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

WARNING - To anyone considering this boat, read the 1, 2 and 3 star reviews. The 1 star review is spot on. You will spend a small fortune for a hugely disappointing experience on a filthy boat that has cockroaches and no air conditioning despite advertising "ac cabin". Capt Russ was rude and non engaged. Christian was wonderful - he was the only good thing about this 6 hour very expensive charter. Felt like we got a boat ride instead of actively looking for fish. Captain up top smoking his vape could care less about his customers. AVOID THIS CHARTER. It is not what the 4 and 5 star reviews say. Makes us question the review quality of this site.

Bring water, and snacks. Book at least 6 hours. You never know when fish will bite. There are long periods in between catches where not much is happening. You could get lucky, and catch something right out of the gate. But why leave it to chance? After all, you can never trust a fish. Increased time on the water, means increased chances of getting a good catch. Make sure you eat a good breakfast to decrease likelihood of sea sickness. Stay hydrated, and don’t fight the boat too much. Other than that, just sit back and let the guys do all the work. Be ready to hop on the chair when they tell you, and start reeling them in.

Fishing for some of the other species that we would have liked to catch like Mahi, Sailfish, and Marlin would probably be better in other months. If you are looking to fish for specific species and have the flexibility to schedule your trip and any month, I would recommend just talking with Captain Maryann. She sincerely wants her clients to have great experience, is very easy to talk to and seems very kind and honest!

You can expect to fish in about 20 to 30 ft of water. Some fish are not legal in January such as the grouper. There are also size limitations to certain fish. Be sure to bring layers of clothes because it can get cold when the boat is moving and warmer when you are fishing. Bad weather can keep a boat from going out for up to a week or more so if you are booking far in advance know that you might not be able to go out. We watched the weather and booked two days before.

This the best charter I have ever experienced. The Captian and Crew treat you like family. Captian Cory and Marshall can't do enough for you. You catch a fish and they are stealthy like a nija and taking your fish ? off your hook before you know it. Captian Cory, if your not catching fish fast enough for him, he will take you where you do. I can't say enough about this trip. It is one hell of a way for a family to start out the New Year. Thank you Captian Cory, Marshall and Ctew. What an amazing experience.

Since we fished in October, tarpon were more challenging to catch, so we fished for them last and landed three or 4 in the final 30+ minutes. On our trip we caught more than pictured, some being shorter. Didn’t catch, but one Jack Crevalle, but caught a bunch of Mangrove snapper. The best part was at the end when we took several fillets to the marina restaurant and the cooked it for dinner. We were able to eat some our catch right away. I wish I vould have brought the rest back, but decided not to since traveling.

Take Dramamine one hour prior to departure if winds are high and/or predicted waves are 4' plus. Take some of your catch to one of the wonderful restaurants and let them prepare a feast for you. You will not regret it! Fish with a knowledgeable charter, such as Cowboy Charters. Tip the mate generously, as he works very hard to keep the lines running, bring the fish in and clean and fillet your catch for you.

We had Never been salt water fishing. Captain led us through from start to finish, helping us with the different species and out is right in fish all evening. Expect heavier surf going to the reef, and a fight if going after Tarpon.

Four hours is enough for kids or anyone new to deep sea fishing. Otherwise, if you can afford it, 6+ hours will get you much better options and more fish on the boat. Also, later June seems to be better than ealrier

This crew is exceptionally friendly and answered all of our questions about the fish we caught, about our location on the water, what bait they use-everything we were interested in, they could answer!

Check the weather and make sure you’re prepared for high seas just in case. We had some pretty good swells and the wind was only 12-14 mph. One of guys got sick the first hour and basically missed out on the trip.

Bring Sun screen, long sleeve clothing, hat, pants. Address motion sickness before going on vacation(see your doctor) it’s a long way out and back if you get ill. Hydration the day before and during the charter. No greasy or fatty foods helps. Watch your Alcohol consumption the day before and during the trip. Snacks, towel, water, personal items.

