Islamorada Reef Fishing

The reef line runs about four miles off Islamorada in 60 to 90 feet of water. It is the trip that fills a cooler: snapper all year, grouper from May, and steady bites for families.

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Where is the reef in Islamorada?

About four miles offshore, Bud N’ Mary’s says, from around 60 feet on top to 90 feet at the bottom, with wrecks outside it in 100 to 200 feet. Crews anchor or drift and fish for yellowtail and mutton snapper all year and grouper from May to December. Some reefs nearby, Alligator Reef among them, are closed to fishing.

The reef and the wrecks

Bud N’ Mary’s puts the reef line at an average of four miles offshore, about 60 feet on top to 90 feet on the bottom, with wrecks outside the reef in 100 to 200 feet. It says the reef is fished all year, though offshore boats focus on it from October to April, and lists snapper, grouper, cobia, mackerel, wahoo and even sailfish along it. Robbie’s says its reef spots hold mutton, yellowtail, grouper and mackerel, summer or winter.

Snap ’Em Up names yellowtail and mutton snapper, sailfish, blackfin tuna, king mackerel, grouper and occasionally wahoo as half-day targets.

Where you cannot fish: the Sanctuary Preservation Areas

Several reefs off Islamorada are Sanctuary Preservation Areas in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where diving, snorkeling and boating are allowed but fishing is not: Alligator Reef, 4.5 miles east of Indian Key; Cheeca Rocks, southeast of Upper Matecumbe Key; Hen and Chickens, in Hawk Channel off Plantation Key; and Davis Reef, 4.5 miles southeast of Plantation Key. Yellow buoys mark the boundaries, and boats may not tie to them. NOAA says anchoring will be banned at Alligator and Davis from 2027.

Your captain fishes around these zones, not in them. Sanctuary rules has the detail.

What it costs

Private reef trips run $700–$1,400 for four hours across Islamorada operators, read October 6, 2026. Reef-only prices: A Fishing Guru $700 or $1,000 depending on the boat, I’m Bit $850, Snap ’Em Up $950 to $1,000, and EarlyBird $1,200. Snap ’Em Up also sells a two-hour snapper trip for $600 and six and eight-hour reef and wreck trips at $1,200 and $1,400. See the price page.

Reef trips you can book

On the operator list, read 6 October 2026.

Read for this page on 6 October 2026: Bud N’ Mary’s: reef fishing ; Robbie’s: reef and wreck fishing ; NOAA FKNMS: Sanctuary Preservation Areas .

Check it at the source

Reef fishing: questions

How far out is the reef in Islamorada?

About four miles, according to Bud N’ Mary’s, with the reef line from roughly 60 feet on top to 90 feet on the bottom. The Keys tourism council puts the Keys reef three to six miles offshore. Wrecks lie outside it in 100 to 200 feet.

Can you fish at Alligator Reef?

Not inside the Sanctuary Preservation Area. NOAA says SPAs, Alligator Reef among them, allow diving, snorkeling and boating but not fishing. Cheeca Rocks, Hen and Chickens and Davis Reef near Islamorada are SPAs too. Captains fish the reef outside those boundaries.

What fish do you catch reef fishing in Islamorada?

Yellowtail and mutton snapper most of all, with grouper from May to December, mackerel, and sometimes cobia, wahoo or a sailfish along the edge. Snapper can be kept all year within FWC limits; grouper is closed from January to April.

Next step

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