Phil Thompson is a fourth generation Floridian, the great-grandson of homesteaders. Growing up on the shores of the Alafia River and Tampa Bay, fishing was more a requirement than family tradition….. spreading a cast-net, a rite of passage for a young man.

A scuba diver at 14, an ocean racer at 21, Phil combined the two loves sailing the Florida Keys, Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Finally settling in Key West, Phil piloted fish and dive boats on expeditions to the pristine waters of the Marquesas and Dry Tortugas.

A seasoned marlin angler, Phil has competed in some of the richest tournaments throughout the Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Living in Key West provided the opportunity to cross the Florida Straits and explore the bountiful waters of Cuba. Phil fished in numerous Hemingway Marlin Tournaments and traveled the island extensively seeking out the best salt, fresh and brackish water fishing holes and premire dive sites.

Bitten by the fly bug, Phil turned flats guide. He found a new love, stalking the clear water shallows. Bonefish, permit and tarpon became sought after trophies, finning sharks, lazy turtles and striking sunrises, perks.

In 2008 Phil set down the pole and picked up the pen. Finding seclusion on San Salvador Island, Bahamas, over the next seven months he wrote a first book and waded for bonefish. “97 Miles South” Phil’s debut novel was released in late spring of 2012.

Phil’s fishing reports, articles, and short histories appear in Florida Sportsman, Gaff, and Coastal Angler magazines.

 Phil divides time between Ruskin and Key West Florida and Cuba.

His next book “With Money….the Monkey Dances” a collection of Caribbean stories is do for release in 2013.