2026 Best of Upper Keys Finalist: Best Offshore Fishing Charter Boat

The Upper Keys picked their favorites, and DirtyBoat made the short list.

Upper Keys Weekly has officially named DirtyBoat Charters a 2026 Best of Upper Keys Finalist in Best Offshore Fishing Charter Boat. That nomination came from you. The community put our name in the ring, and that’s the part of this I care about most.

The official 2026 Finalist badge from Upper Keys Weekly.

What the Best of Upper Keys is

The Best of Upper Keys awards are Upper Keys Weekly’s people’s choice edition of “who does it best around here.” No judges with clipboards, no pay-to-play plaques. Readers across Tavernier, Islamorada, Key Largo and Plantation Key nominate and vote for the businesses they actually use and actually like.

Being named a finalist in Best Offshore Fishing Charter Boat means the folks who live here, fish here, and boat for a living think DirtyBoat runs one of the best offshore boats in the Upper Keys. Coming from the people who know these waters better than anyone, that lands differently than a badge bought online.

This isn’t our first ride with Upper Keys Weekly, either. Captain Kit Carson took home Best Fishing Guide in the 2023 Best of Upper Keys awards, and a 463-pound swordfish catch made the paper’s pages back in 2023. The newspaper has been covering the Upper Keys for 22 years, and recognition from the local paper of record means something to us.

Save the date: November 13

The winners get announced at the Best of Upper Keys Awards Ceremony:

• When: Friday, November 13, doors at 6 PM
• Where: Playa Largo Resort, Key Largo

We’ll be there in our fishing boots, win or lose. If they call our name in the offshore boat category, expect a fresh Winner Badge on this site before the shrimp cocktail is cold.

Thank you

To everyone who nominated us and voted: thank you. To the anglers who’ve run offshore with us, brought their families out, split a seat to the Humps, or trusted us with a first-ever sailfish hookup: this finalist nod belongs to you as much as it does to the crew.

Whether November 13 ends with hardware or just a good night at Playa Largo, the mission doesn’t change. We leave Robbie’s Marina, we run less and fish more, and we do our best to put people on fish.

See you on the water. And if you’re in the Upper Keys on the 13th, come celebrate with us.

Go Get’em.