(305)747-3668 Key West has some of the most exciting sport fishing the tropics have to offer. I've been charter fishing the tropical waters of the lower Florida Keys for more than 30 years. The local Key West waters offer a wide variety of Sport fishing, both Deep Sea and on the reef. Sailfish, Wahoo, Tuna, Dolphin (Mahi or Dorado), Marlin, Barracuda, Shark, Tarpon, Grouper, Snapper and More! Vacation in Key West, the perfect vacation destination! Where you can enjoy the excitement of fishing the waters of Key West by day and the excitement of Key West's night life afterwards. Southbound also offers a great accommodations bonus for anglers who fish multiple days with us. Enjoy our Old Town fishing cottage with our fishing package.
A few late season Mahi being caught
12.13.2018
This is not the time of year where you would expect to see nice size Mahi being caught in the waters off of Key West, but every time we get an east or southeast wind a few nice dolphin are being caught. Last Saturday we found two nice weed lines and caught Dolphin up to 20 pounds out in 800 to 1000 foot of water. Not the fish we usually target this time of year but we will take it
Hurricane Irma Update
09.30.2017
Tuesday, September 26th, 2017
As everyone, (not living in a cave) knows by now, the Florida Keys took a pretty big hit from Hurricane Irma. The Middle Keys, Marathon, Big Pine, Summerland and Cudjoe keys took the worst of it as the eye passed directly over or just west of these keys. Key West actually got very “lucky” and I use the term loosely. We were on the west side of the eye. This was the weaker side of the storm. While there were some homes and businesses with structural damage, and many boats lost, the vast majority of the damage I’ve seen has been downed trees. The fishing fleet at Charter Boat Row did very well all things considered. Some freezers and ice machines lost or damaged and a whole bunch of bait gone bad, but other than a few canvas tops, an out rigger or two and a couple of windows, all the boats are intact. All things considered, the fleet got very lucky. Charter Boat Row is a very well protected body of water and most of the boat owners are experienced at tying up their boats for severe weather, but being on the west side of the eye, even just by 25 miles or so, probably made a major difference in the level of destruction or lack thereof for both the fleet and the city in general. The Utility workers, both those that live in Key West and those that came from out of town or out of state, have done an amazing job getting services back up. Most of Key West have full power and water restored and many of the hotels and guest houses are available for visitors. I watched the weather channel show a devastated trailer park in Islamorada on the news for 3 days and listened to them say it was typical of the damage all up and down the keys. This is simply not true. Granted there are many, many people that lost homes, in no way am I trying to minimize the losses, but the homes in Key West, on the west side of the eye, fared much better than mobile homes in the eye or on the stronger east side of the storm. The Keys, including Key West look brown. Part is dead foliage and part are “naked” trees. 100+mph winds will tend to blow all the leaves off a tree. But it will come back. Some of my trees are already sprouting new leaves. Nature will heal itself and Key West will also. I know I am one of the lucky ones. I suffered almost no damage and my cleanup is almost complete and the Southbound will be ready to go after today. Anyone visiting Key West be advised some services may be limited, some of your favorite restaurants may have limited menus and some of your favorite bars may not have your brand…………on second thought, check that last caution. This is Key West, even a Cat 4 hurricane isn’t going to stop the bars from pouring a libation. Be it for a local, a tourist or one of the many hard working relief workers that came to help. After all, this is a “drinking town” with a bad fishing habit. Key West may not be 100% just yet, but we are open for business and getting better every day
It’s been a pretty good summer…
08.18.2017
… for fishing in Key West.There have been a good, but not great, number of dolphin offshore. On half days, we’ve had great action with big Bonitos, a few Dolphin and an occasional Wahoo inshore. We caught the largest Wahoo I’ve ever caught as Captain on July 16th on a half day trip. Adam Banks is my 1st mate and he did a great job on the fish. It was 76 lbs. It’s the 3rd Wahoo I’ve had on board in the 70+lb range. I also have a 72 lb’er caught with Paul Murdoch as 1st mate and a 74 lb’er caught Dan Smith as 1st mate. All three big Wahoo’s were caught in relatively shallow water. This one was in 109 ft of water just outside the reef. The other 2 were in 180 ft of water or less. All 3 were caught in the same area, between the reef known as the 9 Ft Stake and the reef known as the Toppino marker and all in the middle of the summer. I can’t remember if the 72 & 74 lb’ers were females or not, but this 76 lb’er was. I have to think that area may have some significance as a spawning area………or it’s just coincidence. 3 big fish is too small a sample to make a definitive study, but I will continue to work that area in the summer months just in case.
