2024 Volusia Yachting & Sportfishing Guide

2024 HRYC Commodore’s Cup

If you are interested in racing in the Commodore’s Cup, here are the steps you need to take:

• Apply to First Coast Sailing Association (FCSA) for rating certificate or rating renewal. Go to www.sailjax.com and click on Rating App. Our contact there is Adam Norwood should you have any questions.

• Once rating is received, register your boat on Regatta Network. Regatta Network - HRYC Commodore's Cup

• Be sure to email your name and contact information to karen@hryc.com to be added to the mailing list.

Become A Member

The Halifax Sport Fishing Club (HSFC) was established in August 1967, and is a “registered not-for-profit organization”. For over 50 years, HSFC has a long history of involvement in community service projects:

• Maintenance and placement of Port Authority artificial reefs

• Construction of wheelchair-accessible docks at local boat ramps

• Free fishing contests and picnics for physically or economically challenged children and adults

• Fishing outings for the elderly, especially those in nursing homes and assisted living facilities

• Fund raising activities for the benefit of other non-profits and community causes

• Support for local Marine Science Centers and museums

Club meetings are held monthly on the third Tuesday at 7:00 PM and are open to visitors and those interested in joining. We invite you to come early to spend some time with us.

Thank you for your interest in the Halifax Sport Fishing Club Inc.

Whether you are a serious angler, or just a novice, a membership in the HSFC will provide plenty of value for you and your family. The club provides an excellent forum to discuss techniques, share strategies and tactics, identify productive fishing spots and meet other anglers with similar interests. You also get the opportunity to participate in a wide range of social activities, special events and interesting projects.

We always have something going on,

like family cookouts, boating excursions, monthly fishing seminars, kids fishing events and our special events parties Of course we always have a fishing tournament brewing and our club offers a Fish of the Month contest and an Angler of the Year contest for the membership. What are these contests you ask? What kind of tournaments are we having? Well, we invite you down to the club to check us out. Enjoy our hospitality and come as often as like. You and your family can socialize with our members and enjoy the programs we put on during our monthly meetings. Some examples are: fishing seminars by local and national captains, offshore seminars by local fisherman, charter captains and tournament winning teams, boat repair and maintenance lectures from local marine business’s, and much, much more.

As a member, you will be able to enjoy the tournaments, monthly seminars, meetings, events like those above and the company of great people in all age brackets. All of our members and associates also get discounts on tournament entry fees and other club events.

HSFC is located at 3431 So. Ridgewood Ave, (Riverside Pavilion) Port Orange, Florida. We have our monthly club meetings on every third Thursday at 6:30 PM. Membership dues are $75.00 annually. This is a family membership that includes your spouse and children under 18. If you have any questions regarding our club or our membership please email our Membership Director, Charlie Bird 703-928-4231.

GOLF CARTS

E-SCOOTERS

E-BIKES

Harbour Village Marina (386) 316-9775 www.harbourvillagemarinaclub.com

Inlet Harbor Marina (386) 767-3266

www.inletharbor-marina.com

Lighthouse Boatyard & Marina (386) 767-0683 www.lighthouseboatyard.com

New Smyrna Beach City Marina (386) 409-2042

New Smyrna Marina (386) 427-4514

www.cityofnsb.com

www.outriggersnsb.com

North Causeway Marina (386) 427-5267 www.northcausewaymarine.com

Adventure Yacht Harbor (386) 756-2180 www.adventureyachtharbor.com

Coquina Marina (386) 317-0555 www.coquinamarinadaytona.com

Daytona Beach Marina - Loggerhead Marina (386) 523-3100 www.loggerheadmarinas.com

Daytona Marina & Boat Works (386) 252-6421 www.thedaytonamarina.com

Halifax Harbor Marina (386) 671-3601 www.halifaxharbormarina.com

Marina Grande On The Halifax (386) 310-1337 www.mgonthehalifax.com

Seven Seas Marina & Boatyard (386) 761-3221 hwww.sevenseasmarina.com

Flooding, shoreline erosion, and extreme weather negatively affect Florida’s natural resources, livelihood, and the health of coastal and inland communities. Throughout Florida’s estuaries and rivers, polluted runoff has contributed to harmful algal blooms and threatened the quality of life of riverfront communities. Riverside Conservancy helps meet the need of providing vibrant/resilient communities, combating stormwater pollution, increasing coastal resource stewardship opportunities, and providing special places and living classrooms in which to share the benefits of coastal “green” infrastructure for years to come.

