2019 Fishing Reports

We had our sights set on big fish so that what we did. We skipped the reef and started out deep. We anchored the boat up on a wreck in 250 feet and never need to move. We caught Amber Jack one after the other till our arms were spent. We than put our focus on some snappers and it wasn’t long till we had more than enough for dinner. Some days the fish just jump in the boat as fast as you put the lines out. Its not always like that but got to love it when it is.

Key West Private Fishing Charters

Some days mother nature is doing here best to keep us at the dock. Today nothing was stopping us we had a game plan and were ready. With high winds out of the north we decided to stay inshore and work some areas of reef. As we headed out just a few miles from Key West we had light rain most of the morning. Lucky for us the fish didn’t seem to mind the rain or wind one bit, because after anchoring the boat up on a reef in about 25 feet we had nonstop action. We hooked Mutton after Mutton and even mixed in a few other really cool by species. We were catching so many nice snappers we started tagging and releasing legal sized fish because we had far more than we needed for dinner. Today was a perfect day of fishing with anything but perfect weather. This just goes to show you always trust in your guide we know where to go when things look nasty out. We are here for you and want nothing more than to make every trip a trip of a lifetime.

Today was a a super fun day with one of my best repeat clients. This group of Canadians comes down to see me 2 or 3 times a year. We started our day on the reef catching lots of Yellowtail snappers and a few big sharks. After we had some meat in the cooler and were all a little wormed up we slid out to the deep for some big snappers. It didn’t take us very long and we started getting some big ones on the line. We hooked a lot of big fish the sharks took a few and we landed a few. By the end of the day we had a nice haul of fish.

Got a last minute call today from an awesome family of 5.  We headed out for a 2pm to 6pm trip with action and calm seas.  I headed for a calm area with some great shallow reef spots. We had such a great time. We landed fish after fish more than we could count. We landed all kinds of snappers and even a few species of grouper. After keeping what we needed for a nice fish dinner we headed home to a beautiful Key West sunset .

Today we got a little extra sleep since we were leaving the dock at 4 pm on a half-day charter. I love fishing evenings the last four hours of light are just as good if not better than the first four. We started our day on the edge of the reef in search of some snappers and sharks. The current was nonexistent and that’s not good for fishing on the reef.

We did manage to catch a few small fish in our short time on the reef before pulling anchor. We then moved to a wreck in 170 feet and had no need to move after than. We caught Blacktip sharks as fast as we put a line in the water. We also landed lots of blue runners and a few Bonita before heading home to Key West.

Our trip today was an afternoon/evening run. We left the dock at 2 pm and would be coming back around 8 pm when the sun was setting. We started our trip on the reef in search of Yellowtails and sharks, but unfortunately the current was less than conducive for this style of fishing. We didn’t stay there long, so we switched gears and tried the edge of the reef. On our first deep stop, we landed a few small sharks and one big Sandbar shark about 120 pounds.

Key West group fishing charters

We had a blast with the sharks, but now had our sights were set on catching snappers and groupers. We ended up moving a few miles and re-anchored the boat in about 130 feet on a small wreck. This wreck was just a few hundred feet off the edge of the reef. We didn’t get a lot of bites but the ones we did get were all worthy fish. We first landed a beautiful Black grouper in the 25 pound range. Next, we landed a monster Lemon shark in the 300 pound range. With just a few minutes left to fish, we hooked a slob Mutton snapper that was easily 15 pounds or more. After a quick picture, we pulled anchor and headed home with a beautiful front row view of the world famous Key West sunset.

Today was an absolute blast! I got to take a very enthusiastic young man and his dad out fishing. We started on the reef for a bit of Yellowtail Snapper action as a warm up. After that, we moved out to a wreck in 170 feet where we started catching Blacktip sharks one after the other.

Sport fishing in Key West Florida

In between the sharks, we also got a big Barracuda witch was an awesome surprise. Today was a great day here in Key West. We had perfect condition which is obvious from the pictures. It is so much fun to take young anglers that have such love for fishing. Its a nice reminder of how I was as a child. I could hardly go more than a day with out wetting a line and seeking that thrill of a bite.

