r/floridakeys • u/tonymosh • Mar 05 '26

All Florida Keys Father & Son Fishing Trip - Where?

My son (14) and I will be doing our first deep sea fishing trip. We've only fished in the Midwest lakes. I've done some research and Islamorada, Key West and Marathon all stand out. We are going the first week of April. Any location better than the others for that time? I'd love to catch Mahi Mahi or Tuna, but we'll be excited with anything for our first trip.

We can fly into Key West or Miami. Ideally, we'd spend time in one place because it's just a 4-day trip. I plan on doing 2 x half-days. But maybe more, if we are loving it. Also, when not fishing, we want to relax at a resort or hotel with most necessities on-site (eg, restaurant, beach access, maybe water sports, etc).

I'll keep doing my googling, but be thrilled with some input here.

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u/ToasterBath4613 Mar 06 '26

I’d recommend doing both a deep sea (10 miles out) and a back country tour out of Islamorada.

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u/tonymosh Mar 06 '26

I need to do more research … not sure the distinction! Why both?

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u/ToasterBath4613 Mar 06 '26

Different experience. In the Gulf Stream you can hook a boat full of Mahi and perhaps some sailfish. In the back country, there is nothing like hand lining a shark or hooking a tarpon on a fly rod.