Reef Fishing

Reef fishing in Islamorada is a great way to spend a day on the water. We fish the reef year round in the Florida Keys, but the offshore charter boats primarily focus on it from October – April. The reef line runs parallel with the Keys and is an average distance of 4 miles off shore. The reef drops from an average depth of 60’ on top to 90’ on the bottom. We use all sorts of fishing techniques while on the reef, so don’t think it’s strictly bottom fishing! Charter boats use all sorts of fishing methods including bottom fishing, trolling, kite fishing, drift fishing, and sight fishing. Common reef fish are sailfish, snapper, grouper, barracuda, cobia, mackerel, shark, African pompano, wahoo, etc. We also catch the occasional mahi and tuna while fishing with live baits, so you have to be ready for everything! Usually they are further offshore but they can be a nice surprise. Many of the fish we catch while reef fishing make good table fare too! So whether you bring some home or just take a bag of fresh fish to a local restaurant, you’ll enjoy your catch! There’s also quite a few “wrecks” just out side the reef which we fish around too. They’re anywhere from 100′ – 200′ of water and our captains know some well known ones as well as some secret ones! Wreck fishing is grouped under our “reef fishing” category and many days fishing the wrecks are the way to go!

Most days we start out by catching live bait and then go from there. A full day is always recommended for the best fishing experience, but if a ½ day charter is all you think you can handle or have time for, give the reef a shot! The average travel time in and out is only 20 minutes each way, so you’ll have plenty of fishing time! Florida Keys Reef Fishing is a great option for the whole family! If a private charter is not in the budget our Miss Islamorada Party boat (head boat) fishes the reef too and is an affordable way to get out and catch a few fish for dinner.

Fishing Reports

5 star rating5 stars to employees of Galley Girls cafe. Sweet ladies in the cafe. Good size breakfast plate.

5 stars to the employees in the office who listened to our needs and set us up with a smaller boat for just the two of us. He didn't try to upsell us to a bigger boat we didn't need.

50 gold stars to Jim Hendrix on the Dauntless!! Great captain, patient with me who is a complete novice. He knows his stuff: boat, fish, the ocean. Wouldn't hesitate going back.
read more
Janet S. Avatar
Janet S.
3/16/2018
5 star ratingIf you want a lot of fish, this is the place! We have been on 3 fishing trips during our vacation here in the Keys, all at different times of the day and night and on different boats. Our most recent was on the Miss Islamorada and it was by far the best trip of all. We caught way more fish, which was due 100% to the mates help and professionalism in providing a wide variety of baits and techniques and it really paid off. There are other good trips you could take if you want to pay up to 10x as much money but for an all day fun adventure this is the best! We will be back asap.
read more
media thumbnail 0media thumbnail 1media thumbnail 2media thumbnail 3
joek0044 Avatar
joek0044
9/12/2024
5 star ratingAmazing time they are really good at there job and make sure that everyone is catching fish. They were very nice with us helped my daughter catch a really big fish
read more
Lola S. Avatar
Lola S.
4/22/2021