Mini lobster season here in the Keys is as big as New Years Day everywhere else. These are some crazy fun days to be on the water or even just in town. The dive shops are packed with people getting last minute gear and the marinas are packed with boats in every slip. Mini season consists of 2 days, Wed and Thurs, starting about a week before the regular season opens.

While is it definitely not easy, catching lobster can be so much fun. I would say, though, that you need to be comfortable in the water with both swimming and snorkeling. The more freediving experience you have, the better. Most of the spots I go to hunt for lobsters are between 8 and 15 feet deep. This depth can make it tough for some get down to the bottom if they don’t know what to expect.

This year, I had a husband and wife with their 2 boys and we has a blast! The boys and their father were very comfortable in the water, but the Mrs stayed in the boat, drank wine, and took a lot of pictures. By days end, we had just shy of our limit, leaving many legal lobsters behind for tomorrow. It was another perfect day on the water with calm seas and lots of smiles.

The boys wanted to switch it up today and do something that they have yet to do before.We started our day on the reef catching Blue Runners and Yellowtails to put in the livewell. After loading the livewell, we headed to a wreck, in 300 feet of water, that always has Amber jacks on it. We got to the wreck, dropped the heavy set up, and held on with both hands. It wasn’t but a few minutes before we were tight on the first rod. We got a bite on the second rod, but the hook pulled right away. After a backbreaking 10 min fight,we had our first of many Amber jacks in the boat. We made drift after drift , catching Amberjacks. We even landed a big Sand Bar shark on mono by accident. With very tired backs and arms we headed in ready for one more day to battle with some monster fish.

Today, we headed out on a little half day; it was a father and his 2 sons. We parked the boat and released the chum in about 60 feet of water. It wasn’t long and we had Yellowtails balled up behind the boat. We were catching Yellowtails one after the other and having a blast. As we were reeling in one of our snappers, a Barracuda grabbed him and ripped the fish in half, leaving only the head. I quickly unhooked the head and put it on a rod rigged specifically for this situation. We tossed the head back in the water and the Barracuda crushed it immediately. After a good fight, we boated him for a few pictures before letting him go.

Before heading home, we got one more awesome bite from a big Yellow jack that came right up to the back of the boat. All in all, another great day on the water. We had nonstop action along with a few surprise big fish mixed in. After cutting up our catch, the boys and their father headed off to a restaurant to have there fresh catch prepared. Half day fishing charters are an awesome way to get your day started in paradise. We usually get back to the dock at 12Pm; the perfect time for a fish lunch and lot’s of leftover time to explore the island.

Today was another great day on the water. The seas were less than 2 feet and there was just enough breeze to keep us cool. The request today was snappers and groupers. I left Key West and headed South to hit a spot I know and love for some Yellowtail snappers. We put the chum in and, not long after, started catching a lot of legal Yellowtails. With enough for dinner, we headed to a wreck in about 180 feet of water.

We got to our new spot and put the chum back in the water, which had the Blue Runners going crazy. I rigged a very heavy rod with some line and a hook to match. We then quickly hooked a Blue Runner and sent him down to the wreck for what we hoped would be a Black grouper. We soon hooked up and had more than our hands full.

It was a full team effort to land what we soon learned was no small Black grouper. Looking down in the crystal clean blue water, we could see a beast-of-a fish starting to float up the last 60 feet or so. It was a monster Goliath grouper that was over 200 lbs (by my guess). After some pictures and a lot of high fives, we did our best to vent the beast and send it on its way. We made a few more unsuccessful drops on the wreck before leaving. We pulled the hook on one nice fish and got busted off in the wreck by another. All in all another great day with some great guys.

Best deep-sea fishing in Key West

Today was one of, if not, the best 4 hour charter I have ever had. Without a doubt, this is a trip I won’t soon forget. The previous day I had fished for 6 hours and honestly didn’t have much to show for it; but that is just fishing, that is how it goes. One day you can’t get a bite to save your life and the next day the fish are jumping in the boat.

