Merry Christmas, my best wishes for your health, happiness, and good catching.

Enjoy quality time with friends and family any time you can; but especially now. We have been blessed to survive another year and have this special occasion to share with each other. Our fishing had its challenges last year but we do have plenty of fish when weather and bureaucrats allows us access. I’m sure we should be glad we are alive and have fish to wait for and pick to thru. After the holidays please take the time to let our regulators know how much we appreciate their management regulations that they think helped our fishing; now let us enjoy the bounty. We don’t need big limits but especially in this economic slump we need some fresh fish for dinner. I am blessed with good health so I’m looking forward to doing my part to support the economy by refinishing and re-powering my Dorado early next year. I’ll be down late January and early February but ready to go again by Valentines Day.

Fishing has been fair to good when weather cooperates and trout will open the First to help us out. Pompano are over due and this colder weather should help big time pushing some our way. Redfish are around if we get lucky and are patient. They can be smart as bonefish in our crystal clear flats water now. Redfish are beautiful now with all the bronze to red and gold, tipped off by the blue trailing edge of their tails. Water temps are finally dropping into normal low sixties range; it was over seventy last week. We had tons of white bait migrate by just before the North Wester blew em on south. It was an impressive sight, large dark balls of minnows just outside the beaches in December. I am anxious to see if the pompano show up now; its time. Sheepshead are available if you have the awareness to catch these thieves before they rob us blind. They are tasty but crafty bait stealers, but do have liberal bag limits. It will be interesting to see if some of the Spanish we had hang around any longer with this chill. Cobia and tripletail are possibilities if it’s not windy and rough. Trout should be the best bet for now. Specks are exciting in this cooler water.

I am doing some dolphin and manatee boat cruises this Winter for those interested. We also have eagles, osprey, white pelicans, and many other photo/ observation opportunities. I can pick you up on most local barrier islands or Stump Pass Marina. Rates are reasonable and we can do lunch too.

Thank you, for your friendship and continued support. God Bless you and your loved ones, Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. Captain Van Hubbard.