Going deep where the big boys play
The 8/28 forty four hour overnight trip out of Hubbard's Marina arrived back at Madeira Beach early Sunday morning with a near record catch:
Can it be done again? Come along on the Florida Fisherman ll as we find out together. It's always an honor to have husband & wife teams challenging the 'big boys' on these long adventures deep into the very heart of the Gulf of Mexico. Welcome Rick and Judy:
As we pull away from the dock the excitement level is off the chart:
Watching the charter boat 'Hub' only helps to build our enthusiasm:
First mate, Will, shares his years of experience with us. This is going to be good:
NOAA has announced a possible early amber jack closure. Let's get them while we can.
Looking good!
The Florida's huge # 1 fish box is almost full, and we have just started:
These fish are so big and so strong. Many battles are lost; many are won:
Box # 1 is full and we are working on # 2.
It takes two to hold this one up:
Bob Dryjwoicz lost battle number one. Bob is a member of the famous SOB team. Tell you later what SOB stands for.
Pay back time:
Hungry? Let's visit the never ending snack bar:
Judy, a real lady, gave this monster AJ everything she had. After a long, hard fought battle, the 'donkey' won this one:
Box # 2 is almost full.
The weather is absolutely Florida picture perfect:
Let's see what else is out here. Hold on! NOAA can 'prove' that American red does not exist:
Look at the size of Ed's mangrove snapper. We are fishing in over 150 feet of water.
Barotrauma has forced the mango's stomach out of his mouth:
John Martin is very proud of his true black grouper. We see very few blacks in our area:
Notice the difference in Richard's gag:
The scamp grouper are running very nice:
Look at the color on that red grouper:
The battles have been many and hard fought. Some were lost; many were won.
Evening is one of our favorite times of day. Watching the heavens on fire is priceless:
Are we ever hungry! It's Chef Tammy's time to shine. Our 'Jersey Girl' loves to cook; we love to eat. Talk about a match made in heaven. This is far from just chicken alfredo.
Only the youngest, most tender, chicken breast, finest cheeses, special noodles, and the richest alfredo sauce in the entire universe are good enough for this master chef:
Let's go back and take a quick look at some of the mangrove snapper we caught last night. On mangos we have no closed season and a two day possession limit of 20. Twenty deep water sized mangrove snapper is a catch to be proud of:
We have been fishing for over twenty hours. The Florida's two huge fish boxes are stuffed full of fish and crushed ice. Take us home Captain John; home to beautiful Madeira Beach, Florida.
After a good night's sleep it's time to fill our ice boxes with our catch, hope we have plenty of room; we are going to need it, check on the jack pot winners, and start thinking about 9/25, when we do it all over again.
A very proud SOB gang...Cliff Vandenbosch (L), Roger Poulin, and Bob Dryjwoicz, (missing is Joe Diebold) checks out our mountain of fish:
Ever wonder what SOB stands for? It's not what you are thinking. Would you believe South Of Bridge gang? All four members are not only dedicated, expert, fishermen, but real gentlemen. I am proud to call them friends; we are family!
Let's check on the weight of that Scamp & AJ:
Nice, really nice!:
Captain Garett Hubbard (L) is so proud to hand out jack pot money:
Roger...AJ, 66.2 pounds
Ed...Snapper, 8.1 pounds
Rich...Grouper, 19.5 pounds
'Going deep where the big boys play' Can it be done again? Judy can answer that one very quickly:
Thanks for 'coming along with us' on this wonder trip deep into the very heart of the Gulf of Mexico.
Check out the short, action packed, video of our trip.
Bob Harbison Florida Outdoor Writers Association
