Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor

Capt. Van Hubbard
July 9, 2007
Boca Grande - Saltwater Fishing Report

You still can creat your tarpon memories if you can slip away.

Web 7-9-07

I back and the tarpon are still hot.

Recent fishing was so busy I took a needed break to cool off. The weather was challenging well into summer but we had a break from red tides and I am thankful for a productive year so far. We worked for fish some days but enjoyed hot action on others. Winds kept us from fishing the kings as much as we like but it has held the silver kings longer. The cooler spring messed with our early tarpon but we have late fish now to play with.

I had a great vacation in upstate New York, the temperature was nice and cool. We even had two bonfires to stay warm. I got out fishing once and caught some bass, even small mouth and several speckled perch. The change was wonderful. It’s beautiful country if you get the chance to visit.

I got home and back in the saddle today. Several captains had reported that I did miss some good fish but I am refreshed and ready for the hot days ahead. We had more wind than we wanted this AM, so we tried a few snook. It was just ok we saw plenty of fish but the slow current flow was not turning em on. It calmed down by mid day, the clouds parted and we went back outside to find tarpon. It took some riding but we finally located some scattered feeding tarpon. Almost immediately we hooked a big one for Colt. She was powerful and required about an hour to bring boat side for photos. So Colt’s father Dave and I decided to put the other line back in. Immediately this one exploded with another big tarpon. We were glad she jumped off two big one is too much at one time. So I put a smaller pinfish out and he hooked a smaller one right away. This worked out fine. The fifty pound FireLine whipped this teenage 50 pounder quickly while our teenager tangled with his 150 pound silver rocket. Colt’s silver king exploded 5 or 6 times before she allowed us to take her picture and revive her for release. We tried to relocate the school but only found a few scattered fish. It was exciting to observe these fish cruising just below the surface in the calm clear waters. We did get one to eat a BaitBuster but failed to get a solid hookup. I was able to watch this tarpon inhale the lure and spit it back before the angler ever felt a thing. It happens all the time when fish are tracking at you. We had the trip of a lifetime for this visiting state trooper from Missouri and his fifteen year old son. Nice family time to remember forever of their Florida trip.

I needed the vacation and came back to share a wonderful day with new friends. My calendar opens up next week if you want to share some memories on our beautiful, fishy waters. What a wonderful job I have when Mother Nature cooperates. Blessings from above help too. Let’s Go Fishin’ soon. Captain Van Hubbard

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