MADEIRA BEACH — Like most fishermen, Capt. Mark Hubbard keeps his cards close to his chest.
"I don't want to give away all of my secrets," said Hubbard, whose family has been running party boats out of John's Pass for nearly 50 years. "If you want to know how to catch fish — book a trip."
Hubbard prides himself on keeping his repeat customers happy. He likes to send anglers home with fish for the pan, grill and smoker. But like most successful captains, he's a businessman. That's why it's surprising to see him on the list of speakers at this weekend's Florida Sportsman Expo at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
"It is not easy catching fish day after day," he said. "But to be honest, 90 percent of it is just getting out there."
Today's top offshore fishermen have better boats and tackle than Hubbard's father, Wilson, had back in the 1920s when he started the family business. But one thing hasn't changed.
"You are not going to catch fish unless you have bait in the water," he said.
Many of today's offshore anglers rely more on technology — in this case twin-engine, go-fast boats — and run all over the Gulf of Mexico.
"There are a lot of factors that go into deciding when and where to fish," Hubbard said. "But when the bite is happening, I want to be on my spot with the lines on the bottom."
Hubbard's customer base is a mixture of locals, who hitch rides on the Friendly Fisherman every week, and tourists, most of whom have never fished Florida waters.
"So we put a lot of time into planning where we are going to fish," he said. "Even offshore, moving water is still important."
Florida fishermen know that if you want to "catch" and not just "fish" you need to pay attention to the tide. "That matters even offshore," Hubbard said. "But something a lot of people fail to pay attention to is the solunar tables."
Much has been written on the "solunar theory" first proposed by Richard Alden Knight in 1926 which takes into consideration, among other factors, sunrise and sunset, moon phase and tides of any given area. Many freshwater fishermen and hunters swear by the solunar tables. Many saltwater anglers are still divided on the value of this pseudo-scientific formula to catch fish.
"I think they play a major role, even offshore," Hubbard said. "There is no doubt that bites come in waves and they often come in conjunction with a major solunar period."
Once he's got the where and when dialed in, Hubbard turns to bait. "Big baits catch big fish," he said. "Probably the biggest challenge that anglers face when bottom fishing on this coast is keeping their bait from spinning on the way down."
How do you keep your bait from getting tangled up? "That's a good question," Hubbard said. "And if you want the answer you have to come to the Florida Sportsman Expo."
Hubbard is just one of more than a dozen Florida fishing captains who will offer fishing seminars this weekend. Hubbard will share his secrets on long-range fishing at 11 a.m. Saturday. At 11 a.m. Sunday he'll talk about fool-proof bottom rigs, or in other words, how to keep your bait from spinning.
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Explore all your optionsInshore fans can hear Tampa Bay Times Captain's Corner correspondent Jim Lemke talk about tarpon at 3 p.m. Saturday and about sight fishing for big reds at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Anglers of all skill levels will find the show's Riggin' it Right Academy, where up to 80 anglers can get hands-on instruction on how to rig baits and lures, worth their time.