From Local Reefs to the Bahamas & Pulley Ridge
I customize trips to meet client needs and schedules, but most fall into a few basic categories: South Florida local, Keys, Bahamas, Pulley Ridge, Dry Tortugas, and swordfishing. We can depart from anywhere from Palm Beach to Key West, or from Southwest Florida for Pulley Ridge trips.
Prices for different areas and styles of fishing reflect travel time and expenses as well as the length and complexity of the trip. Swordfishing trips are $100 more to help cover the cost of the rigged baits and other gear I bring.
Please don’t hesitate to give me a call with any questions.
South Florida Local
The offshore fishing from Fort Lauderdale to Miami remains some of the most productive and diverse in the world — if you know where, how, and when to fish it. On local trips — depending on the time of year, conditions, and your interests — we can fish the reefs and wrecks for snapper and grouper, chase mahi and blackfin offshore, kite fish for sails, troll for wahoo, or deep drop for a mixed bag of great eating species.
Target species
On the wrecks and reefs, we typically target a variety of snapper species including mutton, yelloweye, mangrove, and vermilion, as well as black, red, gag and scamp grouper. Amberjack, cobia, and kingfish are also frequent catches, along with barracuda and sharks. We occasionally get African pompano, red snapper, scamp grouper and other reef dwellers. Pelagics include mahi, blackfin tuna, sailfish, and wahoo. When we deep drop, we catch mostly golden and blueline tilefish, yelloweye snapper, snowy and yellowedge grouper, and blackbelly rosefish.
Seasonal Information
The fact is that in South Florida, you can do almost any kind of fishing at almost any time of year, weather permitting. Tactics may vary, and some species are more common or larger on average at certain times, but most of them can be caught year-round.
That being said, kite fishing for sails is generally best from November through April, mahi fishing is best in summer and fall, grouper fishing tends to be better in the colder months and snapper fishing better in the warmer months.
Pricing
$600/day departing from anywhere between Fort Lauderdale and South Miami. An extra charge for travel time and expenses may apply north of Fort Lauderdale.
South Florida & Keys SwordFishing
South Florida’s daytime swordfish fishery is as good as you’ll find anywhere in the world, and I can teach you how to catch broadbills on your own. Swordfish trips include everything you need: specialized custom rod, electric reel, wind-on leaders, rigged baits, lights, stick weights, harpoon, etc., so that you can get a taste of swordfishing before investing in the expensive gear it requires.
We typically fish 15 to 30 miles out in water around 1,500 to 2,000 feet deep. Large baits are lowered to the bottom using up to 15 lbs. of lead, and we a combination of the engines, the current and the wind to move them over the bottom at around 2 mph.
Swordfishing requires patience and commitment, partly because bycatch is rare. In other words, when we fish for swords, we generally catch either swords or nothing at all. One exception is that on rare occasions, we hook big migratory bluefin tuna, including a 585-lb. fish in early 2023.
On the other hand, it’s unusual to go all day without a swordfish bite. I would estimate we get bites on 85-90% of trips, and, when conditions are right, it’s very possible to put two or more fish on the boat in a day.
Seasonal Information
South Florida swordfishing is good year-round, although it’s easier in calmer weather. My favorite months to fish are October through June.
Pricing
$700/day departing from South Florida. $800/day departing from the Upper Keys (Ocean Reef to Islamorada). $900/day departing from the Lower Keys.
Upper & Lower Florida Keys
We regularly fish with clients throughout the Florida Keys, from Ocean Reef to Key West. Tactics and target species are similar to those off Miami and Fort Lauderdale, although weather and conditions are often different. Fishing the Keys differs from South Florida in that we’re often able to fish shallower water for yellowtail snapper and other reef species. Additionally, deep-dropping in the Keys yields good numbers of beautiful and great tasting queen snapper, which are rare to nonexistent off South Florida.
Target Species
We target largely the same species in the Keys as in South Florida, including snapper (yellowtail, mutton, mangrove, vermilion, etc.), grouper (black, gag, red, scamp), mahi, blackfin tuna, sailfish, and wahoo. Cobia, kingfish, amberjack, African pompano, barracuda, and sharks are frequent incidental catches. Deep drop species are likewise the same as South Florida, except that queen snapper and yellowedge grouper are more plentiful.
Seasonal Information
There is no bad time to fish in the Florida Keys and reef fishing is good year-round, but there are times when certain species come to the forefront. Generally speaking, the colder months are best for sailfish, blackfin tuna, wahoo, kingfish and mackerel, African pompano, and cobia. Mahi fishing is best from roughly April through August.
Pricing
$700/day departing from Key Largo to Islamorada. $800/day departing anywhere past Islamorada.