On longer trips we’ve been heading offshore and most days catching enough to make it a good day. There was not a lot of Sargasso Weed around through most of July, but early August made up for that with a tremendous weed line that passed though the keys. We fished the same weed line for 8-9 days with a 2+kt current. That means the weed line was probably over 400 miles long. It’s amazing when you think about it. Although there were not a tremendous amount of big dolphin, there was a great number of school sized fish which makes for steady action and a great day.
The early part of the summer there were an unusually large number of Marlin seen and hooked offshore. I had hoped this would make this years KW Marlin Tournament one of the better tournaments of recent years, but unfortunately the marlin fishing tapered off just before the tournament and the winner caught the only marlin that was caught in the tournament. I was not in the Tournament and I guess I’m glad. We fished most of the days of the tournament with just regular customers and none of the pressure of looking for a fish that, it turned out, wasn’t around. I generally stay out of the tournaments and I think I’ll continue to do so. Lots more stress that I can live with out putting myself and 1st. mate through.
There have been some Sailfish still around. No rhyme or reason to where. Just got to get lucky and drive over one. We have released a few in the last couple weeks.
www.southboundsportfishing.com
How To Choose a Key West Deep Sea Fishing Charter Captain
07.14.2017
Good catch of dolphin for dinner!
Whether you’re an angling aficionado or a fun-seeking Key West tourist, heading out to sea on a charter fishing boat is the ultimate tropical vacation adventure. Find the right boat to suit your needs using this handy guide to choosing a Key West charter captain.
Have fun out there and here’s to a day filled with tight lines!
Not all charter fishing experiences are created equal. A clear idea of what you’re hoping to get from your trip is vital.
Here are a few questions to answer before beginning your search:
An experienced angler hoping to knock a specific species off their bucket list will have different priorities than a first timer just looking for a good time.
A concrete vision of what you’re after makes it easy to ask find a captain who has the experience and gear that matches your idea of a great fishing charter.
Automatically going with the cheapest boat is generally not the best strategy. More expensive captains often own newer, larger, more comfortable boats with included “extras”, added amenities and more advanced gear & tackle.
Additionally, cheaper boats are prone to underpay their staff – leading to a disinterested crew.
There’s an old saying in the charter fishing industry: “The cheapest charter boat is just the most expensive cruise.” You get what you pay for and you ought to be paying to catch fish!
Nice dolphin!
Due diligence goes a long way when researching charter outfits.
You’ll want to find out how long the captain’s been in business. How often he (or she) goes out and whether the boat has a history of success. Does the boat have up-to-date navigational & safety equipment? For example, if you look at Southbound Charter Fishing’s home page, you’ll find out I’ve been fishing in Key West waters for more than 25 years on my boat, a 40-ft custom Key West charter boat, that we target sailfish, wahoo, tuna, dolphin (aka mahi mahi or dorado), barracuda, shark, tarpon, grouper, snapper – and many more species, of course, If you check out the Catch of the Day, you’ll find we catch ’em and that we post our photos almost every day.
