Fishing report
Inshore- This week we had a good number of redfish caught around the pass. Hayden Cocozza, from Seminole, and his friend were fishing the dock at Hubbard’s Marina using live shrimp often this past week nailing some beautiful redfish right on the bottom using large live shrimp for bait. It’s that time of year again when large shrimp are fewer and further between and shrimp in general are harder to find, but when you can get some big boys the redfish are loving them around Johns Pass from the small schoolie sized fish up to the big slob over-slot redfish too! The snook bite inside and around Johns Pass remains VERY HOT with some big boys being caught. Brian Harris, from Pinellas park, our bait expert at Hubbard’s Marina was slaying some pig snook the other day on the incoming tide around Blinds Pass on live pass crabs drifting the pass. He caught three snook over 40 inches and many in the high thirties as well using 30lb floro and 3ot circle hooks on heavier spinning gear. Brian reports pass a grill and Johns Pass allow you to catch just as many snook using the same method but since blinds pass has lower boat traffic and is a little shallower it is his preferred snook hunting grounds by boat. Pass crabs can be caught on any big outgoing tide at night by dip net especially around the full moon, or they are by catch in pinfish traps left out overnight. Also, you can buy pass crabs from many local bait shops including our shop at Hubbard’s Marina. The trout bite has picked up a bit this week inside the pass around the deeper water grass flats and sandy drop offs inside the pass ambushing live shrimp or greenbacks being pushed into the strike zone by the tidal flows. Make sure to present your baits naturally for the best effects, meaning work with the tide not against it. I love to use the DOA shrimp around the flats and back bays and other soft plastics but its imperative you work with the tide when working artificials or the bait will not look natural and you will not catch the fish as much or at all.
Near shore- Not much near shore fishing time of year due to the red snapper season in full swing offshore and the gag grouper bite in deeper water. However, the red grouper have been cooperating well around 80-100 foot of water and our ‘secret’ weapon for those guys is to mimic an octopus tentacle with a 8-12 inch strip of cut squid wing around ½ inch to ¾ inch wide on a double snell rig. I like using a 6-8ot hook on the bottom and a 4-5 ot hook about 2 inches higher so you have the big hook hooked through the strip closer to the middle and the smaller hook up closer to the top. This will allow you to catch not only red grouper, but also the smaller fish that come and peck at the squid strip too. The lane snapper, vermillion snapper and a few yellowtail are also biting well around this depth and the lanes are really big right now and fairly plentiful. If you’re not going deep for red snapper the deepest near shore waters have been pretty plentiful as of late.
Offshore – Dead bait is king yet again this week for the biggest red snapper or gag grouper we have been seeing most of the jackpot winning fish on our 39 hour and 12 hour extreme trips coming up on big dead baits like bonita strips, octopus, big threadfins, mullet or mackerel chunks and big tackle like 100-125lb leader and 10-12 ot circle hooks. This allows you to fish in a very active spot while avoiding the smaller fish as the bigger tackle keeps them off your hook and allows you a great opportunity to land the big boy when he bites! The current has from time to time been a little tough out in the deeper waters where the biggest red snapper and gags are being caught (180-200ft plus). We recommend bringing lots of 6oz leads, a few 8oz leads, a couple 10 oz leads and maybe even a 12-16 lead or two that way you are prepared for the gambit of current you may run into out deep. Really stinks to run 70-100 miles then not be able to effectively fish if you don’t have the proper weight to combat the heavier currents. The scamp grouper have also been cooperating well for us in these deeper offshore waters. I love a threadfin or medium to small pinfish for these guys but around 60-80lb test is minimum since gags or big red snapper may take your bait too! In shallower a bit from 120-160ft we have seen some deccent action on mangrove snapper, yellowtails, porgies, and vermillion but the mangroves have been spotty and difficult as of the past weeks playing hard to get with us. Most of our long range 39 hour trips start in shallower around 120-160 at night to target mangroves with 50-60lb test at night then as the sun rise we push out deeper to the 180-200+ areas to target the red snapper, gags, and scamp. Plus, the pelagic action out deep has been going VERY well with some nice mahi mahi coming around, the occasional wahoo coming up, and good numbers of tuna and the occasional kingfish as well!
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
LIVE SHOW THIS SUNDAY! Just two days until the June 23rd Sunday night live show at 8:30pm! 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 Facebook event page please check it out and click ‘going’ or ‘Interested’ to get reminders and stay tuned for updates, plus it helps us spread the word! https://www.facebook.com/events/303974027187430/
Fox 13’s Good Day Tampa Bay show has picked up a fishing segment with Capt Dylan Hubbard Scheduled for every Friday morning starting around 8:15am! These segments will have tons of fishing tips, tricks, updates and more. Please tune into Fox 13 on Friday mornings to watch the show and if you are not local, you can watch it LIVE on their website -> http://www.fox13news.com/live
Red snapper season is in full swing and we still have spots left on our Tuesday and Sunday 39 hours in June with the occasional spot open on the Friday adventures too! The 12 hour extreme trips are more full since they only take up to 16 people but there’s still trips in June with availability and July has lots of trips with room for you and your group! If you want to hop on one of these trips BOOK NOW spots are filling fast and June is nearly full, still some room in July but it will not last long! Call us at (727)393-1947 or book online at -> https://HubbardsMarina.com
PRIVATE CHARTERS CATCHING TONS OF RED SNAPPER! The Flying HUB 2 is booked up every day in June for private fishing charters but there’s some room left in July. The Flying HUB 1 which is just as fast just a little smaller of a boat that can only do up to six passengers is open most of June just the weekends are booked up while July is still fairly wide open including some weekend bookings too! Keep in mind you can get red snapper even on a 8-10 hour private fishing charter on these fast boats, but the best route is looking at booking a 12 hour trip to fish the same areas as our 12 hour extreme and 39 hour trips!
