Many options
There are many different types of Key West fishing charters. There are a few different categories of fishing and different styles of boats to go out on. Every boat is ran by a different type of captain, who fishes differently than every other captain. This makes the fishing in Key West so great. The variety of Key West fisherman makes it a very unique experience when going out on a fishing charter. We will go over a few different types of fishing styles, charters, and boats. See Key West Fishing Rates also!
Types of Key West Fishing Charters
Backcountry & Flats Fishing
Key West Backcountry fishing is one of the most popular types of fishing charters in the area due to it’s cost efficiency, ease of day, and high action. Backcountry fishing is not only the best type of private charter to go out on if you are not looking to spend a fortune, but it can have many advantages over other fishing charters. You won’t get sea sick in the backcountry. The waters in the backcountry are shallow and for the most part protected.
- Kids also love going out on this type of charter because they can see the shallows, amazing wildlife and islands, as well as many other things to keep them entertained (versus being offshore all day with nothing on the horizon). Backcountry fishing is usually a 2-4 person charter. You will seldom find charters who take more than 4 people, unless they have a bigger boat. Most of the backcountry boats are flats and bay boats, ranging from 18-25 feet. If you have a bigger party for backcountry fishing, one of the light tackle center console captains may take you out, just to accommodate you. Most large groups split up into two boats, and stay together while fishing (makes fun for competition).
- Backcountry fishing consists of fishing in the shallow channels, flats, shallow patch reefs, and in the mangrove islands. There are many different aspects of backcountry fishing. One would be the flats fishing aspect, going after some illusive species in the real shallow stuff (1-2 ft). Flats fishing is primarily sight casting, which requires not only a high patience, but a decent skill level to make accurate casts. Flats fishing guides go after primarily tarpon, bonefish, permit, and barracudas up on the flats and edges. All of these fish are going to be sight casted to, which means you will wait until your guide instructs you as to where to cast. This can be a boring day for those who just want action. Some days it can be a very difficult sport, but comes with a great appreciation for going after hard to catch fish.
- Other general parts of backcountry fishing include throwing artificial plugs in channels, live baiting, chumming, and fly fishing. You can catch a ton of species in the backcountry by using different methods. The species that live in the backcountry: tarpon, sharks, barracuda, permit, bonefish, cobia, trout, pompano, jacks, yellow jacks, bluefish, mackerel, snappers of all kinds, juvenile grouper, and more! There are many different ways to go about the fishing in the backcountry, but depending on the time of year, you can really get into a great amount of species!
Light Tackle Reef Fishing & Offshore Deep Sea
Light tackle reef fishing and offshore fishing are your other types of popular fishing charters in Key West. These two types of trips are mainly going after fish that you can eat, like snapper, grouper, mahi-mahi, kingfish, wahoo, and more. Light tackle reef fishing and deep sea fishing in Key West can be totally different though, so we are going to go over both.
- Light tackle reef fishing is usually chartered on a center console with twin engines. They are boats that are spacious enough for up to 6 people, and are usually 27-34 feet in length. Light tackle boats focus primarily on reef fishing, but also offer some other types of trips like backcountry and tarpon fishing for bigger groups of anglers.
- Light tackle reef fishing is a great way to load up on some fresh, good eating fish. The way a lot of the light tackle fishing guides go about their days is by chumming up the reefs just south of Key West, to bring the fish out of their homes. While chumming, your guide will have you either drop a weighted hook down to the bottom (grouper, mutton snapper, amberjack) or drift a piece of cut bait on a hook back into the chum slick (yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, yellow jacks, cobia). This is the most popular way to fish on a light tackle boat, and it is very effective. Many of the Key West fishing guides limit out on snapper daily. There is primarily a lot of action on this type of trip. Fishing depths: 25-200ft.
- Deep sea fishing is one of the most popular types of fishing charters in saltwater, as many people are enthused about trolling for some big game species. Deep sea fishing is sometimes out on one of the light tackle center console boats, but primarily on spot fish style boat (fighting chair, diesel engines, outriggers, interior cabin). Fishing includes trolling within some of the blue water south of Key west, in anywhere from 180-800ft of water. Fish include mahi-mahi, black fin tuna, king mackerel, wahoo, bonita, barracuda, and sailfish. Depending on the time of year, you can get into some really nice sized species out past the reef while trolling on one of these deep sea adventures.
