Key West Fishing Reports (December 2025)

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Fishing reports straight from our guides in Key West

Mark Baumgarten with Cowboy Cowgirl Sport Fishing Charters
Key West, Florida
Reported: 9 months ago

Key West Sportfishing Delivers! A group of brothers from Miami came down for an unforgettable Key West fishing trip, and the action did not disappoint! The highlight of their three-quarter day private charter was a massive 40-pound King Mackerel (Smoker Kingfish)—an absolute beast! They also landed some solid Cero Mackerel,...

Mark Baumgarten with Cowboy Cowgirl Sport Fishing Charters Key West, Florida Reported: 9 months ago

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John Guieb
Key West, Florida
Reported: 10 months ago

John Guieb Key West, Florida Reported: 10 months ago

The Warsaw Grouper of a Lifetime As part of my Big Fish Series, this catch represents one of the most incredible moments of my fishing career. Measuring over 84 inches, this Warsaw grouper is not only the largest grouper I’ve ever caught but also the biggest fish (excluding sharks) I’ve ever landed. This fish was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The battle was nothing short of epic, testing my skills and endurance. Armed with a Shimano Talica 50, the grouper put up a fight worthy of its size and reputation. Every second of the struggle was a reminder of the raw power and sheer determination these giants possess. Landing this grouper will forever stand as a milestone in my journey as a fisherman. It’s a humbling yet thrilling reminder of the incredible encounters the ocean holds for those willing to test their limits.

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Mark Baumgarten with Cowboy Cowgirl Sport Fishing Charters
Key West, Florida
Reported: 10 months ago

This night they went out for a sunset, tuna trip and limited out on Black fin tuna this was one of the big butter balls estimated to be over 20 to 25 pounds on (light Tackle)

Mark Baumgarten with Cowboy Cowgirl Sport Fishing Charters Key West, Florida Reported: 10 months ago

This night they went out for a sunset, tuna trip and limited out on Black fin tuna this was one of the big butter balls estimated to be over 20 to 25 pounds on (light Tackle)

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Robbie Broestler
Niceville, Florida
Reported: 10 months ago

The spot tailed pinfish I caught was world record beating the world record from South Carolina by quite a few ounces. It was taken off the record books 4.5 months prior to me catching it:(

Robbie Broestler Niceville, Florida Reported: 10 months ago

The spot tailed pinfish I caught was world record beating the world record from South Carolina by quite a few ounces. It was taken off the record books 4.5 months prior to me catching it:(

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Antonio Estenoz
Key West, Florida
Reported: 10 months ago

Goliath Grouper is the biggest grouper in the grouper family. It can grow 500+ lbs, here is some I've caught I the past months. Usually found by rocks and wrecks so tough to get to the boat which make for a great challenge.

Antonio Estenoz Key West, Florida Reported: 10 months ago

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Justin Ferrell with Good Times Key West
Key West, Florida
Reported: 10 months ago

Justin Ferrell with Good Times Key West Key West, Florida Reported: 10 months ago

Here are a verity of depths and big fish. 🎣 unfortunately I don't have any measurements of the fish. All are species I often catch, so I can say they are waaayy above average sized. The Mahi was on a slow slow day. 3hrs of trolling on our 35' Carolina Classic without a bite. Just as we were planning to "switch gears" and anchor up for some bottom fishing, we spotted one lone frigate bird. 🦅 as we passed under the bird, our downrigger got slammed. Its first run was long and fast, we immediately assumed it was a wahoo. Our angler jumped up from half napping position and started cranking. After fighting for about 15min I got a glimpse of color from the bridge, it was one of the biggest bull mahis I've ever seen. Gaf shot from our mate Sam was perfect, and so were the tacos. One of my life long best friends was visiting key west and helping me with some boat and home maintenance. Luckily one of his last days in town, we had a perfect (2mph wind) day. We could not pass up the opportunity to run out deep. After some adjustments to our bottom reader we started marking fish on the bottom in 900'. Tommy attached the gator clips to 12v and down went the big lead to the bottom. Almost immediately our rod bent over and we knew it was the one we wanted. It was not the subtle bite we often see. After watching the electric reel do all the work, we got beautiful golden reflection of this massive golden tile.

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Anthony Del Valle with Kilo Whiskey Charters
Key West, Florida
Reported: 10 months ago

Anthony Del Valle with Kilo Whiskey Charters Key West, Florida Reported: 10 months ago

Winter time fishing is amazing in key west. we had southwest winds, so we took it to the gulf side to see about catching cobia and snapper. As soon as we got to the spot, we spotted a pack of cobia on the surface.. we promptly got to work. Our anglers captured two beautiful cobia and a bunch of lanesnapper. Great bite and adrenalin filled action on this four hour morning fishing trip. I sent the boys home with several bags of fish for their cook your catch dinner.