The Southbound has a range of gear and tackle to accommodate both beginners and seasoned anglers — everything from 80 lb. trolling rods to 15 lb. spinning reels. When trolling we prefer to use 30 lb. test line – it’s not too small for the big fish and still light enough to allow smaller fish to put up a great fight. We’ve landed both white and blue marlin, sailfish, wahoo, dolphin, barracuda, tuna, grouper and snapper using 30 lb. tackle. Of course, 15 and 20 lb. spinning tackle is available for the more experienced angler.
If you’re booking locally, take the time to meet with a captain in person before making a final reservation. We love to have folks come down to the docks when we get back from a charter. Just give us a call, (305) 747-3668, and we’ll let you know when you can find us For those out of town, a quick phone call goes a long way towards guaranteeing a fantastic day out on the waters of Key West, Florida.
Do remember to ask for what you want. We had a charter this past week and the customers wanted to experience the sunrise, and it was totally worth getting up a little early:
A sunrise worthy of an early start!
Find us on Facebook.
If budget is an issue, we offer a special Key West fishing accommodations package. If you fish multiple days you can enjoy our Old Town fishing cottage — all the comforts of home and just blocks from all the nightlife in the Southernmost City.
Hook ‘em Early! Sparking Your Kids’ Love of Fishing
06.30.2017
Barracuda!
Whether it’s Angry Birds, Pokemon GO or the newest online craze, prying your kids away from their handheld device these days is like pulling teeth. Whatever happened to building forts, playing in the mud or swinging across the jungle gym?
Get your kids outside (and loving it) by instilling a fiery passion for the action of a rod and reel – believe it or not, it’s a lot easier than you might think!
Here are a few pointers to help you power down screens and wet some lines.
A Goliath Grouper – Big Enough!
Little ones don’t have the same level of patience when the fish aren’t striking. For you, a day out on the lake beats the office a million to one even if you don’t get so much as a nibble – but to a kid, a few hours without a bite feels like an eternity.
If you want children to fall in love with fishing, they need to catch fish.
And the bigger the better.
We’ll worry about teaching the reality that sometimes you come home with an empty cooler later.
Forget about plunking bobbers at your local watering hole. Get them out on a professional charter fishing trip where the action is sure to ignite a healthy dose of adrenaline.
Once they’re hooked on the excitement of hauling in a real beauty, the transition to more fickle fishing spots like lakes, rivers and streams becomes easier.
Kids hate to be told, “this is for grownups.” As much as possible, get your children involved in every step of the process.
Family Fishing Charter – Catch of the Day
A day or two before the charter take them down to the docks around the time the boats are bringing in the catch of day – let them see what others are catching and watch as the mates clean and fillet the catch. They will also get a chance to see the charter boat and meet the mate and captain of the boat they’ll be on.
Take them to local outfitters or bait shop and let them touch the rods and reels, and learn about the live baits and other lures. If you’re driving to Key West from the mainland, be sure to stop at World Wide Sportsman in Islamorada – they can look at the rods and reels and other saltwater gear, they can climb aboard a beautiful old wood charter boat, sister ship to Ernest Hemingway’s “Pilar,” and there is a large glass tank with snook, tarpon, bonefish and other local fish.
The more chance they have to explore the ‘world of saltwater sport fishing’ the more they’ll take ownership in the experience.
Catch of the Day – Mackerel!
As an experienced angler, you know that some days fishing go better than others. Whether it’s bad weather, choppy water or simply stubborn fish – when the goin’ gets tough, it’s time to go home early.
As your kids get more into it, they will let you know when they’re ready to “tough it out” and get in a couple more hours fishing in less than ideal conditions. Until then, focus on keeping it fun – because as soon as fishing feels like a chore they’ll lose interest.
There are a lot of great reasons to introduce your kids to the great sport of fishing:
Both the mate and I (Capt. Rich) have lots of experience teaching youngsters to fish. We love the chance to show them not just how to fish, but why we love and respect the ocean and the fish that live in it. We’ve taught tons of kids to love fishing over the years and we’re excited to teach yours!
