Inshore: Charley Wynn, from Tampa, was slamming the mangrove snapper on small sand fleas under the Johns Pass Bridge. He was fishing with his son and they both were simply free lining the sand fleas into the current. Greg Richards, from Kentucky, reported catching flounder around the Johns pass bridge fishing the north jetty using shrimp weighted to the sandy bottom. Brian Johanning, from Largo, was also nailing the mangroves on small pieces of shrimp. Nearly every angler we talked to started by saying the mangrove snapper are thick! Bob Ceterko, from St. Petersburg, was fishing Fisherman’s Park on the South side of Johns Pass catching mangroves mainly but he saw multiple large snook and mackerel swimming by the plentiful white bait but he didn’t have the tackle to target the larger game fish. Radu Dan, from St. Pete beach, was also fishing the south side of Johns pass along the rocks and pilings for mangroves with white bait but he reported the speckled trout were plentiful and feeding voraciously around the evening time each night. David Reese, from Ocala, reported catching whiting often using greenbacks in the surf on the Treasure Island beaches.
frank-sanfilippo
Photo: Frank Sanfilippo from Felton Pennsylvania showing off two beautiful gag grouper from our opening day 39 hour at Hubbard's Marina – hubbardsmarina.com
Near shore: At the beginning of the week we had a full moon starting. This made our day bite at the beginning of this week tough. However, it recovered quickly allowing us to get plenty of fish Tuesday and through the rest of the week during the day. Our Tuesday ten hour all day caught over 25 keeper red grouper. We also caught mangrove snapper, lane snapper, yellowtail, porgies, black sea bass, grey snapper and more! The snapper bite has been going well through the summer thanks to their spawning season reaching its peak during the hot summer time weather. The hogfish are biting well again on the live shrimp. Jeff Sloan, from Tampa, caught a beautiful hogfish on his recent 5 hour using live shrimp. We also have been averaging a few of them on each 5 hour half day at Hubbard’s Marina.
Offshore: Our 39 hours and 12 hours have been doing great offshore at Hubbard’s Marina. The red snapper bite is still hot and they will remain open until July 14^th . Gags opened up July 1^st so now we get to keep everything except grey triggerfish and greater amberjack. The gag grouper bite was a little slow on our recent overnight but this weekend’s 44 hour plans to fish an area that is an old family secret that we haven’t fished in a long time. We average tons of gags 60 head or more in this area so were excited to see how that trip does. Tune into our facebook page Sunday to see the results from their trip.
Written by: Capt. Mark and Dylan Hubbard
Galley corner – Alyson’s Grilled Snapper and Veggies
The latest recipe for Hubbard’s Newsletter is a slight variation from previous dinners. This yummy dish was actually caught and prepared right on our all day trip this Sunday. A member of our regulars club, Justin Perlow, and his uncle were out fishing and caught these delicious snappers which I then cooked right on board for their lunch. Following is the recipe which could easily be prepared at home as well. I prepared everything on my flattop grille so I have substituted pans in the recipe. It’s a simple one.
Ingredients:
Snapper fillets, any kind
Mushrooms, sliced
Red onion & pepper, julienned
Fresh spinach
Butter, room temperature
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
First preheat a frying pan to medium high. Dry fillets with a paper towel, spread top side with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place butter side down in hot pan and listen to it sizzle. In the meantime heat sauté pan to medium high and add mushrooms. Sauté dry 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. butter, then onions and peppers and then sauté two minutes. Remove from heat, stir in spinach and add salt & pepper to taste. Set aside. After sizzling slows on the fish, around 4 minutes, peak to see if the surface is golden in color. If so, butter and salt & pepper remaining side and flip. Cook for another 2 minutes or so, depending on the thickness of fish and voila!
Beautiful golden fish plated over grilled veggies in a matter of minutes! This dish is just as delicious at home as onboard Hubbard’s boats however the “experience” might not compare! If you have a chance to try our onboard dining experience I highly recommend it, and remember, “Eat more fish!”
