OUR STORY
Westwind Witches is a by product of Southwind Charters & Southern States Fishn' & Huntn' Magazine, specializing in hand-tied sea witches & three strand splicing. Born and raised in New Smyrna Beach, our passion for fishing and ocean life led us to create high-quality hand-tied sea witches that are perfect for catching all kinds of fish. We take great pride in our work and are committed to providing our customers with the best products possible. Thank you for choosing Westwind Witches for all of your fishing needs!
Westwind Witches Founder Shelby Zona spent her life watching her parent's dreams and careers flourish, oftentimes finding her own inspirations along the way. Growing up, Shelby was given a rare and unfiltered look at the ins & outs of magazine ownership. A family tradition on her mother's side that has been passed down for over half a century, Southern States Fishn' & Huntn' Magazine has been providing the area's anglers and hunting enthusiasts with quality magazines since 1964. At the other helm is her father, a well-known and respected commercial fisherman turned Captain (Southwind Charters) with over 30 years of industry knowledge under his belt. At Westwind Witches, we are more than just a business. We are a family tradition whose dedication to serving the industry has paved the way for our craft today. We understand the importance of using high-quality fishing gear, we are committed to providing our customers with exceptional service and products that they can rely on. Thank you for choosing Westwind Witches!
"When I was a child, my dad taught me how to make sea witches to help him out with his growing charter fishing business. If I wasn’t bait fishing for pinfish and grunts, I was tying sea witches at the dock with a tupperware stuffed with materials to work with. One of my first sea witches was green and yellow, I called him Mr. Green Pants, and he grew to be one of my dad's favorite lures. He caught Mahi, Wahoo, Kings, Sails, and so many other species on that lure. Hearing the stories of what a lure I had made had caught my dad was definitely the most incredible thing for me to hear as a kid.
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I tied that same Mr. Green Pants lure for years for my dad. Over my teen years, school and life always seemed to get in the way. In the beginning of 2023 just months after graduating from High School, I decided I wanted to start my own small business. I told my mom and dad about the ideas I had of tying sea witches again, and they both couldn't have been more happy. My dad helped me get the materials I needed to get started, and it took off from there with tons of community support. Since then, I have been able to buy myself everything I wanted to have my own lure-building station. I now tie almost every day after my full-time job and on the weekends to make sure my business reaches its full potential. Being committed to the growth and development of my products and clientele, the possibilities are endless."
-Shelby Zona
OUR ROOTS
Shelby Zona
Owner / Designer
Desiree Harbster
Publisher of
Southern States Fishn' & Huntn' Mag
Freddie Zona
Owner/Operator
of Southwind Charters