What People are Saying…

“Professional, meticulous, patient, genius. The best guide I’ve ever fished with… in the world.”

-Tim Devore-Redfish University alumni

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“What an amazing experience! My son and I learned so much from Eric. We have both been out on charters before but nothing like this! Eric loves his work and it shows. He shared a great deal of local fishing information with us so we can go out on our own and use the techniques he taught us. I shared this positive trip with members of my local fishing club and everyone was impressed with the 30 redfish and the two large trout…..all on a day with 20-30mph winds and a neap tide. 

I strongly recommend Eric if you want to learn about how to fish for redfish. We will certainly be calling him for a repeat trip.”

–Jim Lawrence- Redfish U. graduate


Best guided trip I have been on by far! We had a great time.  Looking forward to doing it again.  I appreciated you teaching us new things.”

–Mark Batia- Redfish U. graduate


“Capt. Eric delivered as promised with caught fish and education. The conditions were a little challenging with wind and dirty water but that gave Capt. Eric an opportunity to show me his skill and he did with many grand slams and a variety of fish including a triple tail. I am going to carry what I learned back to Mobile Bay. Great trip. I will do it again.”

Ron Harrell- Redfish University graduate


Great trip – Great Guide. Eric is the hardest working guide I have ever fished with. It was the kind of weather where, if I was fishing alone I would be thinking. Could a guide catch fish on a day like this? Well yes, a good guide with his customers best interest in mind can catch fish on a challenging day. This trip was on a Wednesday by Saturday I was on the water again testing the tips Eric had given me. Saturday was the best redfish day I have ever had on my own and it was possible because of what Eric taught me. If you like to inshore fish a trip with Eric is the best investment you will ever make.

Mike Davidson–Redfish University Alumni


“Over the last couple years Eric has done a tremendous job taking out our customers and teaching them the art of shallow water sight fishing for redfish. He’s not just another inshore guide that shows up hungover, goes straight to his spot, baits your hook for you, sets the hook for you and hands you the rod and tells you to reel it in. There’s a reason he calls it Redfish “University” because it really is a class minus the tests. He shows you why things work and why they don’t, where to fish during different times of year, and a whole lot more. There’s only a handful of guides out there that work this way and I would recommend him to anyone.”

-Pete Wright -The Ships Chandler


“I finally got the opportunity to fish with Eric. What a master angler. Eric was quick to teach everything he was doing on the trip. Worked extremely hard to make sure we saw and caught fish. Eric is the kind of guide you dream to fish with. Knowledgeable, experienced, worked with my bad casts, taught instead of barking. I can’t say enough about his skills as an angler and guide. I hope to have the opportunity to fish with him many times in the future. Excellent trip.” 

–Mr. Bob Files, Redfish U. graduate


“I have thanked my girlfriend over and over. It is definitely something that I recommend to anyone who want to be a better redfish angler. Eric is very thorough in showing you what to look for and how to present the bait. Redfish University comes very highly recommended. So get out there!!!”

(Second Trip) “Very cold morning!!!! But the tailing redfish….HIGH OCTANE!!!! Tailing redfish is an absolutely amazing thing to see. All the more reason to schedule a Redfish University trip with Eric. Whether its sightfishing or other techniques, there is no doubt he will make anyone a better angler. Sounds like an excellent thing to put on your Christmas list this year!!!”

— Jeff Russell, Redfish U. Graduate


“Thanks Eric! Yeah, it was just a tad nippley! But worth every shiver, especially the double hook ups! Definitely a “10” experience. I’m looking forward to putting my “degree” to use. Heck, next year I’ll even try grad. school!” 

–Tom Lacaire, Redfish U. graduate


“If anybody has ever wondered if you can learn from a guy like Eric – look at this. Spotting 25-30 tails then landing 25 fish! It doesn’t get much better! I think I’ll ask for lessons, too!” 

— TAT, Redfish U. Graduate


“Sunday my wife and I went out with Eric Holstman to learn to target redfish. It was a great day. Very windy so Eric had the chance to teach us to fish even during high winds. We fished Perdido Bay using Gulp Jerk Shap, Gold Spoons, and Gulp 3″ New Penny Shrimp. We caught 6 redfish (3 was slot reds) and 9 flounder. We released all reds and kept 5 flounder. Perdido proved to be a good place to fish. We are looking forward to fishing with Eric again someday. What a great teacher and fishing guide.” 

— Mr. Jim Saxton, Redfish U. Graduate


“I really enjoyed fishing with you today. I learned a lot. I was especially grateful for your punctuality. You were where you said you would be and on time (okay, a few minutes early). You had your stuff in one bag and were ready to fish. I really appreciate that in someone. Here are the pictures I took with my camera. You can send the pictures you took to either or both of my emails. I hope to see you soon. You can believe I will be spreading the news about you and how much fun I had fishing today.”

–Patrick St. Romaine, Redfish U. graduate


“The class was great! I really learned a lot about the different techniques for catching quality redfish. Watching the reds and the mullet finning on the flats was truly incredible. I appreciate you talking us through how you locate fish and essentially hunt them. This was probably the most educational fishing experience I have had since my dad taught me to bait a hook. I’m looking forward to the next trip.” 

— Eric Stevenson, Redfish U. graduate


“Thanks so much for the amazing fishing trip and sending pictures.  We had a great time and definitely enjoyed our fish.  Lloyd ate enough fish for about 5 people that night.  Thanks, again,  for the trip.  We hope to come back in the near future so I can outfish my husband again!”
 
–Melina Taylor, Redfish University graduate

 
“I took your suggestion of topwater  baits and then Johnson Gold spoons and Gulp! Jerkshads. We caught 9 very nice redfish. The tide was falling all morning and the rain was threatening all morning. We caught most of the fish in the specific area you described.  The Gulp! Jerkshads and Gulp! Shrimp were the best producers. There was alot of bait movement. Biggest fish was around 7#. The rest were nice size fish. We had a blast. Thanks for the tip.”
 
–Dr. Edwin Yee, Redfish University Alumni
 

“I cannot tell you how appreciative I am of your help.  Even if I don’t catch anything I can’t begin to thank you enough for the wealth of knowledge you’ve given me. I wish more fisherman were like you when it comes to helping out the new guy.”
 
-Robert Fortenot- Redfish U. angler
 

I can’t thank you enough for all your advice. It was spot on for us. We did exactly as you said and even though it was a little rougher seas than we anticipated we still caught plenty of fish. We tore up the specks Saturday early in the morning but couldn’t do much with the reds although we saw plenty. I’m sure my technique could have used some refining.  After that we went to the bridge and the girls were blown away at the size of the few reds we caught.  Two were right at 30″ and we caught one that was around 28″. Sunday we did fairly well on the specks and caught more reds than we did Saturday around the docks.
Again, I can’t thank you enough. You single-handedly gave me one of the best weekend of fishing I’ve ever had.  
 
Robert Fontenot- Redfish U. angler

 
Thanks again Eric for an awesome trip and one my father and I will remember for many more years to come! We have been on many guides trips but those top class guides of East Texas, do not even come close to your knowledge, hardwork, dedication, and patience that you showed us. If I can convience my wife, before I leave in January, I would love to go on another trip for some of those monster reds. Hopefully I will see you soon! Take Care, and again and again thank you, thank you, thank you!
 
Kyle Boals-Redfish U. alumni