Key West Fishing Charters For Fishing On Key West Reefs

Of all the different kinds of fishing you can do on Key West, reef fishing is the most popular, and for good reason. If you've gotten yourself on one of the Key West fishing charters that specialize in reef fishing then you're sure to have a great day catching one fish after another.

Key West is pretty much surrounded by reefs. The main reef is about 6 miles due South of Key West and very easy to get to. It is the 3rd largest reef in the World and breathtaking to look at. If you go you might want to spend at least some time snorkeling in the more shallow areas. There are smaller reefs, particularly on the Gulf of Mexico side. The fish there are more diverse than on the main reef.

Though the main reef provides a habitat for literally hundreds of species of fish, the fish that are most caught are yellowtail snapper and mutton snapper. You can also rather readily catch black grouper. You can on occasion catch any number of other fish too such as mackerel, bluefin, dolphin, mahi-mahi and sailfish. You've also got a pretty good chance of hooking a shark!

To catch yellowtail snapper, and ultimately a few other species, you would chum the water. If you're on one of the Key West fishing charters they'll probably do that for you. Basically, chum is tiny bits of fish mixed with plenty of blood. Generally it's frozen into a block. The block of fish chum is thrown off the back of the boat. As it melts small fish start to gather to eat it. Don't cast your line yet, you want to wait until the bigger fish join the party. After awhile put a piece of bait (preferably live bait) on a smaller hook with a light weight so it stays slightly below the surface. Let it drift out just past the main area where the chum is. You're sure to catch some decent sized yellowtail snapper, which are excellent to eat.

After catching fish for awhile you're likely to start feeling 'hits' after you've hooked your fish and then pull up a half a fish. Chances are a black grouper or a barracuda got him before you could reel him in. Now, you want a larger hook and more weight. You want to drop a live pinfish or even a small yellowtail over the edge and let it drop to the bottom. That's where you'll catch the grouper. It's amazing how many can take your bait though and escape into the coral below, leaving you with just a line. You've gotta wrangle him up, away from the rocks and finally into the boat. Grouper are pretty big, they can weigh 40 lbs. and they're excellent to eat.

As mentioned, the fish to be caught on the smaller reefs to the West, the side of the Gulf of Mexico are more diverse. You can pretty readily catch king mackerel, cobia, various jacks and snapper as well as a variety of sharks. You'll want to pay attention to whether you want to fish the surface, shallow water or the bottom. If you fish the bottom you'll want to set your fishing tackle up so that the weight is pretty heavy, 10 to 12 ounces and at the bottom of your line. Slightly up from there, maybe 12 to 18 inches, you want a leader tied off the line with the hook (or hooks) at the other end. The leader should be about 12 to 18 inches. You want to use live bait and something a little bigger. Hook the bait fish into the top of the back a bit behind the dorsal fin.

You can have a lot of fun fishing on the reefs around Key West. If you take advantage of one of the many Key West fishing charters, even with a party charter having 20 to 40 fishermen aboard, your chances of catching a lot of fish and having fun are greatly heightened.