Huge, powerful, and determined to stay in the water, the tarpon certainly isn’t the easiest catch in the world. But if you’ve got the verve and endurance, Key West tarpon fishing might become one of your favorite ocean activities too.

Getting to Know the Tarpon

The first thing that jumps out about the tarpon is its impressive size. The length and weight of a given tarpon usually depend on its age. As they mature, a tarpon can grow up to anywhere between 5-6feet long. Just as impressively, tarpon typically weighs somewhere in the range of 50-200 pounds. And while much larger tarpon are sometimes spotted, the average weight settles in at somewhere around 100 pounds.

The tarpon’s size alone puts it at the top of the area’s food chain. It also allows them to devour pretty much any other fish that they want. The tarpon’s dominant presence is a big reason why many locals refer to it as ‘The Silver King.’

Its striking appearance has only enhanced the tarpon’s well-earned reputation. The back of a tarpon displays dark hues of bluish green that make them fairly easy to identify for experienced guides. This quick recognition is also helped by the markings on the sides of the tarpon. Here, the dark blues of the back transition quickly to bright silver lines that extend almost all way to the tail.

Usually, tarpon swim in relatively large schools. This means that if you spot one, there are probably many more in the immediate vicinity. And once you actually get a tarpon onto your boat, you’ll discover a mouth that extends upward sharply and gives the tarpon its distinctively ferocious look.

The Ins and Outs of Key West Tarpon Fishing

When going after tarpon, the most important thing is knowing where to find them. Their preferred hunting waters depend on the time of year, but large schools often congregate at the top of the water column in Key West Harbor. You’re most likely to land a tarpon between March and July, but only an experienced guide can predict where they’ll be at a given time of year.

Dropping a chum line is a great way to pique a tarpon’s interest and get them swimming close to your boat. After that, you’ve got a great chance of hooking one with live or dead bait. And that’s when the real battle begins. A tarpon will not come out of the water without a fight, so be ready for an endurance test if you’re serious about landing one.

By now, it’s probably pretty clear why Key West tarpon fishing is known the world over as a thrilling ocean adventure. But in the end, it’s really just something you’ll have to experience firsthand. Contact us today for the most exciting tarpon adventure in the business.

The post Key West Tarpon Fishing appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.

Strangely enough, the reality of shark fishing is actually much more fascinating than the way it’s portrayed in the movies. Requiring a wealth of knowledge, endurance, and a great deal of patience, landing a real-life shark is a truly transcendent adventure. It’s not merely a highlight of deep sea fishing in Key West. Looking one of these wonderful beasts from up close has the power to be a life-altering experience.

An Overview of Shark Fishing

Fishing for shark can seem intimidating at first and it’s definitely not something to take lightly. But with our experienced and patient captains, your party will emerge from their shark outing safe, exhausted, and satisfied. In other words, they can deliver a memorable fishing experience for anyone who has the fortitude to try it.

There are many opportunities out there for deep sea fishing in Key West, but none are as action packed as targeting sharks with one of our expert guides. They’ll get you engaged with one of the area’s many shark species quicker than anyone. And most importantly of all, they’ll give you and your party the best chance at landing a few.

Deep Sea Fishing in Key West and Popular Shark Species

The terrifying vision of the Jaws movies is a hard one to break, but that doesn’t mean it’s realistic. Yes, sharks can definitely be dangerous creatures. But sharks actually rarely attack humans, and fishing for them is perfectly safe as long as you’ve got the right guide.

There’s another movie misconception about sharks floating around out there, one that diminishes the incredible variety of shark species that exist outside of popular culture. It might seem like there’s only a couple of different sharks in the world, but the truth is actually quite different. In fact, the shark family is as diverse and spectacular as any in the animal kingdom.

Here are just a few of the sharks you can find and catch in the waters around Key West:

• Lemon sharks
• Reef Sharks
• Blacktip Sharks
• Bull Sharks
• Hammerhead Sharks

It’s also important to remember that are many variations within the sample presented above. But what you really need to know is that our guides can provide you with shark information on a need to know basis. And while sharks are catch and release only, fishing for them is still an unforgettable experience.

