Sport fishing charter

Two quite different kinds of fishing leave the docks at Islamorada. Offshore boats head out past the reef for mahi-mahi, sailfish and tuna, and they leave at first light; they have toilets, most have air conditioning, and the reef line for snapper and grouper starts only about three and a half miles out. Backcountry guides take small flats boats into Florida Bay and the edge of the Everglades, poling shallow water for bonefish, tarpon, permit, snook and redfish, usually for two anglers, sometimes three or four on a bigger bay boat.

Trips run as half days of four hours or full days of eight, plus evening tarpon trips. A deposit holds the date and cancellation rules are strict, though the captain calls off or moves a trip in bad weather. The budget option is a party (head) boat to the reef with tackle and bait supplied and the crew filleting your catch; bring your own lunch and drinks.