Deep sea fishing charters in Key West, ranked

Deep sea fishing in Key West has a reach no other Florida port can match: the reef, the wrecks, and the Gulf Stream all sit close to the island, and the western grounds out at the Marquesas and the Dry Tortugas open up water most ports never see. The fleet runs the full range, from a 50 foot sportfisher chasing marlin on a full day to a 56 foot party boat drifting the reef for snapper at $69.95 a seat. This page ranks the Key West charters worth booking on our published method, and names the ones that did not make the cut.

The fishing is a reef and Gulf Stream story with a Dry Tortugas chapter the other Keys ports cannot tell as well. Offshore, the current funnels sailfish, mahi mahi, blackfin tuna, wahoo, and king mackerel past the island, while the reefs and wrecks hold yellowtail, mutton, and mangrove snapper and grouper. The season to plan around is sailfish, the winter prize from December into March, usually caught on live bait and released. Mahi take over from spring into fall. Confirm the current limits and the grouper closure with Florida FWC before a season specific trip, since the rules shift year to year.

What you catch and when

Key West fishes year round, but the target changes with the calendar. The cooler months, roughly December through March, are sailfish season and the calmest billfish window, when the fish push along the reef edge and the boats live bait for them; most sailfish are released under a 63 inch minimum and a one fish limit. From spring into early fall the troll switches to mahi mahi in the bluewater past the reef, with Florida’s Atlantic limit at 5 per person per day at a 20 inch fork minimum. Blackfin tuna and king mackerel run through the year, wahoo show in the cooler months, and the reefs and wrecks give up snapper all year, the mainstay of the party boat and the Dry Tortugas trips. The one closure to note is Atlantic shallow-water grouper, shut January 1 to April 30 in 2026, so the winter bottom box leans on yellowtail and mutton snapper rather than grouper.

The boats and operators

The private fleet runs from a 30 foot center console to a 50 foot sportfisher. Corsair 2 is the largest and most capable hull for the long offshore run, Linda D runs two 40 foot class Wickers boats, RideOut a fast 30 foot center console better suited to the reef and nearshore water, and Cowboy & Cowgirl a six boat fleet from 34 to 47 feet that you match to the trip. Each takes up to six anglers, the Coast Guard limit on a six pack boat, and most run with named owner or family captains. Andy Griffiths is a different animal, a liveaboard fleet built for the multi day Dry Tortugas run with bunks, a galley, and a shower. The Gulfstream is the one true party boat, a 56 foot Coast Guard inspected head boat that takes up to about 40 anglers on a single drift. Most of the fleet docks at Garrison Bight Marina on North Roosevelt Boulevard, with Corsair 2 and Andy Griffiths on Stock Island.

How the field ranks

The field splits into private sportfishers, a long range specialist, a family fleet, and one party boat. At the top is Corsair 2 Sportfishing at 8.2, the most complete offshore program in the port, a 50 foot Hatteras with two veteran captains and the deepest review record here, marked down only because its rates sit on the booking platform rather than its own site. Linda D Sportfishing is second at 7.9, the fourth generation Wickers family boat with the longest track record in the port and the clearest posted pricing, on capable but older and smaller sportfishers. RideOut Charters follows at 7.2, the value center console with the cleanest recent reviews, held back by a small open hull and a captain still early in his run.

Below them, Andy Griffiths Charters at 7.0 is the Dry Tortugas long range specialist, the one boat here built for the overnight run to the western grounds, marked down on a review trail tangled with a separate Griffiths operation. Cowboy & Cowgirl Sportfishing at 6.9 is the mixed pick with the widest menu, a six boat family fleet running since 1965 with a shared seat option, uneven across a rotating roster and dinged for a mount upsell. The Gulfstream party boat at 6.8 is the budget option, the historic head boat running the reef drift since 1947, cheap and all included on a packed rail with uneven bottom fishing days. The cards below carry each boat’s verdict and score.

Trip types and what they cost

Key West fishes three ways, and the price gap is wide. The cheapest way out is a walk-on seat on the Gulfstream party boat, from $69.95 per person for a 6 hour reef trip, sold by the seat with bait, tackle, and the license included. A shared seat on a Cowboy & Cowgirl boat, from $200 per person, is the next step up, a private style boat without paying for the whole thing. A private charter is booked by the whole boat for up to six anglers, from about $850 to $1,000 for a half day on RideOut, Cowboy, or Linda D up to $1,675 for a full day offshore on Corsair 2. The Dry Tortugas overnight on Andy Griffiths is its own tier at $2,400 for the boat across two days. A private boat only works out per person when you fill the deck with your own group. Our cost guide breaks down what each tier buys, and the party boat versus private charter guide helps you choose between the formats.

How to pick the right trip

If it is your first trip, or you are watching the budget, take the Gulfstream party boat and keep your expectations to a sociable few hours of reef fishing for snapper. If you want your own boat without the top tier price, a RideOut half day or a Cowboy & Cowgirl shared seat is the value route. If you want the best all-round private day, with a real shot at sailfish or mahi, book Corsair 2 or Linda D and match the date to the season: the cooler months for sailfish, spring into fall for mahi and tuna. For a serious bottom fishing group, the Andy Griffiths Dry Tortugas overnight reaches water nothing else here touches. Book ahead in sailfish season, since the good weather windows fill.

Getting there and what to bring

Garrison Bight Marina sits at 1801 North Roosevelt Boulevard, the charter row on the bay side of Key West, an easy drive from Old Town and the resorts. Stock Island, where Corsair 2 and Andy Griffiths dock, is a few minutes east on the way into town. Parking varies by marina, so arrive 30 to 45 minutes before departure to park and check in. Bring sunscreen, a hat, polarized sunglasses, a soft cooler with ice for your fillets, and motion sickness medication if you are unsure of your stomach, since both the offshore chop and a side-on reef drift can turn one. No fishing license is needed on any licensed charter or party boat here, and the first time guide walks a beginner through the rest.

Key West is the flagship of the Florida Keys ports we cover. If the boats here are booked, Marathon, Islamorada, and Key Largo fish the same reef line up the chain, and the Florida hub lists every port we rank in the state.