Tackle Center of Islamorada

Tackle Center of Islamorada sits at 82661 Overseas Highway and opens at 5:30 every morning, which is the hour that counts when the plan is to be on the water at first light. Worth checking before you build a weekend around it: they close at 6 on weekdays but at noon on Saturday and Sunday.

The shop carries live bait alongside rods, reels, lures, hooks, terminal hardware and apparel, with a brand list running Penn, Shimano, Daiwa, Van Staal and G-Loomis on the tackle side and Costa, Maui Jim, Smith, Grundens and AFTCO for optics and clothing. There is an online store as well, so the gear can be waiting rather than eating your first morning.

The other half of the operation is Tackle Center Charters. Captain Charlie Scoble runs a 34 foot SeaVee with a head aboard and Starlink for anyone who cannot fully disconnect, heading offshore and out to the reefs and wrecks for sailfish, tuna, mahi, wahoo, cobia, grouper and snapper. Trips run four, six or eight hours, and when their own boat is booked they hand you to another Islamorada captain rather than turning you away. Call (305) 664-9800.