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Hunter Ledbetter
Key West, Florida
Reported: 10 months ago

The news from Key West really is our winter fishing has picked up Cobia, mackerels, wahoo, and sail fish starting

Hunter Ledbetter Key West, Florida Reported: 10 months ago

The news from Key West really is our winter fishing has picked up Cobia, mackerels, wahoo, and sail fish starting

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★★★★★
Wonderful trip, they made it so easy to enjoy ourselves, crew was inviting and welcoming. will definitely be booking again
Heather W. | November 27, 2025

Trip: Key West Nearshore/Offshore Trip
★★★★★
Capt Justin knows what he's doing. If you're in the Keys and looking to catch fish and have a great experience, call him!
Dale S. | November 27, 2025

Trip: Key West Fishing Adventure
★★★★★
Hunter and Valerie were awesome! Even in unideal conditions at the end of the season, we were still able to bring in a bunch of lobster. They made things quick and easy, and Hunter was communicating with me all throughout the planning process. Would absolutely book again.
Dalton R. | November 18, 2025

Trip: Lionfish Spearfishing Fury
★★★★★
Amazing trip! Captain was awesome! Put us right on the spot to catch lobster! Definitely a must do!
Noel S. | November 16, 2025

Trip: Catch Your Own Tasty Lobster!
★★★★★
Captain Jamie took us out in the early afternoon, and even though we knew the bite was a little slow at this time, we just wanted to get out and enjoy the water around beautiful Key West. He made the most of our four hours; we hit around four spots and even cruised over to the ocean side to try and find the bite that way. In this 4-hour trip, I got a crash course in fly fishing from one of the best. Jamie’s super laid-back, easy to talk to, and knows the area like the back of his hand. We wrapped up the trip with a gorgeous sunset; it was a 10/10 day all around. Even with the slow bite, it was one of the most scenic, educational, and unforgettable trips I’ve ever been on!
Jonathan N. | November 6, 2025

Trip: Key West On Light Tackle & Flies
★★★★★
We had an amazing time! Captain was friendly and very helpful. The captain recommended that we take our catch to Mac’s Place bar just steps from the marina and have it prepared. The staff and preparation were both amazing!! We will return to do it all again! Thanks Antonio!!
Todd R. | November 5, 2025

Trip: Key West Inshore, Nearshore, Jetty
★★★★★
We took our team out with Hunter for a combo lobstering and deep sea trip and he didn't let us down! First and foremost, Hunter is an ex-marine who is incredibly on top of his equipment, his boat, and his safety and was very clear about expectations for the day and what we should be doing at any point in time. After a quick scuba diving refresher & safety brief we put on our gear for a dive and were rewarded with a number of keeper lobsters, a bigger number of lobsters that were too small to keep, a lionfish which we speared, and too many great wildlife sightings to count including a big loggerhead turtle, a black grouper, and a nurse shark hoping for a handout. After the dive we put our gear away we drove a few miles further out to catch some yellowtail snapper. We started slow, but pretty soon were reeling in a yellowtail almost every cast. We probably caught 20-25 within a few hours, as well as a small yellow jack, a parrotfish, and an undersized red grouper. Lastly, we decided to use the last hour of our trip to try to hook into a big black grouper using some of our yellowtail as bait. This was a bit of a "go big or go home" bet and unfortunately didn't pay off for us this time - I wish we'd had a bit more time to drift and I'm sure we would have hooked one. Overall can't speak highly enough of Hunter and the experience diving and fishing in the Keys. There is such a variety of things to do that even on a full day trip you will never feel bored and can always pivot to something else. We even chased a frigate bird and threw some bucktails in the middle of the day at some bait that was busting. You won't go wrong booking a trip with Hunter.
Attison B. | November 5, 2025

Trip: Full Day Offshore - 30' Seahunter
★★★★★
Awesome trip Captain Brad put us on the fish all day
Sam R. | November 2, 2025

Trip: Key West Mixed Bag Trip
★★★★★
Great crew and cap weather wasn’t the best but still had a good time
Stephen | October 31, 2025

Trip: Key West Lobstering - 30’ Seahunter
★★★★★
Captain Brad did a great job! Very good boat.
Jeff M. | October 13, 2025

Trip: Key West Mixed Bag Trip