Check our Key West fishing catch of the day and like us on Facebook. Don’t miss out: we offer a fishing accommodations package for anglers who fish multiple days – stay in our Old Town fishing cottage and enjoy all the comforts of home just a few blocks from the action of Key West’s Duval Street.
A barracuda is a great first fight – and catch for this young angler.
Landing a barracuda put a smile on this young angler’s face!
Bonito!
Summer Fishing – Key West! Dolphin Are Biting
06.23.2017
We’ve had a terrific few weeks with great dolphin action. Anglers are going home with plenty of mahi mahi for dinner!
Great day of fishing for the whole family – released a couple of barracuda and then brought home dinner!
Some Dolphin and a nice Cero Mackerel for Dinner
& Some Bonitos for fun
Great action with some big Bonitos and dolphin for dinner!
Found a school of dolphin and broke out the spinning tackle. Great action on the lighter gear and great eating sized fish.
Nice bull dolphin!
Another nice one!
Anglers got their limit on Dolphin, some big Bonitos and a Black Fin Tuna:
Dolphin, Bonitos and Black Fin Tuna! Great Day!
Still plenty of fish around. Plenty of action and a lot of fun on lighter spinning tackle.
Mostly smaller “schoolies” but all good eating size.
We ran across a great video clip of flying fish being chased by dolphin and frigate birds:
Check our Key West fishing catch of the day on our website or find us on Facebook.
The Southbound offers a special Key West fishing accommodations package for anglers who fish multiple days in our Old Town fishing cottage, all the comforts of home and close to all the action in the Southernmost City.
Dolphins Running in Time for Championship Tourney!
05.05.2014
The dolphin are running! And yes, we are catching them – this one was hooked yesterday (May 4th).
Caught May 4, 2014
That’s great news for the anglers who are planning to enter the Florida Keys Dolphin Championship. This tournament is great for those who like fishing in teams, as you can have as many folks as you want on your team.
The tournament is onMay 16th, 17th, 18th (2014) and has piled up more than $100,000 in Cash and Prizes for winning anglers. The First Place Dolphin Worth $15,000!
The largest dolphin weighing more than 55lbs wins a Mercury/Seahunter Boat worth $75,000. Here’s a 55-pounder caught recently aboard the Southbound:
55lb Dolphin caught aboard the Southbound.
The Southbound Underway
April Fishing in Key West Highlights Sailfish Tourney & Return of the Dolphin
03.27.2014
April is a terrific month for fishing in Key West – the weather is getting warmer, the dolphin are coming back in droves and the kickoff for the Key West Fishing Tournament makes this a great time for avid deep sea anglers of all ages.
Traditionally, April means we see the large schools of dolphin with the bigger bulls and cows returning outside the reef off Key West. We catch dolphin year round – but during the winter, we’re more likely to hook the smaller ‘schoolies.” Starting in April, we expect to see the schools with larger fish as they make their way north along the Gulfstream. The water temperature off Key West today is 75 degrees — just a degree shy of the 76-83 degrees that dolphin like.
April also marks the start of the Key West Fishing Tournament; a tournament that targets 37 species – from marlin to dolphin to tarpon – if you like to catch it, it’s probably on the list.
The tournament runs from April 4th to November 30th (including the kickoff tournament) … and has divisions for kids, too … Juniors and PeeWees (under 10) … this is a great way to get your kids more involved in fishing – and you know we love to teach kids to fish.
The 8 month long tourney starts with a Kickoff Tournament April 5 and 6 with $5,000 in cash and prizes. More info: http://www.keywestfishingtournament.com/.
Speaking of tournaments, the Key West Sailfish Championship is the third week in April – 23-27. There are divisions for pros and non-pros. First prize awards up to $50,000 in the pro division, $15,000 for non-pros.
More on the sailfish tourney : http://www.keywestsailfishchampionship.com/ or call me to charter the Southbound.