That’s right, YOU can make a difference… even from the comfort of your couch! So, dive right in and let your passion be fuel for creating a better and brighter future.

ADOPT-A-CLAM

By adopting a clam, you are helping restore the Indian River Lagoon! Your donation will enable Riverside Conservancy grow a clam in the Indian River Lagoon on your behalf. Clams filter the water and each clam can filter up to 30 gallons of water a day.

It supports the restoration of marsh grasses and living shorelines. Your donations are what drive forward each and every conservation success.

Ancient Roman Glass Jewelry

Ian Greathead, “Schooner”- Oil on canvas

The Marine Discovery Center has spent 25 years informing and educating citizens and guests about the amazing biodiversity of the Indian River Lagoon.

Tagged as the most biologically diverse estuary in North America, the Indian River Lagoon boasts more than 4,000 species and spans 156 miles down Florida’s east coast — providing countless ways to engage the public. Programs at MDC for all ages are designed to offer hands-on, feet-wet learning opportunities through classes, camps, lectures, boat and kayak eco-tours with certified naturalists and teachers.

MDC’s daily eco-tours and monthly free public lectures help visitors understand the ecology of the Lagoon. Camps, field trips, and other education offerings allow children from pre-K through high school (and beyond) to experience our local ecosystems. Coastal ecosystem and other supplemental classes are offered through the Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) at the center multiple times throughout the year.

520 Barracuda Blvd.

New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169 (386) 428-4828

Working with area colleges and universities, as well as environmental conservation groups, the center also provides opportunities for citizen scientists to become personally involved in restoration and sustainability activities, such as oyster-shell recycling, shoreline restoration, water-quality testing, invasive-plant eradication, sea grass surveys and horseshoe crab surveys.

In addition to our education and conservation science programs, MDC also hosts (and co-hosts) various special events throughout the year including fundraisers, symposiums, and galas. The center always boasts a busy calendar!

The nonprofit Marine Discovery Center is now housed in the former administration building of New Smyrna Beach High School, which operated on the 22-acre site from 1963-2006. Prior to the school’s construction, the site was a natural salt marsh.

Through grant funding in 2014, 5½ acres of salt marsh was restored on the land adjacent to the current MDC building, followed by construction of a butterfly garden, nature play area, a 29foot observation mound overlooking estuarine waters, an archery range and a living shoreline demonstration area. Future plans include construction of an amphitheater and kayak storage and launch area.

Widely recognized as a regional resource for the Indian River Lagoon, the Marine Discovery Center is centered on education and outreach in an effort to preserve, protect and restore the lagoon for generations to come.

Admission to our facility & grounds is FREE!

Tours, education programs, and other special events have associated fees.

TheBillfish

Foundation works worldwide to advance the conservation of billfish and associated species to improve the health of oceans and economies. Considering the context of a planet with over seven billion human inhabitants, conservation strategies must be forward-looking and adaptive. By accounting for the roles of billfish within the marine environment as well as in relation to their interactions with humanity, TBF’s conservation campaigns maintain the flexibility to adapt to emergent threats as well as those which have historically confronted resource managers. TBF employs a multi-tiered, proactive suite of initiatives involving research—both biological and socioeconomic–education, and advocacy projects. As billfish and other highly migratory species are not confined to the territorial waters of any one nation, these strategies must also take into account the differences in culture and law inherent to the international arena. Empowered by an internationally diverse constituent network, The Billfish Foundation is uniquely equipped to do just this.

Established in 1990, The Billfish Foundation’s Tag and Release Program is the largest private billfish tagging database in the world and the cornerstone of TBF’s conservation and advocacy efforts. With more than 220,000 tag and release reports, TBF receives over 15,000 tag and release records annually from across the globe and provides vital information for billfish conservation.

