Half Day Nearshore

Just a few miles from Stock Island, the third-largest barrier reef in the world runs the length of the Florida Keys, and on the Gulf side, scattered wrecks and hard bottom hold fish year-round. Both are close enough that a four-hour trip is real fishing, not a boat ride with a little fishing attached. Captain Brooks will read the wind and pick the side that's fishing best that morning, so you get productive water and a comfortable ride instead of one or the other.

Yellowtail snapper are the headliner and one of the most fun fish in the Keys to catch — we'll set a chum slick and fish light, and once they fire up it can be nonstop. Mutton snapper, red grouper, and black grouper come off the bottom nearby, and permit and cobia show up around wrecks and structure often enough to keep everyone watching the water. Yellowtail is also, hands down, one of the best-eating fish in Florida. We fillet and bag everything you keep before you leave the dock.

You'll fish aboard a 2023 Pathfinder 2600 HPS bay boat with a 300HP Yamaha, GPS, fishfinder, and live bait wells, rigged for light tackle and bottom fishing. Rods, reels, lures, live bait, ice, water, and Florida fishing licenses are included for up to five anglers. Morning and afternoon departures make this an easy add to a Key West trip — you can fish the reef and still make dinner reservations. First-timers, kids, and experienced anglers all get taken care of.