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.
This review is for Bud and Mary's 'Miss Islamorada' 'headboat' party fishing charter. My son and I were out in the Keys for a few days of 
We booked a trip with Captain Tyler Valles to fish the flats and backcountry. Captain Tyler was very accommodating, extremely knowledgeable, and motivated to provide everything we wanted to experience. His experience and professionalism made this an outstanding trip that we will definitely book again the next time we are in the Keys.
Took some friends from out of town on the Miss Islamorada party fishing boat at Budnmarys. When ever I come down to the Keys I always stay at Budnmarys they have the best service as well the cutest houseboats facing the ocean, clean facilities, and great customer service. Oh and their cafe has by far the best large homemade buttermilk biscuit breakfast sandwiches, plus they make a great sub for you to take on the boat with you. Oh and for you cat lovers out there be sure to swing by the office to meet Mary the friendly dockside cat. Well back to the fishing, I had some friends from Utah come down and they never fished the Atlantic before. This was my first time using them and definitely not the last. We caught a lot of yellowtail snapper along with my first keeper size mutton snapper. Between the wittiness of the Captain and Brad/Phillip (mates) assisting us every step of the way. Made our fishing that much better and easier. I will be back soon, heck maybe next week for my birthday.
