Two or three miles off the harbor, on the patch reef, in water that does not ask a seven-year-old to be brave. The point is the lesson, not a full cooler.
Key Largo Harbor Marina
Key Largo fishing charters on a private boat.
Captain Dan Matthews has run Miss Chief for 15 years. He answers the phone himself.
The price is for the whole boat. Six people maximum.
TripAdvisor 4.9 · 230+ reviews · FishingBooker 4.8 from 43 · Yelp 5.0 from 18
- 2 hr
- $450
- 3 hr
- $675
- 4 hr
- $900
- 6 hr
- $1,200
- 8 hr
- $1,500
- 10 hr
- $2,000
Fuel, bait, tackle, license, ice, water, and the fillet are in the fishing price. The 10-hour is swordfish. Gratuity is extra.
Cancel with 72 hours’ notice and the deposit is refunded. If Dan cancels for weather the morning of the trip, the deposit is refunded. No catch is guaranteed. Sailfish and marlin are released.
What the water is doing
The fish move. The hours move with them. This is a chart, not a promise that anything will bite.
October through May
Cooler months. Fish hold inshore, and Dan live-baits the wrecks. September, October, and November are his slowest months. The season, as he runs it, does not really get going again until December. Toward the second half of November the water cools and the sailfish show up.
Spring and early summer
Offshore fish sit closer. A four-hour deep-sea charter can reach them. Sailfish first, then mahi, then wahoo and blackfin. Four hours is $900 for the boat.
Summer, and August in particular
Mahi, wahoo, and tuna push toward the Gulf Stream, upwards of 25 miles. A four-hour offshore trip cannot reach fish that far and be back. Book six hours at $1,200 or eight at $1,500. A swordfish day is eight or ten.
Any month, close to the harbor
The patch reef stays two to three miles out. The Mosquito Sandbar stays about three feet, walkable when the water is clear. Sunset and a memorial stay nearshore. None of those wait on the Stream.
Patch reef
2–3 miles · Calm water
Intro to fishing. Catch and cook.
Deep reef and wrecks
6–10 miles · 50–300 ft
Grouper, amberjack, cobia, kingfish.
Gulf Stream
About 25 miles · Offshore
Sailfish, then mahi, wahoo, blackfin.
Rodriguez Key and the Mosquito Sandbar
A short run · About 3 ft
A swim. Walkable when the water is clear.
A memorial
Nearshore, anchored · Shallow reef
About two hours, often at sunset. Ashes.
Who’s coming, and what do you want the day to feel like?
Eight trips. Eight pieces of water.
Same calm reef, with the day aimed at the plate. We fillet and bag what you keep and send you toward a kitchen in town. The ocean still gets the last word.
Past the patch, onto structure. Six to ten miles, fifty to three hundred feet, and the fish that live on wrecks and ledges: grouper, amberjack, cobia, kingfish.
Trolling and live bait in the blue water. Sailfish first, then mahi, wahoo, and blackfin. Marlin is the rare trophy, a few a year, and it goes back in the water.
The gladiator trip. Eight hours, or the ten-hour day this boat actually keeps on the menu. Most people do not want a ten. This is why it exists.
The same boat, with the rods racked and the light doing the work. Two, three, or four hours around sunset. Date night and a golden-hour photo trip are the same charter.
Rodriguez Key, and the Mosquito Sandbar outside Mosquito Bank. Shallow, sandy, about three feet, and walkable when the water is clear. Your group of six. Not a floating party bus.
Most families who search for a burial at sea are carrying ashes, not arranging a full-body burial. This is a quiet, private two hours on a shallow reef, often around sunset.
We’re not trying to fill the cooler. We’re trying to teach you how to fish.
Capt. Dan, on the patch-reef trip. Two to three miles, calm water, two to four hours. One parent can bring five kids.
The boat is called Miss Chief.
A 34-foot Crusader sportfisher, custom-built in the Florida Keys. Cummins common-rail diesel, a tower, outriggers, a shaded cabin, a marine head, and a livewell. On fishing days the tackle is Shimano, Penn, and Daiwa. She leaves from 400 Ocean Drive.
