2013-5-27 web report.

Tarpon are scattered from Venice to Boca Grande plus lots of snook.

          Life, fishing, and business are all doing well. Catching is good most days too. It has been an awesome run going strong since March and I am getting caught up after our slow time last winter. My Evinrude E-Tec 200 HO is helping us cover much more territory, efficiently, and much faster. This is the perfect power package for my 23 Dorado. We cruise at almost 30 MPH burning about 3 GPH. The cost is reasonable and our catching is improved with our versatility.

          My trips are mostly for tarpon and snook right now. We have other options but it’s hard to leave good catching to look for fish. While I occasionally fish the Boca Grande Pass traditionally for special events like the Chamber Ladies Day and World’s Richest tournaments most charters are along our beautiful Gulf Beaches. It has been much quieter with a few boats strung along miles of coastline rather than the crowds and intensity of the Pass.  

          Tarpon trips start out at daybreak from Stump Pass and we cruise up or down the local coastline toward Boca or Venice depending on conditions. I stock the baitwell with a dozen small blue crabs and cast them with the new Quantum 60s and 80s spooled up with 40 or 65 pound Cortland Master Braid premiums lines.  We are set up to spot and then sight cast to schools of happy silver kings as they wake up circling about in what we call a daisy chain.  The trick is simply to quietly, ease up and present your lively crab out in front of the happy fish. Be alert and when your cork disappears; reel rapidly until you feel serious resistance then pull back sharply and hang on! Please try to maintain some composure so you can react to the unbelievable acrobatics; when silver kings touch the sky, dip your rod tip quickly and pull back again as your trophy hits the waters. Your impulses want to reel in this huge fish but even these strong reels are intended to take up line as the poles pulls your fish closer. Pull back, reel down as you lower tip, and repeat until it’s boats side.

          It’s a blessing to me to help you enjoy this awesome experience, especially for your first time. I won’t be here forever but your memories will be with you forever. Your memories are my blessings.

          Snook are abundant and usually bite during our trips. Current flow and live minnows are critical to our productivity. Many fish are around forty inches. These scream twenty pound line from our new 40 Cabos. Several even jump and we had a huge double header last Monday.

Trout and redfish are available if your fish hungry. There are a variety of species out on the near shore reefs if you want to chase them. Sharks are here if you want other big fish!

          It’s great that things are going well for us. Looking forward to fishing together soon. Let’s Go fishin’. Captain Van Hubbard <www.captvan.com>