Inshore- Mackerel are have returned to our beaches, bays and near shore waters. They are present around the large schools of bait and are loving the 7/8th ounce gotcha plugs and casting spoons. We recommend a faster retrieval with the occasional pause and twitch and at least a 20-30lb Floro leader. Snook are still present inside the passes and along the beaches blasting finger mullet and the larger white bait our favorite live bait is a pigfish and the lure that’s been working great is the spooltek 4 or 6 inch lure we now carry at Hubbard’s Marina. Kingfish are starting to show up in the nearshore waters and it won’t be too much longer until they are being caught along the beaches and passes. They have started to be caught on the beach piers using flat lines on balloons. Trout action is still great at night around the dock lights using a D.O.A. shrimp or live shrimp for bait.
Near shore- The grey snapper bite has been steady lately in the near shore waters along the large areas of hard rock bottom. The Hogfish bite has been increasing lately a recent half day trip caught nearly ten of these great eating fish on live shrimp. Kingfish are starting to be caught during our 5 hour half day we caught the first half day kingfish midweek on a flat lined blue runner and a few more have been caught trolling our rapala X-rap magnum 20s or 30s. Red grouper bite has become more common the Hub ten hour all day trips have been doing well when the fish cooperate and become active. Long strips of squid have been the bait of choice for these nice grouper.
Offshore- The Flying Hub 1 and 2 have been having stellar trips this past week in the deep water along pot holes and middle grounds. The Flying HUB 1 had a twelve hour private charter this past Saturday where they limited out on red grouper and caught plenty of nice gags to fill up their boat grouper limit. Also the Flying HUB 2 twelve hour open boats have been landing monster scamp, gags and red grouper too along with intermittent big vermillion and mangrove snapper too. Kingfish, cobia, and sailfish have been the big story as far as the pelagic fish we have been spotting and hooking while trolling and flat lining during these offshore trips. 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
Large groups of manatees being spotted around Egmont key right now, they are great sign showing beaches are healthy water is clean and filled with plenty of oxygen. Manatees have been spotted mostly on the ride to and from the island aboard our Tampa Bay ferry between Fort De Soto County Park and Egmont key state park.
The Fire that recently occurred out on Egmont Key Island due to a lightning strike is becoming a memory of the past. The Palm trees in the burned area are already starting to sprout green leaves at the top of their damaged trunks. It’s a great sign to see the plant life flourishing so quickly behind this natural occurrence.
The Shelling out at Egmont key island has been stellar lately, plenty of unique shells and sights at the island. Due to less numbers of people visiting the island there has been plenty of shells for everyone who visits this time of year.
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
Hubbard’s Marina has announced its new Tampa Bay Ferry and Taxi that will service the City of Madeira beach! Check out the upcoming ferry route on our BRAND NEW site, and check out the press release discussing the soft opening of our ferry system. We’re offering the first weekend’s service FREE! http://www.tampabayferry.com/madeira-beach-taxi-route/
The Flying HUB 2’s special twelve hour trips have been so popular and successful we plan to continue to offer these trips in November and December when the Florida fisherman comes back from dry dock. Plus, we will be adding more of these trips in the last two weeks of October since this boat has been selling out it’s 12 hour trips due to all the grouper and speed it’s had! We will be adding this new schedule to the specialty trip schedule soon, and because it’s becoming a regularly scheduled trip we will be adding a new webpage to our site to discuss these new and exciting extreme twelve hour trips. 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
October 8th and 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 and Sunday 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 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: [email protected]
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
