I have been fishing for many years and this was absolutely my worst charter experience ever. The owner confirmed over the phone the day before (twice) that we would go fishing in the back country instead of a mixed-location trip due to the wind. They said that we could choose the duration of the trip: 4/6/8 hours. Contrary to their claims later, they did not say anything about the fishing being challenging that day. We met the captain at the dock in the morning and he seemed a little checked out. He said that once he leaves the dock, he has to charge us at least 4 hours "whether we go for 4 hours or 5 minutes." It was a strange and confusing comment, so we asked him directly if we can fish that day. He said yes and that we can catch barracuda, possibly tarpon - there was no mention of fishing being challenging or anything along those lines. The captain pulled up a fully loaded bait trap and filled the live well with live bait. Yet, inexplicably, he did not use any of this live bait for the rest of our trip (except for 10 mins. at the first stop.) He gave us two lures with rusty hooks and had us cast these lures in each of the spots we went to for 4 hours. We caught nothing except a tiny snapper that was smaller than the live bait what was sitting unused on the boat. We kept waiting for the captain to put out the live bait during the whole trip, which did not happen. The captain seemed like he couldn't care less whether we caught any fish. We still tipped him since he did drive us around for 4 hours. We contacted the company right away and relayed our experience. They never gave an explanation as to why the live bait was not used and it took almost one week for the owner to get back to us by email. He refused to address any of the issues (including the question of why the live bait was not used) and falsely claimed that we were told that fishing was going to be challenging that day (we were not.) We were completely fooled by the positive online reviews and photos for this company. They did not communicate properly and they had us show up at the dock and get on their boat with a captain who had no interest in catching fish. They then became unresponsive, only to claim later that it was our fault for taking the charter despite their warnings (there were no warnings.) I hope that others will see this review and not make the same mistake that we did. read more

As beginners to tarpon fishing, we really appreciated how easy-going Captain Herbie was and what a great communicator he proved to be throughout the two days. He made the entire process, easy to understand and very enjoyable. We had a fantastic time and were thrilled to catch fish. read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Capt. Herbie and Kym F - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

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5-Star Review for Dream Catcher Fishing Charter with Captain Herbie If you're looking for an unforgettable day on the water, look no further than Dream Catcher Fishing Charter! Captain Herbie was absolutely fantastic--funny, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable. From start to finish, this trip was a blast! We opted for backcountry fishing and targeted all kinds of species. Whether you're a seasoned angler or a first-timer, Captain Herbie knows how to make everyone feel at home. We had a mix of experience levels in our group, and Herbie worked seamlessly with everyone, ensuring we all had an amazing time. The results? Over 40 fish caught in a single day! The action was nonstop, and Herbie always seemed to know exactly where to find the fish. From the booking process to being dropped back at the dock, the service was flawless. The pricing was more than fair considering the quality of the experience and the incredible number of fish we caught. If you want a fishing trip filled with laughs, expert guidance, and plenty of action, book with Dream Catcher and Captain Herbie. We can't wait to come back for another adventure! Highly recommend! Lastly, we had deep sea fishing booked but weather was bad, but fishable. Captain Steve the owner was very honest about the rough fishing and recommended we not go. He gave a full refund back. I love Dream Catcher they have the highest integrity and character in the Keys. read more

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Had the pleasure of taking a half day trip last week while I was in Key West. The setup was smooth and easy, and Jimmy did a great job! Two of the guys with me had never fished and Jimmy was very patient with them. I was able to land a very nice barracuda which was the highlight for me. Highly recommend! read more

We went out with Herbie to try for Tarpon- Herbie was a personable, experienced guide- he knew where to find the Tarpon and the boat was comfortable, quick and perfect for fishing. Highly recommend! read more

Had another great trip with this company. Went out this time with Captain Hunter and he was also awesome! Caught fish snorkeled in some cool spots and can't wait to go back. read more

Captain Pete was fantastic! Difficult conditions but he made it happen. Very knowledgeable of the Key West area and history. We will book again! read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Highly recommend! Booked our charter last minute the day before Thanksgiving. Great prices and amazing customer service. Karl was our Captain and he was awesome. Very attentive to all of our needs. Called us by name and made us feel very welcome. Such a relaxing day even though it was too windy for the Atlantic. Went out on the backcountry, took us to a spot he knew was hitting sharks just so we could catch something. Overall great family day thanks to Karl! One thing I do recommend is to buy a long sleeve shirt at the convenience store there (or bring one). No shade on the boat. read more

