The Gulf Coast's Ultimate Angling Experience!
Best Rates on the Gulf Coast!! $600 (1-2 anglers) for 5 hours. $50 for each additional angler up to 4 total anglers. Includes Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Navarre and Pensacola Beach. Call (850) 748-4368 or email ericholstman@hotmail.com. *(Adjusted for fuel prices on July 1, 2022)
Welcome to Redfish University in Pensacola, Florida
Redfish University is a unique opportunity for beginner, intermediate and advanced level anglers to improve their skills in the art of shallow water fishing for redfish, speckled trout, pompano and flounder. Redfish U. specializes in the challenging realm of sight fishing for redfish with the use of artificial baits. Redfish U. also targets speckled trout, flounder, pompano and bull redfish on traditional guided fishing trips. Our extraordinary curriculum insures that no detail is overlooked. From bait choices and line selection; to casting presentation and approaching your target, you will receive unsurpassed angling instruction. Challenge yourself, broaden your angling knowledge and invest in your fishing future at Redfish University.
Oct12
Guided some locals and out-of-towners Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Windy and rainy on Monday and Tuesday but today was a huge improvement. Nevertheless, the fishing was outstanding all three days with huge numbers of speckled trout, 7-15 solid redfish per day and even some nice striped bass. Made the same exact milk-run on all three days with great numbers of fish holding in very few areas. Mullet, minnows and shrimp are in all areas both north and south. With better water movement early, we tossed topwaters on mullet infested flats and points to get our speckled trout and medium redfish. As the water slowed, we travelled north to find better movement around rivermouths, creeks and wind-blown points. On the dead low tide(.4), we found the redfish in extremely shallow water mixed with large mullet. 5 gallons of fuel in the Hewes really helped today as a boat of three resulted in some belly rubbing on the sand flats. Picked off some decent stripers as well in deeper(3-4′) water including a 5# fish. All fish caught on Sebile...
Oct06
Great trips at Redfish University! Limits of both redfish and speckled trout coming quickly and the quality is excellent. Guided the Bakers yesterday who just bought a home on Blackwater Bay. They wanted to learn the area for the excellent Fall/Winter redfish and speckled fishing that is upcoming. Started at first light on the very top of the high tide. During slow or dead water conditions, I like to concentrate around the mouths of small rivers and especially around wind blown points in the immediate vicinity. These areas will have the most water movement and will hold not necessarily the most fish, but the most cooperative fish. The first few casts produced some very nice trout and a few great redfish. As the water started to move out, we found plenty of fish in the coves and sawgrass banks. With the high water, we found both species tight on the banks and of course, around large schools of mullet positioned just off the banks. Topwaters early and Gulp! Jerkshads in camo as the sun rose. The Bakers kept a few fish for dinner...
Oct04
Haven’t posted recently with lots of sponsorship travel lately including a long adventure to Europe. Did some pike fishing outside of Stockholm, Sweden before relaxing in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Ibiza but not before I rounded out a solid stretch of trips in early September before taking off. This report also contains some very recent reports during this great weather change. Started concentrating in the upper bays in the normal Fall areas that produce large numbers of both redfish and trout. Topwater baits are still very productive in the early morning hours and then we’ll switch to Gulp! Jerkshads in camo and watermelon to stick many more fish on the flats. As always, mullet and baitfish are the keys to success. Lots of really nice trout and redfish in the 22-30″ range. Lots of upcoming trips and I will report much more frequently. Thanks, E Holstman. Please click an image to...
Aug17
Very busy with fun inshore trips lately. Concentrating both in the South and bay systems. Early morning Sebile Bongos have been taking loads of quality speckled trout and redfish on the shallow flats. We’ll launch topwater baits until about 730am and then switch to Gulp! Jerkshads and Shrimp as the sun goes overhead. Finding lots of trout and redfish over structure such as oyster bars in the later part of the mornings. The recent rains dictate our locations. No rains means the bays will be productive and lots of rain will keep us in the very busy Sound. Sight fishing in Santa Rosa Sound has been excellent and we’re finding fish pretty cooperative with long, accurate casts. Some redfish have measured 26-28″ and a few 27″s at 7.5-8# so they’re eating plenty. Obviously, the weekdays are much better than the weekend. We also continue to please anglers in the last hour or so with those jumping blacktips. Some we can sight fish and others are caught drifting. Lots of fish going home to the grill but more released. Thanks,...
Aug05
Guided Patrick and the guys again today. Better water movement and much better fishing today. Ran to south East Bay early and found the speckled trout rabid with strikes nearly every cast on topwater Bongos. We also discovered some of the small schools of menhaden being sprayed and very uncomfortable. Normally, in deeper water, only gafftops have been with these schools of bait. Since these schools were in shallow water with slicks forming pretty consistently, we decided to launch some topwaters in that direction. The baits were quickly pounded by 12-18# redfish which was a pleasant surprise. Wrestled with the redfish for a while and then they wanted sharks again. Outgoing tide and the sharks were very hungry. Lots of hookups and jumps!! Fun morning of fishing with great anglers. All fish released. E Holstman Please click an image to...
Aug03
Guided Patrick Price and his sons this morning for some hot topwater action way over in East Bay. Started at first light and knew we’d need to really hustle to produce some fish before the water slowed down. Really popped some nice redfish and speckled trout in the first few hours and then it shut off immediately. We switched baits and techniques to draw a few more strikes but at 745am the struggle was on. The great thing about fishing with experienced anglers at Redfish University is the fact that they can catch fish and they understand the conditions as well as I do for the most part. I gave the group some other options so we cruised toward Pensacola Pass to find better water movement. On the way, we caught a few more speckled trout on Gulp! Jerkshads around Gulf Breeze. Arrived at the Pass and found private/charter boats alike chasing schools of tiny Spanish Mackeral. There must have been 25-30 boats in that mess. The phrase, “no thanks”, was uttered and I happily obliged. Hit the Shoal...
