Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor

Capt. Van Hubbard
July 10, 2004
Boca Grande - Saltwater Fishing Report

I'm not lost just to busy catching fish and having fun fishing.

Captain Van Hubbard fishing update for July the 10th.

Trips are starting to slow down some now I get to catch my breath and do more here. We still have plenty of most fish. Afternoons are hot but mornings are fine. Tarpon are not as thick but many of the other boats have gone home so the odds are still in your favor. We just get to ride around and see more of the area. Redfish have been avoiding us recently but we did have some excellent trips two weeks ago, one even for Tom Rodgers , “The Dodge Everyday Sportsman” TV series. Snook are catch and release so we don’t target them much but can be some hot action for a few minutes. We had some nice trout on recent trip more on that one later to. It’s been a good season and I’m glad to slow down some. The schedule has plenty of openings around some projects for the new Dorado. The week off the 12th we start fabricating the new T Top and upper station. It’ll be nice to have some shade and a higher vantage point to control the new Dorado from.

Tom Rodgers joined me to shoot a fishing show on the last New Moon, two weeks ago. Jim Hough of Lakeland set up the trip; we wanted to share our great Charlotte Harbor snook and red fishing. I got lucky and caught a well full of big strong white bait minnows at day break. Then picked the crew up at 8 AM from their dock at Little Gasparilla Island. We cruised down the beach and found some hungry snook to start out with. They were abundant and hungry, to good to ride past. We caught a few, talked about why they were on the beach to spawn and all. It’s fun to play with the snook now we just don’t want to beat them up as they need their energy to spawn adding to our fishing stocks. Healthy fish must have better odds of reproducing. They gather inside the passes just before dark at low tide to spawn, then the fertile eggs are spread around on the nights big incoming tide.

We cruised down into Charlotte Harbor to try an oyster bar at high water for reds. Luck and the weather were with us and we started catching big ( 25 - 34 inch), reds on the first cast. Yes it gets hot around here now but the fishing can be just as hot. We actually caught and released all we wanted then left them bitting. Oh yea, we also enjoyed Tom battling a huge 20 pound, 45 inch snook on 14 pound FireLine. Quantum sent me some Boca reels and rods to try out. They have come a long way and handled our strong fish perfectly. Very smooth drags and solid feel impressive action, we are enjoying them. That will be awesome footage and you’ll see for yourself how everything worked. I was afraid we were going to need to crank up the trusty Yamaha and chase that trophy snook. It should be a great show. It was fun for me to work with a video crew again after a few years away for it. Tom says the episode should air on the Sunshine network around Labor Day, just in time for snook season.

We are enjoying some good tarpon action but the fish are smart in this crystal clear water. The early bite has been best most days. The rains are helping cool things down and our waters will be darker inside soon with the run off. Reds should begin to bunch up more dependable later this month or next for sure. Many of our tarpon were big this year. The schools of fish are beautiful in the clear Gulf waters. They shine as they suck in your baits. The flash is awesome, like a huge mirror if the sun is just right. Just reel until you feel the resistance, set the hooks and get ready for the most excitement you can imagine.

I was blessed with a family trip; father, Wally and his son, Nick, and Wally’s brother Scott with his daughter Brittany. Now Scott had done little fishing and Brittany was on her first trip. The young anglers were 10 and 11 years old. It was so good to see Families on the water sharing time with each other. I’m lucky to get to share this experience and I even get paid for it. What a job. We started out with a few snook and snapper around some stumps in the pass. Brittany was reluctant to try this new fishing thing, young lady and all, but we coaxed her into it She loved the action. She ended up catching the most fish, over a dozen and beaming ear to ear. Young Nick had the biggest snook right up to the last fish when Scott pulled a twenty pounder out to the bushes on his last cast. Nick did catch our lunch and dinner. He is the trout man and got five of our six keepers. Wally watched a lot as we can not keep four lines going in most spots. His patience was rewarded with a ten pounder to fill his memory banks with a fish to go along with the family moments. The dolphin cruised along side the Dorado in our ware for almost a mile. We shot photos and laughed about our good fortune.

To make our day we had fresh trout and snapper for lunch at the Marker 17A Café’. They fried up our catch and we sat and reflected on the many memories they had crated to carry back to Indiana and Texas.

I’ll be down doing the additions to the new rig for a week or so. A t top and controls to add shade and elevation. I may travel some after the works done or take you fishing? Time will tell. Enjoy the Summer, be safe on your travels and Let’s Go Fishin’ soon. Captain Van Hubbard.

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