FISHING REPORT: Ocean Deck folks getting increasingly fishy with their River Deck in NSB
A few days back, Vernon Kuftic ordered a pair of pinfish traps.
Might not sound like much to you, but until fairly recently, he might’ve been more likely to order a snow blower.
“I’ve learned I don’t know anything about bait, but we’ve hired guys who do,” says Kuftic, who’s become the “marina guy” among the three owners of Daytona Beach’s famous party hub, the Ocean Deck.
For the past few years, they’ve also owned and operated the River Deck restaurant in New Smyrna Beach — and, in a fish-outta-water kind of way, also own the adjoining River Deck Marina and Bait Shop.
“We’re restaurant guys,” Kuftic says of himself and partners Ken Bots and Matt Fuerst, who first put this plan to paper in 2017.
Restaurant guys, yes, but don’t let Kuftic fool you. He’s very much a boat guy, too, owning and racing catamarans since 1984. Fishing? Not so much.
“I eat fish,” he says.
It’s been a grueling process, both with the restaurant and now with expansion plans for the marina, as you might imagine when you’re dealing with water-front property and a host of agencies who need dotting and crossing of I’s and T’s.
Currently, regarding the effort to expand the marina and turn its old front office into a retail store, they’re working through two old bugaboo terms that bring shivers to even the most patient among us.
Site plan.
Permitting.
Come out from under your desk, Vern, it’ll be OK. Eventually.
“We thought we were ready to get started last summer, but we had to do a new site plan,” he says.
It’s quite a little high-rent nook of the intracoastal there, where Riverside Drive meets the North Causeway. The River Deck is one of four marinas within a long surf-cast of each other — the City Marina, Anglers Club and North Causeway Marine are the others. And it’s only about two more long eastward casts to the Outriggers Marina.
Lot of money in storing boats, Cap’n.
The grand plan for the River Deck, which will hopefully see screws entering pilings soon, will include an additional 50 dry slips and, more eye-popping, another 34 wet slips that will run the length of the current marina and curve around the riverside front of the restaurant.
Up front will be the new retail store, which Kuftic says will carry “everything you would need if you came down to rent a boat and wanted to go out.” Did we mention they have 16 boats, mostly pontoons, in their rental fleet?
“Sunscreen, shoes, chips, beer, soda, everything,” he says.
As of now, along with the solid restaurant business, Kuftic’s marina folks will continue renting boats to folks smart enough to avoid ownership.
And along with live shrimp and all of your tackle needs, before long they’ll be selling you fresh-caught pinfish.
FISHBITESThe idea for Fishbites began with young Billy Carr in New Smyrna Beach
PHONE IS YOUR FRIENDWhat's app, bro? Time to take advantage of that phone in your pocket
Halifax/Indian River
Geno Giza comes down from Pennsylvania (Carlisle) for several months each year and spends much of his free time fly-fishing the riverside of Canaveral National Seashore south of New Smyrna Beach — usually the Turtle Mound area.
Shortly after arriving in town last week, he and wife Gayle put on their wading boots and soon realized why snook are overly protected in the winter time.
“The majority of dead snook that Gayle and I have seen are from Turtle Mound to Castle Windy on Canaveral,” he says. “The dead snook were found intertwined amongst the mangroves.”
While Turtle Mound is rather self-explanatory, Castle Windy is what the nautical folks call a shell midden, dating back roughly 1,000 years, give or take.
Get a legitimate cold snap like we had around Christmas, and it’s not uncommon to see some belly-up snook in the canals and mangroves. And many that are alive but so lethargic, you can reach overboard and snatch them with your hand. Hence the Dec. 15-Jan. 31 closed season.
Elsewhere, up in the more heavily populated areas, the sheepshead are still making themselves heard.
“They’re hot around the docks, rocks and bridges,” says Capt. Billy Pettigrew (RedfishTails.com), who says he’s also hitting weakfish and whiting, and a here-and-there trout, on sandy bottoms near Ponce Inlet.
“I know everybody's looking for fiddler crabs and sandfleas but a chunk of shrimp works almost as good to catch sheepshead,” he says. “Live and fresh-dead shrimp are working for me on the whiting and weakfish.”
Surf
Good news: Dustin Smith (NSB Shark Hunters) has set up shop again.
