Today we performed two more extremely instructional and very successful trips at Redfish University. The morning session started at 600am and the matinee got underway at 1230pm. Both groups of anglers wanted to learn highly productive areas and techniques for the upper bay areas of Pensacola. Great tides today with falling water in the morning and a rising tide in the afternoon. The full moon was completely ignored as always by the fish and Redfish University. Both trips yielded huge catches of speckled trout, legal/over-sized redfish, flounder and striped bass. Both trips accomplished the Super Slam today with a redfish, trout, flounder and striper. We had some incredible topwater action for redfish today with some explosive topwater hookups with some fish clearing the surface to pounce on the Sebile Bongos. Gulp! 5″ Jerkshads and Sebile Bongos were the baits of choice for the morning and afternoon sessions. Lots of fish were released and quite a few were kept for dinner. Camera pooped out on the second trip but the photos are identical to the first. Another double booking tomorrow so more reports tomorrow. Trying to keep up! Thanks, E Holstman. Please click an image to...

Ran a double-header today and absolutely hammered the fish. Guided a new resident in the Milton area that wanted learn about the upper bay areas in hopes of producing great catches of redfish and speckled trout in the future. Started at daylight with a bunch of really nice speckled trout including some 3-3.5# fish. Covered some shallow flats later and found both redfish and large speckled trout mixed in the mullet. For the finale, we approached some schools of large menhaden and really stuck it to the 30-35″ redfish which were found under and outside the bait schools. Really fun morning of catching and lots of great instruction. Our angler took a few nice trout and a redfish for dinner this evening and will, no doubt, be very pleased with his future angling adventures. For round two, my clients, Roger and Barbara Orth, invited me to a poolside lunch before we took off to catch some large redfish in shallow water. Yellowfin tuna steaks, roasted potatoes, a ginger salad, Texas toast and (one) a fine Chinese beer called Chang. My clients are so good to me! Anyway, we left the bayou and they wanted to see and catch very large redfish. Arrived at our destination quickly. When the other boats and “charter fishers” departed after scaring the crap out the redfish, it was game on and a sight fishing festival. Posted out, sun came out, sun to our backs and let the groups of 15-30 huge redfish swim to us against the current. There’s some good advice!:) Continually stuck 20-30 pound redfish coming to the boat and the Orths did well to see them and have a great time catching them. We are very pleased to announce that Mrs. Barbara Orth broke yesterday’s new redfish record at Redfish University with 37 pound lunker taken on 6# Spiderwire Ultracast InvisiBraid, a 20# Stren Tinted fluoro leader and a Berkley Gulp! 4″ Shrimp in Lime Tiger. It was truely a mammoth specimen. I think I really wore the anglers out so we took off back to Bayou Texar with some great photos, laughs and long-lasting memories to be sure. All released...

Long-time Redfish University clients, Jeff and John Shiver, flew into Pensacola International Airport late last night to go do some catching at Redfish U. The fellas wanted to target some speckled trout for dinner and then catch some big fish for a little variety on light tackle. A little pressure, especially considering their extensive travel, but I put together the best plan for their requests. Started at first-light with 1-3.5# speckled trout on nearly every cast. Again, Berkley Gulp! Jerkshads rigged with jigheads and drop-shot style are absolutely the most productive baits and techniques. Fished in the fog for trout until 8am and then ran very slowly into the bay and a very thick fog. The Yamaha SHO doesn’t like to crawl at 19-20mph! Arrived on some shallow flats and immediately found what we were looking for. Huge redfish!! We don’t target diving birds or huge schools of redfish unless absolutely necessary. Used Berkley Gulp! 4″ Shrimp to sight fish some massive redfish. Admittedly, some of the redfish were very difficult this morning but seeing them from a long distance was very helpful and that’s where I was able to help the Shivers with direction and placement. A new record was broken this morning by Jeff Shiver. The old record 31 pound redfish was shattered by one of Jeff’s gigantic redfish which tipped the scales at exactly 35 pounds! I’ve only personally seen one fish bigger and that was in Venice, LA. Redfish Cup prefishing when my partner stuck a 41# redfish just to weigh the beast. Congrats Jeff! Anyway, wore the guys out with big redfish and headed back. Endless trips in the future so back soon. Thanks, E Holstman Please click an image to...

Happy New Year! The 2012 Redfish University season has begun with some outstanding fishing, lots of instructional trips, a “slammed” Winter season and some very exciting expansion and developments at Redfish University this year. Not to mention, Redfish University will throw the new 2012 Pathfinder 23 HPS/2012 Yamaha SHO 250HP into its arsenal soon and will offer some thrilling new services for the 2012 fishing season. Stay tuned! With the dismal trip last Saturday hanging over us, this week’s trips thus far have been much, much better. Guided some Pensacola Foolish Forum members on Tuesday, a really nice fellow from the GCFC on Wednesday and a few anglers from North Carolina this morning. Each Redfish U trip took place in completely different areas but all had one thing in common. Lots of fish! There are lots of fish in very few areas. Gulp! 5″ Jerkshads rigged with jigheads and drop-shot style were the most productive baits. Found quality redfish, speckled trout, flounder, stripers and even a bald eagle for some nice variety. Trips straight through to Monday so many more recents reports to come. Thanks, Eric Holstman Please click an image to...

We don’t make excuses and I was fishing as well. Admittedly, the title is a little dramatic but let’s just say an epic and extremely successful 2011 Redfish University season didn’t end with a bang this morning. We returned safely from a dense fog to terra firma, no one fell off the boat and I remained calm although painfully perplexed so all is well. One or two trips out of a couple hundred is okay but disappointing nonetheless with certainly much more being expected from us. Obviously and understood by RU anglers, the strict use of artificial baits at Redfish University adds increased pressure to produce strong numbers but then again, my clients care nothing about livebait/natural bait for any species of fish. With conditions very similar to yesterday’s tide, wind and movement, I guided a couple new saltwater anglers, Devon and Sara. Both wanted to get some in depth instruction for inshore angling in the Pensacola area and catch some fish for dinner tonight. Superior instruction is easy enough but it’s so much more fun to view the results in the form of a livewell full of redfish, speckled trout and flounder. In the very thick fog, I cruised along at 8mph and kept a sharp eye on my Garmin GPS. It’s not my boating skills that I’m concerned with but the yahoos in the jonboats cruising the bay at first-light in tremendous fog. Arrived safely and began our morning. Found it a bit odd that the duo didn’t stick some quality fish in the first 5 casts so we moved a hundred yards down the bank. Both were good anglers and were making long, accurate casts. Fifteen minutes go by and still no bites so I pick up a rod and hit it. There’s a reason I hit this area and that reason is, there are tons of speckled trout and redfish in the area. Picked up and cruised slowly to another normally productive flat with a few mullet. Ten casts in and still nothing so I’m a little concerned. In a panic, I begin to fish again to just cover the area and find some fish....