Trolling

While fishing offshore with Captain CB, you may want to do some trolling. Trolling offshore on an extended deep sea fishing charter offers a chance to catch large pelagic (free-swimming) species such as Mahi-Mahi, Wahoo, Tuna and Sailfish.

Trolling over the reefs near Daytona Beach can be very productive. Many popular species patrol the waters over the reefs such as Amberjacks, Cobia, Barracuda and Tarpon. Even trolling nearshore just a mile or so from the beaches can produce Sharks, King Mackerel, Cobia and Tarpon.

Bottom Fishing

If you like offshore bottom or reef fishing, you came to the right place! Daytona Beach is home to one of the most extensive networks of artificial reefs in Florida. Since 1980, Volusia County, home to Daytona Beach, has been laying down man made reefs off the coast. These reefs are directly offshore from Daytona Beach and nearby centers of offshore and deep sea fishing in Volusia County such as New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet.

Today there are 15 artificial reef sites from less than one mile to 33 miles off the coast. The reefs are in waters ranging from just 37 feet to 135 feet in depth. The first artificial reef began when a World War II Liberty ship, the USS Mindanao, was purposefully sunk 11 miles offshore to create a new marine habitat for species already found in the waters off Daytona Beach.

With the success of the Mindanao, five more ships were sunk to create even more offshore fishing habitat in the Daytona Beach area including the 165 ft. Antilles Star and the 165 ft. Maxine D. Old barges and tugboats were also added to the reefs including the 195 ft. steel barge Argoil. There are even two dozen USN Intruders, retired 1960s era fighter planes!

More About the Reefs

Daytona’s artificial reefs are habitat for a large variety of fish! The sunken ships, tugs and barges (and planes) are home to many different species of Snapper and Grouper as well as hard fighting Amberjacks.  Cobia and Tarpon also visit the artificial reefs.

Other species you may encounter while bottom fishing the artificial reefs on your Daytona Beach fishing charter include Triggerfish, Spadefish, Weakfish, Hogfish, Black Sea Bass, Flounder and bull Redfish. Barracudas and many species of Sharks are also found on the reefs.

The first concrete culverts placed at the reef sites were also successful at creating new habitat for great offshore bottom fishing. So much so that just about any concrete structure that could be cleaned and barged out to the reef sites has been used. These include concrete culverts, bridge pilings, hollow concrete utility poles and various concrete structures from bridge and highway demolitions. All together, these various materials used in the artificial reefs off the Daytona Beach coast have created one of the richest fishing grounds for bottom fishing in the country! 

How the Reefs Got Started

By the 1970s, many offshore species popular with fishermen and fishing charter captains in the Daytona Beach area were under pressure from over fishing. In the late 1970s, local fishermen asked the Volusia County Commission to obtain permits from the Army Corps of Engineers to construct artificial reefs in order to create more habitat.

In 1979, a permit to begin work on the first four sites was issued to the county by the Army Corps of Engineers.

In 1980, the USS Mindanao was sunk on site number 3, as an artificial reef. The Mindanao was a 446 foot Liberty ship that had carried supplies overseas to American troops during World War II. The Mindanao rests in 85 feet of water, 11 miles northeast of Ponce Inlet and 12 miles east of Daytona Beach. The main deck is 60 feet below the surface.

In 1981 concrete culverts were used for the first time as an artificial reef in the Daytona Beach area. The culverts were deposited on site number 2, a very popular fishing spot today known as Cracker Ridge.

For eight years, the two new artificial reef sites were monitored for progress. By 1988, the artificial reefs had become such a success that a permit was issued by the Army Corps of Engineers for five more artificial reef sites in the Daytona Beach area.

The Artificial Reef System Booms!

The unqualified success of the first two artificial reefs gave rise to an expanded artificial reef program that continues to the present. There are now 15 artificial reef sites near Daytona Beach with the latest two sites created in July of 2015. These latest two sites are approximately one mile offshore and are the closest artificial reef sites to shore. They consist of 13 barge loads of clean culverts and concrete structures. Site number 14 is located about a mile east of Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach in 37 ft. of water. Site number 15 is located just a short distance from the Sunglow Fishing Pier in Daytona Beach Shores in 45 ft. of water. The sites were located close to shore to make bottom fishing in the Daytona Beach area more accessible to divers, kayakers and fishermen in small boats. 

The Natural Reef System

One of the largest deep water natural reef systems in the country lies approximately 25 miles off the coast of Daytona Beach. It is the Oculina Coral Reef made up of deep water Oculina coral stretching from offshore Fort Piece to offshore Daytona Beach. It is the only Oculina Coral reef in the continental United States.

Oculina is a true deep sea coral. The Oculina Coral Reef is in 200 to 300 feet of water and is home to more than 70 species of fish. Deep sea fishing is great here, both bottom fishing and trolling. The addition of the artificial reefs closer to shore has taken a lot of pressure off the fish stocks living on these natural reefs.

A deep sea fishing charter to the Oculina Coral Reef is well worth the trip. You may want to schedule an extended deep sea fishing charter with Captain CB so you’ll have plenty of time to fish these magnificent natural reefs.