# Huge Full Moon Catch 100 miles Off Madeira Beach



## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

What an honor sharing with our North Florida neighbors.

We who live and play in the deep south take pride in many things. We love to eat good food, take good care of our ladies, and catch fish, plenty of fish. One of the very best times to catch 'plenty' of mangrove snapper, as well as many other species, is at night during full moon periods. The full of the moon for July is 7/27/18 @ 4:22 P.M. General consensus is that fishing a couple of nights before the full moon is the very best, slows down the night of, and picks up again afterwards. We will be fishing Friday the very night of the full moon. Will it be a, 'Huge Full Moon Catch', or a great slow-down? Best way to find out... come along with us as we find out together.*

Think guys are the only ones who love to fish? Think again!


Our own 'Jersey Girl' is always there to welcome us on board the Florida Fisherman ll.

When Will shows us how, we listen:

Now that we know how to 'tie that knot', let's enjoy a very special Tammy dinner, take a long, extremely comfortable, nap, and get ready to challenge the best the Middle Grounds and vicinity have to offer. The fights are sure to be hard fought challenges, we will be ready!

*Representing THE FEW. THE PROUD...

my good friend, Mr. Leo Smith. Leo enjoys that very special Tammy dinner as much as anyone:

Our target will be the hard to fool, hard to catch, Mangrove (Mango) snapper. Mangos can be found in many different areas, different countries. Our own Florida has a huge population:

That big, bright, full moon is doing its thing:

Let's do ours. This gentleman, new to fishing, is looking for his first fish ever. Talk about getting off to a great start:

This gentleman is looking for his first American red snapper ever. Look no more!

This is looking good, really good!


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

Talk about monster Yellowtail snapper:

Nice gag grouper. We have been catching many:

Looking good! And the 'fights' are just beginning:

As Saturday morning approaches, it's, once again, Jersey Girl time. That 'Tam Special' is just that... Really special:


When you are 100+ miles deep into the very heart of the Gulf of Mexico, sunrise takes on a whole new meaning:

Stunning!

It's easy to see why we love Florida so much:








Mr. John Martin, fishing coach on the Florida Fisherman ll, not only tells us how, he shows us:

As the hottest part of the day approaches, the bite slows considerably. Time for a cold, really cold, drink. Tammy makes sure our drinks are always there, and ice-cold. Tammy, you are one of a kind!

The best burger in the entire universe, the Tammy burger!

and to appreciate, really appreciate, what the Florida's huge AC compressors are capable of... and that's plenty!


Even hard working Will takes full advantage:

Before we once again begin our quest for a, 'Huge Full Moon Catch' please join us in a solemn moment, a moment of silence in honor of a lost, but never forgotten, friend, a Florida Fisherman ll 'Regular', Mr. Ryo Lwabuchi:


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

Captain Garett Hubbard does the honors:



Rest in peace sir, Rest In Peace; you have earned it.
Will is proud, very proud, of us:

So is Tammy:

It's good to see the mangos are still hungry:

And, speaking of hunger, the Marines have landed:

That's not just a dinner, that's a Chef Tammy homemade* chili special. The finest of beef, beans, chili sauce, and special seasoning makes this not just another meal, but a real 'Jersey Girl' feast. But that's not all, over perfectly steamed Jasmine rice, we have a meal that re-defines the word, 'PERFECTION'!
This long grain rice, grown in the mountains of Thailand for centuries...

was named after the sweet-smelling Jasmine flower of Southern Asia. This very special rice has a naturally distinctive scent, released during the cooking process, is likened to a flowery perfume. Tammy selected Jasmine rice because the taste of this Thailand's pride rice enhances the traditional spices of Oriental Cookery. It brings chili to a whole new level.
The finest of food, great people to be around, and Florida* weather, who could ask for anything more? Well, how about coming home early Sunday morning from a, 'Huge Full Moon Catch 100 miles off Madeira Beach, Florida', with a mountain of fish:

Justin is very proud of his limited out catch (20) of Mangrove snapper. He caught some real beauties:

Our young couple are also very proud:


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

And they are not the only ones:

The jackpot winning grouper hit the scales @ 19.0 pounds, and mangrove snapper 8 pounds. The biggest Yellowtail snapper was a huge 7.5 pounds:

*Check out the short, action packed, on the water, video of our trip:
* * *





All extended overnight trips are real adventures, adventures for serious anglers who love to catch fish, plenty of fish. Deep drop fishing is an adventure of a different kind. Once we pass the 100 fathom mark and beyond the fish are a lot different. Ever see fish like these before? They are in our Florida waters:



Next 63 hour deep drop trip, 8/16/2018, and the last till next year, 11/1/18. Hope to have plenty of pictures as well as action packed, on the water, videos to share. Would love to have pictures and videos of you and your monster 100 fathom + fish to share. Sharing is great, but nothing beats being there!

And now, the mystery fish. It's so different Will is having it mounted. This is a tough one:

Mr. John Longo, Toronto, Canada, research expert, thinks it's a Blackfin Snapper. What do you think?


* Bob Harbison
Florida Outdoor Writers Association


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Good lord that’s a haul!!!! 7.5lb yellowtail is ridiculous!!!

The mystery fish is very cool. Not a Blackfin Snapper though. I’ve included a pic of a Blackfin. The fish in the picture is almost certainly a hybrid Snapper. Over the last few years we’ve seen quite a few, probably moreso because of platforms like this forum and social media. A quick google search and you’ll see loads of examples as well as the surprising amount of hybridization of different genus’ within the lutjanidae family.

If I had to guess, going by features and color pattern visible in this picture, I’d say it’s a Red Snapper/Yellowtail hybrid.


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

Thanks! The Yellowtails were indeed running 'ridiculous'. We were fishing the far NW corner of the Florida Middle Grounds in 125 feet of water. 
Mystery fish: We too think it's a hybrid. Have forwarded the following picture to FWC biologist for their opinion. Will share what they have to say.


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