Trolling

Depending on conditions and the season, we can troll or sight fish up to 20 miles off the coast of St Augustine for a wide variety of species including: Cobia, Amberjacks, King Mackerel, Wahoo, Sailfish, Mahi, Jack Crevalle, Tripletails, Barracudas and even Sharks. There are plenty of Sharks off the coast of Saint Augustine. When trolling offshore we may encounter Bull Sharks, Hammerheads, Atlantic Sharp Nosed Sharks, BlackTips and Lemon Sharks.

Bottom Fishing

The Reefs of St Augustine ~ Bottom Fishing Paradise! Along the sandy ocean floor that gently slopes out from the shores of St Augustine toward the Continental Shelf and the Gulf Stream, generations of anglers have bottom fished a wide variety of natural formations such as rock piles and ledges for their favorite bottom dwelling species.

Massive Goliath Grouper, amazing Trigger fish and the ever popular Red Snapper are just a few of the species encountered by anglers in St Augustine for as long as fishermen have been reeling fish in from the ocean bottom.

Even with the rich, natural marine environment off the coast of St Augustine, the demand for even more fishing opportunities, especially for the most popular bottom species, has led to the creation of the world’s most extensive artificial reef system right here in Florida. Virtually every coastal county in Florida has developed their own artificial reef system, right off their shores, and St Johns County, home to Saint Augustine, is one of the leading locations in the state for artificial reefs. For more Florida fishing adventures visit Pensacola Beach Fishing Trips.

What Can We Catch on St Augustine’s Artificial Reefs?

St Augustine’s artificial reefs are home to an unfathomable variety of marine species. Along with the immense number of invertebrates from shellfish to crustaceans and the small bait fish that provide food to larger species, the variety of desirable species are a fisherman’s dream!

Grouper species found on St Augustine’s artificial reefs include: Gag Grouper, Scamp Grouper, Snowy Grouper, Speckled Hind Grouper, Red Grouper, Warsaw Grouper and Goliath Grouper.

Snapper species include: Vermilion Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Lane Snapper and everybody’s favorite, Red Snapper.

Amberjacks can often be found swimming over the reefs, and are a popular catch when fishing the reefs. Other reef inhabitants include Triggerfish, Flounder, Permit, Weakfish, Sheepshead, Seatrout and even Frogfish.

Pelagic predators that typically hunt the open ocean waters, often hunt the artificial reefs including Cobia, Barracudas, King Mackerel and Sharks.

You never know what you’ll catch when fishing St Augustine’s artificial reefs!

How Did St Augustine’s Artificial Reefs Get Started?

Beginning in 1973 with the sinking of a small tugboat, the Leon Roddy, in 63 feet of water just 9 miles off the coast of St Augustine, over 40 artificial reefs have been created off the shores of St Johns County, the home county of St Augustine. The artificial reefs are comprised of various materials. They are located at a depth of between 55 to 125 feet and are immensely successful in creating new habitat for sea life.

Barnicles, soft corals, sponges and other small creatures first attach to the surfaces of new artificial reefs, feeding off plankton and other nutrients floating in the currents. These small creatures then provide food for shrimp, crabs and small fish which eventually become food for many large fish species including an incredibly large variety of Grouper and Snapper. St Augustine’s artificial reefs have become marine bio-diverse hot spots, appreciated by fisherman, divers, and environmentalists alike.

By the way, St Augustine’s first artificial reef, is still popular with fishermen today and is known as Nine Mile Reef.

What Are St Augustine’s Artificial Reefs Made From?

The most popular discarded items used to create these reefs near St Augustine consist of concrete rubble, a stable, environmentally friendly and non polluting material that makes excellent homes for sea creatures. The concrete rubble includes concrete culverts, bridge platforms, concrete pilings, utility poles and jersey barriers and just about any discarded concrete structures.

The success of the discarded concrete structures eventually led to the fabrication of concrete ‘reefballs’. These concrete ‘reefballs’ are hollow with plenty of portals and specifically designed as homes or ‘condos’ for reef fish.

Other discarded or retired items used to create artificial reefs near St Augustine include steel drydocks, steel dumpsters, fiberglass boat molds and several purposefully sunken steel barges and tugboats.

There are even several reefs near St Augustine that consist primarily of old military planes donated by the government, including Intruders and A6’s. The planes are stripped to their frames of any polluting materials before dropped into the sea at a designated reef site.

Are St Augustine’s Artificial Reefs Environmentally Sound?

The answer is a resounding Yes! With nearly a half century of testing of many different materials and the creation of thousands of reef sites in the waters off the Florida coast, the development of artificial reefs in Florida has become an established, environmental science. Entities from the Army Corps of Engineers to the Marine Sciences departments of universities across Florida have actively participated in the development of Florida’s artificial reefs since the very beginning.

Thousands of volunteers in dozens of private non-profit organizations across Florida actively participate in the monitoring, study, and maintenance of the state’s artificial reefs.

Locally, in St Augustine and St Johns County, a non-profit organization known as TISIRI, which stands for “Think It, Sink It, Reef It” takes the lead in organizing reef creation, environmental conservation and marine awareness. You can learn more about St Augustine’s artificial reefs, including a complete list of all the reefs near St Augustine and their GPS locations on their website tisiri.org.

Thanks to the artificial reefs providing new habitat, the fish populations of bottom dwelling species, are larger than ever!

Can We Fish St Augustine’s Artificial Reefs with Captain Danny?

Yes! Captain Danny can take you out to Saint Augustine’s artificial reefs for some awesome offshore bottom fishing! Most of the artificial reefs near St Augustine are less than 20 nautical miles from shore and easily accessible by fishing boats of all sizes on a calm day. Captain Danny has been fishing St Augustine’s artificial reefs for over 30 years. He is very knowledgeable of the reefs, which are best for fishing the species you want to target, when is the best time to fish them and when it is safe to do so.

Captain Danny and Long Line Charters supports environmentally sound fishing practices and follows all Florida State fishing regulations. As a licensed Florida recreational fishing guide, Captain Danny always knows which species are in season, which fish are “Keepers” and which fish are “Catch and Release”. Either way, You’ll have fun fishing with Captain Danny!