Dream Catcher Charters - View - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Gilligan had a three hour tour and got caught in a storm - that's because skipper was well.... But we had a 6 hour tour with Capt Eric from Dream Catchers that was FANTASTIC. My son and I had a wonderful time on the water fishing for large toothy creatures and whatever God would allow us to catch on our rods. Capt Eric provided us with an outstanding time of fishing catching several species of fish and enjoying the mangrove islands and seeking sharks, barracudas (almost caught one) and landed several grouper and snappers. Highly recommend if you need a fishing tour - book with Dream Catchers. Since we had a keeper fish - he fillet it put on ice and recommended a restaurant where locals eat that cooked our fish when we went for dinner later that afternoon. My son even got to feed a school of local tarpon at the dock when we returned. read more

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Went on the Tri-toon with Garrett and had a blast! Took us to a great sandbar and a quick tour around Key West. He catered to our every need. Beautiful boat. Very safe captain. read more

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Dream Catcher Charters was able to accommodate us for a 6-hour charter with little advance notice when the other charter company we had booked weeks ahead of time cancelled on us. Brandon was our guide and he was friendly, knowledgeable, patient and laid back. We had an amazing time shark fishing and caught 5 sharks! I would recommend the charter and Captain Brandon to anyone! read more

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We absolutely had the best time on our charter today!! We had Paulette as our captain and she was awesome. We snorkeled, fished and went to the sandbar! It was an awesome time!!! highly recommended!! read more

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Had the trip of a lifetime with my son fishing in Key West. Originally booked two trips and added two more because of the great experience we had with Dream Catcher Charters and Captain Karl. The boat was sweet and Captain Karl was knowledgeable and cool. We caught a ton of fish and many species. Special thanks to Genn for making it happen. Go! read more

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We had the best morning out with Paulette. She was patient and she put us on the fish! Never underestimate a female Captain! We will definitely use Dreamcatcher charters and Paulette again! Thanks for an amazing morning fishing! read more

Dream Catcher Charters - We got a live one there!!! - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

We took a half day charter today with Carl and had a wonderful time. Carl took us to several places to fish and we caught something at almost all of them. He was patient with our kids teaching them techniques to help. Carl was wonderful! On another note, we had lots of questions about booking a trip and spoke with Gennifer several times. Gennifer was great to work with! All in all, if you are looking to book a charter in Key West we would definitely recommend Dream Catchers! read more

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We had such a great time with captain Andrew!! We hooked a huge 75" tarpon within 10 minutes of setting out! He was knowledgeable, professional and worked hard to help us land such a great fish! We had such a great time and can't wait to do it again! read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

This was a great fishing trip, had lots of fun, caught lots of fish and was very good fun. The Caption, was a great help, very knowledgeable and was great to talk to and interact with, Tommy is very professional. I do not like the ocean, had a really bad experience years ago, so I was not happy about going, but decided that is what my friend wanted to do so I went along, Tommy did a great job, explained everything and made me feel better about the trip. We had a great time thanks to the Caption of the vessel. read more

great fishing. very helpful Very professional and quick response. We loved our experience fishing in Key Eest.

Great time. Great boat, captain and mate. We caught fish and other boats came up empty. Seems like our cap knew something the others didn't. read more

Captain Nick was fantastic! We had never been salt water fishing before and he made sure we caught a variety of (new to me) fish. In total, we caught at least 8 different specifies of fish including the inclusive Permit fish. We even saw two sharks that knocked heads over our bait fish. Nick even had sunscreen which was a fishing staple for this pasty ginger. I highly recommend using this tour company and request Captain Nick as he was a great fishing guide! Thanks Nick! read more

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Captain Brian "Goose" Stilley was an outstanding captain! I took my daughter on her first saltwater fishing trip with Brian, and you could not ask for a more patient person that was a great teacher. Brian put us on a number of fish - yellow tails, lanes, groupers, etc all the right size for my daughter to learn. I highly recommend this charter outfit and Brian - thanks again for the great experience! read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

Well lets see. First, Tommy is a southern man, he does not care for us "Yankees". He also told us he likes to cuss. I told him to Fuck off, As a joke of course. Tommy it is time for you to retire. I have never known a captain to hate to be out on the water fishing or should I say chartering a boat with people. Tommy is tired and is sick and tired of his career choice. Don't think you are going to get a picture of any fish you caught (even though that was very limited) because you may get blood on the boat and make sure if it is a Lady fish it gets chopped right off because that fish will "shit all over the boat". Also you better have sea legs because he insists you fish from the upper portion of the small flat bottom type of boat. Tommy was a bit funny but this guy here is mad at the world. read more

I chartered a half day with Paulette "Dory" and had a blast. The whole afternoon exceed my expectations, except when I let the big one get away (ha ha). I highly recommend this charter and especially Paulette. She is very patient and fun. I love her read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

