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...
Read MoreSunday with R.U. website designer and marketing genius at Redfish University-October 17, 2010
Grabbed my good friend, web designer, photographer/videographer, marketing guru, merchandise specialist and enthusiastic Spanish mackerel angler, Randy Hamilton, this afternoon and cruised out to the beach in search of pompano, redfish or whatever was available. Randy is a HUGE reason Redfish University is the Gulf Coast’s most successful, busiest and supremely visible guide service with bookings of 4-5 per week, Monday-Friday. He keeps me busier than I want to be!! Randy and I fish together a ton needless to say! Purchased some pompano jigs, ice, Becks, Sierra Nevada and Landshark and took off for the Pass around 100pm. Sight fished the beach for an hour and didn’t see big numbers of pompano or redfish. I was really looking forward to testing my 2000 series Conquers with 6# Ultracast InvisiBraid for my multi-year trips to Belize for bones and permit. Oh well, soon enough. Falling tide, boat traffic, etc. may have decreased our odds. Ended up pulling on some Spanish mackerel and ladyfish for a little while and then back to the inside to look around some more. Haven’t fished an afternoon in forever but it was fun to be on the water. For anyone interested in increasing web traffic, advertising and marketing for your business, outside of inshore charter fishing of course, you should really look into Hamilton Designs. Randy is the best! Book now to experience Redfish University. Please click an image to enlarge and view...
Read MoreRedfish University in Destin-October 14, 2010
Guided Mr. Morris Monroe this morning over in Destin, FL. Morris is the proud owner of a brand new 22 Pathfinder/Yamaha 150 decked out with a Power-Pole, Minnkota TM, Garmin Color GPS/Map and a kickin’ sound system purchased from The Ships Chandler in Destin, FL. Morris wanted to learn about the inshore redfish and trout fishery in Choctawhatchee Bay, particularly with the use of artificial baits. Started at first light with some great speckled trout action on topwater baits. We concentrated on protected banks filled with mullet and bait over broken grass/sand bottom. Lots of trout but also some undesirables including big bluefish, Spanish mackerel, medium bonito and ladyfish. As soon as the sun was high enough to sight fish we took off to some very productive banks filled up medium to upper length redfish. Switched over to Johnson 1/4oz. Gold Spoons and looked for redfish amongst the hords of mullet. Since the tide was falling rapidly, we predictably found our redfish laying in relatively deeper troughs in 2-3 feet of water. Caught fish blindcasting to troughs and sight fished some as well. Morris, being primarily an offshore angler, got off to a bit of a slow start before really coming into his own to produce some small-medium redfish. I helped to catch his “redfish dinner” quite a few times over while also demonstrating the correct techniques in the process. Next time, Morris’ bounty will be his own! For an added challenged, we decided to make a run to some areas Redfish University has never fished before. Many times, replicating banks in terms of broken bottom, troughs and bait will produce results over and over again. This experiment was no exception as we found more redfish and even schools of great quality fish in packs of 20-30 fish. Stick-fest! Morris had the great opportunity to watch a beautiful redfish inhale his bait in very shallow water. Anyway, Morris now is very, very familiar and confident in some new areas around Destin to break in his new Pathfinder. Great numbers of redfish and trout this morning and Morris kept some fish for the grill. Book now to experience Redfish University! Please click an image to enlarge and view...
Read MoreLots of fish at Redfish University-October, 6, 2010
Guided Mr. Keith Jones today for Day 1 of a two day trip. Late arrival, late start, so we launch at 200pm and set off to “just catch fish.” Made the run to Pensacola Pass and then down the beach to the east about 4 miles. Found an assortment of fish including Spanish mackerel, big ladyfish, big bluefish, sharks, pompano and even a few redfish. The water was very clear and very smooth so we looked for bait and fish in the shallow waters along the beach. Pretty fun afternoon of just catching an assortment of fish. All fish released and looking forward to the redfish and speckled trout early tomorrow morning. Please click an image to enlarge and view...
Read MoreEven in the harshest of conditions at Redfish University-October 4, 2010
Guided Mr. Randall Hamilton this morning. I believe this morning was the coldest and most windy this Fall. Hit the water at 630am in 50 degree temperatures and a stiff, 20-30 mph north wind. Ran way up river to look for signs of striped bass. We found plenty of bait upriver but nothing impressive enough to stop for. Travelled back down to the open bay and started our quest for redfish and speckled trout. Found plenty of small to medium fish against the marsh as the tide was rising and almost peak. Many smaller fish have already made their way to their Fall/Winter homes, seen in the photos, and the larger fish can’t be far behind. Randy did well with the Gulp! 5″ Jerkshads in camo and I fanned the area, mostly against the marsh, with the Marsh Works Big Poppy and a 3″ Gulp! Shrimp to also produce my share of redfish and trout. Mostly an instructional, location and techniques trip this morning. All medium, small and tiny fish released. Book now to experience the thrill of Redfish U!! Please click an image to enlarge and view...
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