2-10-13 fishing report by Captain Van Hubbard.        Everything is beautiful from Venice to Boca Grande right now.

         Our weather is lows almost sixty with highs near eighty and over; we could not ask for more. Red tide is on vacation right now; and no dead fish this past week! I only got out twice last week. Once off shore with Captain Tom McLaughlin and we caught a mess of fish for dinner plus I got a huge 55 pound cobia on a snapper rig with Cotee Jig. Please forgive my lack of computer skills but photos are on Facebook at Captain Van Hubbard, page linked to my website.

          Beth Bergan and her friends from Manasota Key went back bay fishing on Friday and we had a ball. We started out with fourteen snook up to twenty-eight inches. They fought hard with this warm water. I saw some sheepshead but all we caught there was small ones so we moved on. After a ride up into Charlotte Harbor we found trout, mackerel, and several pompano for dinner plus ladyfish, jacks, and shark to add excitement.

          Live shrimp and rattle corks are the best bets now! We did get pompano and ladyfish on Doc’s Goofy Jigs. The mackerel will eat spoons if you locate a bunch. Be ready for anything cobia and sharks are already in the harbor.

          I am still challenged every time I go out. Fish are all over the place and not in the same place twice! Waters are looking good most places. We usually need to ride around more than I like but it is producing good results and a beautiful boat ride. We see lots of dolphin, eagles, osprey, white and brown pelicans, etc… every where.  Lemon Bay looks good but we have had a hard time finding hungry fish recently. Charlotte Harbor is great but a ride. The gulf has been different every day so not dependable.

          Spring is just around the corner if my plants are accurate! They have buds and new growth everywhere. It’s of course impossible to predict the future but spring and summer fish looks like it will be great. Lots of fish and while the plague did pester us fish stocks appear fine except for maybe mullet. Time will tell!

          It is time to get your snook, tarpon, and mackerel trips locked up before you miss out. Mackerel and pompano have been around Boca Grande so far this year and snook have cooperated better than I’ve ever seen because of the moderate weather. Things could break and go crazy any time the way it’s been?

          Let’s go fishin’ soon. Captain Van Hubbard <www.captvan.com>