Great experience from start to finish. Captain "Jester" was fun, very knowledgeable, and put us on the fish! Caught crevalle jack and tarpon. Also saw several bonefish, stingray, and sharks. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a great fishing adventure in key west! read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

Captain Steve and Brandon were the highlight of my bachelor party. We caught around a 70lbs wahoo that was exciting for everyone on the boat. If it weren't for their expertise, professionalism and dedication towards helping us have an eventful experience we wouldn't had caught the quantity and quality of fish we had the pleasure of catching. Lastly, the boat, accommodations and conversations were first rate. I highly recommend them if you are in the Key West area. read more

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We went out with Capt. Rob today. He was awesome!! Made it a great day despite the challenging weather. Caught awesome fish. So much fun!! Will definitely be using dream catchers charters again! Thanks Rob! read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Paid for a six hour tour, $600 dollars, got there at 6:45, got on boat at 7:20, went out to a spot, picked up bait in waters at 7:50. I'm trying to figure out why we picking up bait on a $600, six hour charter, that would seem to me, that would be something already in possession. Had a nice and friendly guide, but I felt we spent more time riding the waters than fishing. The winds were high this day, which we understood to affect the fishing. We were asked that since we were not getting any bites, would we be interested in paying for a four hour tour and calling it short at 10:40. We said yeah that's ok, thinking we would pay $400, when in fact we docked back at 11:15 and paid $500. Not what advertised, beware. read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

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This is a very professional company. Gennifer on their team is awesome and very easy to work with for booking a charter. I booked 2 charters with them that ended up being canceled as a result of Hurricane Irma. Despite the challenging situation, they communicated with me about my charter and refunded my full deposit no questions asked. While I cannot speak to a fishing experience with them, if it is anything like dealing with them during a tough situation, I am sure it is awesome. I will be booking with them on my next trip to Key West! read more

Working with Dream Catcher Charters was a complete breeze from start to finish. I called them up to see about going out over Labor Day weekend with only a few days notice, and they were quickly able to accomodate the 2 of us on a dreamy center console boat. This particular flats boat offered some nicely cushioned seating options and a modest overhang to cast a bit of shadow. The boat itself was absolutely spotless and top notch with GPS and fishfinder capabilities. Definitely beat some of the other weathered crafts we caught sight of. Once we took off, Captain Kyle W, took us to his secret bait trap. Once he pulled it up, the cage revealed a school of small bait fish, perfect for the larger game we were going after. After that, we hit up the shallow flats in between all the surrounding islands. The day was absolutely beautiful and for the next 4 hours, we breezed around pulling in mutton snapper, grunts, and finally a 30 lb barracuda. What I appreciated most was Kyle's total professionalism. He really loves fishing and has one of the most advanced captain's licenses. As a guide, he took us to some great spots and came packed with cool info on the fish and the environment. Eco in his approach, he talked about the circle of life and would rather see a fish back in it's environment if it had no use to us (either as bait or dinner). Back at the dock, the tarpon swims freely and you can easily toss in some food for them to gobble down. From 30-100+ lb tarpon, they come in all sizes. Just don't stick your hand in without keeping an eye out; a 9 ft. bull shark crashed our party and surprised even the most of the fishermen. I'd quickly use them again and specifically request Kyle W. Although, I'm sure many of the captains they employ are of the highest class. read more

I booked two 1/2 day tarpon charters with Dream Catcher. While the tarpon fishing was poor for most of the charters that we heard about (full moon?), we were disappointed with our charters. In particular, we were displeased with the lack of bait. For example, Captain Tommy told us we couldn't fish with live bait ourselves, because he didn't have enough live bait to provide reels/rods for my dad and me. As such, my father didn't even hold a rod or make one cast the entire trip. I was only allowed to throw an artificial lure. Frankly, I was told that the previous anglers screwed up the "new" line, and Capt Tommy was hesitant to even let me cast. It came across as rude and not consistent with what I would expect from a charter trip. Frankly, I was a bit surprised that we paid for a charter and there wasn't sufficient bait for allowing both my father and me to throw a line out. One cannot help but think that we would have had more bites if we had enough bait to have three lines in the water. This charter group is professional otherwise, but you couldn't help but think they were cutting corners (e.g., not preparing enough bait, not allowing customers to cast rods out as examples), rather than doing everything possible to catch fish. Date of experience: June 2022 read more

Had a great time with Capt. Hugh today at Dream Catchers. Excellent captains, very friendly and will get you the trip you're looking for. Top notch boats and equipment made the day enjoyable and the captain was on the fish. They were my best charter in key west yet and will definitely be back! read more