Bad news: None of his normal locations are available yet, due to all the blown-out walkways and beach ramps. So he’s booking what he can to the south at Apollo Beach inside the Seashore near Lot 3.
Doing business in the National Seashore means doing business only in the daytime, while Smith’s shark-fishing adventure is best as an after-dark event.
“We’ve caught a few but it got tough when the water temperature got really cold,” he says. “But now it’s getting back up there again so I’ve caught many sharks there during the daytime.”
However . . .
“My clientele likes to go out at night so they can party at the same time,” he says.
Don’t underestimate how important quality beach access is to so many local businesses. Get those ramps and walkways open.
Offshore
Finally!
“We had a few people in town during Christmas week and we did get a few trips in,” says Capt. Mike Mulholland, who operates the Sea Spirit party boat out of Ponce Inlet. “We did catch a mixed bag of fish, but it's still a little bit on the slow side, people-wise.”
Two outings on the books for this weekend, however. Fingers crossed.
St. Johns
Seems like we’re filling up on semi-good news. Here's some more.
“We’re not open yet, but I’m taking care of some people who already had reservations with us,” says Kerry McPherson, who owns and operates the South Moon Fish Camp in Astor, where river flooding knee-capped so many West Volusians the past few months.
“We’re still drying out. The grounds were saturated,” says Kerry, whose operation includes several efficiencies for fishermen to sneak in some sleep and breakfast (and maybe an early-evening Evan Williams) between outings. “We’re not taking any new reservations yet. Still getting things back in order.”
As for the handful of folks he’s hosting, “actually, the fishing is pretty good,” he says. “They’re catching some nice fish.”
For now, it’s still speckled perch (crappie, if you prefer), but later in the spring, when he’s hopefully at full speed again, the folks will start bee-lining his way, boat in tow, for the heat of bluegill season. Yee-ha!
Also
The good folks at the Halifax Sport Fishing Club will turn their attention to the back end of this whole fishing experience.
The Jan. 19 monthly meeting, open to the public at no charge, will include a seminar on how to cook seafood. Turns out, it’s not all corn meal and grease. Go figure!
Doors open at 6:30, meeting gavels at 7, seminar at 7:30.
The club is located at 3431 S. Ridgewood in Port Orange. More info: HSFC.com.
◾ If you’re among those who still own a calendar and tend to jot down the important stuff — first, bless your heart.
Second, here are some tournament dates for the HSFC …
March 25: A brand new tourney, the “Spring Fling Inshore Tournament.”
April 21, 22 or 23 (your choice): the 22nd annual Offshore Challenge.
June 3: 35th annual Lady Angler.
July 29: Third annual Kingfish Tournament.
Oct. 21: Inshore Championship.
Hook, line and clicker: Send us your fish pics
We want to see your most recent catch. Email your fish photos to ken.willis@news-jrnl.com.
Please include first and last name of angler(s), as well as type of fish (we're occasionally stumped). All are included with our online fishing report, and some occasionally make the print edition.
Do I need a fishing license?
You can find all the license info, including exemptions, on Florida's Fish and Wildlife Commission website: MyFWC.com. But the basics are:
No: If you're 65 or older, 15 or younger, you don't need a license.
No: If you're fishing with a licensed guide or charter boat, both of which purchase commercial licenses that cover their customers.
Yes: Most everyone else, including visitors from other states.
Yes: Even if you're a shore-based angler (shoreline, dock, pier, bridge, etc.).
However: The shore-based license is free . . .
But: You still need to register for that free license.
Where do I get a license and what does it cost?
Many bait shops sell licenses, as do the bigger retailers (Bass, Dick's, Walmart, etc.). Florida's FWC uses a third-party site for buying or renewing fishing licenses: GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
The cost: $17 for an annual license.
Don't forget: Whether you're fishing fresh or saltwater, you need the specific license. Freshwater and saltwater licenses are both $17 annually. I’m here on vacation, do I need a license? Yes you do, and they're also available at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or certain bait shops and big retailers.
Cost: $17 for three days, $30 for seven days, $47 for a year.
Also: Non-residents need to purchase that license even if they're just fishing from shoreline or shore-based structures. (Florida residents need that license, too, but they're free.)
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NSB's River Deck expanding; dead snook go belly-up; crappie still hot
