Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club

09/21/2026

Reminder: The next general meeting of the Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club is September 22nd, 2026.

Speaker Note: We had scheduled Victor Blanco to join us this Tuesday to share updates about the activities of Artificial Reef deployment in our big bend waters, however some exciting news for him is that he is being given an award by Taylor County on the same night for his outstand work in this area! Good for our friend, however we needed to find someone as knowledgeable about the topic to speak to us. Great news is that we on Friday a group of us attending a regional Workshop on Artificial Reefs and met Carolyn Kalinowski from the FWC. She will be sharing much of the information about what is happening at Buckeye reef, the planned Anderson Columbia reef, and covering plans, strategies, and details about the reef building program on a state level. She will also cover how Sea Grant partners with the FWC, CCA, and others, AND how clubs like ours and interested individuals and companies can get involved. Please attend and give Carolyn a big GOFC welcome!

Featured Speaker:
About Carolyn Kalinowski
Carolyn Kalinowski is a Biological Scientist with FWC’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management where she leads the Artificial Reef Program. In this role, she works with coastal partners to support artificial reef planning, permitting, deployment, and monitoring.

Carolyn began her scientific diving career at the University of Minnesota where she earned a B.S. in Ecology and minored in marine biology. After graduating, she led a field research team investigating the impacts of aquatic invasive plants across the Midwest. She originally joined the Artificial Reef Program to oversee Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) funds in Northwest Florida and later moved into a larger role where she enjoys supporting artificial reef development statewide.

To learn more about Florida’s Artificial Reef Program, check out the FWC website and Sea Grant website.

Meeting Date and Time:
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026
The doors will open for fellowship at 7 PM.
The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM.

Location:
Thanks to the generosity of The Best Restoration in Gainesville, The GOFC is having our meeting at their new location at 6933 NW 4th Blvd. This is just off Tower Road NEXT TO the Home Depot.

There will also be pizza, a rod and reel raffle prize, door prizes, and drinks! We'll see you there!

09/16/2026

The next general meeting of the Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club will be held on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026.

We are delighted to welcome back a very knowledgeable speaker about the activities of Artificial Reef deployment in our big bend waters, Victor Blanco! Victor has been a champion for the last five years studying and expanding the popular Buckeye Reef area located in about 55 feet of water due west of Steinhatchee. Victor in recent years has been able to get multiple grant awards to expand the area to 4 square miles and add numerous new reef structures to it. He also will be talking about other locations, how Sea Grant partners with the FWC, CCA, and others, AND how clubs like ours and interested individuals and companies can get involved. Victor will use videos of the underwater structures and maybe even give us some coordinates!!

Featured Speaker:
About Victor Blanco
Victor Blanco is a Marine Extension Agent III for UF/IFAS Extension in Taylor County. Victor, who is native to Venezuela, developed a great interest in marine science at early age after taking his first scuba diving course at age 12 and after several years in the Boys Scouts movement, where he obtained the highest honor: Scout of Bolivar (equivalent to Eagle Scout). He studied marine biology at Universidad de Oriente in Margarita Island (Venezuela), and has taken specialization courses about environmental economics, wetland management, climate change and environmental conflict analysis and resolution in four universities in three different countries.
In 2022 he achieved a Master in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Florida. His professional career includes experience with the public (national and state level) and private sector in his country, and internationally as consultant for the United Nations Development Program and UNESCO. As a refugee, he joined Florida Sea Grant in December 2016 as a county marine extension agent in Taylor County, at the Big Bend – Nature Coast region.

Meeting Date and Time:
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026
The doors will open for fellowship at 7 PM.
The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM.

Location:
Thanks to the generosity of The Best Restoration in Gainesville, The GOFC is having our meeting at their new location at 6933 NW 4th Blvd. This is just off Tower Road NEXT TO the Home Depot.

There will also be pizza, a rod and reel raffle prize, door prizes, and drinks! We'll see you there!

Now’s a good time to renew your GOFC Membership for 2027!
It’s as easy than ever! Just go to the “Join now!” tab on the
GOFC website. (http://www.gofc.us/wp/join-now/)
Then fill out the form online and pay using PayPal, or you can pay Debby at the monthly meetings!

Benefits of membership...Receive 12 Acute Angler Newsletters (click to see past issues)Participate in GOFC tournaments and events (About Events | Calendar)Receive a $10.00 Sea Tow discount on yearly membershipsReceive 5% off sporting goods at Alachua Farm & LumberReceive 10% off from any servic...

09/06/2026

The weigh-in for the 2026 GOFC Grouper Tournament will be held on Saturday, September 19th in Cedar Key
Register at:
https://gofc.us/tourney-stats/tournament-registration/
What is it?
With now a month long season, the GOFC will hold it's second annual Tournament dedicated to Grouper! Both Red and Gag Groupers will be in season and can be targeted in both shallow water structure and offshore ledges and hardbottom areas.

Cash prizes will be awarded for the three heaviest groupers.

This tournament is free and open to all club members in good standing. All individuals participating in the tournament do so at their own risk and must have a current waiver of liability on file with GOFC. All captains must register for the tournament using the link above no later than 7:30 pm the night before the tournament.

