Islamorada Blackfin Tuna Charters
Blackfin Tuna | Year-Round on the Reef Edge
What Is a Tuna Charter in Islamorada?
A tuna charter in Islamorada is a full-day offshore trip focused on blackfin tuna around the reef edge, wrecks, current seams, and Gulf Stream water. These trips are great for anglers who want steady action, strong eating fish, and multiple ways to catch them with trolling, chunking, and live bait.
Blackfin Tuna out of Islamorada
Blackfin tuna are the workhorse of the Florida Keys. They run 5 to 30+ lbs, hold year-round from the reef edge to offshore wrecks, stack on current seams, and feed hard on glass minnows and flying fish.
Islamorada sits just 15 miles from the Gulf Stream edge, one of the closest access points in the continental U.S. That means less running and more fishing, and blackfin are almost always around.
A chunky blackfin on light tackle is a legitimate fight. They run, they dive, and they make the best sushi you've ever had straight off the boat.
🔥 Chunking triggers feeding frenzies. When the school comes up, it's chaos.
Tuna by the Numbers
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Blackfin Tuna
5 to 30 lbs | Year-Round
- 🏆
Blackfin Tuna
5 to 30+ lbs | Year-Round
- 🌊
Gulf Stream
15 Miles from Islamorada
- 🎣
Method
Trolling / Chunking / Live Bait
From the DirtyBoat Catch Log
Blackfin on the DirtyBoat 2.0
Repping the Gear
Nothing better than happy customers in DirtyBoat gear holding up a fat blackfin at the dock. These fish hit hard, run fast, and make incredible sushi. About as good as reef-to-table gets.
Blackfin are year-round in Islamorada. Live bait on the reef edge and current seams is the program.
Captain Kit & Mike
Two grins, one big blackfin. Blackfin tuna are the year-round workhorse of the DirtyBoat, always around and always ready to eat.
First Mate John, Shipwreck Blackfin
Pulled from a shipwreck on live bait. Get the right bait in front of the right structure and it's game on.
Book a Tuna Charter
Best action at dawn and dusk. Select your date for an offshore tuna pursuit.
That day's either booked solid or off our regular schedule. Call us: we keep a waitlist for last-minute openings, and we work with a fleet of sister boats that can run if we can't.
📞 Call (305) 209-5594 See Sister-Boat Fleet →Check Affiliate Private Availability
If DirtyBoat is booked, we can still get your group on the water. Our partner fleet (Miss Penny, Just Cuz, Blue Heaven, and Islamorada Luxe) is vetted to the DirtyBoat standard. From deep sea fishing to private sandbar trips and sunset cruises.
The Tuna Playbook
Both species hit live bait, jigs, and small feathers. Best action comes early morning and at sunset when the schools push to the surface. Chunking, chumming with chunks of cut bait, triggers feeding frenzies that bring tuna boiling to the surface.
- 🎣 Trolling: Covering ground with feathers and skirted lures along the Stream edge.
- 🔥 Chunking: Anchoring up and creating a chum slick to draw the school.
- ⚡ Live Bait: Goggle-eyes and pilchards freelined in the chum trail.
"When the blackfin stack up on a wreck, every rod on the boat bends at once."
Gulf Stream Advantage
Islamorada's proximity to the Gulf Stream is what makes it special. Just 15 miles offshore, you're in blue water where blackfin tuna patrol the temperature breaks, current edges, and reef structure. Most other ports require 40-60 miles of running to reach the same water.
The 42-foot Liberty Express eats those miles quickly, and Captain Kit Carson knows every temperature break, color change, and shipwreck where tuna stack up. Blackfin tuna are year-round in Islamorada, always around and always ready to eat.
Voyage Details
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Duration
Full 8 Hours
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Crew
Up to 6 People
Bring to the Boat
- 🔱 Quick-dry clothing
- 🔱 Polarized sunglasses
- 🔱 Sunscreen & Lip Balm
- 🔱 Heavy Rations (Long Day)
- 🔱 Booty for the Mate (15-20%)
Provisions Included
- ✔️ Tournament Grade Tackle
- ✔️ Live Bait & Chum
- ✔️ Federal Fishing Licenses
- ✔️ Ice & Cold Water
- ✔️ Catch Cleaning
Articles of Agreement
Payment of Bounty
Online bookings require full payment via modern currency (Credit Card/Digital). Cash is always king at the Robbie's Marina dock.
The Mate's Tip
"A hardworking crew deserves a share." Customary gratuity is 15%-20%.
Voyage Cancellation
- • 14+ Days: Full refund (less 6% fee).
- • 7-13 Days: 50% refund.
- • Weather/Captain Call: Full refund or credit.
Islamorada Tuna FAQs
Real answers to questions I actually get on the dock.
Are blackfin around all year?
Yes: most consistent year-round offshore species in the Keys. They hold on the Humps 15 miles south of Islamorada, on the reef edge in 200-400 ft, and around offshore wrecks. Peak action runs December through April when the water cools.
Where exactly do you fish?
The Humps: two seamounts rising from 1,100 ft to 400 ft, 15 miles south of Islamorada. The upwelling concentrates bait and predators. Backup spots: reef edge in 200-400 ft, the Spiegel Grove and other offshore wrecks, and current seams where the Gulf Stream pushes baitfish.
How do you catch them?
Three ways. Trolling small skirted lures and feathers at 6 knots over the Humps. Chunking with cut sardine and free-lining live pilchards in the chum slick. Vertical jigging with knife jigs when fish stack on sonar. Light tackle hooks more fish here: 20-30 lb spinning is the sweet spot.
How big do they get?
Average is 8-20 lbs. Quality fish 25-35. Forties show up every season at the Humps. Florida state record is 45+ lbs. Pound-for-pound, blackfin are the hardest-pulling fish in the Keys: a 20-pounder on 20 lb spinning tackle is a real fight.
How much does it cost?
$2,200 plus $200 fuel for up to 6 anglers: about $400 per person split six. The 8-hour day includes captain, mate, light tackle spinning gear, jigging rods, chunk and live bait, licenses, ice, water, and fish cleaning.
Are they good to eat?
Among the best: sushi-grade straight out of the water. Dark red flesh, mild, lean. Eats raw, seared, or grilled. Fish goes on ice immediately in the cockpit, gets cleaned dockside, ready for the kitchen that night. Many clients have it prepared right at Robbie's.
What's the bag limit?
Federal HMS rules apply since we fish federal waters. Recreational limit is 2 blackfin per angler per day, no federal minimum size. Yellowfin and bigeye have separate limits. We track and report under HMS regulations.
What gear do you run?
Shimano Stella and Saragosa spinning on 20-30 lb test with 50 lb fluorocarbon for chunking and live baiting. Jigging rods with Shimano Talica 10s for vertical knife jigs. Penn International 20s for trolling at the Humps. Light wire to fluoro leader depending on what shows in the chum slick.
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