Offshore fishing and reef and wreck fishing could both be considered Deep Sea Fishing Key West. In general in other part of the country when they say deep sea fishing they just mean not inshore.
Not fishing just off the beach but actually fishing offshore. Here in Key West fishing offshore can actually refer to a bunch of other smaller categories or fishing.
Types of deep sea fishing in Key West
- True offshore fishing – fishing for dolphin and pelegics up to 20 or 30 miles offshore
- Wreck fishing – bottom fishing on one of the wrecks located past the reef 7-10 offshore
- Deep drop fishing – bottom fishing in 400-1000 feet of water 7-15 miles offshore
- Reef fishing – bottom fishing on the edge of the reef 7-10 miles out
- Sword fishing – bottom fishing in 500-1000 feet of water 10-15 miles out, sometimes at night
The actually terminology “deep sea fishing” is not really used by locals in Key West. They are usually more specific and say something like “going offshore, for dolphin”.
Choosing which fishing trip
Choosing which trip you would want to take, would depend on the what you want to catch and the weather. Most of the fishing done really far offshore will tend to be in the late spring and summer when the winds are a little less.
The wrecks and edge of the reef can be accessible even when the weather is not quite as nice, and these are popular spots to fishing in the winter and early spring.
Due to the way our reef runs east to west, it is actually possible to fish by land but still be 20 miles out in the ocean from Key West. Although land is loose term, in this case it would be a patch of sand with mangroves growing on it.