What would you recommend to anglers fishing in Key West, Florida for the first time?

Book with the Coolcast for a great fishing experience. They are experienced and provided a fun and enjoyable trip. We were able to hook a shark and a Blue Marlin (which was highly unusual for the FL Keys area). Had a great time.

Be prepared for changes in weather and conditions to dictate which type of fish you can target. Offshore winds can make fishing for mahi, marlin, etc more difficult. The benefit of Key West is thast you can switch fishing type on the fly and stay inshore where there is less wind, yet still target great fish like snapper, barracuda, tarpon, jacks, etc.

Book with Cora Beth!! They are an easy going, fun and helpful crew that will ensure you have a blast (and catch fish!)!!

If it's your first time, look for shorter trips on calmer waters. Then you can work your way up towards 4 hour and 8 hour trips! They are all out there and available!

Not grouper season which was the only bummer. But certainly had nothing to do with our amazing crew!

Absolutely. One of the best fishing spots in the whole world. There's such a diverse ecosystem here. Anglers can fish for any type of fish you could possibly imagine.

Trust in your captain and mate, they are truly knowledgeable and intuitive in what they are doing!!!

It seemed like a season change of some sort maybe I’d go a little later in the year if I was to arrange a trip just for fishing, this trip wasn’t a fishing specific trip

LOL....I guess it was good. Everyone was catching fish...which puts it in at least the "Good" realm!

We weee here for a quick weekend with friends, so not really the better time of year for tarpon. Would probably try later in June or July if tarpon are what you’re looking for.

Find a captain that matches your personality. Don’t go chasing the big catch. Just enjoy the trip.

Fishing in early March meant a beautiful sunny day with temps around 80 degrees. However, the seas were rougher than we expected, and a couple in our group got seasick.

Since we were inexperienced backcountry fishermen, maybe a preview from our captain prior to our trip could give us a realistic view of what to expect. Just a short email would be beneficial.

Don’t go if you’re above average afraid of getting sea sick. If you get sick, the whole boat kind of suffers.

It can get really windy and a bit chilly this time of year. If the forecast is windy and under 70 degrees, highly recommend dressing in layers and prepare for a bit of a rougher ride on the water.

Weather changes are not controlled be any person so check weather before you go out. Mother nature plays a big part in how well your day goes.

need to spend more than 4 hours out fishing, plan a day trip for better catching.

Fly directly into Key West unless you like 6 hour drives from Fort Lauderdale in our case.

Get hooked up with Captain Blake. He knows the waters can confidently navigate you to the catch.

The afternoon charters are nice because you will enjoy the sunset on your ride back to the dock.

Do the 6hr rather than just a 4hr this gives you time to make moves if you’re not catching

Not sure what to recommend since this was my first time. Maybe motion sickness medicine.

It’s fishing. Hopefully you get fish, just know the crew does their damnest to make that happen

I only rate it this low because I know how great it can be chasing more challenging species (tarpon, permit, bonefish, etc.)

Wish we could have kept our big big grouper! However, they're out of season and we had to put him back. But they were gorgeous! Yes that's an excuse to come back before new year's

Take something warm. Protect against the wind If you want to ship your catch prepare in advance Hurricane hole on stock island is a fantastic place to eat and cook your catch.

Private providers always provide the most personal experience. It’s worth the price. Key West was beautiful.

December weather makes for a concern- we had a cold front a day before and that may have impacted our fishing.

Great fishing but weather can be an issue. Overall good time, this Captain and boat are good to go.

Young guys 8,9 and 10 were very happy with a half day on the water. The 15 year old would still be fishing if we could. This was the best first ever trip.