Wow!! Extremely high winds, pounding rain and very high water. The conditions were unbeliavably difficult but these anglers must have really wanted to fish at Redfish University today! There would be a “bite-window” before the crap from the west arrived so we timed the trip before the weather warnings and stuck a HUGE amount of quality fish. I guided a couple anglers from Virginia Beach today both of which were pretty experienced which made life much easier in some truly awful conditions. Suited the fellas up in Redfish University’s fancy Patagonia and Yamaha all-weather riot gear and we were off. Fished some calm areas and some very rough areas but it made no difference, the fish were rabid. Started by sticking beautiful speckled trout in the 15-23″ range nearly every single cast and our limit of 17-19″ trout was complete in a snap with most 20+” fish released healthy. Travelled to the flounder and stuck three big flounder quickly with as many shaking the fish at the boat. Hurried over to the redfish and stuck countless fish but they were either small 16-18.5″ redfish or they were big 28-30″ oversized redfish. A few hooked fish were followed-up with casts to secure some double hookups but even those fish were overs and unders. I even got some action with a followed-up redfish at 28″. I guess it’s better to catch a bunch of redfish with no legals than to not catch any at all. We really hurried around smartly and methodically today and took care of business before the bad weather hit. Boat positioning was absolutely, positively the key. That, and the fish were crazy hungry. No Sebile Bongos today with all fish caught on Gulp! Jerkshads, Sand Eels and 1/2oz. Johnson Black Spoons. Yep, black. Total: 50-60 Speckled Trout, 15+ Redfish and 3 big flounder but missed several.Redfish U. trips Sunday-Thursday next week with some high winds predicted in the near future. Thank goodness and looking forward to it!! Thanks, E Holstman Please click an image to...

Guided two groups of local anglers looking for speckled trout and redfish on Wednesday and today. It was tremendous not seeing “my shameless shadow” where I was working on either day. Nice overcast conditions and decent water movement both days but could really do without the calm winds and extra high water. Nonetheless, high numbers of speckled trout and redfish were produced although today was a bit more difficult for the redfish. Fished areas way south on Wednesday to find some great 3-5# trout on 3-4′ flats. We’re continuing to absolutely hammer these trout on Sebile Bongos with some really healthy fish including another 5# fish today. Most fish were taken on Gulp! Jerkshads and, in some areas, a quality 17-20″ were stuck nearly every cast. Viewed a large amount of gar in all sizes on both days which usually indicates slower fishing but in this case, it didn’t hold true. 20-40 speckled trout(14-23″) and 6-12 redfish(12-31″)each day and our clients are thrilled with their new angling instruction, techniques and extremely productive areas to target speckled trout and redfish. Busy, busy with 6 trips in 5 days and still trying to catch up on weather postponed trips. I can only imagine the frantic pace of Redfish University in the Spring and for the rest of the year for that matter. No complaints when clients return monthly! Most fish released, the clients took it easy on the population this week but some were taken home for dinner. Thanks, E Holstman Please click an image to...

For the sixth straight year, Redfish University’s Eric Holstman will be a headline presenter at the Bass Pro Shops Spring Fishing Classic in Destin, FL. March 2nd and 3rd. Please join us for “Fishing for Redfish” on March 2nd at 600pm and March 3rd at 200pm. Hope to see everyone at Bass Pro...

Erratic weather sometimes causes some problems. Very cold over the weekend and warm today and the fish responded accordingly. The speckled trout were a bit more cooperative than the redfish but I wouldn’t say either species were particularly happy with the big cold front. Produced our speckled trout by fishing ledges and deeper water where there was plenty of baitfish and mullet. The redfish were taken in shallow water around the very few schools of mullet that we could find. We also found some over-sized redfish in the 30-32″ range on schools of menhaden but even they were difficult. Stayed with the Gulp! 5″ Jerkshads because they simply catch the most fish. Each day, we found low numbers of speckled trout and a few redfish. The fishing will definitely improve this week with the better water movement and warmer temperatures. We need some decent winds out of the east, south or west. High winds, please! Reports to follow all week. Thanks, E Holstman Please click an image to...

It was a very exciting week at Redfish University. Great fishing, new boats, Redfish U. expansion, homeschooling, fishing out of a 17 Maverick with a tower(everyone knows my disdain for tower boats)… We got some exciting new ventures here at Redfish University in the very near future along with another awesome boat to add to the RU arsenal. In a week’s time, the 2012 Pathfinder 2300 HPS/Yamaha SHO 250 will arrive at my door. The Pathfinder will allow Redfish U to comfortably enter the Gulf waters in search of pompano, bull redfish and even some bottom fishing. I will stick to my expertise on the inshore flats with the knowledge-thirsty and experienced RU clients and a new captain at Redfish University will handle the more basic, family outings and bottom fishing adventures. Also, a new Redfish University VIP section is in the works. An advertising/marketing surge. So there you have it….. Expansion. Another way Redfish University will expand is a service we call “Redfish University Homeschooling.” Last year we performed nine of these popular events. We have scheduled many more homeschooling courses this year and have already performed three since Jan. 1, including one this morning at a local business. Basically, the Redfish University Homeschooling course is a extremely detailed five hour guide trip packed into a two hour course in a conference room setting. Powerpoint, projection screen, large maps, rods/reels, baits, knots, basic/advanced techniques and tricks. Sometimes we even bring the boat. Homeschooling is designed for local businesses, organizations, clubs, churches, families, etc. to learn about local inshore fishing in a group setting. Homeschooling has been a great addition to Redfish University. This morning’s course was awesome with a great group of eight fellas, some of which are out fishing right now and have texted me some nice redfish and trout photos already. The Redfish U. Homeschooling rate is $100 per person/6 person minimum. Most will burn that in a day or two looking for fish. Why not trailer your boat and go to the fish directly? With the 21 Redfisher being rigged with a brand new Yamaha SHO 250 and the Pathfinder 2300 HPS on it’s way,...

Two great trips today and one yesterday. All three trips focused on redfish, speckled trout and flounder. Sticking with the Gulp! 5″ Jerkshads since they catch the most fish. The trout in the bayous ranged from 15-18″ and the ones in the northern bays are much bigger with many in the 3-4# range. The redfish were also biting very well and we found lots of fish in the 24-27″ range. Flounder are a bit of a bonus but there are certainly a few areas where there are quite a few fish. Over 100 trout in three trips. They’re biting very well. Two catch-and-release trips and this afternoon’s outing was quite different with a limit of quality speckled trout, redfish and one flounder. Superbowl cookout! Tired and my apologies for the very short report. Taking a few days off since the new boat is coming very soon. Thanks, E Holstman Please click an image to...