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A short tour of East and Blackwater Bays at Redfish University-September 29, 2010

Called yesterday’s client on Monday and described Monday’s difficulty in the late morning. Instead of performing what could have been a very unproductive trip, I offered a makeup date in hopes the weather would remain more constant next time. The first few cold-snaps of the Fall can be very tricky and this year is no exception. Constant weather is the key, at least for a few days. Guided Mr. Carl Smith on a detailed tour of East and Blackwater Bay this morning. Although the temperatures haven’t fallen significantly enough to push a huge amount of fish north yet, the morning temperatures this week are a positive sign for the very near future. Broke out the maps and made several stops in areas that will hold great concentration of redfish, speckled trout, striped bass, largemouth bass and even a few tarpon in the next few weeks. Only fished a few areas and picked up the same small redfish and trout as last week’s tour. We did see a few larger redfish and hefty wakes so it really won’t be much longer until we see the area come alive. For those anglers who are just looking for extremely productive areas in the Fall and Winter months, the Redfish University instructional tour is an unbelievable way to eliminate dead water. Can’t be the $300 price tag as you’ll save that in a few months of fishing. Book now to experience the Gulf Coast’s premier and highest rated guide service, Redfish...

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Pensacola Redfish and Speckled Trout at Redfish University-September 24, 2010

Guided Mr. James Dupont this morning for some Pensacola redfish and speckled trout action. The full moon is still here but we had much better tide movement today which resulted in fantastic catches of redfish and speckled trout. On the water at first light and started with topwater baits. Stuck some very nice trout and a few small redfish. After passing the area with topwater baits and getting some big redfish strikes, we came back through the same area with Johnson Gold Spoons and Gulp! Jerkshads in camo and mopped up. Ran a long distance to the east to an area with a huge concentration of redfish and continued the pounding. Ended the morning targeting deeper potholes in 4-8′ of water to finish the trip out nicely. With the full moon and slower water movement towards the end of the morning, a very soft, slow-rolled spoon, 10# fluoro, 8# InvisiBraid and long, accurate casts were the keys to our great success. In these conditions, a redfish prefers a slow, easy target. Most redfish in the 23-27″ range and all fish released. Book now to experience Redfish University! Please click an image to enlarge and view...

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Difficult but not impossible at Redfish University-September 23, 2010

Guided Mr. Mike Hancock this morning. We were a bit concerned with last night’s full moon and this morning’s very little water movement which is usually a sign of tough conditions. Today was no exception but thankfully the stiff east wind helped us produce some fish. I’m very happy that I was able to postpone yesterday’s guide trip as Wednesday would have been a real struggle. Started with topwater baits at first light and stuck some heavy speckled trout but the redfish were uncooperative with only a few followers and swing and misses. We did have one fish toy with the bait for about thirty feet and finally suck the bait but unfortunately it was lost at the boat. Made a long run and switched to Johnson Gold Spoons and Gulp! Ghost Shrimp. Lots of fish that probably dined all night! Ended up getting four and five redfish between 15-22″ but found the larger fish very stubborn. Naturally, these small redfish are more aggressive in difficult conditions and usually take a bait before the bigger fish. Our theory was proven a few times as most of the small redfish were accompanied by mid-slot and upper length fish. Not even a well-placed Gulp! Shrimp, Crab or 1/8oz. Johnson Gold Spoon could pull one of these fish off of a hooked redfish. Most unusual! We were pleased to catch some fish and I think we did as well as we could possibly do today. Conditions will no doubt change in the coming days and we’ll see huge catches of redfish and speckled trout follow. Book now to experience Redfish University. Please click an image to enlarge and view...

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An afternoon in Blackwater Bay-September 20, 2010

Guided Nathan Wheeler this afternoon over in Blackwater Bay. It was explained that Blackwater will be at it’s prime in a month or so but we could probably catch some fish and I could definitely provide some education and techniques in the area which was our primary goal. Got on the water around 3pm and made a milkrun. We actually found some redfish in the usual areas although most were 15-20″ fish which is a great sign for things to come. We also found some very small trout in the area as well as a flounder. Honestly, I didn’t think we’d do that well but our minds were focused on covering water and for me to educate Nathan on the Blackwater area. Again, a detailed map was provided and the Sharpie was well-used. Covered areas in the bay as well as Blackwater River for cold-water trout and stripers. There is little doubt that Nathan will have an extremely successful Fall and Winter fishing season in the Blackwater Bay area. Normal Redfish University trip tomorrow although educational(tours) and productive areas trips are really gaining in popularity and could be a part of the norm soon. Redfish University really is an excellent investment!! See ya...

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Awesome morning of Redfish, Speckled Trout and more at Redfish University-September 17, 2010

Another full week of guiding trips has come to an end and I’m ready for another quiet weekend! Guided Lloyd and Malanae Taylor this morning for some redfish and trout action. The plan was to catch a bunch of fish to be prepared at Aegean Breeze this evening. Started at first-light with some topwater action and really got into some nice trout. Switch over to some sub-surface baits and they produced even more. Malanae was the big winner with the trout and even found a big lost Spanish mackerel in the mix.  Travelled a short distance to find some big redfish on a flat and Malanae stuck the first monster and it was game on. She got the 17# fish to the boat with a huge grin on her face. Caught a few more redfish and took off to get some redfish to eat. We quickly found plenty of redfish to take Johnson Gold Spoons sight fished and blindcast. These fish are very easy to catch when you see them as it seems they receive zero pressure and are very comfortable. Most fish released and some will be blackened and Aegean-style over at Aegean Breeze this evening. Book now to experience Redfish University! E Holstman Please click an image to enlarge and view...

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