# A good catch from the Florida Elbow (part 1 of 2)



## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

A good catch from the Florida Elbow

Friday, February 28, the weekend weather forecast is picture perfect; calm winds, zero overcast, and a very sunny 70+ degrees. What a way to begin our 39 hour adventure deep into the very heart of the Florida Elbow. There is only one slight potential problem, the Gulf of Mexico water temperature has been holding steady at sixty six degrees; that's cold for our Florida fish. Will the cold water keep the fish from feeding? Is, 'A good catch from the Florida Elbow' possible this time of the year? Only one way to find out; let's go see together. Sit back, relax, and join me as we board Hubbard Marina's Florida Fisherman ll:

Captain Bryon request the opening of John's Pass Bridge:

Soon beautiful Madeira Beach, Florida, will be only a distant memory:

We who call Florida home love to showcase our beautiful state. Joining us today are Mr. John Richardson Sr. and John Junior. John Sr., from Oaktown Indiana, is celebrating birthday number eighty with a warm weather overnight fishing trip. Back home in the Hoosier state the Richardson family were expecting a day time high of twenty-four, and nighttime lows of 10 to 12 degrees. Our 70 is a heat wave to them. 
John Sr., chef Tammy has gone Mexican. What a way to begin our great adventure:

Let's hit the bunks. We have a very long day ahead of us. Twelve midnight; Captain Bryon tames those mighty diesels and calls for 'battle stations.' Let the fun begin. The fishing is slow. Never-the-less, we are catching some very nice fish. John Junior is proud of his first ever red grouper:

The before dawn catch is not up to our standards, but still impressive:

John has never seen a ramora before. The 'sucker-fish' amazes him: Everything grows big on the Elbow!


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

*part 2 of 2*

Talk about some nice red grouper:


Man! Those things can fight:


Hold on! Mr. Chris Larosa's flat line just had a big hit. Some very fast, strong, creature plowed into his live pin fish. On an on goes the great battle. Finally, color! The color of a beautiful black fin tuna. Quick! The gaff. What a trophy:

Oh no! The dreaded lion fish have really invaded the Elbow. Mr. Larry Miller:

Mr. Michael Wells, that 16 & 1/4 inch lion fish is a near record:


Let's go looking for the mighty amber jacks. We want a fight!
Look at the fish on that screen:

Joining us from Jonesboro, Maine are Mr. Travis Galligher, and his fourteen year old daughter Ms. Kassandra Cox. Kassandra, what's the weather like back home? Bob, when we left it was fourteen degrees. This seventy stuff is like Summer to us. John & Kassandra are fishing spots 6 & 7 on the middle of the stern. John, a very strong young man, hooks a fish as strong and fast as he is. That big live pin fish was just too much for any Elbow fish to resist. On & on goes the great battle. John follows the runaway fish from the stern to the bow of the Florida. Still no end in sight. Finally! Color, the silver color of a mighty amber jack. Quick! The gaff. What a prize. Follow the great fight two minutes ten seconds into the video at the end. 


Now those are some nice American reds. The American beauties have been properly vented and are almost ready to go back home.. See you in June:



It's been a very long day. We have now been fishing for over eighteen hours. We are hungry! Tammy time. Warm weather, companionship, fishing, and a fine Tammy steak dinner. What a way to watch the sun sink the horizon:

Wow! What a meal; we are stuffed. Let's try to catch a few more fish:
Mr. Richardson, you can be proud of that mangrove snapper. Sir, the Hoosier sate can be proud of their native son; I know your dad is:


Mister Carl Kisner, fishing spot # 48, that's an Elbow sized trigger fish:

Mr. Eddie Sumrall, spot # 5, June is going to be something else: 


Nine P.M. let's hit the bunks. We are tired. Take us home Captain 'Coach' John; take us back to Madeira Beach. 
Six A.M.; now that was a quick night. John's Pass Bridge is beautiful even before the sun comes up:

By our standards the fishing was slow, however, Is, 'A good catch from the Florida Elbow' possible this time of the year? Mr. Chris Larosa, what do you think?


Our friends from Indiana & Maine will go back home with memories to last a life time. John Sr., sir it has been a real pleasure to celebrate with you eighty years on this earth. It was a real honor welcoming you to fishing in the Sunshine state. I hope you enjoyed your trip as much as we enjoyed sharing our Florida with you. Kassandra, that jack pot money will go a long ways towards a warm jacket for that fourteen degree Maine weather. Girl, Jonesboro will never be the same. 



Check out 'Good catch from the Florida Elbow.' (Click on the Youtube link)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffxR_7gOSW4

Bob Harbison Florida Outdoor Writers Association


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

Dang nice haul. I have followed the posts for the last 2 years. Is this a private charter or public? I need to fo some googling!!!!


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

jaster, sir I feel honored that you have been following my post for 2 years. To me sharing with fellow sportsmen/women is what our great sport is all about. 
The Florida is 100 % public. It's a 72' catamaran head boat. It would be a real honor to fish with you. Please be sure to introduce yourself. I will feature you in my report. Hope you are not camera shy!


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## 9/0 (Feb 16, 2014)

Good haul Harbison. Always great to see someone sharing the sport.


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

Haha, camera shy no. Camera break, maybe, lol. I will deff. Be checking into it. My sons and wife love to fish. We will be going South this summer. Going to see what I can do. Thank you for the response


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

*Families that fish together stick together!*

I have many overnight trips scheduled for 2014. I will be sharing with our North Florida friends. 
It's always an honor to have families fishing on the Florida. Sir, I would love to have a family picture of your great catch. I will have both the still & video cameras ready to go. 
If anyone has any questions about what we do please do not hesitate to ask. 
 Best to one & all! Bob & Dee


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## jmunoz (Jan 11, 2012)

I personally didn't think a head boat would be my style of fishing mr. Harbison but idk if it's just the way you write or what but you make it seem like a blast and if I am ever down that way I would deff give it a go with ya. I don't comment on your post much but I do read all of em and as always they are great. Thanks for sharing!

