Hurricane Hole Marina has an outstanding restaurant and bar to cook up your catch when you get back to the dock. The food is excellent and the beer ice cold. Simply hand your server your bag of fresh fish, tell them Blackened, Fried, Panko or Grilled…. There is no better way to eat fish than fresh from the boat.
Here at Key West Pro Guides, we practice catch and release on many of our species. For the fish that are considered good eating, you are certainly more than welcome to take your legal limit of fish home with you. Our guides will happily fillet your fish, please remember to take care of them for this service.
It is often asked how much of a gratuity is considered customary to tip your captain for great service. The answer is similar to a restaurant gratuity, 15-20% of the trip.
Here at Key West Pro Guides we use one of the best replica mounting agents in the world, Grays Taxidermy. Take the memory home with you with a stunning replica mount and brag to all of your friends and family for years on end. Please let us know if you would like to mount a fish and we’ll take care of everything. Remember, all Billfish, Shark, Permit, Tarpon and other restricted species are release mounts only.
For charter guests arriving on a cruise ship, your charter will depart from the beautiful Opal Resort & Marina. Key West has three cruise ship docks: Mallory Square Dock, Pier B (Opal Resort & Marina) and the Navy Mole.
During your reservation, we will confirm the pier where your ship is scheduled to berth, the time it will arrive and provide simple directions to the Opal Resort & Marina.
If your trip departs from Hurricane Hole Marina, there is a ship store on premises that offers everything from drinks, snacks, sunscreen, hats, and lots more for your convenience.
If your trip departs from Ocean’s Edge Marina, you will need to bring provisions with you, as they do not have a ship store on property.
For freshly made sandwiches on the day of your trip, we recommend stopping by Dolphin Deli, 5600 Maloney Ave, to order awesome, freshly made Deli sandwiches. They open at 6:00am, daily. Ask them to ‘boat wrap’ your sandwich, keeping the condiments and toppings on the side.
All of our guides are experts in teaching you the ‘feel of the bite’. You do not need to be a pro to hook and land quality size fish. Many of our anglers have never fished in saltwater some may have never fished before. Our guides will instruct you how to operate the rods and reels and explain what to feel for when the fish strikes. Whether you prefer fly, spinning or conventional gear, our guides are experts in instructional methods, very patient and will have you catching fish in no time.
Communication is essential between guest and guide so we may provide the perfect day on the water. We urge our guests to defer to the recommendations and suggestions offered by our guide team.
We appreciate that some guests have interest in pursuing certain species or particular fishing techniques and/or locations during their time on the water. We strive to provide exactly the fishing experience you seek however several variable conditions can and do affect fishing in Key West. For example our tropical weather, winds, tide tables and water conditions do play a major part in the final outcome of every charter. For this reason, understand the Key West Pro Guides team always “fishes to the conditions of the day” to provide the best possible action and overall experience for our guests.
At Key West Pro Guides we request every guest to place a quick call to their guide after 5:00pm the evening before their scheduled charter date. This is to address any last minute trip details, possible weather concerns and to more importantly, establish a game plan for the following day’s trip.
You should arrive at the dock 15 minutes before your scheduled take off time. This gives us a chance to ice down your drinks and gather any last minute items for an “on time” departure.
All morning charters depart the dock at 8:00 AM, unless an earlier time has been pre-arranged (ex. Tarpon Season). All afternoon charters depart at 1:00pm, unless an alternate departure time has been established previously.
The 1/2 day trips are 4 hours, the 5/8 trips are 5 hours, the 3/4 day trips are 6 hours, the full day trips are 8 hours and the extended day trips are 10 hours, dock to dock.