Fired Up runs the largest matched private fleet on the Space Coast, four identical 33 foot center consoles working out of Bluepoints Marina in Cape Canaveral, beside Cocoa Beach. That fleet is the case for booking here. It can take a group of more than 6 across several boats on the same trip, run split trips for different budgets, and keep fishing when one boat is booked, which the one and two boat operations in the port cannot do. Behind it sits a long, warm family record across Facebook, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. The score is held back by the flip side of a four boat fleet, a rotating roster of captains, and by a half day rate that sits at the top of the port on a tip heavy model.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.2 Fired Up is fourth in the ranking, level on the overall with Cocoa Beach Sportfishing and placed just behind it on the tie break, which goes to the higher captain and crew score. The fleet and the trip range are genuine strengths, and the family record is real. What holds it at the back of a strong field is that the experience depends on which of the rotating captains you draw, the half day is the priciest in the port, and the operator is blunt that the tip is the crew’s main income. Book it when you have a larger group or want two boats running together. For a single proven captain you book by name, Dirty Dolly is the better fit.
The boat
Fired Up fishes four identical 33 foot Stuart Angler center consoles, each with Yanmar 440 horsepower power, shade, a head, and large coolers and fish boxes, and each rigged for up to 6 anglers. A matched fleet is unusual in a port of one and two boat operations, and it is the boat side strength: the boats are uniform, so the experience does not swing on which hull you get, and a big group fishes together rather than being turned away. They are center consoles, so the ride is faster and wetter than a cabin boat, and a long day in a chop asks more of you than a sportfisher would. Reviewers describe clean, well kept boats set up to keep families comfortable.
The fishing and what you target
The trips work the Space Coast spread out of Cape Canaveral: cobia on the spring and fall migrations, which are a signature target on this stretch of beach, mahi mahi from late spring into fall, king mackerel in the runs, sailfish on the warm season pushes, and amberjack, snapper, and grouper on the reefs and wrecks, with deep drop trips reaching deeper structure. Shark trips run nearshore. The captains match the trip to the season, and with cobia and kingfish both strong here in the shoulder months, a half day off Cape Canaveral can be productive without a long run. The species you target tracks the calendar, so pick your date by what is running.
Trips and prices
Fired Up posts its rates, which is a point in its favor: $1,100 for a half day, $1,300 for a three quarter day, and $1,500 for a full day, each for the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, with a shark trip at $600. The weakness is what those numbers sit on. The half day is the top of the port, the operator is blunt that a 15 to 20 percent tip is expected and is the crew’s main income, and the inclusions and the cancellation and weather policy are not posted, so the full cost and the terms are less clear than the headline rate suggests. Confirm what is included and the weather policy when you book. Our cost guide puts the boat rate in context, and the party boat versus private charter guide covers when a per person seat beats booking a whole boat.
The crew
Each boat runs under a Coast Guard licensed captain, and the roster, Chris, Logan, Dylan, Joe, Bear, and Dillon, draws a long, warm record from families: reviewers describe crews that are patient and good with kids, customers who have come back for ten years, and careful fish cleaning at the dock. The honest limit is the one a four boat fleet carries: with captains rotating across the boats, the captain you book is not always the one who runs your trip, so the experience swings more on the draw than it does on a single owner operator boat. The floor reads high across the roster, but ask who is taking your group out when you book.
Booking and what to know
Book direct through the operator’s site or by phone. The rates are posted, but confirm the inclusions, the gratuity expectation, and the cancellation and weather policy, since those are not on the site. Bring food, drinks, sun protection, and a cooler for your fillets. No fishing license is needed, as the boat’s license covers everyone aboard. If you have a group larger than 6, ask about running two boats together, which is where this operation has the clear edge over the rest of the port.
How we scored it
Fired Up scores 7.2: the largest matched fleet and a group friendly trip range, on a long, warm family record, marked down because a rotating roster spreads the experience across captains, the half day is the priciest in the port, and the inclusions and policy are not posted on a tip heavy model. Boat, trips, and track record are its best factors; value is its weakest. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric and weighting, and compare it against the rest of our Cocoa Beach rankings, including Fin & Fly.