Islamorada Florida Fishing Charters

Islamorada Florida Fishing Charters

Everglades Fishing Trips

Fishing in the Everglades National Park is something on the bucket list that cannot be passed up. With the Park boundary only 2.5 miles from our marina soon after leaving the dock you’ll be heading into a backcountry paradise as you glide over the waters of Florida Bay.

The park spans across 1.5 million acres and is the third largest National Park in the lower 48. It hosts a wide variety of fish to target that can be caught using many different techniques. Tarpon, redfish and snook are staples of the park but seatrout, black drum, sheepshead, mackerel, tripletail, snapper, pompano, goliath grouper, bluefish, ladyfish and jack crevalle all can be caught within the park as well. Aside from the fishing part, the Everglades are home to 36 threatened or protected species, and is the largest breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America. These trips into the Everglades can be with a fly rod, a spinning rod or simply a camera and are great for the novice who is interested in catching multiple species and improving his or her skills.

Family Trips

Are you looking for something fun to do during your vacation in the Florida Keys? Well look no further, come with us on a fishing adventure the whole family will enjoy! Mom, dad, the kids, heck even bring the grandparents if you’d like, and board our 27’ Conch powered by a 350hp Yamaha engine and cruise through the Islamorada backcountry or to the near shore reefs. If there’s only 2 of you, you may opt for a day in our 18’ Chittum Skiff powered by a 70hp Yamaha. Let us help you create memories as you watch your children catch snapper that will feed your family that night, or when you see them pulling on a rod that holds a big shark on the other end! Maybe you’ll try your hand at barracuda fishing, or simply catch some ladyfish, jacks, trout, or a mix-the possibilities are endless! This is a low pressure, fishing day. It’s all about getting out and bending the rod with you and your family or just a group of friends that want to go out and have a good time. Anglers of all shapes, sizes, ages, and abilities are welcome to come share in the adventure!! Our Captains will individualize your trip and prior to going, you will discuss with them what has been biting the best, what your main interests are, and they will come up with a game plan to ensure that you and your family have a great day out on the water! All you’ll need to bring is sunblock, a pair of glasses (you will see into the water better if they are polarized), your camera, and a smile! We have all of the fishing equipment and bait you will need, and don’t worry, for those of you with a tendency to get seasick, we can tailor the day to keep you in shallow, calm waters so as not to depreciate your enjoyment of the trip. So pack the kids and the sunblock, or the guys and the storytelling, and let’s go catch some fish!

Sight-fishing the flats

The Florida Keys are the birthplace of Flats fishing. Sight-fishing techniques were developed decades ago here that are still widely used today. Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Redfish and Snook-no other place offers as many popular gamefish to target sight fishing than right here in the Florida Keys. This can be the most rewarding fishing for anglers looking for a challenge. The hunt is a team effort requiring good communication between the guide and the angler. Here in the Keys the shallow clear water gives the fish the advantage, but fooling a large laid-up tarpon in 5’ of clear water is something that is hard to describe but you’ll know you want to do it again.

This fishing is not for the inexperienced, it is best to have some experience in casting into the wind (yes there typically is some wind) and a keen eye for spotting fish. We are always happy to teach the proper techniques to help fool these wary shallow water targets. Whether it be sight fishing large barracudas laid-up on the flats in the winter time, looking for the migrating schools of tarpon in the spring or trying to catch a slam (bonefish, permit and tarpon) during the summer and early fall this will be an experience you will not forget.

Tarpon Fishing

Without a doubt catching a Tarpon is one of the greatest angling experiences that you could ever have. There are not enough words to describe the feeling you get when you see that incredible fish jump out of the water like an Olympic gymnast. The series of jumps and runs that take place immediately following the hookup is truly incredible to see.

Like any fish there are many different methods to catch them, here we are going to focus on fishing the bridges and channels.

Fishing channels and bridges can be extremely productive when targeting Tarpon. Most of this fishing is done based on the tides coinciding with certain times of the day or evening. Don’t get me wrong there is always a chance to catch one but if you want that chance to be increased you must be willing to be at the fishing spot when those parameters are right and if you are, you can find multiple opportunities to catch large tarpon.

We fish these places a few different ways. Sometimes we anchor up and sometimes we drift with the current. The bait of choice can be live or dead mullet, crabs, pinfish, or shrimp all depending on what the conditions call for.

One of the great aspects of fishing this way for Tarpon is that it’s generally done very close to the dock sometimes just a 5 minute ride. Another great thing is that if it’s not happening in one spot it’s just a short ride to another spot due to the many bridges and countless channels here in the Keys.

Bridge and channel fishing for tarpon also gives those who are a little wary of the ocean or get seasick a chance to still get out on the water and do some fishing. So give us a shout and we will provide you the opportunity to do battle with probably the most iconic fish in the Keys, the Tarpon a.k.a “the Silver King”.

