Guided Jay and Tommy White this morning in East Bay and Pensacola. The fellas are excellent bass fisherman from Memphis and wanted to catch some inshore saltwater species “bass-style.” We made a short run east and stopped in an area with mullet jumping everywhere. Handed the Whites some Penn Conquer 2000/Abu Garcia Verdict combos with small topwaters and they really put on a show. I think the first few big explosions really caught the anglers off guard. The classic bass fishing hook set was in full swing! I mean these guys have neck-breaking hookset techniques. After some laughing and ribbing, they got the steady pull back technique mastered and nearly every fish made a connection. It’s really almost better to work topwaters with your eyes closed and only side-set when you have tension. It’s a very good trick that will produce twice as many fish. Found the small fish outside the mullet and the large ones inside. We also got a few decent redfish as well. Travelled into Escambia Bay to find some big trout on some eastern mudflats. Gulp! 5″ Jerkshads in camo and suspending Sebiles made it easy. We also stuck some decent flounder but nothing huge. Finished up on the southside with some quality redfish, more nice trout and flounder on the same baits. Overall, a very good day with two very talented anglers. Lots of trout in the 3# range and redfish up to 26″. They had so much fun today they requested an encore tomorrow so we’ll hit it again for a short trip in the morning. Different scenery, same fish. All fish released. E Holstman

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