Today, I woke up feeling ready to prove myself and do better than yesterday and that’s exactly what I did. The charter and I loaded up and left at 7 am and parked the boat at 7:30 am. Our first stop was in 170 feet of water and not once did we need to move. We started with a 42 lb black grouper in the first 15 minutes. Shortly after, we landed 3 more Black groupers back to back to back. In the middle of tossing the 26, 22, and 20 pound groupers on ice, we landed a nice Amberjack about 30 lbs. Later, as a bonus, we got 2 sharks that weighed well over 100 lb. With today’s great bottom bite, we hardly had time for anything else. We did, however, manage to land 7 flag Yellowtail snappers all over 2 lbs in what little time we had remaining. Today was truly a perfect day. A day far beyond what I had planned or could of imagined.

Key West Fishing Trip Package

We left the dock at 8 am this morning for a 6 hr charter. We set up shop on the edge of the reef,(just to the west of KW) in search of some Mutton Snappers. While the bite was not as hot as it had been recently, we still ended up landing a big Sandbar Shark and a few Yellowtails. We then moved down the reef and tried another spot which was in about 120 feet of water. Our luck was not much better this time around and we ended with few little snappers and a couple sharks. That’s when I knew that it was finally time for something different.

I had seen some bird activity offshore and decided to switch gears and do some trolling. While we were in the process of clearing our bottom fishing lines, a big bull Mahi Mahi hit one of our baits that was just dangling in the water! Not one of us were prepared for this, out of the blue, bite. But as soon as we got everything in order, we had a good fight. We finally landed a beautiful 20lb Mahi.

We ended the day by trolling for the last 2 hours. There was a steady bite of Mahi, Bonito, Barracuda, and Skipjack tuna. Today may not have gone at all as planned, but it was still such a fun day on the water. You never really know what’s going to happen out there and that’s what makes it so much fun. No two days are the same and anything can happen.

When the winds are high and the seas are rough, trust in your guide. On days like this, the shallow water and patch reef action is one of the best options. Today, we fished the shallow reefs, which is a fantastic alternative (and my go-to spot) when the seas are rough. When I say shallow, I mean 15 to about 40 feet deep. The seas outside the reef had about 6-8 ft waves. Whereas, the seas we fished today were around 1 to 3 ft; nothing more than a light chop. It may look rough outside, but always trust in your guide to show you a good time and to take you to where the fish are. Doug let me make the call in the morning on what the game plan for our half day of fishing would be. I’m happy to say I didn’t disappoint. We had non-stop action catching Yellowtails, Mangroves, and Mutton snappers for dinner. We even landed a few sharks over 150 lbs., along with a beast of a Mutton snapper in the 10 lb range.

Key West fishing excursions

Today on our charter, we headed out at 8 a.m. for a full 8 hour fishing day. I had the pleasure of taking Micheal ( a repeat client of mine ) along with his 2 sons. We headed west about 15 miles before finally setting the boat up in 120 feet of water. The bite was red hot all day long; we loaded the boat with a lot of Mutton Snappers. During the time on our first spot, we also landed 2 Sand Bar Sharks over 100 lbs and a Nurse Shark close to 250 lb. After catching more fish for dinner than we could eat in weeks, we decided to head in to the reef and look for some Permit. It didn’t take long before we found what we were looking for! After catching and releasing several Permit, we headed home. Today was a perfect day – start to finish. Everything went exactly according to plan.

Today is one of the earliest days in the spawn for the Mutton snappers. For the next week, the Mutton snappers bite should be off the chain. Even with the spawn just beginning, we managed to crush a cooler full of beautiful fish.

Today I had a group of guys that wanted to catch some Goliath groupers. We headed to a wreck in the Gulf of Mexico where we landed 4 big goliaths. We also landed this beautiful Cobia and a handful of snappers and sharks.

Half Day Fishing Trips Key West

Today we fished a 1/2 day reef and wreck charter. We started our day off catching really nice size Yellowtail Snapper in 55 ft of water. We then moved to a wreck for a short time before heading home. On our way home, just a few miles off of Key West, we saw a school of Cobia and hooked the biggest one in the group. It was a perfect way to end an already perfect day.