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

Head boats are not for everyone. As with everything they are both good & bad points.
GOOD:
Takes rough wether really well. Particularly the big catamarans provide a great platform from which to fish. 
Get to interact with many different fascinating peoples.
The Captains have numbers & fish finding equipment most can only dream of. 
The fishing can be spectacular. We often judge our catch by how many thousands of pounds we catch.
The hot food is wonderful. 
The heavily air conditioned bunks & galley are really appreciated. 
Someone else does all the work; we have all the fun. 
Keeping fish well iced down is not a problem even on the hottest days; thousands of pounds of crushed ice is carried. 
BAD:
The # 1 problem with head boat fishing is tangles. This can be extremely frustrating. You learn to deal with constant tangles the best you can. The mates are always there to help. Never-the-less, on a head boat tangles are a real concern. 
Most tend to be very slow. 

If you fish on a private boat it's hard to switch to a head boat. However, on the other hand, Fishing 100+ miles off shore, not being forced to constantly watch the weather, being catered to, and leaving the work behind, also have merits.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

jaster said:


> Haha, camera shy no. Camera break, maybe, lol. I will deff. Be checking into it. My sons and wife love to fish. We will be going South this summer. Going to see what I can do. Thank you for the response


Same here Jason, After watching a few years of his posts----I'd like to take a road trip myself brother!!! Ifin you ever decide, let me know and we'll see if we can schedule something!!! 

Mr Harbison could you post some prices or more info and contact info fer us brother!!! As always it looks like a blast on your boat!!!:thumbup:


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

Guys, It would be a real honor to have you on the Florida. The Florida is not my boat. It's a head boat I have been fishing on for over forty years. I am reluctant to post contact information. In no way do I want to sound like an advertisement. I am simply a passenger who loves to share. I will send contact information to anyone interested in a PM. 
 Best! Bob


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## Sea-r-cy (Oct 3, 2007)

Here is the contact link: http://www.hubbardsmarina.com/

Bob can give you some recommendations on tackle, best bunk numbers, and good fishing spots. Stern spots are crowded! I liked the bow area better.
A fun trip!


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

*Tips for the serious anglers!*

I am always more than happy to share. Suggest checking out Hubbard Marina web sight. Learn how to use it. You can even tell what fishing spots & bunks are available for the remainder of 2014. Check out facebook. All of the photos from the 39 hour trips are mine. 
Let's discuss fishing spots & bunks first, and then tackle recommendations. 
BUNK NUMBERS: 
Suggest a bunk on the lower deck. The lower deck is highly air conditioned; the upper deck is not. Although the upper deck does have huge picture windows that open. 
Bunk numbers: Even numbered bunks are lower, odd upper bunks. Bunks 1-28 are on the lower deck. Bunks 31 and over are on the upstairs deck. 

FISHING SPOTS:
Stern spots are numbers 1-10 & always crowded. I do not like that! 
The door is on the starboard side. Spots around 24-28 are near the door. Spots around 30-35 are on the starboard side close to the front. Any of these spots are great. There is more room & you will catch just as many fish. I have seen 'hot spots' all over the boat. Many who fish the stern often move to the front.
TACKLE:
On every trip we target mangrove snapper. They are tricky & hard to catch. 
A very sensitive strong rod is essential. You must be able to feel the slightest nibble. 
Many of us, myself included, prefer Shakespeare 'Ugly Stick.' Somewhere around 30-40 pound class is best. That's a compromise; a little heavy for mangrove snapper, light for grouper or amber jack. You want to have a chance at grouper & AJ at all times. Sometimes they do not realize you are fishing for snapper. This gives you some versatility. 
Grouper AJ rod: Shakespeare 'Ugly Stick' 80 # class works really well. 
REEL: 
Fast retrieve is great but you loose any real cranking power. Two speed reels tend to run around $100.00 more than single speed. It you can afford it, they are worth every penny. Start out with the faster speed...great for snapper in the 125 + feet of water you will be fishing in. If you hook a larger snapper, or a grouper or AJ, switch to the lower gears. You will be absolutely amazed at the difference. You can switch back & forth with the push of a button; the gears will never clash. 
Example: For snapper; Shimano TLD 2X 20 filled with 40 # test mono. 
For amberjack & grouper: TLD 2X 30 filled with 80-100 # test mono.
LEADER:
Mangrove snapper: 40 # test Fluorocarbon. AJ & grouper: 80-100 # test mono. Mangrove snapper have excellent eye sight & are very hard to fool; Fluorocarbon highly recommended. For everything else caught on the Middle Grounds or Elbow Fluorocarbon is a waste of money. Even red snapper could care less what kind of leader is used. 
SINKER: 
Barrel sinker free sliding above the swivel. 6 ounce works best most of the time. Always have 8-10 ounce incase the current gets too ridiculous. 
SWIVEL:
Black barrel swivel, such as the Mustad, size 5, works well. A little larger is better for heaver outfits. 
HOOKS: 
5/0 for Mangrove snapper; larger for heaver outfit. Eagle Claw 'lazer sharp' Circle Sea hooks work well. 
Hope these recommendations help. Please use them only as a guide line. We all have our own preferences. The best bunks, fishing spots, tackle, for each of us are the ones we feel most comfortable with. 
Bob H.


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