Key West Deep Sea Fishing Charters & Trips

107 captains within 25 miles of Key West, 79 of them in Key West itself, 57 running offshore. A full day is typically $1,250 for the whole boat. Call the captain directly — we take no bookings and charge no fee.

  • 107Captains within 25 miles
  • 57Deep sea boats
  • $900–$1,800Full day, typically
  • Hurricane Hole MarinaLeaving from

Contact details checked on each captain's own website

Charters in Key West

Call or visit a captain's website to ask about trips, dates and prices. If they're out on the water, leave a message.

107 charters in Key West

Deep sea fishing in Key West

57 of the 107 charters in Key West list offshore trips on their own websites.

State or federal water

The Keys sit between both: state waters run 9 miles out on the Gulf side and 3 miles out on the Atlantic side; beyond that is federal water. Which side of that line you fish on can change the season and the limits.

Federally permitted boats

Aboard a charter with a federal Gulf reef fish permit, the federal season applies to red snapper, gag grouper and amberjack, even inside state waters. Ask whether the boat is federally permitted.

Where to find current Key West fishing reports

We don’t publish a daily report and we won’t reprint one. What’s biting this week comes from the boats — here is where the Key West fleet posts it.

On Instagram 44 Key West boats

Most captains put the day’s catch here, not on their website.

40 more Key West captains post there.

Written, on their own site 3 active

Dated reports the boat publishes itself.

Handles and report pages come from each charter’s own website; every link goes to the captain and nothing of theirs is reproduced here. Boats are ordered by how established they are locally.

Fish you can catch out of Key West

Counted from what each captain lists on their own website — the number is how many Key West captains name that fish.

Barracuda59Tarpon55Mahi-Mahi47Sailfish43Wahoo43Cobia43Permit41Bonefish40Shark36King Mackerel32Grouper30Amberjack28Snapper28Mangrove Snapper27Mutton Snapper26Yellowtail Snapper24Blackfin Tuna24Redfish23Tuna23Snook19Swordfish17Marlin16Speckled Trout16Pompano16Red Grouper15Black Grouper15Bull Shark15Goliath Grouper14Jack Crevalle13Blacktip Shark13Hammerhead Shark12Hogfish12Ladyfish9Bonito9Cero Mackerel8Lemon Shark8Blue Marlin7Gag Grouper7Tiger Shark7Skipjack Tuna7Nurse Shark7White Marlin6Tilefish6Snowy Grouper6Spanish Mackerel5Yellow Jack5Bluefish5Mako Shark5Yellowfin Tuna5Yellowedge Grouper5Porgy5Grunt4Red Snapper4Lane Snapper3Gray Triggerfish3Bonnethead Shark3Reef Shark3Cubera Snapper3Spinner Shark2Blue Runner2Sandbar Shark2Almaco Jack2Striped Bass2Scamp2Blackfin Snapper2Schoolmaster Snapper2Rock Hind1Yellowtail1Peacock Bass1Tripletail1Bluegill1Lionfish1Great Barracuda1Flounder1Bluefin Tuna1Bar Jack1Rainbow Runner1Warsaw Grouper1Yellowfin Grouper1

Records caught at Key West

5 of Florida's saltwater all-tackle records list Key West as the catch location.

Heaviest on the list

White shark

686.38 lb

Richard P. DeAngelis · April 30, 1988

36 Key West captains name white shark

Why this one is here

The record names Key West as the catch location, which is why it sits on this page rather than the state's. A record is what came over the rail once — it is not what to expect on a trip.

See the record
  • 243.19 lb Tarpon · February 17, 1975 · Gus Bell source
  • 240.00 lb Yellowfin tuna · December 5, 2002 · Michael Delph source
  • 90.00 lb King mackerel · February 16, 1976 · Norton I. Thomton source
  • 45.50 lb Blackfin tuna · May 4, 1996 · Sam J. Burnett source

From FWC Florida Saltwater Fishing Records (All-Tackle), checked Sep 2026. Weights are printed as FWC prints them, in decimal pounds. The place is the catch location FWC recorded.

What a deep sea trip costs in Key West

The rates Key West charters publish on their own websites, by trip length. These are the price of the whole boat, and a range across many boats rather than any one boat's rate. Read on 2026-10-01. Confirm with the captain when you call.

  • Half day (3-5 hours)$500 – $1,000 51 charters publish a rate · middle of the range $750
  • Three-quarter day (6-7 hours)$700 – $1,400 31 charters publish a rate · middle of the range $900
  • Full day (8+ hours)$900 – $1,800 32 charters publish a rate · middle of the range $1,250

What a trip costs moves with fuel prices, the size of the boat and how far out it runs, and a quiet Tuesday is not a holiday weekend. Nothing here is a booking; we take no fee and hold no rates.

When are you going?

Typical conditions for the month, from NOAA records.

Planning a trip to Key West

Check tides for your dates, see what each month is usually like and see the closest airports.

Tides on your fishing day

Choose a date to see high and low tide

NOAA tide predictions for Riveria Canal, Key West.

Typical conditions by month

  • Warmest water: May to October
  • Fewest rainy days: February and April
  • Coolest water: January, around 72°F
  • Warmest air: August, highs near 91°F

Closest airports

With airline service

  • EYWKey West International 1 mile away
  • MIAMiami International 126 miles away

Straight-line miles from the centre of Key West.

