Key Largo, Upper Florida Keys

Key Largo backcountry with a local. Part of the family fleet.

Capt. Brian Epstein is a 100 Ton USCG Master who has fished the Upper Keys since 1976. Son of Bob Epstein, the Miami Herald's legendary fishing editor. He runs the shallow water here on his own 25 foot bay boat. His family runs the offshore fleet, The Poppa Wahoo Collective, twenty minutes south in Islamorada. Same family, two islands.

Book a Trip Trips & Rates (954) 326-7360
USCG 100 Ton Master Captain Fishing the Upper Keys since 1976 Four boats in the family fleet, deep sea to sandbar

Don't rent a boat. Hire the guy who grew up here.

A rental gives you a hull, a map, and a full day of guessing. Key Largo's water is a maze of flats, channels, and reef lines that punishes guesswork, and the fish do not wait around while you figure it out.

The Epstein family has been running these waters for two generations. Book through this page and you get their fleet, their captains, and their spots: four boats covering everything from the backcountry edge to the blue water, with the rates posted before you ever pick up the phone. You fish, swim, eat, and explore. They handle the rest.

One captain. Every hour of the water.

Most charters sell you a half-day block. Brian builds the trip around when your target actually bites, from first light to well past midnight. Rates depend on the trip and the hours, so he quotes each one straight.

First light · calm water

Backcountry & Inshore

Florida Bay flats, mangrove edges, and channels only a local runs at speed. Tarpon, snook, redfish, and trout on light tackle in protected water.

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Full sun · the patch reefs

Reef & Nearshore

Snapper, grouper, and mackerel over the Key Largo reef line. Anchored, chummed, and steady enough that everyone aboard catches fish.

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Dusk to dawn

Night Trips

Fishing after the water empties out, bowfishing under lights, and in-season lobster and shrimp runs. Almost nobody guides this. Brian has his whole life.

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Your pace, all day

Snorkel & Eco Tours

The only living coral barrier reef in the country, plus the mangrove backcountry where the Everglades meet the sea. No rods required.

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Golden hour

Dine by Water

Barhop the waterfront restaurants of the Upper Keys by boat and eat where the docks are the front door. The best dinner commute in the Keys.

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Your boat or his

Captain for a Day or Week

Brian is a USCG 100 Ton Master and hires out by the day or the week, including yacht delivery and transport through the Caribbean and the East Coast.

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Backcountry & InshoreFirst light · calm waterReef & NearshoreFull sun · the patch reefsNight TripsDusk to dawnSnorkel & Eco ToursYour pace, all dayDine by WaterGolden hourCaptain for a Day or WeekYour boat or hisPlan Your Day

A bay boat built for
both sides of the island.

Shallow enough for the backcountry flats, seaworthy enough for the reef and the near-offshore water on the Atlantic side.

2021 Sea Hunt 25' Bay Boat

The ride

A 25 foot Sea Hunt bay boat rigged for the whole Upper Keys: flats in the morning, reef in the afternoon, lights on after dark. Rods, tackle, and bait handled by the captain.

The family fleet · Islamorada

Going offshore?

Deep sea days, overnight swordfish, and big-boat comfort run with the Poppa Wahoo Collective, the Epstein family operation 20 minutes south. Brian will point you there himself.

See the Collective

One family.
Two islands.

Capt. Brian Epstein is not a one-boat operation with a phone number. He is part of the Epstein family fleet, founded in tribute to his father Bob, the Miami Herald fishing editor everyone called Poppa. Brian fishes the shallow water out of Key Largo. His family fishes the blue water out of Islamorada, twenty minutes south on US-1. Between them there is very little in the Upper Keys you cannot book.

Capt. Brian Epstein's 25 foot Sea Hunt bay boat on the flats off Key Largo
Key Largo Capt. Brian Epstein, 25 foot Sea Hunt

Tarpon, bonefish, permit and snook on the flats. Patch reefs for dinner. Lobster, bowfishing and dark water after the sun goes down.

