# Monsters of the Elbow & Forty Fathom Break



## Harbison

Monsters of the Elbow & Forty Fathom Break

Part 1:

Friday means deep water time for the Florida Fisherman, Hubbard's Marina. The moon phase is perfect for an all out assault on the 'Monsters of the Elbow & Forty Fathom Break.' Thirty dedicated anglers wait to board the Florida Fisherman ll. This is going to be all out war. 








Our first mate, Will, goes over Coast Guard mandated safety regulations, we are ready. 








Joe, our trusted mate, shares his vast knowledge. For the battles sure to come we must be at our best. Thanks Joe!








Look at those clouds. This could be a wet one.








We are hungry. Tammy to the rescue with Philly cheese stake sandwiches. 
What a way to start our adventure:








Let's go to bed early. Fighting those monsters for over twenty hours is going to take every bit of energy we can come up with. This is going to be a real test;
Twelve midnight, Captain Hubbard eases back on those two huge 1,150 HP Cats. Let the battles begin. Immediately Mister Randy Moore, Chicago, shows a nice American red who the boss really is:









Look at the size of those Elbow mangrove snapper:








Even the porgies are monsters:








The Florida Fisherman ll provides a family atmosphere. Ms. Lisa Garrett & son Cody Kowalski are welcomed aboard with open arms. They can really fish:








Mister Craig Hammock is in for a real fight. Believe me, Craig has seen nothing yet!








Oh No! The amber jacks are getting even bigger & much stronger. The battle is in doubt.









These guys are playing no games, neither are we!
















Richie, a Florida Fisherman regular, fought this monster to a stand still. Persistence won the great battle. Way to go Richie, what a fighter. 








Mister Randy Moore takes the great fight directly to the enemy:
















Mister Andre Spradley, Clermont, Florida, takes no hostages. Really glad to have this fighter with us:








Now this is a new one on me. We are doing very well on AJ's long before the sun makes it's appearance. Mangrove snapper have been slow. 
Finally, a glow in the East. Wonder what the day will bring?
Ever see a Queen trigger fish:








The mangrove snapper are making an appearance. Did not see too many last night:








Even Tammy can't believe her eyes:








Tony, Mister Tony Baker, what a nice mangrove snapper:









Andre has mastered the tricky, hard to fool, mangrove snapper:








Man! Elbow mangrove snapper are huge:








Matt knows the secret. No more free meals:








Lisa is some fisher girl. We are so proud of her:








Like mother like son. Mister Cody Kowalski:








OK! Let's push out to the Forty Fathom Break, what a ledge:
Craig, congratulations on a fine scamp grouper. Way to go!








Ken, what a fine gag;








Gag grouper at 240':








Mister Tony Baker, that sure is a beautiful red grouper:








Sure is nice to have Jon & Natt, FWC, with us. They studied, took samples, and tagged fish all day long. We, all of us, need this on the water data:









It is really getting hot. That roof over our head while we are fishing, and the very cool air conditioned cabin are life savers:


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## submariner

Either you have a commerical license for those fish or that red snapper was ??????????


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## MackMan

Awesome pics


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## hsiF deR

submariner said:


> Either you have a commerical license for those fish or that red snapper was ??????????


After all it's highly illegal to take a picture with a fish.... :no:

Looks like a good time. Do you have a link for the boat?


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## 192

That porgy was ridiculous! Nice haul....


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## JoeZ

submariner said:


> Either you have a commerical license for those fish or that red snapper was ??????????


Thrown back?
Wtf, dude. 

Great report as usual, Mr. H.


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## Jason

Bang up job again!!!! Man, I wish you would have got a better pic of the Queen Trigger, kinda shadowed but I know she was purty!!!! Stud AJ, ya'll are killing me!!!!


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## Longbow14

we can tell those fish eat well. hot dang I love reading your reports sir.


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## capt mike

*Mr. Harbison*

I am a captain out of Orange Beach Al. and have been incensed with your posts for months. I want to come ride with you all and see this as it happens. Please post contact info as the wife and I want to get out of town for a few days! Being a reef builder and captain I don't get to fish often so this may be a great getaway for us!
Keep up the commentary its great!:yes:


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## Harbison

All American red snapper were immediately vented & released. The look-a-likes are mutton snapper, 100% legal. We keep no illegal fish. In addition, exact counts are constantly taken. When someone reaches his/her limit, no more. I too wish I had a better picture of the queen. She came at a very busy time, did not have time to adjust the camera. 

Captain, we would be honored to have you & your wife. 

Hubbad's Marina, Madeira Beach, Florida
(727) 393-1947


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## grey ghost

Whats a trip cost per person, & how many hour trip is it? nice pics!!


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## Harbison

Thanks! 
Here is the information direct from Hubbard's web sight:
Aug 17 – 19 Fri – Sun Giant Cabara and AmberJack Hunt fish all Night on the Moons Dark Side $299 39hrs 3pm – 6am Cabara, Mang, Mutton, YellowTail Snap with AJ, by day Gag& Red Grouper
3 P.M. Friday to 6 A.M. Sunday


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## Kenton

$299 for three days?!?! Thats a deal!


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## Harbison

We fish 80-100 miles off John's Pass, where the big boys play. There are advantages & disavangtages to head boat fishing. One huge advantage is sharing the cost among 30-35 anglers. We actually fish for around 20 hours. Captain Hubbard is moving the Florida Fisherman regularly, and then that long ride home. Just think, even if you own your own boat, of the amount of fuel involved. Another huge advantage is that someone else does all the work, we have all the fun. Bob


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## bamagun

300 bucks to fish, with what appears to be GREAT company, is a bargain for just a 20 hour trip (actually only fishing for 10 hours) when you are catching fish like that... Much less, to FISH for 20 hours.. I may be throwing myself a little "military retirment party" aboard the Florida Fisherman.. Hell, how much is it to just tag along and eat some of those sandwiches? haha


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## bigrick

never seen a queen trigger that big, had one in my tank growing up


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## need2fish

Great post and pics - thanks Captain. Might have to look you guys up - reads like a lot of fun.


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## Captdroot

*It's that WHOPPER margate/grunt that stands alone!*

Well sir, you are still goin ........ maybe not strong! 

Don't tell me you tried to hand crank on the Elbow and later when you eased out 6-10 miles to 240' I'm guessing you were too busy snapping photos, that sounds much safer, too. That Elbow at 175', produces nice mangos on those full moons and new moons, too. Just got to get brave and use your bass rig to them biting! What is minimum number of folks to make a trip? What is the maximum?

Take care Bob


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## Harbison

*Fishing the Elbow & Grounds*

Considering the price of fuel, the Florida Fisherman's 39 hour trips are real bargains. We usually travel out around 100 miles one way, and then move around all day & night. We have some retired military people who fish with us on a regular basis, great people. 
Have been fishing the Middle Grounds & Elbow for over 40 years. That is the first queen I have ever seen. 
Hand cranking no problem, just takes a long time. I use a Shimano TLD 20 2 speed, that really helps. We fish an average depth of 160' on the Elbow, 125' Middle Grounds. 175' is pushing it for mangrove snapper. Min. # 17, Max. 50 Bob


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