Fishing blog for February 2015. Captain Van Hubbard
We have enjoyed good fishing action on most trips recently. This last week was cooler than previous and it did slow things down some. We have had some nice pompano and a mixed bag to go with it. This is down with Doc’s Goofy Jigs sweetened with a tip it of fresh shrimp. We drift on still days and anchor if our drift is too fast. This is casting and bouncing along the bottom to entice bites. We have been catching Spanish Mackerel, trout, ladyfish, a few sheepshead and variety of pole benders. We move around a lot to try and keep up with moving fish. The scenery is awesome with dolphin actually becoming a nuisance because they are always hounding us. Some folks are obviously feeding them since they hang around so much. We frequently see manatees and a lot of other wildlife to enjoy.
I’m expecting the sheepshead bite to improve dramatically after this Full Moon. Our winter has been very mild and this seems to be setting the sheepshead run back a couple of weeks. They are just starting to show up around the flats edges and near passes. As they bunch up they get aggressive and are much easier to catch. While these may not be a glamor fish they are fun to catch and very good eating. Nice white flaky filets. We frequently stop by the Stump Pass grille to fry some up after our trips. That’s really fresh fish.
It won’t be long before our kids start getting out for Spring Break and Easter Vacations. It’s time to set up your reservations so you can be sure we get to share a day on our beautiful waters. These experiences are exciting and memorable. Family time on the water is always remembered as we get busy with everything else. Just think about your childhood fishing experiences and smile.
Snook and tarpon will be back in our picture from Venice to Boca Grande, before you know it so don’t procrastinate on those reservations either. We have some awesome mackerel fishing as the Spring migrations cruise by Venice Beaches, starting in March. The sharks will be following along and hungry if you want bigger bites. On your line of course. While we think it’s chilly now when it gets into the 40s friends from the north just laugh and hope they see these temps for highs.
Please check out and like the Facebook Captain Van Hubbard pages plus our links to Trip Advisor too. Thank you all and Let’s go Fishin’ soon. Captain Van