My boys had an amazing time. They said Captain Austin was great. He was so cool, showed them around, knew what to do, and was prepared. They had the best time and it was the highlight of our trip. read more

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Had a great time with Captian Nick! Caught some BIG snook which is rare for Key West, as well as barracuda and a nurse shark. Caught more snapper than I can count. Nick kept us entertained and made sure everyone caught fish and I will definitely be coming back for another trip. A+++ read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Barracuda!!! Thanks Captain Nick! - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

This was my first time on this type of charter. Brian our captain was ever helpful took the time to help my wife Sherry with her fishing pole helped her with on how to keep fish on even though fish did end up breaking off. I caught a 35 lb tarpon got nice picture of fish before letting it go the second fish got loose at side of boat did get to see him and got a scale from it bigger than a half dollar. We did some snorkeling wife enjoyed that so much again can't said how helpful Brain was. 24 foot boat 300 hp motor had great weather saw dolphins sea turtles sharks explore reefs gave some local knowledge on the islands. Met the owner of the charter company was a really nice guy also would recommend this Charter company to anyone at anytime read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

Great trip! We went shark fishing and slayed it. Everyone on the boat caught at least one black tip, plus all the bait fish we caught for our shark rigs. Paulette was a fantastic guide. We had a blast. read more

We went out with captain John for Tarpon. 2days. Each day John brought us rite to the Tarpon. He was very knowledgeable and technical. Explaining reasons of fishing each spot. We saw tarpon rolling each day and got a few bites, but failed to hook one. We did pull in a nice 20lb barracuda which made for a nice photo opp. And also a yellow Jack and a few shark. All in all we had a great time, John was a professional the whole way through and I would recommend using him any day of the week. We will be back next year for another shot at a Tarpon. - Thanks for the fun trip guys read more

Dream Catcher Charters - Fishing Near Me - Key West, Florida

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My wife and I enjoyed our experience with Dream Catchers and our guide John H "Merlin" who had a marine biologist's degree. We did not catch alot of fish but Merlin was expert at explaining the science behind fishing, fish habitat. He made the day enjoyable despite cool water temperatures and inactive fish. One comment: The office should arrange pickup service for guests on Key West. It would make the trip alot easier as the marina was not well marked from the road. Don't ride a scooter to this Marina. The turn is right before the entrance to the major highway and if you miss the turn, you are on the highway with no place to turn around. read more

We were in the keys for our honeymoon and we rented a private charter for 4 hours. We got Capt. Jordan(Jojo). She is amazing! You can't get a cooler captain to show you around her home. She's been here her whole life and she's basically a mermaid. She took us fishing and we caught a bunch of beautiful fish but they were too small to keep. We did get one keeper. If you catch something big enough they'll let you take it home and cook it for dinner. After we went fishing we did some snorkeling and she dove right in with us and took us on an underwater adventure around the reef. We even got to see some dolphins! Whether you're a couple trying to find a peaceful day on the gulf or a family with kids who want a mermaid adventure Jordan is the captain for you. She made our honeymoon extra special. Thanks Jojo! We highly recommend Dreamcatcher charters! read more

Outstanding service by a very knowledgeable captain. We went out with Tommy Z aka Jester for a half day on 4/26 with tarpon being the target. He did everything he could to keep us on fish throughout the trip. He kept it not only enjoyable but educational. Teaching us techniques and answering any questions we had. Very personable with us and passionate about the fish. I highly recommend this outfit and especially Tommy, he is a class act. 'Purty work' capt and thanks again! read more

This charter looked incredible, and perfectly suited for our family. This was going to be the highlight of our vacation for my husband who was stoked to fish for some larger "Floridian" fish. Paulette turned out to be our guide and she was very short and rude to all of us right out of the gate. We started out by being scolded for bringing a tiny portion of dirt on the footprint from our shoes and she walked around the whole boat mopping up after us looking annoyed to death. She informed us that no matter our intentions we would fish for whatever the least experienced angler on the boat could fish for... so in this case my 5 year old son. So my husband, who is an avid fisherman from Oklahoma paid an arm and a leg to fish for some tiny fish we could rival on any lake in the Midwest. This trip wasn't FOR the kids... they just got to come along, but it quickly became just that. Paulette was very kind to the kids and seemed to enjoy them (when she wasn't impatient with them for wasting "her" bait). She spoke down to my husband and made sure she "put him in his place" at every opportunity when he would try to ask for better fishing experiences. The kids had fun. So this summed up to be the most expensive kids activity we've ever done as a family. They'd have been pleased with a rod and reel from the dock. Disappointing, and a waste of a lot of money... especially the gratuity. read more