Hubbard's Marina Fishing Report 4-12-19
Inshore-
The sheepshead are biting well this past week around the pass. We’re seeing
great action on the pompano still. Lots of mackerel in the pass and just off
the beaches. Plus, the snook are still very prevalent around the passes and
starting to head onto the beaches. Finally, the red fish are showing up on the
flats and the bigger reds are hanging around the bottom around the dock lights
of johns pass areas at night. Trout action has been pretty steady around the
flats and around the lights of Johns pass at night. The sheepshead are the
biggest story this past week especially with the little cold front that came
this past Tuesday and Wednesday they were really fired up. The fiddler crabs
are the best bait recently for these great eating unique fish that hang around
the docks and structures of Johns pass. They will also eat small pieces of
shrimp, cut pieces of clams or oysters and even some barnacles. Scraping the
barnacles off the poles is a great way to get the sheepshead chummed up and
feeding hard. Pompano have also been fairly prolific from the wester tips of
the north and south Johns Pass jetties hitting fiddler crabs on the bottom or
live shrimp. However, the pompano will hit artificial lures too like the Nekid
Ball Jigz, pompano jigs, or the Doc’s goofy jigs. When fishing for pompano with
bait you just leave them still on the sandy bottom. When fishing artificials
for pompano you want to just skip the lures just off the sandy bottom areas
around 4-8 inches off the bottom as you slowly retrieve the excess line into
your reel. Mackerel are really thick around the pass especially on the incoming
tide that pushes the live white bait around the bridges and into the pass the
mackerel move in a bit and it makes it easy to target them inside the pass. We
recommend the 7/8th oz gotcha plugs worked fast through the current,
or you can free line a live shrimp or live white bait into the pass for them
too and if you need it a bobber can help give you some weight to cast those
free lined live baits. 
Near
shore- Kingfish and mackerel still super prolific from the beaches all the way
throughout the near shore and offshore waters. However, near shore the beset
action seems to be between 30-60ft of water areas from 3-10 miles from shore
following the large bait schools that can be found by spotting the flocks of
birds feeding on the bait that ‘shower’ on the surface when being chased by
predators below the surface. Trolling through these bait schools will produce
tons of mackerel and some decent kings too. However, the trick is to do a
figure 8 pattern dragging your spoons through the school but NEVER your boat
through the action. Your boat will spook the fish and the bait and make them
swim down and spread out, if your boat stays off the school and just your lures
go through the edges of the action that is your best bet to pick off lots of
those fun to catch mackerel and kingfish. We love the rapala xrap magnum 20, 30
or 40 lures to troll near shore along with a few planner and spoons combos. The
trick when trolling is to create a ‘spread’ that attracts the fish to bite your
lures.
This technique means you want to keep the lures looking like a school of
fish or bait following your boat, meaning you want to keep them in a pattern as
close as you can while not getting them tangled. That’s why it’s helpful to
have some planners and spoons mixed with the rapalas, the deeper diving planner
can be placed right next to a shallower diving rapala and from the bottom it
looks like two fish following close to each other and you keep building your
‘school of bait’ or spread like this and make sure once you have the lines out
you don’t do any narrow turns, as long as you’re doing very wide angle turns
and your spread is properly spaced you will never get tangles in your lures.
The hogfish bite has been a little more hit and miss lately and they are very
leader shy right now due to the ridiculously clear water clarity we have right
now near shore. When targeting the hogs as of late the 20-30lb floro has been
important with around 4ot hooks in 30-50ft of water using fiddler crabs or live
shrimp and the 20lb has been the most productive but it’s hard to get them up
off the bottom with that lighter tackle sometimes. The other snapper species
like the lanes and mangroves have been a little more slow lately but we are
still catching them from time to time!