Hopefully, this has helped you understand shark fishing a little better and erased any fears you might have had on the subject. No one’s claiming that landing one of these fascinating fish is an easy thing to do, but it is a safe way to experience some of the best that deep sea fishing in Key West has to offer. Please contact us today to plan your next great expedition. We look forward to hearing from you.

The post The Thrills of Shark Fishing in Key West appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.

Reef Fishing in Key West

Some of the most popular target fish love the protection provided by the rocky structures of the Great Florida Reef. This includes fish of every conceivable size, fighting ability, and species. And though reef fishing is not without its challenges, our expert guides can put you onto the adventure of a lifetime.

The stunning beauty of the Great Florida Reef graces the area’s waters beginning near Soldier Key. It then makes an arc that stretches almost 200 miles to the south of Key West. The largest reef in all of North America, the Florida reef has rings on the Gulf and the Atlantic sides of Key West. Taken together, the exquisite features of this massive natural wonder make the ideal backdrop for a veritable angler’s paradise.

The reefs offer some of the best fishing in Key West twelve months out of the year, but they’re especially abundant as the water begins to cool in the north. This usually happens sometime in November, when endless numbers of fish are forced to migrate to the warmer reef waters further south. And while you’ll still need an expert guide to pick just the right spots, this is when reef fishing is at its finest.

What To Expect From Your Reef Fishing Experience

The first thing you need to know about reef fishing is the incredible variety of species you can target during one of our charters. By the time the winter months arrive, you can expect to find a delightful array of both game and table fish in the reef’s different areas. Depending on the time of year and location, our expert captains can help you target delicious food fish like grouper, snapper, and tuna.

And if you’re in the mood to go after something with a little more force behind it, the reefs can accommodate that too. Beginning at the primary reef line– which begins about six miles south of Key West– our captains can put you onto the very best sport fish the area has to offer. These fighting fish include species like amberjack, the African pompano, and sailfish.

But while we list the reef’s table and fame fish separately, it’s not like you have to choose between the two groups beforehand. They mingle freely with one another among the protection of the reefs, and our captains know just know where to find the blend that’s appropriate to your party’s desires. Please contact us today to book a reef fishing adventure you’re not likely to forget.

The post Key West Reef Fishing appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.

But with so many options, you’ll need two things to get off to a good start. First, you’ll need to narrow your range of choices a bit. Second, you’ll need equipment, bait, and the right guide.

Fortunately, you can accomplish both of these important tasks by getting to know the different types of fishing charters available in Key West. Read on for details about the five most popular types, as well as all the info you need regarding Key West fishing charter prices.

Flats Boat Charters

Flats boats are best for fishermen who want a direct and more traditional fishing experience. Though they’re not designed for everyone, flats boats offer the challenge of a pure fishing adventure to those who are tough enough to handle them. Ideal for fly fishing in the shallow offshore waters of Key West, flats boats satisfy the hunter that lives inside every true fisherman.

In other words, flats boats are not for the casual angler. They have a narrow, minimalist design with a length that ranges from 17-25 feet. During a flats charter, the fishermen typically cast from the bow of the boat while the captain poles the vessel quietly from a platform in the rear. But these challenges pay off for the patient fishermen. The shallows near Key Westare rife with exciting species like tarpon, permit, and bonefish.

Land a few of these beauties and you’ll see why fishing purists find the challenges inherent to flats boats well worth the trouble.

Bay Boats

Bay boats have become one of the most popular fishing vessels in Key West. Available in a wide array of shapes and sizes, bay boats offer fishermen a number of choices. These choices include amenities like bathrooms andareas of shade. Though similar in some ways to a flats boat, bay boats are typically larger and more comfortable.

Bay boats are extremely versatile, insofar as the different types of fishing grounds they can access. In addition to their use in fishing the flats, you can also use a bay boat to target species in the backcountry waters, as well as around the many reefs and wrecks that characterize the waters around Key West.

The average length of a bay boat is similar to that of its flats counterpart– between 17-25 feet. They’re usually equipped with a more powerful motor than flats boats, but the poling platform at the stern of the boat is very similar.

As you’ll see below, bay boats are also similar to flats boats in terms of their Key West fishing charter prices.