See the month-by-month averages
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Sunset6:00 PM6:22 PM7:36 PM7:49 PM8:04 PM8:17 PM8:18 PM8:01 PM7:31 PM7:00 PM5:40 PM5:41 PM
Water72°75°78°80°85°87°89°89°88°83°78°74°
Air (high)76°77°80°83°86°89°90°91°89°86°81°78°
Rainy days3233467910833

Water temperature: NOAA Key West station (3 miles away), 2021-2025 averages. Air temperature and rainy days: NOAA 1991-2020 normals, KEY WEST INTL AP. A rainy day has 0.1 inch of rain or more. Tides: NOAA predictions for Riveria Canal, Key West. Sunrise and sunset: Calculated for Key West, 15th of each month. Airports: FAA airport registry for public-use airports and their locations, FAA CY2024 passenger boardings for which have airline service, town centre from the Census 2024 gazetteer, Key West city.

What anglers ask · 196 fishing threads mentioning Key West

Questions before you book in Key West

How much does it cost to go deep sea fishing in Key West?Google's top question

32 Key West charters publish a full day rate on their own site, and they run $900 to $1,800 for the whole boat, with the middle of the range at $1,250. That is the boat for the day, not a price per person — split between six anglers a $1,250 trip is about $210 each. Shorter trips cost less; ask the captain, because fewer of them publish those rates.

Back-country or offshore — which trip should I book in Key West?11 threads

They are different days on different water. 23 charters here list offshore only, 19 list inshore only, and 34 list both. Offshore means a longer run and bigger fish; inshore means calmer water, shorter runs and sight-fishing. The month-by-month table above shows which fish the fleet says are around when you are coming.

Are there family-friendly fishing charters in Key West?14 threads

29 charters in Key West mention kids or families on their websites. Ask the captain about children's life jackets, trip length and whether there's a restroom on board.

What happens if it is too windy to go offshore?5 threads

Often the trip just moves inshore rather than being called off — 34 of the 107 boats here run both, so a blown-out morning can become a back-country or bay trip. 34 of them publish a weather or cancellation policy on their own site — read the one belonging to the boat you book.

How long is a trip out of Key West?

Four and six hours are the lengths Key West captains list most often, with longer days at eight. The clock starts at the dock rather than at the fishing grounds, so the run out and back comes out of your time on the fish.

Do I need to bring rods and tackle to Key West?

No. Rods, reels, bait and tackle come with the boat on every Key West charter that says so on its own site — fly anglers are the exception, and usually bring their own. As Above & Below Fishing Adventures - Key West & Lower Keys Fishing Charters puts it: “Gear & Guidance Provided – We supply the spears, tickle sticks, nets, and expert instruction.”

Do Key West charters clean your catch?

Most do, at the dock when you come in, and a good few say so plainly on their own sites. As Above & Below Fishing Adventures - Key West & Lower Keys Fishing Charters puts it: “Our catch was expertly cleaned, packaged, and overnighted back to New York—fresh, perfect, and ready for the grill.” Whether it costs anything is up to the boat, so ask when you book.

What should I bring on a Key West charter?

Sun protection and your own food and drink. Food, drinks, sunglasses and sunscreen come up most often on Key West charter sites.

How do I book a charter in Key West?

Call the captain or use their website. CharterFishingBoat doesn't take bookings or payments, and there's no fee to use the directory.

What should I ask the captain?

Ask what the trip includes, how long it lasts, how many people can come, what you're likely to catch that time of year, and the cancellation policy if the weather turns.

Where do state waters end off Key West?

The Keys sit between both: state waters run 9 miles out on the Gulf side and 3 miles out on the Atlantic side; beyond that is federal water. Federal seasons and limits apply beyond it, and for some fish they also apply to federally permitted charter boats inside state waters.

When is the water warmest near Key West?

May through October, when the nearest NOAA station averages 83–89°F. It's coolest in January, around 72°F.

What airports are closest to Key West?

The closest airports with airline service are Key West International (EYW), 1 mile away and Miami International (MIA), 126 miles away. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of town.

How many fishing charters are in Key West?

This page lists 107 fishing charters in Key West, Florida, each with a phone number and website checked on the captain's own site.

Where these questions come from
  • 196Threads read
  • 73Weighing a paid trip
  • 29Had ruled one out

The corpus. 196 Reddit threads about fishing that mention Key West, across 8 angling forums. The collector requires the town to be named somewhere in the thread and the title to be about fishing, so some of these discuss Key West in passing rather than fishing out of it.

How a question was chosen. Each thread was assigned to the decision the person was stuck on, and ranked by the 73 where a paid trip was actually on the table — not by how often a topic came up. Shore access is the most discussed topic here, 31 threads, and it is left out: 27 of them had already decided against hiring a boat.

What this cannot show you. The collector keeps counts and subreddits, not permalinks or post dates, so there is no representative thread to link. A thread count is not a survey.

Charters near Key West

Stock Island113Big Coppitt Key118Sugarloaf Key118Cudjoe Key120Summerland Key137Ramrod Key157

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