Florida Keys Charter Fishing Seasons

The Florida Keys are one of the most desirable deep sea fishing charter destinations in the world. Most islands in the Florida Keys have access to a wide variety of fish species with much less travel time compared to other parts of the country. That combined with year-round warm weather and a relaxing tropical setting makes the Keys a great place to vacation. In Marathon, Florida our fishing vessels reach depths of 250ft only 10 miles offshore. At 20 miles offshore we reach 650 ft and at 30 miles we can fish in depths over 1,000ft deep!

Main Attraction offers offshore fishing trips to the Marathon Hump which is a fantastic fishery that almost always holds Blackfin Tuna. From May-August calmer seas allow our Captains to head further offshore to the hump to target Blackfin, Dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi), Sailfish, Wahoo and the occasional Marlin. We are less inclined to reef fish this time of year because the fishing is so good offshore. The exception to this is the Mangrove Snapper spawn on the reef in June and July, which is a fantastic way to get some meat in the box quickly before heading offshore. During the Mangrove Snapper spawn a Combo trip (Reef and Offshore) is a great idea.

Interested in a particular species? Select the species you are interested in below to see our general seasonal guidelines. REMEMBER, the fishing conditions on the day of your trip are ultimately what should determine what you target.

African Pompano

We catch our African Pompano on the Atlantic side on sunken wrecks from late February through April. These are great eating fish that put up a good fight and weigh upwards of 40lbs or more. You can find smaller versions of this species on the Gulf side.

Articles That Mention African Pompano

Greater Amberjack

This member of the Jack family is one of the hardest fighting fish you'll encounter. We catch them on wrecks or at the hump in sizes over 100lbs.

Articles That Mention Amberjack

American Red Snapper

Typically caught in in the Gulf during the short summer harvest season on our center console vessels. Sometimes caught as bycatch on our larger vessels on the Atlantic side when fishing wrecks for Mutton Snapper.

Barracuda

This toothy prehistoric looking fish loves to try and eat your Yellowtail Snapper when you fish on the reef!

Blackfin Tuna

Sushi-grade deliciousness, available at the world famous Marathon Hump!

Articles About Blackfin Tuna

Black Grouper

There is a wide variety of grouper that we can catch in the Florida Keys but Black Grouper is the most common. We catch them on the reef and on sunken wrecks.

Main Attraction Articles That Mention Black Grouper

Blue Marlin

A very rare but welcome sight in the Florida Keys, if you catch one here you better play the lottery!

Main Attraction Articles That Include Marlin

Bonita

A commonly found cousin of the Blackfin Tuna. Typically used for shark bait because of the dark red bloody flesh. NOT to be confused with the Bonito which is a toothy member of the mackerel family.

Main Attraction Articles That Mention Bonita

Cobia

A great eating fish that we find following Sting Rays and lobster boats. These opportunistic feeders can reach 100lbs and they fight with shark-like intensity!

Dolphin Fish

One of our most requested species of fish. These fish can often be found migrating through the waters of the Florida Keys as early as May and as late as October.

The "Secret" to Successful Mahi Fishing Trips in the Florida Keys

Other Main Attraction Dolphinfish Articles

King Mackerel

King Mackerel are commonly referred to as Kingfish in the Keys. They show up in the winter when the cooler north winds start to blow. Kingfish tend to grow much larger than their counterparts the Spanish and Cero Mackerel. Very large Kings are referred to by their preferred cooking method Smokers. This is because their oily flesh is gray and soft and doesn't hold up well when seared or fried.

Main Attraction Mackerel Articles

Mangrove Snapper

Mangrove Snapper is one of the most common Snapper fish caught in the Florida Keys. Smaller ones can be found off bridges, in canals and in the shallows of the Reef. During July spawn season we catch huge Mangrove Snappers on the reef early in the morning before heading off to catch Mahi.

Mutton Snapper

Mutton Snapper is the Florida Keys Atlantic sides answer to the Red Snapper found primarily on the Gulf side. Delicious, mild flavored flaky white meat, lots of fun to catch on the Reef and Wrecks. We catch Muttons over 20lbs on the Wrecks and believe it or not occasionally in the winter-time we can catch big ones on the Kite!

Articles About Mutton Snapper

Permit

We catch Permit in the Spring as they spawn on or near sunken wrecks in the Florida Keys. We consider Permit a sportfish that we catch-and-release, allowing inshore anglers to fish them all year long.