Reef fishing in Islamorada is a great way to spend a day on the water. We fish the reef year round in the Florida Keys, but the offshore charter boats primarily focus on it from October – April. The reef line runs parallel with the Keys and is an average distance of 4 miles off shore. The reef drops from an average depth of 60’ on top to 90’ on the bottom. We use all sorts of fishing techniques while on the reef, so don’t think it’s strictly bottom fishing! Charter boats use all sorts of fishing methods including bottom fishing, trolling, kite fishing, drift fishing, and sight fishing. Common reef fish are sailfish, snapper, grouper, barracuda, cobia, mackerel, shark, African pompano, wahoo, etc. We also catch the occasional mahi and tuna while fishing with live baits, so you have to be ready for everything! Usually they are further offshore but they can be a nice surprise. Many of the fish we catch while reef fishing make good table fare too! So whether you bring some home or just take a bag of fresh fish to a local restaurant, you’ll enjoy your catch! There’s also quite a few “wrecks” just out side the reef which we fish around too. They’re anywhere from 100′ – 200′ of water and our captains know some well known ones as well as some secret ones! Wreck fishing is grouped under our “reef fishing” category and many days fishing the wrecks are the way to go!
Most days we start out by catching live bait and then go from there. A full day is always recommended for the best fishing experience, but if a ½ day charter is all you think you can handle or have time for, give the reef a shot! The average travel time in and out is only 20 minutes each way, so you’ll have plenty of fishing time! Florida Keys Reef Fishing is a great option for the whole family! If a private charter is not in the budget our Miss Islamorada Party boat (head boat) fishes the reef too and is an affordable way to get out and catch a few fish for dinner.
October 27, 2026
Bud n’ Mary’s Marina Fishing Report — October 2026 Week of Oct 1-7 Conditions: East-southeast wind easing through the week, from 15-20 kt early on to near 5 kt by Oct 5, with Islamorada tides running morning highs of 0.82-0.89 ft and lows of 0.09-0.41 ft. Compared with a year… Read More
Bud and Mary were able to fit us in for a fishing trip. what a wonderful time. Tim had a lot of patience as I am a real beginner in fishing. We saw a ton of different Fish. we had perfect weather. A great time all around. I cannot wait to come back and do it again.
Awesome Fishing Trips Our family enjoyed two half day fishing trips in March 2019, while on vacation in The Keys. Both our Captains were exceptional and we highly recommended them! The trips were out of Bud n’ Mary’s Marina. One trip booked through the captain ahead of time and one booked through the marina the day before. The first trip was with Captain Mike Walter, in search of a big tarpon to fulfill our daughter Chelsea’s Bucket List. Captain Mike immediately put us on the tarpon and Chelsea was thrilled with the fight of her 80 pounder. The second trip with Captain Dave Peck was for a variety of different species and we caught a lot of fish, which we enjoyed. But the last fish of the day was the highlight and we will remember it as “The Fish of a Lifetime” a 250 lb Goliath Grouper! It truly was an Amazing Experience! More
Chartered a 1/2 day offshore trip. Captain and mate very professional. Whole operation is top notch. Ordered breakfast the day before and a box lunch to take out on the boat. With the marina located 5 miles from the fishing you get a real bang for your buck. The run out took 15 minutes then we started fishing. Weather was very nice and we caught 7 fish. Unfortunately the 2 black Grouper we managed to get out of their holes are out of season until NEXT week. Saw a sailfish but wasn't interested in the live bait we cast in front of him. I highly recommend Bud n' Mary's. The Stanczyk family run a fantastic business. They take care of the customers at any cost.