Center Console Boats

Another fantastic Key West charter option is a tour on what’s known as a ‘center console’ boat.

Just as the name says, the control console is in the middle of the boat, which allows passengers to walk around the boat from stern to bow with little difficulty. More spacious than either a flats or a bay boat, these center console boats can range in length from anywhere between 20-35 feet.

Because of this extra space, many center console boats can accommodate 6 passengers.

In addition to giving passengers access to many types of deep sea fishing, center console boats are also ideal for snorkeling. As you can see, a center console boat offers a Key West Ocean adventure that fits the entire family.

Light Tackle Fishing

You can experience the thrills of light tackle fishing on a variety of different boats, but they each offer a wide range of fishing and other ocean activities. This, of course, includes the opportunity to land a number of exotic table and game fish. Using light tackle, you can target and catch anything from permit and tarpon to tuna and sailfish, just to name a few.

In addition to the availability of such a high number of fish species, light tackle fishing boats also allow passengers to fish in many different styles. These methods include deep sea, reef fishing, and wreck fishing. Lastly, light tackle fishing lets you drop your line at a number of different depths.

Sport Fishing Charters

Just as the name says, sport fishing charters target the hard fighting game fish that swim in the waters of Key West. These include species like mahi-mahi, amberjack, tuna, and some of the larger shark varieties. Although some sport

fishing charters target table fish like grouper and snapper, most tend to focus on the exotic species we mentioned above.

The vessels used by local fishermen in Key West are comfortable with lots of shade. The length of the boats varies between 30-50 feet, and they’re often decked out with amenities such as a live bait well and an icebox. Sometimes traveling as far as 20 miles offshore, these types of fishing charters offer the perfect combination of thrilling fishing adventure and comfort.

Key West Fishing Charter Prices

Now let’s have a look at how much you should expect to pay for each type of charter fishing. Key West is ideally located, with a variety of types of fishing grounds nearby, so you truly have more options when it comes to how you want to spend your day, than if you were in the other parts of the Florida Keys.

The cost of a flats charter depends on the length of the tour and the size of the boat. Flats boats are usually only large enough for between 1-4 people, counting the captain. A four-hour (half day) trip will cost you between

$400-$550, while a full day, eight-hour trip runs between $600-$800.

The cost of a bay boat charter is similar to that of a flats boat.

Depending on the boat, the location, and the duration of the tour, bay boat charters usually cost between $500-$800. With their slightly larger size, bay boats can often accommodate more people than a flats boat, with each extra passenger costing about $50.

Center console boats probably have the widest range of prices. With both day and night trips available, a center console charter can cost anywhere from $550-$800 for 6 passengers, in addition to the captain. But some of the higher end center console boat charters can cost up to $3,000 for an overnight trip.

A light tackle charter offers an intermediate cost between flats boats and center consoles – for many people, this can be the best option for maximizing value and a great time. With many light tackle boats able to accommodate up to six passengers, a charter can cost anywhere from $700-$1,200 dollars.

The costs of sport fishing charters typically range from $800-$1200, depending on the quality of the boat, the number of passengers, and the length of the trip.

How much is charter fishing in Key West?

A fishing charter in Key West can range in price and is usually based on the length of the trip and the size of the boat. Just like everything else when you’re traveling, you will find a range of prices for fishing charters. Key West is no different: it pays to shop around, so you and your family end up having the best fishing experience possible while you’re in town.

What fish are biting in Key West?

To see what is biting in Key West Florida you should consult an fishing calendar like https://key-west-fishing.link/key-west-fishing-calendar, different fish bit at different times a year.

Where can I fish on the shore in Key West?

There are pretty limited options fishing from the shore. You can fish off Mallory square at night when no one is there. If you travel to the Southernmost City with the intent to go fishing, Key West charters are your safest bet for getting out on the water and hooking some fish.

What fish are in season in the Florida Keys?

Best to consult a fishing calendar https://key-west-fishing.link/key-west-fishing-calendar

The post The Top 5 Types of Key West Fishing Charters appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.

