The Split Charter refers to the practice of two or more people or unrelated parties sharing the cost of a single fishing charter. By dividing the total cost of the letter in this way, each party saves money. A Split charter makes a private trip to the reef or a private charter on the high seas more affordable and, in many cases, will make new friends. A Split Charter allows a group of less than four people to partner with others to reduce the total cost for all.
So what is a split or shared card? It's a deep-sea fishing charter where solo anglers pay for a seat on a boat instead of the entire charter, and pair up with other anglers. These charters can accommodate a maximum of six passengers. The fishing experience is what we call the captain's choice, so you may be cruising the blue waters for a more traditional deepwater charter experience, looking for species such as dolphins (mahi-mahi), sailfish, tuna, etc. Or you could be cruising the reef looking for barracudas, snappers, jacks, etc.
to fish for a specific species, this is not the trip for you. The captain's main objective on these trips is action, so they will go where they think the bite will be most active. Sharing a fishing charter or Split Charters consists of dividing the cost of a private fishing charter with others to reduce the cost. While different species of fish have their seasons, fishing in general is excellent all year round, especially thanks to the warm and tropical climate of the Florida Keys.
Calling too far in advance will likely cause you to be asked for a private charter, as there are no guarantees that the captain will have a few more people who want to go that same day and a private charter is guaranteed, while you wait until the last minute it leaves you open to the possibility that the captains offer these cards will be will exhaust.