Tournament calendar for Key West.
A contender for the sailfish tourney?
Key West for Kids: Family Fun Fishing on the Southbound
03.18.2014
Some of the best days out fishing are with kids – especially if it’s their first time fishing on the deep sea. There’s nothing quite so rewarding as seeing the expression of surprise and delight when they feel the first tug of a big fish on the hook. Both my mate and I know how important it is to make sure their first impression is fun! Otherwise for the rest of their life they associate fishing with a long boring day. You have to get them catching fish right away to catch their interest.
Hooking this barracuda was a good fight for this young man!
Fishing off Key West is great for beginners of all ages – the water is usually calm, and it’s easy to find a spot where the kids can hook fish that are large enough to be exciting but not overwhelming to someone new to the sport. It’s also a great idea to let them catch something they can have for dinner. Catching dinner is a good idea, but it’s also important for kids to have the excitement of a barracuda or a shark on the line! A lot of captains will tell you this is the time to double up on the chum, though, frankly, in Key West, something is always biting and we know what bait and tackle to use depending on what sort of fish we want to catch.
This young girl was clearly thrilled with her shark!
Teaching kids to fish has got to be about fun – but it’s also about teaching them to understand why we catch and release- why conservation is important.
These kids took home some dolphin for dinner and they caught and released a sailfish.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission runs some fishing clinics for kids. There haven’t been any down in the Keys this year, but if you live in Florida you might want to check and see what clinics are available in your area: http://myfwc.com/education/outdoor-skills/fishing-clinics/dates-and-locations/
Kids are taught the basic rules – how to be a good angler – and have a chance to get familiar with tackle and do some casting. There’s also some knot-tying instruction. And of course, there’s some fishing and lots of fun!
Another very happy pair with a shark!
Kids are always ready to try new things – but it can’t be only about fishing. I kept my cousins’ kids entertained with some time on the bridge at the helm of the Southbound.
Guest captains on the bridge!
Southbound Key West fishing report
03.26.2011
Fishing report March 23, 2011
Conditions improved and fishing improved as expected this past week. The blue water and strong east current moved in and with it came the Sailfish. Over the weekend we had a beautiful color change and the sailfish were up and “tailing”. For those that don’t know what that is, when conditions are right, usually east current and east wind, (opposing each other). And you have a good color change, (blue water with current meeting green water); Sailfish will swim along the surface and surf down the waves. Often the top of their tail is sticking out of the water, hence the term “Tailing”. When this is happening it’s a lot of fun and very effective to pull the baits in, put your outriggers up and just idle up the change looking for fish swimming along. When you see one, you spin the boat and pitch live bait at them. It’s a fun and exciting way to fish. It’s great for the customers too because they can see the fish from the time it’s swimming toward the boat until it chases and eats the live bait. Often the Sails are eating the baits only 15-20 ft behind the boat, so everybody gets a great view. With these conditions there can be more than one color change- Murky green to powder blue, and powder blue to dark blue. Sailfish can be seen along either change or between them in the powder.
Cobia are also being seen tailing along, mostly along the green to powder change. Sometimes they are hard to spot because they are the same approximate color as the Sargasso weed that tends to gather along the changes.
There have been a large number of bonito and black fin tuna seen along the color change also, but fishing for them is more frustrating than productive. They are headed west and seem to be on a mission with very few stopping to bite. It‘s still an amazing sight, but few are being caught for the time spent trying. Even live bait doesn’t seem to draw their interest.
Still seeing some small “early season” dolphin along the dark blue edge too. Most are in the 3-7 lb range but I’ve heard of a few larger ones being caught. It’s still early for dolphin, the really good dolphin fishing shouldn’t be until May, but these are a nice “time filler” between sailfish for the time being.
If the current stays the fish should stay. Hopefully the fading moon won’t pull the gulf stream offshore anytime soon.