Read the boatWhat guests wrote
Sources4.9 on TripAdvisor, 230+ reviews. The lines below are not that average. They are four notes, copied whole.
“Captain Dan was amazing and we had an awesome day at sea! We caught tuna and mahi mahi and then they filleted it for us and recommended a local restaurant for them to cook our catch.”
“We’ve had two phenomenal fishing trips with Captain Dan. He is friendly, knowledgeable, and worked hard to find us fish.”
“Captain Dan and his first mate Matty ensured our afternoon of fishing was fun and memorable!”
“We booked this experience for my son’s 9th birthday, the captain and crew (Corey) were absolutely amazing!”
The length of the day sets the price. The fish do not.
Two people and six people pay the same. Four hours is what most people mean by a half day. Eight hours is the full day. The patch stops at four hours. Swordfish starts at eight. The ten exists so a swordfish day can be a ten.
| Hours | The boat |
|---|---|
| 2 hours | $450 |
| 3 hours | $675 |
| 4 hours | $900 |
| 6 hours | $1,200 |
| 8 hours | $1,500 |
| 10 hours, swordfish only | $2,000 |
Fishing trips include fuel, bait, tackle, the license, ice, bottled water, and filleting what you keep. Sunset, sandbar, and a memorial include the boat, fuel, and water. Twenty percent for the crew is customary and is not in the price. Bring food. There is no alcohol package.
What we will not promise
- No guaranteed catch, and no guaranteed dinner. The crew fillets a legal fish and names a restaurant. The ocean has the final say.
- Sailfish and marlin are released.
- No deep-drop tilefish. Those grounds are ruined. You can hardly catch anything there anymore.
- This boat is not a backcountry charter, a dive boat, or a snorkel trip. A few masks ride along for a swim at the sandbar.
From the journal
All piecesKey Largo Fishing Seasons: What Is Biting, and When
Key Largo fishing seasons from this charter's calendar: mahi, sailfish, wrecks, and blackfin, plus when a short offshore trip can reach the fish.
Burial at Sea in the Florida Keys: Ash Scattering off Key Largo
Burial at sea in the Florida Keys almost always means ash scattering off Key Largo. A quiet private charter, nearshore, about two hours, often near sunset.
The Key Largo Sandbar: Rodriguez Key and the Mosquito Sandbar
The Key Largo sandbar at Rodriguez Key and the Mosquito Sandbar, outside Mosquito Bank: shallow water you can walk, on a private boat for six.
Before you book
Is the price per person or for the whole boat?
The whole boat. A Miss Chief charter is private for your group, up to six passengers. You are not splitting the deck with strangers, and you are not paying by the head.
How many people can come?
Six passengers. That is the Coast Guard limit on this 34-foot sportfisher. Six is also why a family trip works: one adult can bring five kids, and the captain still has room to teach.
What is included?
Fuel, bait, tackle, a Florida fishing license, ice, and bottled water. The crew fillets and bags what you keep. Gratuity is not included; 20 percent for the crew is customary. You bring food, drinks, hats, sunscreen, and shoes that will not mark the deck.
Do you guarantee fish?
No. The ocean has the final say. Capt. Dan baits the hooks, finds the fish, and fishes the season in front of him. Sailfish and marlin are released. Legal fish you want to keep are cleaned at the dock.
Can you cook the catch?
The crew fillets and bags it and recommends a restaurant that will cook it. Dinner is not guaranteed, and Miss Chief does not run a kitchen on the boat. Plenty of guests end the day with their own fish on a plate in town. That only happens when the fish cooperate.
What if the weather is bad?
The captain makes the call the morning of the trip. If he cancels for weather, the deposit is refunded and there is no fee. If you cancel with at least 72 hours’ notice, the deposit is refunded. Inside 72 hours, or a no-show, the deposit is forfeited.
Book the boat, or call.
Key Largo Harbor Marina, 400 Ocean Drive. (305) 393-2430.