Many anglers have found yesterday’s report from Destin visually stimulating. As a result, it looks like Redfish University will be spending quite a bit of time in Destin in the near future. Did a little overtime today so this afternoon’s guide trip in Pensacola was postponed until next week. Guided Mr. Shane Johnson and his mom, Mrs. Johnson, this morning over in Destin, FL. Both were looking for some inshore tips and techniques for redfish and trout. Started with topwaters and Gulp! Jerkshads in camo early in the morning and found the redfish and trout very, very difficult. We picked up some trout but nothing great. Visited some local bayous but it was really off. Good news was that we could go hit the big redfish early. Found the same groups of oversized fish as the day before and caught fish between 15-28.5#. Mrs. Johnson’s largest fish previous to this trip was a 20# salmon. Needless to say, she smashed that record many times over and won the “chicken dinner” with the 28.5# massive redfish. Worth mentioning is how impressed I was with Mrs. Johnson’s casting, retrieving technique and fish fighting ability. This young lady really knew her stuff and was really fun to fish with!! Anyway, we were able to sight fish most of these huge redfish in less than 5 feet of water and even blindcast a few with some exciting pursuits in the mix. Naturally, the 4″ Gulp! Shrimp in lime tiger gets the job done everytime. The Gulp! in combination with the Marsh Works Bull Red jigheads is a great bait for these fish. Haven’t straighted a Marsh Work bait yet but oh! do we try!! All fish released. Book now to experience the thrill of Redfish University. Please click an image to enlarge and view...
Read MoreRedfish University in Destin again-October 21, 2010
Redfish University spends time from Port St. Joe Bay to Hopedale, LA. The majority of Redfish U’s traveling trips are located in Destin and Panama City. Today, I guided Mr. Bobby Stewart for some redfish(big and legal) and trout action in Destin, FL. Bobby is an accomplished bass fisherman and has some property in Ft. Walton so he wanted to learn about the inshore fishing in Choctawhatchee Bay and around Destin. Started very early with topwaters first fpr speckled trout and legal redfish. Pounded out some very nice trout and some medium redfish on topwater and spoons. Checked a few more areas and then headed to a flat with lots of redfish of all sizes. Superb, sunny and glassy conditions made it very easy for me to call out fish for Bobby who was pretty tuckered out from the early morning action. With his arms cramping, it was a pretty dirty trick to save the redfish festival for the last few hours of the morning. Bob had a blast!! Used 4″ Gulp! Shrimp in lime tiger to sight fish countless redfish from 28-40″. Bobby was able to see the fish, place the bait and watch these fish inhale his Gulp! bait. It was a bit challenging as these fish were not as easy to catch as usual, so a well-placed pitch was the key to our success. All fish released and the ice was saved for Bobby’s arms! I had a great time fishing with you, Bobby! Until time…. E Holstman Please click an image to enlarge and view slideshow....
Read MoreRedfish, trout and bass at Redfish University-October 20, 2010
Fished with Eric Michener today in search of redfish and trout. It’s always great fishing with Eric as he brings some awesome donuts from Milton Bakery and knows some areas to the north better than I do. It’s really great bumping ideas and techniques off one another. Started at first light and got into some great redfish and trout on topwater baits. Again, the key is very small topwater baits. Also found lots of largemouth bass in the same areas. We covered alot of water this morning and found a decent amount of fish in nearly every area. Topwaters, Johnson Gold Spoons and Gulp! were all equally as productive. Some areas had more redfish, some had more trout and most had lots of bass. Nice recovery at the end, E Money!! It was like 10-0 at one point!!! See you soon! All fish released. Please click an image to enlarge and view...
Read MoreA quick morning of redfish and trout at Redfish University-October 19, 2010
Guided Mr. Paul Heatherington this morning for what may be one of Redfish University’s last trips on the year in Santa Rosa Sound. It’s not that the fishing is horrible over there, it’s just that there’s so many more fish in a few areas to the north. We were interested in seeing some redfish and trying to get some larger trout in the deeper water. Started out with very small topwater baits at first light and really nailed some great redfish outside the schools of large mullet. The key this morning was a very soft dog-walked retrieve with a 3-4 second pause every 5 feet. Most fish crushed the bait as it was stationary and they had a huge problem eating it while it moved. Neap tide, very little water movement and laziness are my guess. Once we could see them around 800am, we switched to very small Johnson Gold Spoons and picked some more redfish. Pushed off the banks in some areas to go back to topwater and found some decent speckled trout on the sandholes in 4-6 ft of water. The fish are thinning out in the Sound in my opinion but there are still some nice redfish if you get there early and mid-week always helps. A great bonus for today was the chance to pull on some fish with my Conquer 2000’s/All-Star ASR 7′ with 6# Spiderwire Ultracast Invisi-Braid in preparation for Belize’s tailing bonefish, permit as well as tarpon and snook. Casts an 1/8-1/16 Bone jig a mile!! Book now to learn more about inshore angling than you’ll ever imagine at Redfish University. Happy Fishing. Please click an image to enlarge and view...
Read MoreWinter Speckled trout and redfish tour at Redfish University-October 18, 2010
Had another instructional/location tour, with an angler who asked not to be named, in the upper Pensacola Bay area this morning. These trips have really gone over well and I really enjoy doing them! This shy chap was interested in increasing his winter productivity with the species of redfish and speckled trout. Found some nice trout and small/medium redfish in the normal muddy bottom flats in East Bay, Blackwater and Escambia bays but it will no doubt be much better as the temperatures continue to drop. Spent alot of time on the maps and bait selection in a number of very productive areas and picked up decent fish in most areas with some being much better than others(mostly areas a bit south.) Last hour of the trip, we talked shop at the boat ramp and discussed rod/reel, line and leader options that would be most optimal for the winter fishing in these areas. Fun day on the water! Book now to reserve an instructional trip or a regular Redfish University guided...
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