Non-member guests are invited to participate in the tournament with the following strictly enforced requirements:

Participating guests must complete a waiver of liability via the GOFC website no later than 7:30 pm the night before the tournament. The waiver of liability can be found on this page: https://gofc.us/join-now/
Participating guests must be included in the list of passengers submitted by the captain when they register their boat.
Participating guests must pay a $25 tournament fee in cash to the Tournament Director at the official weigh in. The payer will be responsible for providing correct change.
When is it?
Date: Saturday, September 19th, 2026
Start Time: Safelight
Weigh in: 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm at a location to be announced
Weather Dates: September 20th

The Tournament committee will monitor the marine weather forecast and make the go/no-go decision the evening before the tournament. The decision will be announced via email no later than 7:00 pm that night. Individual captains must also monitor the forecasts and make their own determination regarding their vessel's sea worthiness given the expected conditions.

Anyone who registers for the tournament but ends up either not going out or decides to skip the weigh-in is asked to call or text Tournament Director

Anglers must be standing in line to have their fish weighed by 6:30 pm to be eligible. The cut-off time will be strictly enforced, so please don't wait until the last minute to start heading in.

Where is it?
Contestants may depart from any port in the Club's home waters. The weigh in will be held in Cedar Key at a location to be announced.

Tournament Details
Tournament Director: Dale Reed, at 352-215-5295.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:
Heaviest Grouper
1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $75
3rd Place: $50
Only one prize will be awarded per angler in each species category. Ties for the heaviest fish will be decided by time of entry with the earliest entry prevailing. Interpretation of the tournament rules shall be at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director.

Official Club Rules: https://gofc.us/rules/

Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club Rules and Regulations Approved by the GOFC Board of Directors on December 05, 2023 General Statements and Regulations All club members are responsible for their safety and the safety of their boat and passengers. Members must determine the conditions under which t....

08/31/2026

Fun night with the Gainesville offshore Fishing Club! Guest speaker was past president Cecil Quates and the focus was grouper! Lots of question and answers from an exceptional, experienced fisherman! Some fun stories, and lots of tactics. GOFC.US is the best way to find us and more information about tournaments and activities will be posted soon. 🎣

08/25/2026

The next general meeting of the Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club is tonight, Tuesday, August 25th, 2026.
Featured Speaker: Former GOFC President: Cecil Quates

One of the common pieces of feedback we get after a successful presentation at our general meeting is that sometimes the best ones are teach backs from members. We are delighted to bring one of the most successful Grouper fishermen the club has ever known in Cecil Quates, past President of the GOFC to speak to us on the topic of Gag Grouper tips, techniques, and tactics. Cecil has killed more grouper than most of us have even seem, and his presentation and sharing of tackle, ideas, and strategies just prior to the re-opening of Gag season is sure to be a hit!

Meeting Date and Time:
Tuesday, August 25th, 2026
The doors will open for fellowship at 7 PM.
The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM.

Location:
Thanks to the generosity of The Best Restoration in Gainesville, The GOFC is having our meeting at their new location at 6933 NW 4th Blvd. This is just off Tower Road NEXT TO the Home Depot.

There will also be pizza, a rod and reel raffle prize, door prizes, and drinks! We'll see you there!

Now’s a good time to renew your GOFC Membership for 2026!
It’s as easy than ever! Just go to the “Join now!” tab on the
GOFC website. (http://www.gofc.us/wp/join-now/)
Then fill out the form online and pay using PayPal, or you can pay Debby at the monthly meetings!
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Benefits of membership...Receive 12 Acute Angler Newsletters (click to see past issues)Participate in GOFC tournaments and events (About Events | Calendar)Receive a $10.00 Sea Tow discount on yearly membershipsReceive 5% off sporting goods at Alachua Farm & LumberReceive 10% off from any servic...

08/18/2026

The next general meeting of the Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club will be held on Tuesday, August 25th, 2026.
Featured Speaker: Former GOFC President: Cecil Quates

One of the common pieces of feedback we get after a successful presentation at our general meeting is that sometimes the best ones are teach backs from members. We are delighted to bring one of the most successful Grouper fishermen the club has ever known in Cecil Quates, past President of the GOFC to speak to us on the topic of Gag Grouper tips, techniques, and tactics. Cecil has killed more grouper than most of us have even seem, and his presentation and sharing of tackle, ideas, and strategies just prior to the re-opening of Gag season is sure to be a hit!

Meeting Date and Time:
Tuesday, August 25th, 2026
The doors will open for fellowship at 7 PM.
The meeting will begin at 7:30 PM.

Location:
Thanks to the generosity of The Best Restoration in Gainesville, The GOFC is having our meeting at their new location at 6933 NW 4th Blvd. This is just off Tower Road NEXT TO the Home Depot.

There will also be pizza, a rod and reel raffle prize, door prizes, and drinks! We'll see you there!

Now’s a good time to renew your GOFC Membership for 2026!
It’s as easy than ever! Just go to the “Join now!” tab on the
GOFC website. (http://www.gofc.us/wp/join-now/)
Then fill out the form online and pay using PayPal, or you can pay Debby at the monthly meetings.