Captain Jack’s dolphin corner
Along with the big herds of manatees we have been spotting, the new baby dolphins and the occasional sea turtle we are noticing some new white egret nests around the bird nesting island hanging out in their nests!
We have two new baby dolphins in our area making it a great time to come join Capt Jack and Capt Dave for a relaxing dolphin watching nature cruise and Eco tour through the back protected bay waters behind Johns Pass from Madeira Beach! The big Blue boat has been spotting these two newborn dolphins with their mothers in a large playful group of local dolphins and they have been coming right up to the boat to play along side and show off their newly learn skills to our guests! Our 175 local dolphins are growing in number and this summer looks like that number will continue to swell. We have named the two new dolphins Daniel and Rudy after passengers aboard the boat when we spotted them the first time, come for a ride for a chance to have a newborn named after you!
The warmer waters have the local manatees out in good numbers cruising the back bay grass flats chomping down on their favorite food, our local turtle grass. This makes it easy to spot these unique creatures. Typically they are hard to spot only sticking their snout out of the water for a few seconds and then diving down deep for up to 8-10 minutes before poking their small nose out again. Right now, along the shallow grass flats its easy to spot them and they seem to chill out giving our passengers great opportunities for plenty of photos from the big blue boat, our dolphin cruise boat at Hubbard’s Marina inside Johns Pass!
It maybe very late in the season but our local bird nesting island or rookery named Dog Leg Key has plenty of baby birds left in their nests and the juvenile birds born further back are starting to hop around the branches and learning to fly making it a great time to Join us at Hubbard’s Marina for one of these relaxing, fun for the whole family, dolphin watching nature cruise and eco tour aboard our big blue boat departing Johns Pass daily at 1,3 and 5pm!
Call us today to book your dolphin tour at (727)393-1947 and get more information on this trip at our website here -> https://www.hubbardsmarina.com/dolphin-watching-cruises/
Tampa bay ferry News
The warm summertime weather is here making it a great time to escape to the islands with us aboard the Tampa Bay Ferry by Hubbard’s Marina. Walking the beaches in the morning looking for the sharks teeth and shells and then spend the day time swimming or snorkeling is a great family fun escape from the tourist filled beaches on the mainland. Also, we are seeing tons of local marine life traveling to and from Egmont Key and Shell Key islands! For more info on our cruises check out all the options on our website -> https://www.hubbardsmarina.com/sunset-dolphin-cruises-gulf-beaches-florida/
The warmer weather has the local tortoises out to play at Egmont key island, great time to visit the island to see plenty of these slow moving tortoise sunning themselves and enjoying some rays during the day!
We have been spotting lots of manatees around the Egmont Key and Shell Key Islands lately, come join us for a day of fun in the in the sun at the island aboard the Tampa Bay Ferry by Hubbard’s Marina.
We also have tons of sea turtle nests at both Egmont Key and Shell Key islands and it’s the peak of sea turtle nesting season! Great opportunity to see some nests and maybe spot some sea turtles cruising the water ways. However, its important to remember and remind your friends, family and children to fill in any holes you dig while enjoying the beaches as the sea turtles that come ashore to lay eggs and make nests can become trapped or disorientated by holes left by beach goers.
Right now they are doing beach re-nourishment on the west side of Egmont Key Island right now which inhibits exploring the full north end of the island like normal. However, that does make it a killer time for sharks teeth finds as the sand they bring up to the beaches and set down on the existing sand is ripe with great fresh shells, fossils and huge sharks teeth even the big pristine megladon teeth that people find as trophies during their visits to Egmont Key island!
If you enjoy snorkeling NOW is the time to get out to Egmont Key Island for some snorkeling fun. The waters are super clear right now especially on the incoming tides, but once the water continues to warm and the summer time afternoon rain storms become normal occurrences daily then the local waters lose their super clear appearance. Come join us asap for a day of island fun with a side of snorkeling adventure aboard the Tampa Bay Ferry from the Bay pier at Fort De Soto park to Egmont Key Island.
Our Shell Key ferry ride aboard the Tampa Bay Ferry from Fort De Soto’s boat ramp to Shell Key Island is spotting tons of manatees right now along their route to their island. It’s a great time to visit that island too for great shells, crystal clear waters on the west side of the island and great exploring on the west side of the island.
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://www.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://www.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
CaptHubbard@HubbardsMarina.com
UPDATED Coupon information
Hubbard’s Marina sweatshirts only $20 while supplies last!
We have a variety of sizes and colors and styles, get em’ while they last!
Expiration – when they are gone!
Preferred partner spotlight
Try one of our new menu items at the Friendly Fisherman like the super amazing Fresh Grouper Tacos!
Two tortillas with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo,
cheddar cheese, chipotle mayonnaise and sour cream.
For only $17.45