The success of TBF’s Tag and Release program is contributed to the dedicated anglers and captains around the globe that voluntarily tag, release, and report their billfish catches. The deployment of traditional tags and the data gathered from recaptured billfish provides valuable scientific data to further understand growth rates, migratory patterns, habitat utilization, and post-release survival rates. Tag and release data also provides valuable information for stock assessments that are instrumental in a time when industrial longlines represent the largest source of marlin mortality. This valuable data, much of it impossible to measure without the use of traditional tagging, provides the groundwork for conservation minded policy, scientific advancement, and gives insight into the demographics and socio-economic benefits generated from billfishing.

As tagging provides The Billfish Foundation with substance for its conservation efforts, TBF recognizes those anglers and captains that tag and release the most billfish each year at an awards ceremony at the Miami International Boat Show. The annual International Tag & Release Competition recognizes members who tag and release the most billfish by species in each

of the world’s oceans. TBF award winners are the ‘who’s who of the billfishing world’ and are those that do not just catch and release a great number of fish, but embody and share a common conservation ethic. As captains and anglers on the water represent the first line in billfish conservation, recognition of their efforts provides a means to illustrate the direct link between catch and release fishing and marine conservation. To recognize the efforts of all of its members, TBF also provides release certificates for those that report billfish tags and releases.

PROPER TAGGING TECHNIQUES

AFTER THE FISH IS LEADERED: Bring the billfish alongside the boat.

Idle the boat forward and maintain this position to allow the billfish to calm down and allow for easier tagging. Never attempt to tag a jumping or thrashing fish. This can be not only dangerous for the health of the billfish but for you too!

NEVER remove the fish from the water. This can result in fatal damage to the fish for two reasons. Excess rubbing and drying can result in the loss of the protective slime coat found on the surface of the fish. Without this protective covering, the fish becomes susceptible to bacterial infections and parasites. Additionally, the skeleton of a billfish is designed for the buoyant conditions of the ocean. Removing the fish from the water, even onto the gunnel, causes the skeleton to come under the full strain of gravity, which can damage the skeleton and internal organs.

It is vitally important that the tag be placed in the proper area: in the dorsal muscle well behind the head and gill plates, above the lateral line and away from all vital organs (see Figure 1). It is not necessary to use a great deal of force to insert the tag. A firm, well-aimed stroke is best. Place the applicator against the fish’s flank and push, inserting the tag until the stopper assembly is pressed against the fish. Improper tag placement or tagging too hard can result in serious injury or death to the fish. Speed tagging often results in injury.

IGFA RELEASE RECOMMENDATIONS

Modifying the types of hooks you use can significantly affect a fish’s chances for survival after it is released. When fishing with natural bait (dead or alive), IGFA strongly encourages the use of non-offset circle hooks. Extensive research on species from salmon to sailfish has demonstrated that circle hooks gut hook significantly fewer fish without sacrificing catch rates. Lures that have treble hooks should have the barbs bent down or removed to facilitate easier hook removal.

Interested in the science behind circle hooks? Read Circle hooks, 'J' hooks and drop-back time: a hook performance study of the south Florida recreational live-bait fishery for sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus published in Fisheries Management and Ecology in 2007.

If you’re not going to photograph your fish or document it for record purposes, the best method is to not remove the fish from the water. In-water releases can be aided by the use of de-hooking devices that eliminate the need to boat the fish and keep hands safe distances away from the fish. If the fish has swallowed the hook, it is much better for the angler to cut the leader as close to the fish as possible, rather than trying to forcibly remove the hook.

If a fish needs to be removed from the water to remove the hook and/or document it for record purposes, anglers should use either their hands or knotless, rubberized landing net. Most small to moderately large sized fish can be landed by hand. Ideally, this should be done with wet hands or soft, wet gloves to minimize slime and scale loss. Lip gripping devices may be used to help subdue fish. However, they should not be used to hoist fish vertically out of the water, as this can cause damage to jaw muscle and bone as well as to internal organs. The best method for removing fish from the water is to grip the fish or the lower jaw and support the fish’s underside. Again, the point is always to hold fish horizontally and not vertically.

Directory of Businesses and Services

Directory of Businesses and Services