Offshore
– The deep water closure of grouper is now over and we have been doing VERY
well on scamp grouper, red grouper and even some big trigger fish out there
past 140-150ft of water all the way out to around 200ft of water. The scamp
grouper bite best past around 140ft of water and we like small live pinfish for
them in the 4-5inch range or the 4-6oz hammered silver diamond jigs bounced
just around the bottom nearly touching bottom or squid strips seem to work well
too. Scamp love the ledges, potholes or hard ‘Swiss cheese’ style bottom up to
around 350-400 foot of water. The deeper you go the more often you see larger
scamp and they are one of my most favorite eating grouper for sure. Right now
on our 12 hour extreme, 39 hour or the 44 hour full moon trips or the longer
range flying HUB 1 or 2 private charters like 10 or 12 hours you have a great
shot at targeting these great eating scamp grouper, triggerfish and the super
fat deep water red grouper. Plus, were seeing lots of big pelagics out there
past 120-140ft of water with big kingfish in the 35-45lb range and plentiful
blackfin tuna. Most of the pelagics are being caught on the flat lines or the
vertical jigs around sunrise or sunset this past week aboard our long range
fishing boats. However, we are picking a few tuna and some smaller ‘schoolie’
sized kingfish on the trollers too. The sailfish are around the area as well a
few boats in the area have spotted a few and one boat did hook up this past
week on a rouge sailfish just off our coast around 40 miles from shore. The
mangrove snapper bite has been a little soft as of late but we have been able
to pick up some nice quality fish working hard for them and sticking and moving
until we find a cooperative pile of those great fish. The vermillion snapper however
have been super large and very willing to chew for us in the deeper 130-150ft
of water areas. The red grouper are finishing their spawn and they are slowly
starting to cooperate shallower, but the majority of the fish seem to be biting
best from 110-160ft of water still for now.
Want
to watch Capt Dylan Hubbard’s Daily video reports? Check out the Hubbard’s
Marina YouTube channel and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE! - Hubbard's
Marina daily fishing & boating report
Upcoming up at Hubbard’s Marina
We
have another great Bass Pro Shops seminar coming up TOMORROW April 13th at 2pm
if you want to join Capt Dylan for a chance to win FREE FISHING TRIPS! The fishing
seminar or fishing conversation will be about an hour long of fishing
conversation, tips, tricks and more! Plus, at the end of each seminar Capt
Dylan gives away a FREE 10 hour all day for two guests and a FREE 5 hour half
day for two guests to two lucky winners of the FREE raffle. To be entered in
the raffle you just have to show up just before 2 pm and stay for the hour
seminar. Check out the Facebook event for this upcoming seminar here – https://hubbardsmarina.com/bass-pro-fishing-seminars/
You
can also view all the past bass pro shops seminars at this page too!
LIGHT
39 HOUR TRIPS COMING UP -> In April we have THREE super light 39 hour trips
one is Tuesday April 16th (only around 18 booked) and the other two are Friday
trips TODAY April 12th (only 25 people booked) and then April 26th (only 15
booked right now) FOR MORE INFO, or to book your 39 hour NOW click this link: https://hubbardsmarina.com/39hr-overnight-fishing-trip/
Our
spring break busy season is slowly fading away on the backside of easter until
late may we reach a little ‘lul’ time of year where the weather isn’t too hot
yet and the crowds have relaxed a bit. It makes for a GREAT time to join us for
a 5,10,12 or 39 hour trip before the chaos and sold out trips of the June and
July months begin. We have lots of light loads on our 12 hour extreme trips, 39
hour long range overnight trips and 10 hour all day party boat trips plus lots
of private fishing charter spaces opened up for bookings!
BAD
NEWS: We have some seriously shortened seasons on the horizon for 2019,
Amberjack’s May season will NOT BE OPENED! Jacks will only be open
August-October 2019 and not include the spring May season. Triggerfish will
also be closing sometime in May and NOT RE-OPENING anytime in 2019! This comes
as a huge surprise and is super frustrating, the whole idea of the new
amberjack season was to have at least some spring component. However, since the
fishing year opens August first and ends May the following calendar year our
August, September and October 2018 fishing year landed the full quota so may
2019 will not be re-opening. However, August first 2019 we will for sure open
because it’s the start of a NEW fishing year for amberjack thus we start with a
brand new full quota and HOPEFULLY that will allow for a spring MAY 2020
season!
