Reef Fishing Charters – Marathon, FL Keys
Yellowtail Snapper are one of the most prized fish to catch on the reef.
Marathon, Florida, along with the entire Florida Keys, is famous for being the world’s third-largest reef.
The reef holds many different species, including but not limited to yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, king mackerel, plus so many more.
When fishing on the reef, we use light tackle because of the water clarity, and the fish are mostly line shy. The old saying less is more certainly is accurate regarding reef fishing. Fewer lines in the water, along chum, fish attractants, and particular fishing tactics almost always produce results.
Mutton snappers are not only beautiful and fun to catch, they are also delicious!
Yellowtail snapper are one of the most popular dinners served in local restaurants. They are sweet and taste excellent in just about any way they are prepared. In the next few paragraphs, we will outline what folks can expect on a reef fishing charter with Manicsportfishing.
Once we depart the dock, most of the reef fishing is no more than a 15-minute ride away. Less traveling on the water means more fishing time! Within minutes we will figure out our drift and correctly set the anchor to position over the fish. Once anchored, we will deploy chum and fish attraction. It is always best to wait at least 15 minutes before putting a line in the water. We want the fish to be comfortable and start a feeding frenzy.
We catch Larger Mangrove Snappers on the reef using live bait near the bottom.
We can also tell within that time frame the speed of the ocean’s current. The speed of the current will dictate what type of jigs we will use to catch the snappers. Once everything is in place, we will have everyone watch us deploy one fishing rod. We will show everyone exactly what to do to get the bite and land the fish. We generally like to have two people fish in the back of the boat to start.
While two people are fishing, we will put live bait rods on the front of the boat, looking for big fish. Grouper, mangrove, and mutton snappers love live bait on the bottom. As the fishing continues, we like to switch out anglers in the back of the boat for yellowtails. Everyone fishes and everyone learns how to catch them. Everyone has a great time and potentially a phenomenal fish dinner that evening after we clean and bag the fish for you.
In the event the reef fishing is slow, the Captain and Crew always have something up their sleeve to make a move and make your fishing charter a success! If you are headed to the beautiful Florida Keys and wish to go Reef Fishing we have multiple boats to choose from. Call us at 305.903.5764 or visit our contact page.
