Brian quotes each trip rather than posting a one-size board, because a half day on the flats and a full night of bowfishing are not the same day. Here is what goes into the number so nothing surprises you.
Backcountry charters do not price like offshore charters. Offshore runs on fuel and distance, so the rate is mostly a function of how far out and how long. Shallow water runs on tide and light, and a good day is often decided before you ever leave the dock. That is why Brian quotes the trip instead of handing you a menu.
Three things, mostly. How long you want to be out, which is the biggest lever. How many people are aboard, since the boat fishes four comfortably and two people fish very differently from four. And what you are after, because a day poling for permit is a different day than a run for mangrove snapper and a cooler of dinner.
The boat, Brian, rods and reels, terminal tackle, live bait, and your fishing licenses. He cleans and bags your catch at the end. You bring food, drinks, sunscreen and whatever you want to wear. Gratuity is customary and entirely your call.
That is the other half of the family. The Poppa Wahoo Collective runs the Epstein fleet out of Islamorada, twenty minutes south on US-1, and it posts every offshore rate publicly: half day, three-quarter and full day, overnight swordfish, evening shark trips, sunset and sandbar runs. If you want a published number before you call anyone, that board is right here. Brian will point you at it himself rather than pretend a 25 foot bay boat belongs offshore.
Brian sets the deposit and the cancellation window when he confirms your date, so it matches your actual trip. Weather calls are made by the captain, and a day that is genuinely unfishable gets moved, not pocketed.
Because backcountry days vary too much for one number to be honest. Call or email with your dates, your group size and what you want to catch, and Brian will give you a real figure.
Usually, yes. A bay boat burns a fraction of the fuel of a 55 foot Hatteras and does not run 20 miles to find fish. The collective posts its offshore rates publicly if you want to compare.
Boat, captain, rods, tackle, live bait and licenses, plus catch cleaning at the end. Food and drinks are yours to bring.
Four fish comfortably on the 25 foot Sea Hunt. Larger groups are better served on the family's bigger boats in Islamorada.
No. Every trip is private to your party.
Brian can tell you what the collective charges and get you to the right captain, but the offshore boats are booked through Poppa Wahoo directly.
The Epsteins run charters out of both Key Largo and Islamorada. Brian handles the backcountry and the flats here; his family runs the offshore fleet 20 minutes south. Whichever you call, you get pointed at the right boat.