Finicky Eaters

They put up a great fight on light tackle and can be a blast to catch. However, they are strangely finicky and often will look at baits without eating them. Sometimes when chumming for yellowtail they will swim around in the chum slick but will not bite.

When they are in the mood to eat though, they can be very aggressive and smash large live baits and artificials like poppers. Sometimes they eat baits drifted back for yellow tails but can be difficult to land on too light of tackle.

Charter fishing Key West

They are often found on wrecks on the Atlantic side and large reef structures.

Certain times of the year they will run around in large schools on the inshore patch reefs terrorizing the small fish that live there.

Great to Eat!

Unlike Jack Crevelles and amberjack, Yellow Jacks are great to eat with little preparation. They can be fried, blackened and cooked any way you would cook any other white fish.

They are delicious smoked as well and make great sashimi and ceviche.

The post Yellow Jack appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.

Aggressive

They have rows of huge teeth can be very aggressive, attacking fish almost the same size as them. They make a habit out of stealing fish from anglers on popular fishing spots and can be a full blown nuisance when targeting other fish.

Their razor sharp teeth can actually cut most smaller fish in half in the blink of the eye. Some places you will have to horse your fish to the boat and get them out of the water as quick as you can to keep them from being cut in half.

Good to Eat

They are actually very good to eat and are very popular with local Cubans as a food fish. They have a bad reputation for having ciguatera and very few non-Cubans eat them. There is actually are not much more of a ciguatera risk than with any large reef fish, but the stigma remains.

They are Everywhere!

Barracuda live pretty much everywhere based on the water temperature. They will live inshore under docks and in canals, in the back country around mangrove islands, on the flats, and almost any large reef structure will hold at least a few of them. They also absolutely love any large wreck or artificial reef.  It is common to see people trolling over wrecks like the Vandenburg in Key West, trying to catch cudas.

They can be Targeted Many Ways

Popular ways to fish for barracuda on purpose is trolling and sight fishing them on the flats. They tend to be a favorite of fisherman that aren’t catching anything else. They can be a day-saver when nothing else is biting.

Fishing Charters In Key West

If you are using live bait sometimes you will be catching a lot of cudas you don’t want to be catching.

They also make impressive mounts and it is common to have them mounted.

The post Barracuda Fishing appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.

Just like fishing, catching bait requires skill and practice and a successful haul of bait can make or break the day.

Types of Live Bait – Fishing Charter Key West

While any fish will sometimes eat anything it can fit in its mouth, certain baits are considered better for different fish. Actually, certain baits are just basically better.

Pinfish

Pin fish are like the peanut butter sandwich of baits. Everyone will eat them but they are not really their favorite. Pinfish are small oval fish that kind of look like a bream or a sunfish.

They are a kind of yellow/brown color and have rows of spines across their back.

The pros of pinfish are there are tough and they are easy to catch.

• You can catch them with small hooks on almost any grass bed in the Keys.
• They can survive with little oxygen so they live very well in a live well.
• They also will stay alive a long time on a hook.

They can be caught reliably in traps as well.

Like I said earlier, everything will eat them, but in general they are better baits for Gulf and inshore.

They are commonly used to fish for tarpon, cobia, mangrove snapper, and grouper.

Ballyhoo

Ballyhoo are slim silverfish with beaks that can be 1/3 the length of their body.  They run in schools and are more common in the colder months.

They can be caught using small hooks or in a cast net. Catching them on small hooks tends to damage them less and they will survive longer in the livewell as well as on the hook.

Cast netting them can be a fast way to catch a lot of them.

Ballyhoo are shiny and have no spines. This makes them a lot more appetizing to fish then pinfish. However, they need a lot of water circulation and will die easily without it. You cannot keep them alive in a pen, so they need to be caught fresh right before the fishing trip.

Ballyhoo can be fished a variety of ways. One of the most common is to hook them through the nose and let them swim around on the surface for sailfish.  They can be rigged with a wire leader and stinger hook in the tail for King Mackerel.  They are often sent to the bottom when targeting grouper and mutton snapper.

Pilchards

Pichards are small silvery fish that congregate in huge schools around Key West. The move in and out of the shallows in the early hours of the day. You can often see boats targeting them in the early hours during the winter months.