Written by: Alyson Collins
Captain Jack’s Dolphin Corner
We have the two baby dolphins born recently around Hubbard’s Marina getting larger every day, but we expect another baby bottle nosed dolphin to be born any day now! Don’t forget about the recently born baby manatee either! Hope you can join us for a relaxing cruise sometime soon for a chance to see one of these cute new additions to our local eco system.
A regional dolphin has made a visit to our area. Just like our out of town guests at Hubbard’s Marina even local Florida dolphins make the journey from their home waters to visit Hubbard’s Marina and the fish famous Johns Pass. This dolphins name is ‘shop’ and it’s the first time we have seen him in our area for nearly two full years.
Baby pelicans are still hanging around our local rookery at Dog Leg Key island inside Boca Ceiga bay, but most birds have grown up and gotten big enough to fly away but the pelicans have more than one roost each year which means their babies are most common on our local islands.
Rain and strong full moon tides have stirred up our local waters quite a bit, but we expect the waters too calm down and clear up in no time at all!
The hot summer weather has definitely set in around Hubbard’s Marina. This means it’s a great time for swimming, snorkeling or hitting the islands early. Our shell key trip from Hubbard’s Marina heads to shell key at 9am and returns at noon. You get an hour of shelling time on the island from 10am-11am before the heat of the day is too strong, plus you’re out there shelling before the crowds show up!
Written by: Capt. Mark and Dylan Hubbard
Upcoming up at Hubbard’s Marina
Don’t miss your chance for red snapper! Hubbard’s Marina has ADDED two specialty trips in before they close July 14^th . The first added trip is a 39 hour on Sunday July 12^th . The second added trip was a 12 hour on Monday July 13^th . Call now (727)393-1947 or book now online because spots are filling fast and these trips are your LAST CHANCE for red snapper.
Gag grouper opened July 1^st and should remain open until December 3^rd .
Ever wanted to buy something from Hubbard’s Marina but didn’t want to or couldn’t drive down here to get it? We have always sold gift certificates on our site and over the phone, but now for the first time Hubbard’s Marina has a online storefront to sell apparel, tackle and more! For now we just have a few of our products up, but we plan to add tackle, rods, reels, and even more apparel soon! Check it out at this link: http://hubbardsmarina.com/marina-store.html
If you want to learn more about offshore fishing Dylan Hubbard will be doing an offshore fishing seminar for O’Brien’s fishing club on July 8^th . The club president told us the meetings are open to the public so anyone can come join the club that night to hear Dylan’s seminar on the finer points of offshore fishing. Check out their club page for more info on the meeting: https://www.facebook.com/obriensfishing
Want to join Hubbard’s Marina for a relaxing fireworks cruise on July 4^th ? You will have a front row seat to the show while relaxing on board our dolphin or ferry boats! The trip leaves at 8pm on July 4^th and returns once the show ends around 10pm. This trip will be the same price as a sunset cruise $21.95 for adults and half price for kids 11 and under. Space is limited so reserve your spot today, beer, wine, soda and snacks will be available for sale on board the boat.
REMEMBER, Jacks close down June and July so don’t expect to take these guys home during these months. August first they re-open!
The next 63 hour deep drop trip will be August 6^th , 2015. To see the full 2015 specialty trip schedule simply visit our site, click specialty trips, and then click the 2015 specialty trip schedule button on the top right side of the page. We will be heading 150 west of Johns Pass to fish 600-1,000 foot of water. You will need to have your own electric reel set up to fish this trip. We will be targeting large snowy grouper, yellow edge grouper, gags, warsaw and more! We will also be targeting barrel fish, tilefish, unique deep water snapper and other species not normally caught on our shallower water trips. This deep water 63 hour trips also offer great trolling opportunities for sailfish, marlin, mahi, wahoo, tuna and more!
Written by: Capt. Mark and Dylan Hubbard
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Contact Info:
727-393-1947 or Toll Free 1-800-755-0677
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