Inshore- The Flounder bite has picked up lately around the beaches and inside the pass. Many local anglers are bringing flounder in on Nekid Ball Jigz, DOA shrimp or live shrimp weighted to the bottom. Flounder love the sandy bottom drop offs, edges of the flats, or any sandy potholes on the flats. Mackerel are still thick inside the pass and only seem to be getting thicker. Snook bite is steady but we have noticed a little lull as this storm approaches. Trout still very active on the lights inside the pass and on the deeper water flats. This upcoming storm will stir things up and should help cool the water off a bit and break up any red tide that is in the area. Also, the storm will make the water a little dirty due to high winds causing large waves. However, were hoping that by Sunday or Monday the water should be clearing up or completely cleared.
Near shore- The mackerel and kingfish are back, were catching lots of mackerel while trolling out on the half day and while flat lining on our half day and charters were catching plenty of kingfish. The kings are still a little small and few and far between but they are definitely back and getting thicker. Hogfish are starting to pick up and behind this hurricane once it stirs up the near shore waters that should help water temps dip a bit so we should get even better nearshore fishing. Keep in mind the first few days following the storm there’s still going to be crazy pressure fluctuation and dirty water causing a slower than normal bite but by Sunday or Monday the water should clear up and pressures return to normal allowing great fishing to resume. Hopefully we will get another ridge of high pressure to come down and push the storms away from the state not allowing Matthew or the other storm in the Atlantic to come our way.
Offshore- Grouper fishing has been great the past week leading up to this storm the Flying HUB 2 has been tearing it up offshore in the 39 and 44 hour area. Red grouper definitely the most active and prolific but many gag grouper and scamp grouper are coming too. Mangrove snapper, vermillion snapper, yellowtail, and many other snapper species still biting consistently but not as aggressive as they were during the summer. However, we have been seeing very large vermillion and mangroves coming up. Kingfish, cobia and sailfish still being spotted and often caught offshore. Kingfish most popular catch lately on our offshore trips and most of them on the flat lines since we have been taking the super-fast Flying HUB 2 instead of the party boat that allows plenty of trolling time. Check out our latest videos on Facebook as we have been doing video updates after each long range trip returns: https://www.facebook.com/hubbardsmarina/videos
Want to read the past reports? Check out this link: https://www.hubbardsmarina.com/hubbards-marina-fishing-reports/
Captain Jack’s dolphin corner
This storm will bring us some amazing shelling once the weather allows us to get back to the island! Whenever we get rough season or strong winds new shells are washed up on our local beaches offering a great opportunity to find shells that are fresh from the sea floor. Saturday and Sunday would be a GREAT day to hop on our ferry to Egmont key where some of the best shark’s teeth and shell hunting in the area is because it’s only accessible by boat!
The local dolphins are very close together lately in large pods playing, socializing and feeding. They are in larger numbers this time of year thanks to the mullet run. These large mullet travel in huge numbers and it takes large numbers of dolphins to get these huge schools of fish balled up for easy corralling and predatory attacks.
We are spotting two very unique sea birds right now during the dolphin watching nature cruise and eco tour at Hubbard’s Marina. We have the roseate spoonbills hanging around the rookery right now with their pink feathers and unique bills. Also, we have the dancing reddish egrets that can be spotted prowling the shallows with their wings spread doing a jig to attract their prey into the shadow lines. They dance slowly to mimic the leaves or branches blowing in the wind and when unsuspecting bait ventures to close to their shadow they pounce on it making it a quick meal.
