That's Right Charters

That's Right Charters runs offshore and reef fishing trips out of Bud N' Mary's Marina at mile marker 79.8 oceanside in Islamorada, a dock that has been sending boats out into the Florida Straits for generations. This is big water fishing rather than a poling skiff on the flats. The boat runs out to the reef, the wrecks and the blue water beyond for tuna, dolphin, marlin and a long list of reef species, with half day and full day trips on the schedule and longer runs available for anglers who want to stay out.

The boat is That's Right herself, a 50 foot Evans built in 2005 and inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard, which is what lets her carry considerably more people than the six passenger limit most charter boats work under. That distinction matters if you are traveling with a family reunion, a bachelor party, a corporate group or a wedding party, because the usual answer in the Keys is to split everyone across two or three boats. Here you all fish together. The cockpit runs better than 23 feet across with three fighting chairs, there is an 80 gallon livewell and a fish box that swallows a serious day's catch, and unlike most fishing boats this one is air conditioned with two heads aboard. She cruises at around 25 knots, so the run to the fishing grounds does not eat the morning.

Captain John Oughton runs the boat, and the operation also keeps a second vessel, the 46 foot Whiticar Pretty Work, so groups and dates that do not fit one boat can often be handled by the other. Crew, fuel, bait and tackle come with the trip, so you show up with food, drinks, sunscreen and a hat, and the mates handle the rest. Beginners are genuinely welcome, but be clear about what you are signing up for: this is offshore fishing, with the swell and the standing around and the sudden chaos that come with it, and it is a spectacular way to spend a day if that sounds like fun.

One thing to plan around. This boat is seasonal in the Keys. She works Islamorada through the fall and winter and then relocates north for the late spring and early summer, so check the schedule before you build your trip around her.