See Brian's trips
The Poppa Wahoo, the family Hatteras sportfisher, tied up at Three Waters Resort Marina in Islamorada
Islamorada The Poppa Wahoo Collective, four boats

Mahi, sailfish, wahoo and blackfin on two Hatteras sportfishers. Overnight swordfish. Evening shark trips. Sunset and sandbar runs on the tritoon.

See the family fleet

Brian will tell you straight when a trip belongs on the other boat, because it is his own family's boat and nobody loses either way. Not sure which island you want? Call him and describe the day you are picturing. You can also see what the offshore fleet targets or read the whole family story.

Fishing here since 1976

Son of fishing royalty. Raised on this water.

Captain Brian Epstein grew up in the Florida Keys as the son of Bob Epstein, the Miami Herald's fishing editor, a photojournalist and author who spent a lifetime writing the book on Keys fishing. Brian has been fishing and exploring these waters since 1976, and it shows in every spot he runs to without checking a chart.

He is a USCG 100 Ton Master captain and a proven tournament captain and decorated tournament angler. Alongside Captain Key Largo, he co-runs the Poppa Wahoo Collective, the family's Islamorada sportfishing fleet founded in tribute to his father.

  • 1976
    First lines in the water

    Raised in the Keys, fishing and exploring the Upper Keys from childhood.

  • 40+
    Years guiding the Upper Keys

    Backcountry, reef, and offshore. An all-around specialist on both sides of the island.

  • 100T
    USCG Master Captain

    Licensed to run vessels far bigger than the bay boat. Yacht transport experience across the Caribbean and US East Coast.

  • 2025
    Co-founded the Poppa Wahoo Collective

    The family's four-boat Islamorada charter fleet, built in tribute to Bob Epstein.

Straight answers, like the fishing.

The questions every first-timer asks. If yours is not here, call or text and ask directly. You will be talking to a captain, not a booking desk.

(954) 326-7360
Brian fishes backcountry, flats, patch reefs and night trips out of Key Largo on his own Sea Hunt. True offshore work runs with the family's Islamorada fleet, The Poppa Wahoo Collective: two Hatteras sportfishers for deep sea and overnight trips, plus a bay boat and a tritoon. Tell Brian what you want to catch and he will put you on the right boat, his or theirs.
Yes. The evening shark trip runs from about 5 pm, and the overnight swordfish trip fishes the deep water while the boat sleeps six. Both are on the rate board above.
Four of them. Poppa Wahoo is a 55 foot Hatteras, Poppa Wahoo Too is a 53 foot Hatteras, Poppa Bay is a 25 foot Sea Hunt for nearshore work, and Poppa Toon is a 23 foot Barletta tritoon. The fleet section above has all four.
Plenty. The sunset cruise and the sandbar cruise are built for exactly that, and a custom day can be whatever you picture. No rods required.
Brian quotes each trip rather than posting one board, because a half day on the flats and a full night of bowfishing are not the same day. Call or email with your dates, your group size and what you want to catch. Offshore rates with the family fleet in Islamorada are posted publicly if you want a published number to compare against.
The fleet sails from Islamorada, about 20 minutes south of Key Largo on US-1. Your captain confirms the exact dock and a map pin when your date is set.
Yes. Capt. Brian Epstein is a USCG 100 Ton Master and hires out as your captain by the day or by the week, on his boat or yours. He also has yacht charter and transport experience through the Caribbean and the US East Coast. Ask when you book.
Pick your trip in the form below, add your dates and group size, and send it. A captain confirms the boat and the details directly with you. Prefer a voice? Call or text (954) 326-7360.

Questions? Start here.

Every trip and rate is posted above. If you want to talk through a date, a group, or something custom, send it over and a captain gets back to you directly.

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Prefer to talk? Call or text (954) 326-7360.

One family, two islands.

Brian and his brother run the family operation founded in tribute to their father, Bob "Poppa" Epstein. The boats sail from Islamorada, 20 minutes south. Same family, same water, same standard.

The Family Story