Anglers look for a break in the weather to head 100 miles off Madeira Beach, Florida to the Middle Grounds. This gallery highlights catches and camaraderie of a well-run head boat.
By
Captain Mark Hubbard
Updated: November 28, 2012
First stop is to pick up baitfish. Hope you have some frisky pinfish!
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The jaws of John’s Pass Bridge open wide. Next stop is the Florida Middle Grounds, 100 miles off Madeira Beach, Florida.
Madeira Beach
Mister Jeibe picks up tips from Joe, the boatmate, on how to battle a huge amberjack.
Before fishing, everyone has to eat their meal from Tammy, the ship cook.
JD lands his first-ever amberjack.
The AJs are on fire. Some great battles are won, most are lost. They just don’t know when to give up!
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That’s it! The entire boat has limited out (two-day limit) on AJs.
What’s for lunch? Our favorite! Beer battered fish that’s fresh off the grill.
With amberjack off limits, anglers started loading up on red grouper.
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And next, the mangrove snapper started biting.
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Carl Kisner caught this African pompano. He was using cut Spanish sardines intended for mangrove snapper.
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Captain Mark Hubbard (L), Carl Kisner, Bob Bush, and James Watts all land African pompano.
Cliff tossed a Boston mackerel to this dolphin. Bam! What a hit.
Red snapper catch.
Jon and Nate, both FWC biologist, are along. Jon is catching, tagging, venting, and releasing red snapper.
A bit of help is needed to land this massive shark.
Some dinner before a night of fishing.
The night bite starts, producing many of the same species from the day. Now, they’re less spooky.
