Key West Private Shrimp Boat Charter

Description

Go out on a Key West Private Gulf Shrimp Boat Charter and experience some of the most thrilling fishing in Key West. You will travel miles offshore to meet the Gulf shrimp boats at dawn. When the shrimpers clean their nightly catch and toss the leftovers into the water, schools of gamefish and other predators of the sea swarm for a wild feeding frenzy. This is saltwater fishing like you never imagined it, and City Balloon Tours is your local connection to the Key West fishing charters that get you out there.

Every night, the Gulf shrimp boats trawl the Gulf of Mexico for the pink shrimp that are one of Key West’s most famous seafood treats. In the early morning hours, the nets are hauled in and the shrimping crews dump the catch, sort out the shrimp, and toss hundreds of pounds of bycatch overboard. Large schools of big, aggressive gamefish—Bonito, Blackfin Tuna, Amberjack, Cobia, Sharks and more—are familiar with the shrimp boats and gather to feed on the bounty of dead and dying baitfish, squid, crabs, and other bottom-dwelling creatures. These ravenous fish strike madly at anything that moves, and the fishing action is off the charts.

A City Balloon Tours Private Gulf Shrimp Boat Charter puts your fishing party in the middle of one of these feeding frenzies and lets you catch fish until your arms are literally exhausted. Our captains know where to find the shrimp boats and they know the shrimping crews. Your charter boat will pull right up next to the shrimp trawler so you can fish directly behind, around, and under it as the massive cloud of chum hits the water. Often, the charter captains trade snacks, drinks, and other treats with the shrimping crew for a supply of chum that can be used to draw hungry fish right to the side of the fishing boat.

You can fish with bait, plugs, lures, jigs, or flies. On the surface or on the bottom–every fish in the area is waiting for the chance at a free meal. The action is fast and furious as the excited predators snap at everything in their path, even leaping to take lures out of the air. It is not uncommon to catch hundreds of fish in a day, and even the most experienced Florida Keys fisherman and charter captains rate the shrimp boats as one of the most exciting fisheries there is.

Do you want to catch Sharks? Sharks are always on hand, but at some boats, big packs move in and take over. Blacktips, Bull Sharks, Lemon Sharks–their fins cut the water alongside the boat. You get a front row view of a real slice of savage sea life. Toss a big chunk of bait over the side and hook up to tangle with these prehistoric beasts, some weighing hundreds of pounds. On a shrimp boat trip, it’s common to see fishermen, muscles too drained to fight another fish, feeding Sharks and Tuna by hand just to watch the spectacle.

It is usually a long run out to get to the shrimp boats, and weather conditions have to be right to do one of these trips. Gulf shrimp boat fishing involves a full day on the water, from the pre-dawn hours until dusk, but when everything comes together you will have one of the top fishing days of your life. Once fishermen get a taste of this kind of fishing, there are very few who do not want to make a return trip in the future.

City Balloon Tours is your local connection to these amazing Key West Gulf Shrimp Boat private charter fishing trips. You need to plan ahead for one of these specialty fishing trips, and it’s easy to reserve a boat for your party with just a few clicks in our secure online booking system. Experience an exciting Key West Gulf Shrimp Boat Fishing trip on your next Key West visit!