2014 October 13^th Web update.

Finally; my motor is fixed and I’m up and running.

          I started off on a beautiful morning two weeks ago; the plan was to slip in a half day trip before I went to St Pete to celebrate my birthday with family and friends. Everything was fine until we headed out Stump Pass and my faithful motor got very sick. It turned out I had blown the engine and everyone did all they could to help as fast as possible. It took a week to ship a new block from Wisconsin. The good news is Stump Pass Marina service dept checked it out found the problem. Because this was a major job we transported it to Gulf Coast Marine the Evinrude dealership in El JoBean for overhaul. George, Jim, and their entire staff performed miracles. The new block came in Thursday afternoon and I was ready to roll Saturday afternoon. My sincere thank you to everyone for the extra efforts; the motor runs great again. New equipment is expensive but warrantees are valuable. Payments are a pain but at least I know what my monthly bills are. Evinrude has stood behind their products; if you have trouble. Nothing is perfect but when you have problems everything depends on your dealer and manufacturer; I’m impressed with Evinrude, Stump Pass Marina, and Gulf Coast Marine; they all worked hard for me.

          I needed to be sure everything was working so I rode all the way up to Sarasota and back Sunday. A research trip checking water clarity, baitfish schools, and for king mackerel; my friends north of us have enjoyed some good kingfish action already. As I put this together fish seem to be north of us but a front is approaching now. Since it’s stormy I’m writing. This front should push fish down here next week. We saw some mackerel and smaller schools of baitfish Sunday. There were plenty of little tunny or what many call Bonita if you want to test your skill and tackle.  There are sharks, a few cobia, and rumors of tarpon with the baitfish schools heading our way. Our fall mack attack is approaching. When it starts it will be hot and last only as long as weather allows. Watch the weather and move promptly when it’s an east wind or light breeze.

          Inside is fine; baitfish are still available. Snook are open until December, both redfish and trout are open all year. We will enjoy good steady action inside as long as minnows hang around. Everything from here on out depends upon our weather. Fishing will change dramatically when cold fronts drop water temps below 70 degrees. We do have some action year round but winds, especially north winds can hamper our comfort.

          If you want to get in on this action reservations are recommended. We can’t guess what wind conditions are very far out; so always check in as we get close to your trip because we may be able to shift a day one way or the other to enjoy better conditions. Reservations get the first choice of times available. Last minute can work now so it’s always worth the time to call or email. Get out and enjoy the fall fishing action if you can. Captain Van Hubbard