Bahamas & the Bahama Bank
Less than 60 miles from most of South Florida, the Bahamas and the Bahama Bank offer incredible year-round fishing. Although many of the species and tactics are similar to those in South Florida and the Florida Keys, the Northern Bahamas are also home to storied summer yellowfin tuna and winter wahoo fisheries, plus exceptional deep-dropping opportunities.
The Bahama Bank is also unique for its many shallow wrecks and reefs in just 20 to 40 feet of water. Subject to less pressure than coastal Florida’s shallow reefs and wrecks, these structure spots teem with snapper and grouper that can often be sight-fished in the crystal clear water, plus African pompano, cobia and more.
Although there’s no specific boat size required for Bahamas trips, some boats aren’t suitable for the trip. Generally speaking, boats should be at least 28 feet with at least twin engines. Range, ice capacity, and overall comfort/fishability are important factors. If you have any questions, please give me a call to discuss your boat.
Target Species
The headliners are wahoo and yellowfin tuna, plus numerous deep water species, including the usual Florida deep-drop suspects as well as Atlantic scombrops, wenchman and black snappers, mystic grouper, and abundant queen snapper.
Seasonal Information
Regardless of season, weather is always a concern when crossing the Gulf Stream. Yellowfin tuna fishing is best from February through August. Wahoo trolling is best September through February.
Pricing
$800/day with a two-day minimum departing from between Fort Lauderdale and South Miami. An extra charge for travel time and expenses may apply for trips departing from north of Fort Lauderdale or from the Keys.
Dry Tortugas
Lying 70 miles west of Key West, the Dry Tortugas are a beautiful destination with an incredible variety of fishing, from shallow reef sight-fishing to deep-dropping to trolling for pelagics. If conditions make it difficult to get all the way to the Dry Tortugas, there are numerous areas along the way to stop and fish, including the Marquesas Keys.
Target Species
The Dry Tortugas are an extremely diverse fishery. Some commonly targeted species include snapper (yellowtail, mutton, mangrove, vermilion, etc.), grouper (black, gag, red, scamp), mahi, blackfin tuna, wahoo, cobia, kingfish, amberjack, African pompano, barracuda, and sharks, plus deep-water snapper, grouper and tilefish species.
Seasonal Information
There are always fish to be caught in the Dry Tortugas. The main variation is how deep you’ll be fishing — shallower in winter and deeper in summer. Wahoo trolling is best in the winter months. Decent weather is imporant; strong currents and shallow water west of the Marquesas can create steep, confused seas.
Pricing
$800 with a two-day minimum. We can stay overnight at the islands or make two day trips from the Keys.
The closest thing to untouched deep-dropping in the Florida/Bahamas region, Pulley Ridge is an extensive coral reef system running in a roughly north-south orientation about 100 miles west of Key West and 40 miles from the Dry Tortugas. Rarely visited by private boaters, it receives relatively little fishing pressure.
The deepest known photosynthetic (light-dependent) reef on the planet, Pulley Ridge itself ranges from approximately 180 to 280 feet in depth, but we also fish nearby deep drop spots in excess of 1,000 feet.
Pulley Ridge can be fished from either Southwest Florida or the Lower Keys. The run is somewhat longer from Southwest Florida, around 150 miles, but you can keep your Gulf of Mexico limits — generally more generous than Atlantic federal limits — without worry.
The trip from the Lower Keys is a bit shorter, and the route roughly parallels the edge of the continental shelf for some 30 miles, opening up more possible spots without traveling out of our way. But returning requires transiting Atlantic waters, where we can’t stop or even appear to fish with Gulf limits aboard.
With good weather, Pulley Ridge can be done as a hardcore day trip from either the Keys or Southwest Florida in the long days of summer. We leave at 2 or 3 a.m., arrive at dawn, fish until 3 or 4 p.m., and get back to the dock at dark.
Overnight trips make more sense, though, and allow us to deep drop the first day; then anchor and fish remote, deep wrecks to the east of the ridge at night for big snapper and grouper; then target deep structure for mutton snapper, American red snapper, yelloweye, amberjack etc. the second day, making the run home more manageable.
Target Species
The main reason to make the long run to Pulley Ridge is the area’s amazing bottom fishing and deep dropping opportunities for species including yellowedge, snowy, red, scamp, Warsaw, mystic and Kitty Mitchell groupers; yelloweye, blackfin, and queen snappers; and golden and blueline tilefish. We can also fish nearby spots for large mutton snapper, red snapper, black grouper amberjack, etc. or troll for pelagic species like wahoo, mahi, and blackfin tuna.
Seasonal Information
Pulley Ridge is good year-round but obviously requires good conditions. The longer days of summer mean more daylight fishing time.
Pricing
$1,100/day, departing from either Collier County or the Lower Keys.