Shark fishing

When someone suggests shark fishing, they usually think of sitting in the back of a large offshore boat chumming way offshore holding a rod the size of a broom stick. Shark fishing Florida Keys style is far from that image. First the day starts off by catching bait: barracuda, mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish anything fresh and oily. Now with that fun action packed part of the day done it’s off to the shallow waters of Florida bay to chum up some sharks. From the bow hangs a few of the baits, forming a narrow scent corridor, drifting away as the boat floats across the bay. Usually a short time later, off in the distance, a gray or brown shadow begins to form. Within seconds the shark has caught the scent and is traveling at high speed to find the source of the smell. Quickly as the shark is approaching, you deploy a bait in his path and it takes no time for the shark to engulf it. All of this happens within 30 yards of the boat, clearly in sight. I can tell you that this will make your heart pound in excitement. Blacktip, bull, lemon, hammerhead and tiger sharks all prowl the waters surrounding the Florida Keys. Come down to try some of the action packed shark fishing the Florida Keys has to offer.

Offshore Fishing

Offshore fishing in the Florida Keys is spectacular. Depending on what season it is you can expect to encounter-Dolphin (Mahi), Tuna, Wahoo, Sailfish, and on occasion Marlin. Typically we use a “run and gun” technique which our smaller lighter Conch27 is perfect for, cruising the blue water looking for signs of pelagic fish activity. While out we cover miles of water looking for birds, weed lines, debris or just fish feeding on the surface. Upon finding one of these signs you’ll soon find yourself in the fast paced experience of fishing a school of Mahi or hear the screaming drag of a Wahoo. Another place you’ll find us is at one of the famous Humps just offshore of the Keys. These Humps are underwater mountains that push nutrient rich water to the surface and attract larger gamefish, especially Blackfin tuna. When targeting tuna at the Hump we will either live bait or troll for them, we use light 15-20 lb spinning tackle. Some days you can have your fill of these tunas by midday where soon after you can return to Islamorada and have one of the fine local restaurants cook your catch for a feast you won’t forget.

Reef & Wreck

The Florida Keys is home to the third largest barrier reef in the world. The edge of the Reef is less then 4 miles from shore and is home to numerous species-Yellowtail snapper, Mangrove snapper, Mutton snapper, Hogfish, Amberjack, Mackerel and several different species of Grouper. These species can all be targeted while anchored near the edge of where the reef drops off. Fishing for Yellowtail snapper can be a sight to see and one that shouldn’t be missed. When the Yellowtails are chummed up behind the boat, you may see schools of hundreds of these tasty colorful treats. Imagine dropping a hook into this “yellow brick road” of fish and pulling up some of the finest dinner the ocean has to offer. Inside of the main reef are “patch reefs”. These shallow reefs are great places for the novice angler who might not be as comfortable offshore and provide rod bending action with numerous species of snapper and grouper. Just outside the main Reef drop off is where some of the best action can be found for Sailfish, Kingfish and Tuna that can be targeted kite fishing or trolling. When the fishing kites are deployed we put lines out with live bait that hang right on the surface. When the fish find the bait it can be an explosive bite. During a day of Reef fishing you may move off the reef a short distance to try one of the numerous wrecks that dot the area. These wrecks hold some extra large species of snapper and grouper.

Gulf Side

It’s hard to even know where to begin when describing the fishing experiences and adventures that can be had while on the Gulf a.k.a the Bayside of the Florida Keys. Well first things first lets tell you where the Gulf/Bayside is. If you have ever been to the Florida Keys and asked for directions you will find that usually you are given a distance and been told “on the Gulf/Bay side”, or “on the Oceanside.” The Florida Keys starts with Key Largo just off the southern tip of mainland Florida and continues south with the islands gradually turning to the west with Key West being the literal “end of the road.” So when referring to the Gulf/Bayside or Oceanside, the “Gulf” would be everything on your right as you travel south from Key Largo and the “Oceanside” would be everything on your left.

Now that you have a general idea on where the Gulf is lets talk about what it is. So the “Oceanside” receives its name because that side of the Keys borders the Atlantic Ocean, and the “Gulf” side borders Florida Bay with the Gulf of Mexico bordering its outer edge.

When exploring and fishing these bountiful waters I am always amazed how much life is in an area with such a shallow average depth. You can cruise in the boat for what seems an eternity and never see a depth greater than 20 feet. Among these many square miles of water you will find wrecks, ledges, coral heads, fern beds, natural springs, shallow flats, and channels. This incredible shallow water environment is truly a fisherman’s paradise. No matter the weather you can always go catch something.

Some of the things you may possibly do when fishing this side of the Keys are:

• scouting the wrecks for cobia
• anchoring down and catching various kinds of snapper, grouper, trout, jacks, and hogfish
• targeting Goliath grouper, which can get well over 300lbs
• kite fishing for kingfish, cobia, even tarpon on occasion
• shark fishing, which can be second to none during certain times of the year. Lemon sharks, bull sharks, & hammerheads just to name a few.
• catching mackerel, which at times can be so good it seems like they are jumping in the boat
• there’s always a great chance of seeing pods of dolphins and of course lots of sea turtles.

As you can see there are many adventures to be had here and we’ve only just scratched the surface. So give us a call and we can plan your Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico adventure today so you can see for yourself just what’s out there.