Sarasota Deep Sea Fishing Charters & Trips

170 captains within 25 miles of Sarasota, 51 of them in Sarasota itself, 75 running offshore. A full day is typically $950 for the whole boat. Call the captain directly — we take no bookings and charge no fee.

  • 170Captains within 25 miles
  • 75Deep sea boats
  • $400–$1,800Full day, typically
  • Charlotte HarborLeaving from

Contact details checked on each captain's own website

Charters in Sarasota

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

170 charters in Sarasota

Deep sea fishing in Sarasota

75 of the 170 charters in Sarasota list offshore trips on their own websites.

State or federal water

Florida state waters in the Gulf run from shore to 9 miles out; 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 Sarasota 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 Sarasota fleet posts it.

On Instagram 23 Sarasota boats

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

19 more Sarasota captains post there.

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 Sarasota

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

Snook106Redfish103Speckled Trout97Tarpon86Cobia77King Mackerel74Snapper51Mangrove Snapper49Grouper49Spanish Mackerel49Sheepshead48Shark47Flounder39Pompano38Gag Grouper35Amberjack30Hogfish28Tripletail25Tuna23Barracuda23Jack Crevalle21Red Snapper20Goliath Grouper19Red Grouper19Black Drum18Bluefish18Ladyfish17Mahi-Mahi16Blacktip Shark15Permit14Sailfish12Grunt12Gray Triggerfish11Bonito11Wahoo11Lane Snapper8Porgy8Blackfin Tuna8Bull Shark8Hammerhead Shark8Catfish7Bonnethead Shark5Lemon Shark5Spinner Shark5Black Grouper4Snowy Grouper4Skipjack Tuna4Largemouth Bass3Swordfish3Blue Marlin3Bluegill3Marlin3Yellowtail Snapper3Scamp3Gulf Flounder3Sandbar Shark3Yellowedge Grouper2Crappie2Tiger Shark2Shad2Yellowtail1Black Crappie1Sunshine Bass1Mako Shark1Yellowfin Tuna1Channel Catfish1Rainbow Trout1Striped Bass1Pickerel1Warmouth1Redear Sunfish1Southern Flounder1Mutton Snapper1Black Sea Bass1Sand Trout1Great Barracuda1Atlantic Croaker1Blacknose Shark1Dog Snapper1Reef Shark1Speckled Hind1Tilefish1Warsaw Grouper1Nurse Shark1Perch1

What a deep sea trip costs in Sarasota

The rates Sarasota 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)$425 – $875 62 charters publish a rate · middle of the range $600
  • Three-quarter day (6-7 hours)$600 – $1,050 34 charters publish a rate · middle of the range $825
  • Full day (8+ hours)$400 – $1,800 25 charters publish a rate · middle of the range $950

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 Sarasota

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 Sarasota, Sarasota Bay.

Typical conditions by month

  • Warmest water: May to September
  • Fewest rainy days: November and April
  • Coolest water: January, around 62°F
  • Warmest air: August, highs near 92°F

Closest airports

With airline service

  • SRQSarasota/Bradenton International 4 miles away
  • PIESt. Pete-Clearwater International 40 miles away

Local public airports

  • VNCVenice Municipal 20 miles away
  • 48XManatee 21 miles away
  • X36Buchan 26 miles away

Straight-line miles from the centre of Sarasota.

See the month-by-month averages
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Sunset5:58 PM6:22 PM7:39 PM7:55 PM8:12 PM8:26 PM8:27 PM8:08 PM7:35 PM7:02 PM5:39 PM5:38 PM
Water62°66°72°76°83°86°89°88°86°79°72°67°
Air (high)72°75°78°82°88°90°91°92°90°86°80°75°
Rainy days43434911128433

Water temperature: NOAA Port Manatee station (22 miles away), 2021-2025 averages. Air temperature and rainy days: NOAA 1991-2020 normals, SARASOTA BRADENTON AP. A rainy day has 0.1 inch of rain or more. Tides: NOAA predictions for Sarasota, Sarasota Bay. Sunrise and sunset: Calculated for Sarasota, 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, Sarasota city.

What anglers ask · 154 fishing threads mentioning Sarasota

Questions before you book in Sarasota

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

25 Sarasota charters publish a full day rate on their own site, and they run $400 to $1,800 for the whole boat, with the middle of the range at $950. That is the boat for the day, not a price per person — split between six anglers a $950 trip is about $160 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 Sarasota?5 threads

They are different days on different water. 23 charters here list offshore only, 43 list inshore only, and 52 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.

What happens if it is too windy to go offshore?

Often the trip just moves inshore rather than being called off — 52 of the 170 boats here run both, so a blown-out morning can become a back-country or bay trip. 13 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 Sarasota?

Four and six hours are the lengths Sarasota 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 Sarasota?

No. Rods, reels, bait and tackle come with the boat on every Sarasota charter that says so on its own site — fly anglers are the exception, and usually bring their own. As Hook One Fishing Charters, llc puts it: “All necessary fishing equipment, license and bait is provided along with helpful guidance for those inexperienced.”

Do Sarasota 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 Charter Boat Shark puts it: “Back at the dock, Leo and Daniel expertly filleted the fish and gave us delicious recipes to cook them up later that night.” Whether it costs anything is up to the boat, so ask when you book.

What should I bring on a Sarasota charter?

Sun protection and your own food and drink. Drinks, food, snacks and sunscreen come up most often on Sarasota charter sites.

Are there family-friendly fishing charters in Sarasota?

64 charters in Sarasota 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.

How do I book a charter in Sarasota?

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 Sarasota?

Florida state waters in the Gulf run from shore to 9 miles out; 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 Sarasota?

May through September, when the nearest NOAA station averages 83–89°F. It's coolest in January, around 62°F.

What airports are closest to Sarasota?

The closest airports with airline service are Sarasota/Bradenton International (SRQ), 4 miles away and St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE), 40 miles away. Local public airports nearby: Venice Municipal (VNC), 20 miles away, Manatee (48X), 21 miles away and Buchan (X36), 26 miles away. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of town.

How many fishing charters are in Sarasota?

This page lists 170 fishing charters in Sarasota, Florida, each with a phone number and website checked on the captain's own site.

Where these questions come from
  • 154Threads read
  • 21Weighing a paid trip
  • 32Had ruled one out

The corpus. 154 Reddit threads about fishing that mention Sarasota, 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 Sarasota 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 21 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: 22 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 Sarasota

South Sarasota167Longboat Key168Siesta Key170Fruitville177South Gate Ridge177Whitfield212

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