Our
12 hour night snapper trips started up, and the next one is April 19th
if you don’t want to join us TONIGHT April 12th. If you want a chance to join
us for some night time snapper fishing action for mangrove snapper, vermillion
snapper, lane snapper, porgies and more! These are great trips with plenty of
night fishing time 25-35 miles from Johns Pass for around 7-8 hours fishing
time and only for $129 but book now because these trips do fill fast especially
around the full moon. We only offer them on the quarter and full moon phases
Friday nights from 7p to 7a Saturday! Here’s all the information on these
special night time snapper fishing trips - https://hubbardsmarina.com/12hr-night-fishing-trip/
April
14th is next LIVE SHOW join us if you want to learn more about
fishing locally and WIN FREE FISHING TRIPS without leaving your house! Don’t
forget we have the Weekly fishing conversation or seminar by Capt Dylan Hubbard
LIVE on the Hubbard’s Marina Facebook & YouTube page if you don’t want to
leave your house to catch a seminar! This is weekly on Sunday nights from
8:30pm until 9:30pm, check out the event page and PLEASE LIKE AND SHARE the
event if you have a Facebook page, and invite your friends as well! Here’s the
page to find the Facebook event link, and view all the past LIVE Q&A
fishing shows - https://hubbardsmarina.com/past-qanda-live-streams/
2019
RED SNAPPER TRIPS FILLING FAST Book your 2019 RED SNAPPER 12 hr extreme, 39 or
44 hour trip TODAY while there’s still some open spots! These trips will fill
quickly so book NOW. Last year red snapper trips were filled up early and we
had to turn lots of last minute bookings away, so don’t miss your chance at
securing your favorite trip TODAY. Here’s the link for all your 2019 specialty trips
- https://hubbardsmarina.com/specialty-fishing-trip/
Captain Jack’s dolphin
corner
The
dolphin watching nature cruise and eco tour has been spotting lots of manatees
as of late recently too. It’s a little early in the year for manatees, but the
clear waters help us to spot them easily and they have been in big groups which
make it easier to find them too. This past week during one cruise we spotted a
group of nine manatees cruising the back bay waters. However, these guys can
hold their breathe nearly 10 minutes and they only come out of the water with
their snouts and sometimes their tails too so it makes is very difficult to
spot them and when you do its difficult to follow them around. This makes it a
very unique treat to spot them during our cruises and this time of year is a
great time for them as they return to the area from their winter vacation. Here’s
all the information on our dolphin watching nature cruise and eco tour - https://hubbardsmarina.com/dolphin-watching-cruises/
Our
local resident dolphins are back in the area and with the beautiful spring
conditions we are seeing huge pods of dolphins grouped up together feeding and
playing and teaching their young juvenile dolphins more about hunting and using
their sonar by playing ‘catch’ with the plentiful jacks and sheepshead.
It’s
the beginning of bird nesting season at dog leg key our local sea bird rookery.
We cruise by this island on every dolphin watching nature cruise and eco tour
and also during some of our sunset cruises too. We are seeing baby pelicans and
baby egrets at the island currently, plus we are seeing nesting pairs of
Roseate spoonbills and the great news is the fact that we are seeing more and
more of these unique pink birds every year the past 4-5 years.
SUPER
Clear water right now in and around Johns Pass and upper Boca Ceiga bay, making
it a great time to go cruising on our dolphin cruise or sunset tour! Especially
between the cold fronts, right behind a wind event the water gets a little
stirred up but a few days later the water clears back up beautifully.
Last
year’s newborn dolphins are now juveniles and we are seeing them play together
often in the back bays and getting very active at the surface while even
showing off some of their acrobatic displays.
On
top of all this great news and unique sights we are also spotting a few sea
turtles cruising the back bays. It’s a little early for sea turtle nesting
season but they are definitely starting to show back up in the area.
The
sunset cruise right now is a great time due to the GORGEOUS spring sunsets we
have been having as of late, this past week we even saw the elusive ‘green
flash’ at the end of the sunset! Great time of year to join us for a sunset
cruise that offers FREE BEER AND WINE, learn more here -> https://hubbardsmarina.com/sunset-cruise/
Hubbard’s
Marina Sea Adventures and Tampa Bay ferry are both proudly power by Honda
Marine! If you come visit us for a dolphin tour, sunset cruise, Egmont key
island trip, snorkeling, shelling, water taxi ride or any type of ferry or
pleasure cruise trip then you will be riding a boat powered by Honda Marine!
These new motors look great, are super quiet and are great on fuel economy! It
was tough to get four boats re-powered with new engines but it was well worth
the change and were very happy! Hope you get a chance to see these brand new
super cool engines at work on board one of our pleasure cruise and ferry boats!
To learn more about Honda Marine engines for your boat, check out their
website: https://marine.honda.com/ they have the best
warranty in the industry right now, you get a full 5 years and you just can’t
beat that!
Tampa bay ferry News
The
shelling around shell key and Egmont key has been out of this world as of late!
