Top Five Florida Sailfish Trips

Sailfish Fishing Charters

Sailfish are one of the most sought-after sport fish in the world with blistering high-speed runs and incredible acrobatics. With so many of the best sailfish spots in the world being in Florida, we wanted to break it down a little further. Here are our top five picks for sailfish trips in Florida.

Key West

Captain Chuck

Head out for a fun-filled action-packed charter with Captain Chuck aboard his Ocean Yacht for an epic Key West fishing experience! Most trips consist of trolling offshore waters using a variety of techniques to target sailfish and many other pelagic species. Captain Chuck fishes aboard a well-maintained 55 foot Ocean Sport Fisher fully equipped to catch big fish. On these trips anglers can be as involved as they'd like. If you want to watch the action from inside the air-conditioned cabin you can, but if you’d rather be out on the deck in the middle of the action that works too.

A true veteran of the charter industry, Captain Chuck has been captaining boats for over 25 years. It's safe to say he's picked up plenty of knowledge about Florida Keys fishing and the species that inhabit these waters. His dedication to customer satisfaction was honed during his over 30 years in the transportation industry. He'll get you plenty of fish and make sure you have a great time doing it.

Captain Mark

Captain Mark will guide you on an action-packed adventure through the waters of Key West, Florida!

On a trip with Captain Mark, you’ll be targeting a wide variety of species, including sailfish, white marlin, mahi mahi, mutton snapper, and amberjack to name a few. You can also catch a few sharks depending on when and where you go. Prepare for a big fight because these apex predators are tough to land.

Make sure you bring a cooler to hold food and drinks for the day (no glass), and most importantly to bring home your catch.

Captain Mark launched his charter in 1965 and has provided anglers with world-class fishing experiences ever since. Today, Captain Mark keeps the family tradition going and invites you to join him on his unforgettable trips fishing the waters surrounding Key West, Florida. Captain Mark and his crew offer fantastic inshore, nearshore, offshore, reef, and wreck fishing.

Fort Lauderdale

Captain David

Captain David is located in sunny South Florida also known as sailfish alley. He welcomes anglers of all ages from the novice angler to veterans of the salt. While fishing the reefs you will be catching pelagics near the surface such as sailfish, mahi mahi, tuna, wahoo, and kingfish. To mix up your trips you can also do some bottom fishing which targets mutton, mangrove, yellowtail, and lane snapper along with a variety of grouper.

United States Coast Guard licensed Captain David has 30 years of experience fishing the waters of beautiful, sunny South Florida. His passion started in the late 80's fishing in North Biscayne Bay, and he's been adding to his local knowledge ever since! Through decades of exploring, Captain David knows when and where to target the species that are biting best, no matter the time of the year. You'll be using quality gear on all of his trips thanks to sponsorships from leading industry tackle companies.

Captain Taco

Off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, there are a couple different techniques for trolling. You can troll the reefs for sailfish, kingfish, bonito, mahi mahi, wahoo, tuna, and sometimes blue marlin. Trolling the reef will produce bites on deep lines, so Captain Taco will troll with 2 planer boards that take the bait about 45 feet down along with 3 baits skipping across the surface at about 5 to 6 knots. If you find a school of kingfish, multiple bites at the same time are not uncommon.

When trolling open offshore waters, Captain Taco will pump the gas a little to cover more ground. You'll usually troll 5 to 6 baits on the surface at 6 to 8 knots. He doesn't like trolling the planners offshore due to the resistance that the planners cause. Anything floating offshore can hold fish from a weed patch, grass line, or even a piece of driftwood, and Captain Taco will pull the baits past it to see if anybody's home.

Both are great options, and you might even have enough time to try a little of both! No matter what, you are sure to have a great time fishing in Ft. Lauderdale with Captain Taco. All of his trips come with his Full-Service Package which includes an experienced captain & mate, all necessary fishing licenses, top-of-the-line rods, reels & tackle, a cooler loaded with ice for your beers & sodas, and a lot of laughs & a great time!

Captain Taco caters his trips to anglers of all experience levels. So if you're an experienced angler, Captain Taco is more than happy to let you do your thing. If you're new to the sport, Captain Taco loves to show his guests how to work the sport fishing equipment, so there is no intimidation factor. He just loves helping people get into the sport of fishing. Captain Taco has lived in South Florida his whole life and is more than happy to assist you with locating restaurants, bars, or whatever you’re interested in.

Riviera Beach

Captain Rick

Hop on board with Captain Rick and prepare for an action-packed day of offshore fishing in the Atlantic. Riviera Beach provides easy access to the productive offshore waters that Florida is known for. On trips with Captain Rick, you will head a few miles offshore where you'll be going after some exciting fish like sailfish, mahi mahi, and Wahoo. You'll be targeting these fish using methods such as light tackle, heavy tackle, bottom fishing, trolling, and jigging. Whether you want to fish with a rod in your hand, sit back and wait for a reel to start screaming, or do whatever your favorite species has been biting recently, Captain Rick has you covered. Captain Rick fishes aboard a 28' Contender center console with a guest capacity of five. The boat can travel at up to 50 knots, which means no time is wasted traveling from the dock to areas you want to fish.

There will be a first mate on board in addition to Captain Rick to help you fish and show you how to use equipment that may be new to you. Captain Rick encourages family charters and his trips are child friendly. These trips fit up to 5 guests, so bring along some good company and get ready to catch some incredible fish.

Captain Rick started fishing bass tournaments at the young age of 10. He is incredibly passionate about fishing and loves being on the water due to its natural beauty. Rick became a fisherman because he loves to help people from all walks of life catch fish. In his spare time, Captain Rick fishes local tournaments for sailfish and other pelagic species, and he has placed while competing against some of the best talent in the world.