Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor

Capt. Van Hubbard
May 3, 2007
Boca Grande - Saltwater Fishing Report

Great fishing now.

Weather and fishing are finally back into normal patterns.

We have enjoyed some good action and beautiful weather this past week. We closed out snook season with some nice fish. Catching was as good a usually but we did get some quality fish. Most snook were typically smaller and some were too big but several were just right. The cooler temps played a big role in our spring fishing so far this year.

We have been playing with cobia and permit since the winds backed off. It’s nice to have some quality eating fish and big fish action. We had cobia beating the tarpon to our minnows on Tuesday more about the silver kings in a minute. Some of the off shore structures have been providing us with unbelievable sight fishing for permit. This requires special gear, rigging and baits but we are prepared. I had some new Minn Kota trolling tabs installed last month for stealth fishing. These are not for very shallow water and will not replace my push pole. They are great for sight fishing and we have used them all week for the permit. The remote control allows me the freedom to change speed and direction from anywhere on the Dorado. Neat new tool. It’s awesome to observe a school of big shinny mirror sided permit with long black tails waving at us off shore in the clear blue water. We saw some impressive dolphin action Wednesday as Flipper played beside us for a few minutes. You could see their curious smiles as they checked us out. The permit are weighing from about twenty pounds to over thirty. They are so strong we had to switch from twenty pound gear to our tarpon gear to hold them back from then wrecks. They should be around for a at least few weeks so I’m looking forward to more fun off shore.

Tarpon are just getting started. We are seeing more fish every day. We tried them on Tuesday and settled for cobia. We had tarpon chase our minnow right back to the boat several times but could not get a solid hook up. You could see the silver kings chase the baitfish along the surface. The guys had to settle for some tasty treats and come back for better tarpon action. Waters are finally settling and temps are back to normal. Schools of silver kings are migrating in daily. I do have a few opening this month and several next month if you want to experience this action first hand. Fishing is fine and I’m going to get some sleep and do it again tomorrow. Let’s Go Fishin’ soon, Captain Van Hubbard

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