The March weather has really blown up some great shells and the occasional
shark’s tooth. Plus, when the weather is nice it’s a great time to spend the
day having some fun in the sun on the islands!
Water
temps are perfect right in in the mid 70’s to cool you down from the hot sun
but not too chilly to snorkel or swim and enjoy the water too!
PLUS,
the water clarity right now is INSANE around shell key and Egmont key! Join us
for a ferry ride to paradise today to enjoy the crystal clear waters between
the storms fronts, when a front blows by the waters get a little murky for a
day or two then it clears up to gorgeous once again shortly after the waters
calm down.
Snorkeling
has started once again during the ferry to Egmont key, you have the option to
do the snorkeling trip once on the island with us during the Ferry to Egmont
key from fort De Soto with us at Hubbard’s Marina! Check out all the info here
-> https://hubbardsmarina.com/egmont-key-ferry-cruise/
Great
time to visit us for a ferry ride to Egmont key or shell key since the temps
are too hot and the temps aren’t too cold to explore the island! Plus, the bugs
aren’t too bad yet in the warmer summer months.
Since
its still a little chilly at night, it’s also a great time of year to spot the
plentiful gopher tortoise at Egmont key when they are out sunning themselves in
the morning sun trying to warm up from the chilly overnight temps!
We
even saw some manta rays this past week around the Shell key and Egmont key
islands along with dolphins, manatees, seabirds and the occasional sea turtle!
Come join us for a day at the island, more info on both ferry ride options
below.
The
Egmont key ferry from Fort de soto offers 10am and 11am ferry rides to the
island daily this time of year, plus on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we offer
a 2pm ferry ride from Fort De soto out to Egmont key island! You get three
hours on the island after around a 20-30 minute ride out and back to the
island. Plus, we often see dolphins, seabirds and sometimes even sea turtles on
the ride out and back thus the ride time can fluctuate a bit depending on what
we spot during the cruise out to your island oasis! For more info on the Egmont
key ferry, visit this page of the Hubbard’s Marina website - https://hubbardsmarina.com/egmont-key-ferry-cruise/
Our
Shell key ferry trips are a great way to spend the day and offer more flexible
schedules compared to the rigid Egmont key schedule! We offer these trips DAILY
from the boat ramp at Fort De Soto County Park and they run at 10am, noon and
2pm and the final return time is 4pm! You have much more flexibility during the
shell key trips compared to our Egmont key ferry because you get to choose the
time you return to fort de Soto from Shell key! If you’re looking for plenty of
time on the island and great shelling opportunities then the shell key ferry
trip is your best bet! Check out all the information on this special ferry ride
at this link - https://hubbardsmarina.com/shell-key-ferry/
Regular’s club
We
have finished 2019 regular’s club renewals and we are starting on signing up
NEW MEMBERS, if you are interested in becoming a 2019 regular’s club loyalty
program member please reach out to Capt. Dylan Hubbard by sending him your name
and cell number via email to CaptHubbard@HubbardsMarina.com. He will be in touch in
the coming few weeks about the loyalty program that offers discounted trips if
you fish more than 10,15 or 20 times a year with us at Hubbard’s Marina. It
also comes with some free gifts and other benefits too besides discounted
trips, but it’s NOT simply a discount program. It’s a loyalty program and it
requires fishing often and being a model Hubbard’s Marina guest and showing the
passion shared by all of us at Hubbard’s Marina for fishing and our fellow anglers.
PAST
AND PRESENT MEMBERS: be sure to renew your membership before 2018 ends!
Captain Dylan Hubbard
Vice
president and Co-Owner
(727)393-1947 ext. 306
(727)393-1947 ext. 306
UPDATED Coupon
$50
off a 5 hour private charter
$75
off an 8 hour private charter
$100
off a 10 hour private charter
$125
off a 12 hour private charter
**VALID
ONLY FOR APRIL OR MAY PRIVATE CHARTER BOOKINGS, SO YOUR TRIP MUST OCCUR IN
APRIL OR MAY FOR THIS DISCOUNT TO BE APPLIED AND YOU MUST MENTION THIS COUPON
WHEN BOOKING YOUR TRIP AT (727)393-1947 EXT 306 AND IT WILL NOT APPLY TO
CHARTERS YOU HAVE CURRENTLY BOOKED, ONLY ON NEW CHARTER BOOKINGS CREATED FROM
THIS COUPON OFFER**
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