What would you recommend to anglers fishing in Key Largo, Florida for the first time?

Find a boat that matches your needs... size, comfort, toilet, age. Understand you're going to get wet, you're probably going to get blood on you, and you're going to be walking on a moving boat. Where appropriate clothing, hats, footwear, and protection from the sun. Bring a towel and hand cleaner. If you're prone to motion sickness, pay attention to the sea conditions and bring some Dramamine. Know if your guide supplies water and bring a cooler if they don't or if you'd like something else. Also bring snacks if you think you'll be hungry. 4 to eight hours is long time to be out on the water if you're getting sunburned, thirsty, dirty, or hungry. You can prepare for all of these things. Listen to your guide, understand they don't control the sea activity or the activity of the fish. Have a good time and control your expectations.

It was great fun for our family however, we didn't have much hands on as far as casting and learning how to catch in Key Largo. We did enjoy seeing the sharks and experiencing the unique mangrove ecosystem.

Go in knowing it’s fishing not catching. Some days you hammer them some days you don’t - enjoy the fact you’re able to afford to be on the ocean with you friends and family - anything else is a bonus. Life is short. Get after it

We booked two trips with two different charters. I would do that just to change it up. Also, make sure you are up front with captains on what you are trying to catch. There seem to be a lot of options.

Be ready for cold/windy days when fishing in the winter months, they can pop up speraticly. Lots of varieties of fish and plentiful in areas. Great fishing locations. Do research and go out with a guide.

We were just looking for action and not specific fish….it was perfect for that. We didn’t wait 5 minutes before there was a catch and Captain Andrew was quickly putting more bait on the line! Perfect for kids with little patience!!!

Rough waters in late October, early November, but you have to fish with what you have!! Can’t expect off shore fishing when it’s windy and when the water is choppy, but you can still fish!! You nor the captain can control the weather or the fish and their habits.

The character and approach of the captain matters. Captain needs to listen to his customers and not choose what suits him better. I would highly recommend Jason even if we would have no fish on the boat but we did .

We really deferred to Pete’s expertise on where to go and when. He gave us a call on our first scheduled day and said the seas were going to be rough, and suggested that while he’d be happy to take us out, we might want to reschedule. Glad he did that as the day we went was perfect.

Fellow anglers, you really need to be prepared by wearing a hat, good UV blocking sunglasses, suntan lotion, bug spray, boat shoes, and perhaps a light weight long-sleeved fishing shirt with a hood. If you think anyone in your party might be susceptible to motion sickness then make sure you bring Bonine or Dramamine. Happy fishing.

Be patient and help find the fish!! We looked for weed lines, structure, anything that holds fish. Stay alert because when you find them it gets wild pulling Mahi off a giant school of fish! I have fished here several times but this was my first Rodeo. Gotta have baits in the water to catch them. :-). Go get em.

If on a half or full day trip and go out far into the open ocean .... bring your see legs it gets rough on the windy days. Motion/seasickness bracelets work great! Have phone or waterproof camera for personal footage of what will be an amazing experience!

Weather that day seemed to be perfect but didn’t catch allot of fish going through the mangroves. The captain even did recommend booking a 4 instead of a 2 hour trip to go further out to better chances of catching more fish.

Be flexible with locations and species of fish you expect. We had a great time in the more shallow waters since the weather made deeper waters too choppy for those of us with less experience on the water. We had a great time and took our catches to a nearby restaurant for dinner, which was delicious.

Definitely come early you will want to get going early the fish tend to bite at dawn and we caught most of our fish in the first few hours. This is a fun trip and lots of catch here. This trip is also a great place to relax in warm and sunny weather.

I am not very knowledgeable of fishing seasons, but we liked being able to launch from John Pennecamp State Park and fish in some beautiful areas. Weather was perfect. Clear, sunny skies. Hot, but otherwise a great day fishing.

Book with Jay. He listens to what you are looking for and lives up to your expectations. On top of that, he can tell you so much about the ocean and the fish you are looking for and ecosystem. Very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable+

Decide if you want to fish the Atlantic Ocean side but make sure it is a calm day or the Florida Bay/ mangrove side which is quieter with different kinds of fish like snook, mangrove snapper sea trout, redfish etc.

February is just a little early for the big tarpon run. I was hoping to get lucky on some early arrivals. It didn't happen so changed the game plan, and had a blast the rest of the day smashing all different species of fish of all different sizes. Don't be afraid to adapt or even change your game plan. You might enjoy it. I loved it!

It was nice to go on a boat this size. I have been on other boats with a multitude of people and this was the perfect size boat.

Bring Deet, sunscreen and a t shirt, you can easily burn if you don't adequately monitor your sun exposure during a charter. Trust your captain!

Sunscreen, snack if you're prone to seasickness if going offshore in choppier conditions. Plenty of water.

Be ready for a wide variety of fish. I'd highly recommend a 6 hour trip to give you enough time to hit more spots during the trip.

Practice casting for tarpon before you come need to make accurate shots on the first try or the fish are gone

It's not really about the big fish. It's about the experience this charter can be great first time experience or if u are a pro. Always ask questions we learn something new every day.

The Mahi were found and caught in abundant numbers. Expect plenty of action once on a school!

Had multiple captains cancel on us, at short notice , so even though we tried to book ahead, we were disappointed.

Keep in contact with the Captain prior to your trip as weather and wind conditions can affect the bite. Plan for some flexibility if possible.

Captain Pat was outstanding! Great guide that put us on fish everyday. Knows his stuff. He’s patient with a great sense of humor. Couldn’t have been better!

Remember snack and drinks prior to the morning of the charter. There are a few places open but make sure you are not late to the boat you will miss out in the morning bite.