Top Notch is the clean, well run single boat operation in Marathon with the clearest pricing in the port. Captain Bill Giliberti holds a 100 ton master license and has close to two decades of professional fishing behind him, and he owns and runs the one boat, the 31 foot Top Notch, so you get the named captain every trip. Across more than 50 reviews the praise is consistent: a knowledgeable captain who keeps anglers on fish and is good with families, on a clean, well equipped boat. The honest gap is the boat itself, a center console that is more exposed on a long run than the cabin boats above it in the ranking.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.6 Top Notch is fourth in the Marathon ranking, level on the overall with Big Game and placed just behind it on the tie break, which goes to the higher captain and crew score. What sets Top Notch apart is transparency and ease: the rates are posted plainly, the license and tackle are included, and the captain is certified and insured, so there are no surprises. The limit is the open boat and a single hull. Book it for a clear priced, well run private day, especially with a family, when you want to know the cost up front. For one of the longest local records, Big Game edges it; for the most comfortable boat, Infinite Blue leads.
The boat
The Top Notch is a 31 foot Egret center console with an inboard Yanmar diesel and a full suite of Garmin electronics and radar, rigged for up to 6 anglers. It is clean, well equipped, and quick, and the electronics and radar matter on the runs to the offshore grounds and back. The honest limit is shelter: as an open center console it is more exposed to sun, wind, and spray on a long day than the cabin SeaRay that Infinite Blue runs, so a full offshore day or a 10 hour swordfish trip asks more of you here. For a reef, wreck, or shorter offshore trip, the boat is well matched and reviewers rate it highly.
The fishing and what you target
Top Notch fishes the full Middle Keys spread, scaled to the trip. The reef, wreck, and bay trips bottom fish for grouper, snapper, amberjack, and permit and work for barracuda, while the offshore trips troll for sailfish in the cooler months, mahi mahi from late spring into summer, and wahoo and blackfin tuna as they run. The boat also runs a 10 hour swordfish trip for the deep water fishery the Keys are known for. Captain Giliberti matches the trip to the season and the conditions, and the reviews credit him as a teacher who explains the fishing, which suits first timers and kids as much as experienced anglers.
Trips and prices
This is where Top Notch stands out. It posts its rates on its own site, the clearest in the port: a reef, wreck and bay trip from $900, an offshore trip from $1,300, a 10 hour swordfish trip from $1,950, and a tarpon trip from $850, each sold by the whole boat for up to 6 anglers. The fishing license and all tackle are included, and the captain is Coast Guard certified and insured, with a gratuity on top. Knowing the number before you call is a real advantage in a port where most of the field quotes on request. Our cost guide puts those rates in context, and the party boat versus private charter guide weighs the whole boat here against a seat on the Marathon Lady.
The crew
Captain Bill Giliberti owns and runs the boat, and the record is strong and consistent: more than 50 reviews describe a captain with deep knowledge of the water who keeps anglers on fish, runs a clean boat, and is patient and good with kids. The 100 ton master license is a step above the standard charter license. He grew up fishing the Jersey Shore and moved to Marathon about a decade ago, so his local tenure is shorter than Ariel Medero’s or Marty Lewis’s, which is the one place the captain factor sits a touch below the longest serving names in the port, but the reviews give no reason to doubt the local knowledge. You get the named captain every trip.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing, where the rates are posted, or by phone. Confirm the trip length and the departure from Gulfview Avenue in Marathon. Bring food, drinks, sun protection, and a cooler; the license and tackle are covered. The single boat means popular dates fill, so book ahead, especially for the 10 hour swordfish trip, which needs a settled weather window.
How we scored it
Top Notch scores 7.6: the clearest posted prices in Marathon and an excellent, family friendly record under a 100 ton captain, marked down only because a 31 foot center console is more exposed on a long run than the cabin boats and the captain’s local tenure is shorter than the longest serving names. Captain and crew and value transparency are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric and weighting, and compare it against the rest of the Marathon charters, including Big Game and Sweet E’Nuf.