rollie hooked a Redfish but lost it.We then went up a cal off the Manatee river and we were after snook.No luck on snook but I caught a nice seatrout.Awseome fishing.Hope to do it again someday.Ervin Parker Shawn- I know I haven't fish with you in a few years but when we did we caught alot of snook. My son Bret absolutely loved to fish with you. Some of the great memories I have of him was fishing on your boat. He would catch 25 to every bodies 8. Bret passed away 2 years ago at age 24. Thank you for taking us fishing the several times you did. I will fondly remember them.
Regards

John Church"


"The Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club has had some fantastic, many excellent and one or two fair trips with our favorite inshore Charter Captain. One spring we stopped 10 minutes from the ramp and caught Redfish till lunch. Hard time getting a keeper though, They were all OVER the slot. Lost count at 30 fish. Fall trip we ran out to a rock pile and caught a load of big Spanish an a half a dozen Kings. Kings spooled us a couple of times and we had to leave because the sharks were getting the fish before we could boat them. Went to the mouth of the Manatee River and caught and released over 40 snook. Shawn has called us and suggested we postpone a trip because of weather or a poor bite. Our 50 club members have fished with Shawn at least a dozen times and we will continue to pass the Captain Shawn sign up sheet at our monthly meetings.

Red Bailey
President Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club"


" Dear Capt. Shawn, Just a note to say 'Many Thanks' for another great day on Sarasota bay! Nobody that I have fished with in my many years of being on the water has put me on more fish , in all kinds of conditions , than The Backwater Bandit. I also appreciate the fact that your boat and equipment are First class - it makes a great experience even better. My boys and I are looking forward to our next trip together. Keep up the good work,

Jim Russell, Bradenton, Fl. "



" Captain Shawn Crawford Because of proximity and the fact that Shawn is simply "The Man" for inshore fishing, we get to spend a lot of time with him on the water. Many customers hire him when they are in town looking at our boats, and many local owners also use Shawn to learn new techniques and tricks for tower boat fishing. Shawn runs a Tarpon 26 and has put over 1000 hours on his boat this year. Does this sound like a Shawn commercial? Well, this year when we took a few of our guys from the shop red fishing with Shawn, we boated over 40 reds in or over the slot. Shawn has helped tremendously with new ideas and design enhancements for whole line. We would like to congratulate Shawn for recently being accepted into the prestigious group of only 8 guides in Florida to be sponsored by Shimano and a member of the elite pro staff. Shawn has been-and will be-testing and helping in the development of their product as well as ours. His input will be used to produce rods and reels for the best brand in fishing gear.Shawn is on the list with Capt. Jose Wejebe, Capt. Greg Devalt, and Capt. Rick Murphy. Congrats to Shawn! He has worked hard for this honor and we're proud to have him in an Andros!


"I have fished with Capt. Shawn for many yrs and just want to share a recent experiance I had. I was at Anna Maria vacationing and I had a friend call me and tell me that he had a charter the next day and one of his party had dropped out and would I like to go and fill out his charter for 4 people half day trip. I said sure. Not a good decision. When I saw the capt pull up in a skiff I knew we were in trouble. After a half day of getting bounced around and equipment not working between the four of us we caught ONE barely legal Mango Snapper! That was an expensive snapper!!
It certainly made me apreciate my trips with Shawn. Capt. Shawns knowledge of the water and what the fish are doing is second to none. He has top of the line equipment and an awesome fishing boat. Its the quality and quantity of the fish I like the best."

Smokin' Jim Rabe



"Captain Shawn Crawford is by far the most knowledgeable Capt. we have ever used. He also treats every client with respect and makes sure everyone is having a great time. Our family of 4 have chartered with Shawn many of times and have always felt safe and had a great time. We have done some off shore fishing in other parts of FL and Alabama, but we always say Capt.Shawn is the best. Hope we can plan another trip with him this year!!!!!"

Sherrie Spruch