The Dry Dock – AFDM-9
The placement of Dry Dock AFDM-9 is probably one of the most unique artificial reefs ever developed by the Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing Club (JOSFC). Size alone places it in a category of one of the largest placements ever made, and by far the largest for the club to date. AFDM-9 was constructed in […]
The JOSFC Mission
The Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing Club is a sporting association started in 1959 as a group of local fisherman committed to making offshore fishing in the Jacksonville area more exciting, reliable, safe and beneficial. The JOSFC is the pioneer in Artificial Reef Building and Maintenance in the state of Florida. The program began practically […]
Casablanca
The “Casablanca” is a 365′ LST that was sunk in 1972. The intent was to make this drop in the BR area, but bad weather, combined with a trapped air pocket inside the vessel made the drop go awry. It floated over four miles almost due south before finally sinking and remained “lost” for years […]
Blackmar’s Reef
Blackmar’s Reef is named for Ray Blackmar, one of the original members of the Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing Club (JOSFC). Charlie Hamaker, the JOSFC’s “Unofficial Historian” remembers meeting Ray Blackmar in 1963, after attending several club meetings at Monty’s Marina. He took Charlie under tow and gave him one-on-one lessons on how to twist wire […]
Harm’s Ledge
The H.L. is named for one of the original members and pioneers of the club, Gus Harms. Gus owned a service station that was located at the corner of Hendrix Ave. and Prudential Drive. Several years ago I passed by that area and noticed that someone had opened a restaurant in the original building. I […]
East of EF
EEF was at first named casually, to describe an area east of the EF flag that was, for many years, a secret so well guarded that the folks who knew about it would hoist their anchor and leave if anyone approached on the horizon. It is a ledge that marks clearly on modern depth-charting electronics […]
Curran’s Corner
Named after Pappa Jack Currans. Jack owned D&D Bottle Gas company. He not only was a club member but he and his wife, Elaine were recognized because they did more cooking and held more fish fry’s to raise money for the club than just about anyone. It would be the 4th of July, when […]
Tanzler’s Waters
Tanzler’s Waters was so named to honor the first truly environmentally-sensitive mayor of Jacksonville. Famous for his water-skiing event in the St. Johns River, he did it to prove that the river was once again an acceptable recreational resource. The TW is a legacy of a friend to the environment and the fishery.
Tournament Reef
In 1932 a proud new 225′ freighter was built in Leith, Scotland. With cabins of inlaid wood from around the world and tall masts she was as graceful as she was functional. For years she was a coastal freighter in European waters. During World War II, she was a supply ship ferrying arms and supplies […]
Hospital Grounds
Most of these reefs run from Southeast to Northwest, with ledges from offering from 5- to 10-foot drop-offs. There are also several deep holes in the area. The HG is typically an early hot spot for amberjack and bonito, followed by other striking fish.