Top Captains

This month's Saltwater Sportsman Editorial is about the 50 top captains in the charter boat industry. (See pictures). If you are interested in submitting me (or anyone else for that matter) here is the information:

1. Send an email to editor@saltwatersportsman.com with "Top Captains" in the subject line.
2. Include a brief bio and describe in 100 words or less why I am (or he is) deserving of the nomination.
3. They are concerned with proficiency and leadership in conservation as well as anything else that sets the captain apart.
4. Include contact information:
Www.CaptainJoeHughes.com
Feel free to include my phone number.

Thank you if you do...if you don't I'll never know! Have a great day. I figured you can't vote if you don't know!

Weakfish and Fluke

Fished today with John, Nate, and Dan. We hit the bay and scored a five pound weakfish and several keeper fluke. We released a bunch of shorts as well. The weather was awesome. Finally, no wind!

Big Weakfish

Fished with the Mikes this morning. It was windy again but we adapted. Big Mike started the morning off with two big weakfish. One was five and a half pounds and the other was almost eight pounds. We also released a few fluke on the jig. After a few moves we ended up finding the blues. For a while it was every cast and we had a bunch of doubles as well, releasing a bunch. Little Mike wanted everyone to know he caught bigger blues today, we just took a picture of the last fish he caught. It was so good he didn't want to stop to take a picture because he wanted to hook up again!

Windy Day Fluke

Fished with Kevin, Chris, Zach, and Ben yesterday. Kevin has fished with me for years and despite the strong winds, we still decided to give it a shot. We were rewarded with three keeper fluke to 19 inches plus some shorts. The sun made it pleasant and I found places out of the wind. You got to go to know.

Blues on the Fly

Fished with Tim and Tiffany tonight. We hit the flats and caught some nice blues on the fly and on the spinning rods. We had action on poppers and on subsurface flies and jigs. We also caught a weakfish. Great time. We had mini blitz action at times this evening.

Bluefish Blitz

Fished with Brandon and Susan tonight. We hit the flats and found blitzing bluefish action on poppers. We caught a bunch of good sized blues on top water. We then switched over to jigs and caught a bunch more blues and fluke. We broke off a big mystery fish as well. It was a beautiful evening.

Big Fluke

Fished with Darryl, Jen, and Sean in the bay. The conditions were lousy but we caught some nice fish. We caught fluke to four and a half pounds, blues, a striper, and a weakfish. It was a great day with fun people.

Evening Flyrod

Fished with Chase Saturday evening. We were chasing fish on the fly and Chase caught bluefish on the flyrod and I had blues, fluke, and a striper on the jig.

Opening Day of Fluke

Fished with Pat, Tracy, and Brian for opening day of fluke. We caught over thirty fluke to four and a half pounds. We also caught bluefish to eight pounds. There was no picture on the big blue as we released it boat side. We had steady action all day.

All Four Species

Fished with Bill Friday evening. We threw jigs and caught blues, weakfish, stripers, and fluke. The bite was strong and we caught a bunch.

Flyrod Blues and Weakfish

Fished last night with Joe and Rich. We threw the flyrod at the fish and they responded well. We caught a bunch of blues and some nice weakfish on the flyrod. They ate clousers on sinking lines. We also caught blues and weakfish on the spinning rods with jigs. The weather was perfect. Finally!

New Boat Progress

Yesterday I met with Scott at Eastern Boats to discuss the progress of the build. So far the boat looks awesome. Since they are doing a custom build for me we had to lay out the different parts of the boat and take some measurements to make sure everything was perfect. What a great experience it has been working with Eastern and with Scott. This boat will be like nothing else out there and perfect for the waters I fish.