Contact First Choice Charters
Captain Larry Wren
First Choice Charters
Whale Harbor Marina
83413 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, FL 33036
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If your interest piqued at dolphin/mahi-mahi, you should book your trip from May to October when the population explodes! The charter boat trolls rigged baits and lures to locate schools of dolphin that range from 5 to 50 pounds. Once a school is found, their voracious appetites and abundant numbers result in a feeding frenzy you’ll never forget. And, since dolphin are excellent table fare, you’ll want to keep them for dinner. Your boat’s mate will gladly fillet them and you can arrange to have your catch prepared at any of the local restaurants.
From November to April, we primarily fish for sailfish, using live bait on light tackle. Catching the baitfish (ballyhoo) on the way out to the deep water is an interesting part of your adventure. The ballyhoo are chummed up to the surface, where they are caught by cast net or by fishing for them using tiny hair hooks. Once the bait well is full, the boat runs to the outside edge of the reef and the action begins. If you’ve never hooked into a 7-foot-long tail-walking sailfish on light tackle, you’re in for a thrill of a lifetime! We practice catch and release for all bill fishing and ask about no-kill fish mounts.
Florida is the only state in America with easily accessible coral reefs. Join us for the amazing opportunity to fish these abundant feeding grounds for nearly 600 species of fish just 20 minutes offshore. You’ll be bottom fishing in calm, sheltered water 10 feet to 30 feet deep for snapper, grouper, yellowtail, hogfish, porgies, grunts, jacks, mackerel and barracuda, to name just a few. Once anchored, chum is put out to create a feeding frenzy right behind the boat to give you non-stop action as you catch fish after fish.
Unlike our competition that charges per person, our charter rates cover the “First Choice Merritt Sport fishing vessel” guaranteed clean, fueled, and stocked with baits, spare gear, and a clean ice-filled cooler, as well as two expert crew members trained to ensure you have the best fishing experience possible.