--- title: "St. John, USVI Fishing Charters · 3 operators" url: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/fishing description: "St. John, USVI fishing charters, each picking up in Cruz Bay: half-day to marlin-day prices checked October 2026, boat sizes, and where the park bans a line." updated: 2026-10-06 source: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/fishing --- [St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john) · Experiences # Fishing charters on St. John St. John, USVI fishing charters run $800 to $1,950 for a private boat and up to six anglers, from a four-hour half day to a ten-hour marlin trip, as the three captains price them in October 2026. Every boat we confirmed collects you in Cruz Bay. Book with the captain by phone or through the operator's own form; the tip is extra. Written by Virgin Islands Villas · Updated Oct 2026 ## The operators, side by side *Rates and phone numbers from each operator's own pages, or a recent local source where it prints none, on the day in the last column; a group size marked "about" is our read. Every listing is free; an operator can ask to be added or corrected through our contact page.* | Name | What | Departs from | Group size | Rates | Phone | Checked | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Just Fish St. John](https://www.justfishstjohn.com/trips) | A 42-foot Liberty express with twin diesels; private offshore trips, marlin June to October. | National Park finger pier, Cruz Bay | up to 6 | $1,000 for 4 hours to $1,950 for a 10-hour marlin trip; tip extra | (340) 201-9329 | Oct 2026 | | [Mixed Bag Sportfishing (Offshore Adventures)](https://sportfishingstjohn.com/charter-day-rates/) | Captain Robert Richards' two boats, Mixed Bag II and Mixed Bag III; inshore to offshore. | National Park dock, Cruz Bay; or American Yacht Harbor, St. Thomas | up to 6 | $800 for 4 hours (32 ft) to $1,750 for 10 hours (40 ft) | (340) 513-0389 | Oct 2026 | | [Ocean Surfari](https://oceansurfari.com/fishing-charters/st-john-fishing-charters/) | A Red Hook sport-fishing fleet that collects St. John guests in Cruz Bay; fuel, bait and tackle included. | American Yacht Harbor, St. Thomas; free pickup at the Cruz Bay Visitor Center | up to 6; inshore 4 to 6 | $825 for 4 hours to $1,699 for 10 hours; inshore $210 a person | (340) 227-5448 | Oct 2026 | ## How to choose a St. John fishing charter Choose by hours first, then by boat. Just Fish sells its ten-hour day as the marlin trip and, as of October 2026, runs it from June through October only. Mixed Bag prices its two boats separately: the 40-foot Mixed Bag III costs $100 to $125 more than the 32-foot Mixed Bag II for the same hours, per its October 2026 card. Ocean Surfari's boats come over from Red Hook on St. Thomas to the Cruz Bay Visitor Center at no charge, and its inshore bottom-fishing trip, $210 a person for four or more as of October 2026, works reefs in 60 to 130 feet of water off St. Thomas. ## What a fishing day costs beyond the rate The rate pays for the boat and the captain, and on Just Fish and Ocean Surfari the bait and tackle too; it never covers the tip. Their terms as of October 2026: Mixed Bag calls 15 to 20 percent customary; Ocean Surfari includes fuel and asks a $300 deposit plus an $18 booking fee; at Mixed Bag a weather call by the captain costs nothing, and a cancellation inside 48 hours costs the full charter. ## The downside: every boat leaves from Cruz Bay No fishing boat we could confirm sails from Coral Bay. From there the drive to the Cruz Bay ferry dock measures 28 minutes, and a 7:30 departure means leaving the house before seven. From the east end, Just Fish's 2:00 PM half day out of Cruz Bay, on its page as of October 2026, spares the early start. ## Where the National Park and the territory allow a line Inside Virgin Islands National Park, the National Park Service's compendium, updated October 6, 2026, bans fishing between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM at the park's Cruz Bay bulkhead and finger pier, in every designated boat exclusion area, and from any mooring in the park or the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. The one exception is hardnose fishing from the yellow moorings off Cabritte Horn Point, in the monument. Anywhere else in park waters, a charter fishes underway. Territorial law applies everywhere, and the park enforces it too. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources' Division of Fish and Wildlife (DPNR) says a recreational catch may not be sold, traded or bartered, and pots, traps and seines are commercial gear. ## Featured villas on St. John [All villas on St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/vacation-rentals) Listed by their owners. See rates and dates, then write to the owner. [Indo House Great Cruz Bay, St. John · 4 bedrooms From $4,000 / night](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/villas/indo-house) Featured ## Questions about fishing charters on St. John **How much is a fishing charter on St. John?** A half day for up to six starts at $800 on Mixed Bag's smaller boat, and a full eight-hour day tops out at $1,800 on Just Fish, as of October 2026; add a 15 to 20 percent tip. **Where do St. John fishing charters leave from?** Cruz Bay. Just Fish leaves from the National Park finger pier, Mixed Bag from the National Park dock, and Ocean Surfari collects at the Cruz Bay Visitor Center on its way from Red Hook, St. Thomas. **What fish can you catch on a St. John fishing charter?** Mixed Bag lists blue and white marlin, sailfish, yellowfin, blackfin and skipjack tuna, wahoo, mahi-mahi and kingfish. Just Fish's marlin trips run June through October, as of October 2026. **Can you fish from the docks in Cruz Bay?** Not from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the park's Cruz Bay bulkhead and finger pier, per the National Park Service, and never from a park mooring, except hardnose fishing at the yellow moorings off Cabritte Horn Point. **Do you keep the fish you catch?** Yes, filleted, up to 25 pounds on Just Fish, 20 on Ocean Surfari, and 20 to 30 on Mixed Bag by trip length, on their pages as of October 2026. It may not be sold, per DPNR. Sources: [National Park Service](https://www.nps.gov/viis/learn/management/compendium.htm) (checked Oct 9, 2026) · [DPNR Division of Fish and Wildlife](https://dpnr.vi.gov/fish-and-wildlife/fisher-resources/) (checked Oct 9, 2026) - [Car and jeep rental](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/services/car-rentals) - · [Taxis](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/services/taxis) - · [Provisioning](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/services/provisioning) - · [Services](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/services) - · [Boat charters](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/boat-charters) - · [Snorkel tours](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/snorkel-tours) - · [Weddings](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/experiences/weddings) - · [Things to do](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do) - · [Back to St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john)