What is fishing in Marathon like?
Marathon, in the middle Keys, offers offshore fishing, reef trips and calm backcountry water, in the Keys tourism council’s words, and calls itself the heart of the Keys. Its bridges, including the south end of the Seven Mile Bridge, are open to fishing, and Sombrero Key and Coffins Patch nearby are closed to it.
What Marathon fishing is known for
The Keys tourism council describes Marathon as the heart of the Keys, built for boaters and fishing, with offshore fishing, reef trips and calm backcountry waters. It runs from Mile Marker 63 to 40 on the council’s getting-here list (another council page gives 61 to 47, so expect both figures in print).
Boot Key Harbor City Marina, run by the City of Marathon at 800 35th Street, is minutes from Sombrero Reef. Fishing out of Key West instead? The Key West operators and charter prices cover that end.
Marathon charters you can book online
Operators with a Google listing and online booking, from the roster of 4 October 2026. Ratings are Google’s, read that day.
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Two Conchs Sportfishing
4.5 Google · 1,378 reviews · read 4 October 2026
A multi-boat fleet rather than one captain, from 26-ft bay boats to 33-ft center consoles. Some trips leave from Duck Key Marina (MM 61) and Island Fish Company (MM 54).
Departs: Two Conchs Marina, 11499 Overseas Hwy, Marathon
Check availability -
Outbound Charters
5.0 Google · 159 reviews · read 4 October 2026
Offshore (6–8 hours), reef and wreck (4, 6 or 8 hours), backcountry and tarpon trips, sandbar trips and lobster bully-netting.
Departs: 13205 Overseas Hwy, Marathon
Check availability -
SeaSquared Charters
4.9 Google · 105 reviews · read 4 October 2026
Inshore reef, wreck, bridge and bay trips, offshore dolphin and tuna, a four-hour family trip and a shark trip.
Departs: Faro Blanco Resort, 1996 Overseas Hwy, Marathon (bayside, MM 48)
Check availability -
No Limit Sport Fishing
5.0 Google · 55 reviews · read 4 October 2026
Offshore, reef and wreck, and inshore fishing. Its website gives no dock address, so ask when you book.
Check availability
Google · 1,378 reviews · read 4 October 2026 The Marathon reefs where you cannot fish
Two Sanctuary Preservation Areas off Marathon ban fishing of any kind; diving and snorkeling are allowed.
- Sombrero Key, four miles seaward of Boot Key, 208 acres.
- Coffins Patch, about 4.5 miles off Key Colony Beach, 248 acres.
The bridges you can fish from
The Keys tourism council lists these bridges near Marathon as open to fishing. Off a charter you need your own Florida saltwater licence; do you need a fishing license explains.
- Long Key Bridge, Mile Markers 63–65.
- Tom’s Harbor Cut, MM 61.2.
- Tom’s Harbor Channel, north end only, MM 60.6.
- Seven Mile Bridge, south end only, MM 40.
Read for this page on 6 October 2026: Florida Keys & Key West: Marathon ; Florida Keys & Key West: getting here ; Florida Keys & Key West: fishing information (bridges) ; City of Marathon: marina and ports ; NOAA sanctuary: Sanctuary Preservation Areas .
Check it at the source
- Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Sanctuary zones, marked areas and restrictions that overlay the entire Keys fishery. Link checked 6 September 2026
- Florida Keys & Key West tourism council: fishing The Monroe County Tourist Development Council’s fishing pages and its Fishing Opportunity Calendar. Link checked 6 October 2026
Marathon: questions
Is Marathon good for fishing?
Yes. The Keys tourism council calls it built for boaters and fishing, with offshore fishing, reef trips and calm backcountry water. It also has bridges open to fishing, including the south end of the Seven Mile Bridge, for anyone fishing without a boat.
Can you fish the Seven Mile Bridge?
The south end, yes: the tourism council lists the Seven Mile Bridge as open to fishing at its south end only, around Mile Marker 40. The restored Old Seven Mile Bridge section near Marathon is for walkers and cyclists. You need your own Florida saltwater licence to fish from a bridge.
Can you fish at Sombrero Reef?
Not inside the Sombrero Key Sanctuary Preservation Area, four miles off Boot Key, where the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary bans all fishing. Coffins Patch, off Key Colony Beach, is the same. Diving and snorkeling are allowed in both, and captains fish the reef outside them.
Where do Marathon fishing charters leave from?
From marinas along U.S. 1: Two Conchs Marina at 11499 Overseas Highway, Outbound at 13205, and SeaSquared from Faro Blanco Resort at 1996 on the bay side. Each operator card above shows the dock it names on its own site; confirm it when you book.
Next step
Looking for fishing trips in the Florida Keys?
Fishing Trips Florida Keys is an independent guide — no boats, no bookings, nothing to sell. It exists so you can ask better questions before you hand an operator a deposit.
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