I was told years ago by several Marine Patrol Agents in Key West who would you fish with in Key West and both said Captain Brad with the Southpaw. My family and friends went out with Captain Brad about 14 years ago the first time and were very happy with our fishing trip. Captain Brad is a very Professional and experienced fisherman.

At first we book this trip without targeting something specific to catch a little bit of everything, but our captain suggested us tarpon because we wanted something with action and it was a good time to target them. It didn’t diss

Book the whole day, it took close to 45 minutes to get on the fishing spots so a 4 hour trip would not give you as much time to fish. Be open and listen to your captains as they are very knowledgeable. I’ve fished freshwater species but this was my first time in saltwater and there are differences I had to make but they coached me through it. Great experience.

Don’t expect to always catch a huge amount of fish. The fishing is not like it used to be. You are lucky to catch a few. Tell Capt if u prefer to catch to eat or catch for fun /size. That matters.

These were great for anglers with little to moderate experience with Gulf fishing, and they’d be good for people with more experience. We caught a wide variety of fish and had fun. The 2 captains were a cool twist as both were very knowledgeable and very helpful. I would highly recommend these guys.

Book a full day trip. Give the captain ample time to take you to mutuple spots and show you various fishing techniques for the various species available in this area. You won't be disappointed. Lastly be sure to have one of the local restaurants cook part of your catch. There is nothing better than freshly caught fish and these restaurants do a wonderful job preparing it.

We were in Key West for the last week in February. We had super sunny days all under 80 degrees and about 30-40 percent humidity. We had light jackets and went barefoot on the boat. The captain provided all equipment and was busy baiting our lines and going back and forth to the live-well constantly. Best experience ever.

This is great trip - especially for first timers. Saw a lot of experienced fishermen back for another great trip. Captain and crew are very helpful to make sure even non-fisherman caught fish and had a good time.

Have fun whilst enjoying the splendid scenery! Captain Scott was very professional and an experienced captain. Once we got to our spot he put us on some beautiful fish. We even got to have some fun catching the apex predators of the limitless gulf. 4 hours felt like 30 minutes the amount of fun we had! Thank you Captain Scott for making it a great experience for a first time fisher!

Go with Captain Cory & Crew on the Cora Beth. They will explain everything there is to know about boat safety & reef fishing. They will also help everyone on the boat with setting up lines and making sure everyone is catching fish!

Offshore fishing is great, but if you are in early January, Grouper season is already closed and you’re almost limited to catching mackerel. Don’t be afraid to consider inshore for trout, reds, snook, and tarpon. Especially if you have a small group.

I strongly encourage you to book a charter with Captain John Mercurio. He and first mat, AJ, do a phenomenal job. You can go reef fishing, and if the conditions permit, go further out for some larger species.

A cold front came in and made it windy and a bit choppy for 2/3 days but our captain still put us on a lot of fish and we had a great time. Just remember that the 70’s may sound warm, but it’ll feel chilly on the boat; pack your clothes accordingly.

Great experience for shallow water light tackle fishing. Quality and quantity of fish. Was a little cold and windy for this time of year but not unbearable. Definitely recommend this trip for your first visit to Key West.

Go with experienced Capt like Fishizzle. Watch the weather and schedule your trip early during your visit in event conditions cause cancelling. Have better shot of a makeup day possibly. 3/4 day will be more productive. I prefer going AM as conditions tend to get worse with heat of the Sun. This is apparently not as hard and fast rule as I thought in KW.

I highly recommend fishing the Keys once in your life as I have been fishing it many times throughout my life. There so many opportunities to catch species of fish, along with the weather being great the majority of the year.

Definitely pay attention to the wind speed and direction the wind is coming from. Be open minded and just enjoy the ride. The ocean is a beautiful and terrifying place, so what you can to take it in.

Do a little research, everything is about social media nowadays. I've fished different spots in the states, and have not hesitated to use Fishing Booker, especially if I wasn't familiar with the area. They have yet to disappoint! Go catch some fish!