Did you know that Hubbard’s Marina now offers a Paddleboard fitness class? We are working with Sea Strength to put together these unique classes. They are Saturday and Sunday mornings for now at the Johns Pass sandbar. You can meet your trainer at the Hubbard’s Marina beach behind our shop before paddling to the sandbar for a unique fitness class with your knowledgeable instructor, plus it’s only $20 to join! Check out Sea Strength on Instagram or Facebook to learn more about these unique classes! Here’s the link to their page: https://www.facebook.com/SeaStrength
Want to learn more about dolphins? Hubbard’s Marina now has a great dolphin facts series on our YouTube channel to check out to see them all watch our dolphin playlist here: https://goo.gl/2mYjX2
Also, new to Hubbard’s Marina we are now renting Schiller water bikes. These are unique bicycles that are much like a racing bike’s frame set on top of pontoons that allow a very stable, safe, and fun way to enjoy the water and have some fun in the sun. Plus, it’s a great aerobic exercise as well! The new water bikes are only $20 for a half hour and $35 for a full hour rental. If you want to see Captain Mark Hubbard trying one out check out this link: https://goo.gl/TZbcXE
Nothing beats a relaxing cruise through the back protected bay waters, join Hubbard’s Marina today for a relaxing and fun dolphin watching nature cruise and eco tour inside Johns Pass Madeira beach. We guarantee dolphin sightings, plus you have a great opportunity to view million dollar homes, bird nesting island, and even a commercial fishing village! These cruises are fun for the whole family and offer great way to view our local wildlife up close and in their natural habitat, to see more about the cruises check out this video: https://goo.gl/T7Fvgm
Upcoming up at Hubbard’s Marina
This weekend on Saturday October 8th and Sunday October 9th Hubbard’s Marina will be set up at the Florida Sportsman Magazine’s outdoor expo at the Florida state fairgrounds in Tampa. This expo will have hunting, fishing, boats and tons of other vendors showing off their products. We will also have two seminars Saturday at noon and two o’clock and Sunday same seminar times totaling four in total! To see more about the show, check out this link: http://www.floridasportsman.com/2016/09/28/fs-expo-comes-tampa/
The NEW Tampa Bay Ferry and Taxi by Hubbard’s Marina is going very well! Unfortunately it will be closed this weekend due to Hurricane Matthew but will be back to normal operation Friday October 14th. This ferry system runs Friday and Saturday for now but offers 4 trips per day. For more info, maps, schedule and pricing check out our brand new site: http://www.tampabayferry.com/madeira-beach-taxi-route/
The Flying HUB 2’s special twelve hour trips are being added MONDAY! Check out our site Monday afternoon around 4-6 pm to see the NEW flying HUB 2 trips. We will also be adding a webpage for this NEW fishing trip to our site Monday as well! Stay tuned to our website, and to see the catch from one of these stellar 12 hours check out this video on our Facebook page: https://goo.gl/J4ztLv
The HUB our other private charter vessel will be offering 10 hour all day trips Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays while the Florida is in Dry dock as well. This means you get a shot to fish the HUB for only $90 per angler, what a deal! These HUB all days will be set up the same as the party boat all days but you will be able to get out there faster on a more quite boat plus you will only be fishing with up to 12 guys. The special HUB trips start September 6th until November 3rd.
To book trips on our site, check out this link: https://www.hubbardsmarina.com/reservations/
Want to stay up to date with the latest catches, reports and more from Hubbard’s Marina? Follow the new live video segments that Hubbard’s Marina is posting daily to Facebook! Also, more Instagram photos and videos are popping up too! Plus, were on the FishBrain app now too and they were nice enough to add Hubbard’s Marina as a fishing location so now on your future trips you can upload your catch to our location. If you have questions or want more info about all this message Dylan Hubbard on the Hubbard’s Marina Facebook page or shoot him an email: info@HubbardsMarina.com
Regular’s club
If you are interested in learning more about our loyalty program called the regular’s club, please email Dylan Hubbard. He can tell you more about this great program to make fishing more affordable if you plan to fish more than 5, 10 or 15 times a year with us at Hubbard’s Marina. Plus, you get other great benefits to all to thank you for being a valued guest. However, at Hubbard’s Marina everyone who walks in our doors are valuable to us, but the regular’s club is a great way to become more familiar with us and be able to come even more often than before.
Dylan Hubbard
Vice president and Regular’s club manager Hubbard’s Marina
(727)393-1947 ext 306
