Reel Deal Charter Fishing runs the newest and fastest boat in Key Largo, a 2025 Contender center console fished by owner Captain Eric Reynolds, a lifelong local who has worked this water his whole life. It carries one of the deepest and most current booking records in the port, close to the top of the rating across well over 100 trips, and the recurring note is a personable, knowledgeable captain on a boat reviewers keep calling the cleanest and best rigged they have been on. It ranks high in our Key Largo field for that, with one honest limit: it is an open boat, so the comfort tops out below the cabin boats on a long or rough day.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.8 Reel Deal is a strong choice and the third ranked boat in Key Largo, just behind Key Largo Sportfishing and the top private hulls. It earns the spot on the captain and the boat: a single owner captain who knows the grounds, a fast new Contender, and clearly tiered reef, offshore, and swordfish pricing. What holds it below the cabin boats is the open center console, right for a fast reef run or a calm day in the Gulf Stream and a stretch for a seasick prone angler on a full day in a chop. Note that this is the offshore boat run by Eric Reynolds, separate from the family’s flats skiff that shares the Reel Deal name. Book it for a fast reef or offshore day with a hands on owner. The Key Largo ranking sets the field side by side.
The boat
The Reel Deal is a new 2025 39 foot Contender, powered by triple 300 horsepower Yamaha outboards that make it one of the fastest boats in the port, so it reaches the reef or the bluewater quickly and can run farther in a fishing day. Reviewers single out the boat’s condition and rigging, which a brand new hull explains. It is an open center console, though, the same trade off the value boats here carry: no cabin, no air conditioned space to settle, and a wetter ride than the sportfishers above it. That is the right tool for a fast half day on the reef or a calm offshore run, and a real consideration for anyone prone to seasickness on the long days. It carries up to 6 anglers, the Coast Guard limit on a six pack boat.
The fishing and what you target
Reel Deal fishes the reef, the wrecks, and the Gulf Stream off central Key Largo. The reef trips drop for snapper and grouper, the offshore runs chase mahi mahi from spring into fall, sailfish in the cooler months, and blackfin tuna, wahoo, and king mackerel through the year, and the boat runs dedicated day and night swordfish trips out in the deep water. Captain Reynolds is a lifelong local who manages the time per spot well and produces fish even in marginal weather, a theme that recurs across the reviews. He fishes the trip the season favors rather than promising the same catch year round.
Trips and prices
Reel Deal sells by the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, private only, with clearly tiered rates. The reef trips run $900 for a 4 hour half day, $1,050 for a three quarter day, and $1,200 for a full day. The offshore trips are $1,300 for a 6 hour three quarter day and $1,550 for an 8 hour full day, and the day or night swordfish trip is $2,000 for 10 hours. The license, live bait, and catch cleaning are included. Splitting the price out by reef against offshore is unusually clear for the port, and the reef half day is one of the better value private trips in Key Largo. Our cost guide puts those numbers in context against the larger boats and a shared seat.
The crew
Captain Eric Reynolds runs the boat himself, which sets it apart in a port full of rotating rosters: with Reel Deal you get the owner. The booking record, near the top of the rating across well over 100 reviews, lines up on the same points, that he is personable and extremely knowledgeable, knows the local spots, and puts people on fish in conditions that beat other boats. The honest qualifier is the shape of the record rather than its content: it sits almost entirely on the booking platform, where reviews come only from completed trips, so the near perfect picture is lightly tested against the open sites.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing, which lists free cancellation 7 days out. The boat leaves from mile marker 104 in central Key Largo. Because it is an open boat, dress for sun and spray, bring water, and take motion sickness medication if you are unsure of your stomach, especially on the swordfish and full day runs. No fishing license is needed, the boat covers it, and the crew cleans your catch at the dock.
How we scored it
Reel Deal scores 7.8: a new, fast, well rigged Contender run by a single owner captain with a deep current record and the clearest reef and offshore pricing in the port, held below the cabin boats only by the open hull that limits comfort on a long or rough day. Captain and crew, trips and access, and value are its strongest factors; boat and equipment is where the open console costs it. See how we scored this boat, and compare it with the rest of our Key Largo rankings.