Benefits of membership...Receive 12 Acute Angler Newsletters (click to see past issues)Participate in GOFC tournaments and events (About Events | Calendar)Receive a $10.00 Sea Tow discount on yearly membershipsReceive 5% off sporting goods at Alachua Farm & LumberReceive 10% off from any servic...

08/12/2026

Tonight….there is a CCA get together…

08/01/2026

07/31/2026

The scalloping event scheduled for Tomorrow, Saturday, August 1, 2026 in Steinhatchee has been postponed due to inclement weather.
The event committee has reviewed the current marine weather forecast from the National Weather services and voted unanimously to postpone the scalloping learnament due to high chance of thunderstorms throughout the morning and afternoon.

The committee is working to reschedule the event later in the season and more details will be sent out as soon as they are available.

Be safe out there!

07/31/2026

GOFC will hold a Members Only Scalloping "Learnament" and Social Event on TOMORROW, Saturday, August 1, 2026 in Steinhatchee.
Register at:
https://gofc.us/tourney-stats/tournament-registration/
What is it?
So far, the 2026 scalloping season in Steinhatchee has been one of the most productive in recent memory. Weather permitting, GOFC will hold a scalloping learnament and social event on Saturday, August 1st. The event will be an opportunity for members who have never tried scalloping before to get some tips and tactics from those who make it an annual tradition. It will also be a great opportunity for experienced members to enjoy a bit of camaraderie and relaxation on the water.

The abundance of scallops this year has attracted scallopers from across Florida and all around the Southeast. To beat the crowds, and secure easy parking, we encourage everyone to arrive at the ramp in Steinhatchee around 7am. We will rendezvous in the river north of the main channel just downstream from where Roy's restaurant used to stand. A map showing the location is included below. We will depart from the meeting point at 8am sharp and travel as a group to the scalloping grounds.

We will likely be collecting scallops in 6-7 feet of water, so it is recommend that all participants be strong swimmers, experienced with snorkeling, and capable of diving to the bottom and collecting scallops in up to 7' feet of water.

During the outing, board members will be present to answer questions and demonstrate effective techniques for catching and cleaning scallops.

A list of recommended gear is included at the bottom of this message.

When and Where?
Participats should arrive at the boat ramp at approximately 7am in order to find easy parking and arrive at the rendezvous point by 8am.

The boat ramp is located on Southeast 1st Avenue in Steinhatchee. It does not have an assigned address, but if you are unfamiliar with the area, set your GPS to 104 SE 1st Avenue, Steinhatchee, FL and you'll have a hard time missing it. See map below.

We will Rendezvous on the water north of the main channel in the river just downstream from where's Roy's Restaurant once stood. See map below.

The event chair will monitor the marine weather forecast and make the go/no-go decision the evening before the tournament. The decision will be announced via email no later than 7:00 pm that night. Individual captains must also monitor the forecasts and make their own determination regarding their vessel's sea worthiness given the expected conditions.

Register at:
https://gofc.us/tourney-stats/tournament-registration/

What to bring:
A Florida fishing license for each scalloper as required by law.
Snorkeling Gear including Mask, Snorkel, and Fins
Mesh bags for collecting scallops - Just about any mesh bag will do. Be aware that zippers and spring loaded drawstring clamps will rust after exposure to salt water. High-end, purpose-built bags with hinged metal handles can be purchased at Sea Hag Marina, but an old laundry bag also works great.
A U.S. Coast Guard compliant dive flag and means to properly display it on your boat. This is required by law.
A cooler with about 60lbs of ice - Icing down your scallops for a few minutes makes cleaning them much easier. You'll also want to keep your cleaned scallops cold until you get them home. The Gulf is very warm and salty this time of year and so are the scallops. 10 Gallons of scallops will melt a lot of ice. Come prepared.
A metal spoon for each member of your crew - Used to use cleaning scallops. Leave the oyster knives at home, spoons are more effective and much safer for this purpose A multi-pack of inexpensive metal spoons from Publix, Walmart, or Target is perfect for this.
Five gallon buckets -There are few things on a boat more versatile and useful than a five gallon bucket and they can even save your life. In this case they are great for making sure you don't exceed the daily catch limit (2 gallons of whole scallops per person to a maximum of 10 gallons per boat) as well as collecting the discarded portion of the scallop when cleaning your catch.
Disposable plastic storage containers with lids or ziploc bags - Useful when cleaning scallops and for packing the cleaned scallops away in the cooler. Reused take-out containers for liquids and resealable tubs from the grocery store work great. The daily limit is 1/2 gallon (4 pints) of cleaned scallop meat per boat. You'll want enough containers or bags to store your catch plus at least one container per person to use while cleaning scallops. The containers or bags should be water tight.
Sunscreen - Lots of it
Plenty of drinks and snacks for your crew - Proven to greatly reduce the risk of mutiny

Use this form to register your boat and passengers in advance of a GOFC tournament. Only registered boats are qualified to win prizes. Captain's Name* First Last Captain's Cell Phone*To be used in the event a boat has not checked in at weigh-inBack-up Phone NumberPlease provide a back-up / just in c...