Captains drive their boats up in the shallows and throw cast nets on the schools. This can be very easy or difficult depending on the day. You have to watch for birds diving, in order to see where the schools are located.

Pichards are like the Pringles of the ocean: many fish cannot resist them and once they start eating them they can’t stop.  A 3 or 4 inch long pilchard is like the universal bait, so everything from a flag yellow-tail to a sailfish will readily eat them.

Speedos

Speedos are bigger baits, found offshore on the reef or on wrecks. They are fat, vaguely bullet-shaped fish that come in schools.

They have to be caught with small hooks and are hard to keep alive.

Speedos are big fish baits: they will usually be 6-10 inches long.

They are put down on bottom rigs when targeting big grouper, they are also slow trolled with wire leader for big kingfish and wahoo. They are considered the best wahoo bait.

The post Live Bait Fishing in Key West appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.

Mangrove snapper are also known as grey snapper and they are very common in the Florida Keys.

Key West Fishing Trips

They don’t grow as large as the cubera or Mutton snapper and are not considered as good eating as the Mutton or yellowtail.  They are popular to eat and the smaller ones are considered better to eat than the large fish.

They are strong fighting fish for their size and can be a blast to catch on light tackle.

They like to bite, so be careful taking the hook out of their mouth – they will try to get you!

They are everywhere!

Mangroves can be found pretty much everywhere, from inshore around mangroves to out near the edge of the reef. They are very common on inshore patch reefs and also are very common on any structure on the gulf side.

They can be casted to around the nooks and crannies of mangrove islands and channels or you can get them balled up behind the boat in a chum slick.

It’s common to use cut bait on a small lead head jig to target them.

Huge schools in the Spring

In the Spring and early Summer they will travel to the reef from theGgulf and form large spawning aggregations. They can be very easy to catch this time of year and they can sometimes be caught as fast as you can put the bait in the water.

The small ones tend to eat first though, so if you are trying to get bigger fish this can be a problem.

Pro Tip: Sometimes using bigger pinfish for bait will keep the small ones away and let you catch the bigger ones.

They will eat a variety of baits

Mangroves will eat just about anything when in the mood. Live and dead fish, shrimp etc. The larger ones can be pretty line-shy though, and in areas where there is a lot of fishing pressure, they can be hard to get to take a bait.

Hope you’ve enjoyed these Mangrove snapper fishing tips- happy fishing!

The post Mangrove snapper appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.

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.

The post Deep Sea Fishing Key West appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.

The wind tends to blow more in the winter, and that fluctuates every year, some winters are windier then others.

Offshore

Sailfish show up around November and December and they tend to like it the windier the better.

Black fin tuna also start to show, often on the deeper wrecks such as the sub and airplane wreck.

The wahoo run begins somewhere in this time, depending on reports the whole key west fleet will be at the end of the bar targeting these fish, along with king mackerel, amber jacks and other offshore fish that congregate there.

Fishing Key West Florida

The bar in Key West is second dead reef that is outside the main barrier reef. This bar comes up to 50 feet deep on the top, to the north and south this bar drops off to 100+. In the winter when the currents are right, this bar will be bathed in dark blue water and often ripping currents. These conditions will cause upwellings, which will make huge schools of bait congregate out there, speedos, bar jacks and blue runners primarily. This bait attracts the predators.

The most sought after fish out there will be the wahoo which can grow to over 80#. They will not be the only fish shadowing these bait schools, mackerel will be out there in force both king and cero. Yellow jacks, amber jacks sometimes crevelle jacks. Sailfish and the occasionally a dolphin as well.

Numerous sharks will be cruising this area as well.

Reef

The colder water turns on the reef big time. Grouper will suddenly be everywhere and you will catch nice reef fish in very shallow water. There will also be a lot more pelagic fish on the reef such as mackerel and jacks.

Big yellow tails will congregate on the bar and deeper reef, these are commonly called flags. They are harder to catch then the smaller versions but once you can get them biting it’s really blast catching them.

The inshore patch reefs can be very productive at this time, and often will have a lot of mutton snappers along with red grouper.

The post Winter time fishing in Key West appeared first on Best Key West Fishing Charters.