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.
May20
Guided Mr. Jason Dyess this morning. Jason wanted to find some redfish and speckled trout. Cruised to some East Bay banks and arrived at 515am. Again, starting very early is the key to topwater success. While we were waiting for enough light to see our topwater Bongas, Jason pulled Coke from his cooler and I noticed several yellow fruits(bananas) on the bottom of his cooler. I explained that many anglers consider bananas very bad luck and he had never heard of such a thing. He even Googled on his IPhone “bananas-bad-luck-fishing” to see for himself. I let him know that I didn’t believe in any of that silliness and that it was time to hammer some fish! First cast, there goes the banana theory. Trout after trout after trout. Nearly every cast, Jason stuck speckled trout between 14-20″. Played with that school of fish for a little while and then took off to find some better quality speckled trout and redfish. Approached some docks on the south side of East Bay and really got some nice trout but only a few big redfish blowups....
May19
For the Day 3 finale, Leon Conley and I(Kelly was sick this morning and couldn’t make it. Too bad because she has been catching all the fish) entered Santa Rosa Sound at 500am and ran to our first area on the north side in the dark. Drank some coffee and waited for enough light to see our very small topwater Sebile Bongas. As soon as that moment came, I positioned Leon for a long cast into some shallow water where lots of redfish normally gather. First cast and kaboom! A very nice 5.5# fish to the boat. Second cast, kaboom! Another at the same size. Trolled down the bank and got 5 more quality fish. The secret to the topwater baits, whether it be Sebiles, Rapalas, Mirrolures or whatever, is the size of the bait. The smaller the better. We like 2.5-3.5″ baits(we use the 3″ Bongas). An internal rattle and a brief pause every 3-5′ while dog-walking the bait seems to draw many more strikes. Many fish pounce while the bait is actually stationary. Give it a try. Anyway, made a...
May18
Day 2 with Leon Conley and his sister, Kelly, the talented anglers wanted to target speckled trout and take some home for a fish fry. We’re still on nearly full moon so starting early is very important. Started at first light and hit some areas along Scenic Hwy. south of The Chimney and along the railway rocks. Since Berkley’s purchase of Sebile Lures, we’ve been throwing the Bonga topwaters in Yellow Pepper and the Stick Shadds in Yellow Pepper and White Lady and have discovered that our local redfish and speckled trout find these baits quite mouthwatering. As we quietly trolled the banks, Leon and Kelly made very long casts and as close to the banks as possible. Looking for spraying bait is a great indication that some redfish and trout may be present. A few casts into the morning and a 4.5# and 5# speckled trout were in the boat. Further down the bank, a few huge explosions from large fish but only connected with a few more 2-3# trout. Interestingly, a few banks that are usually good for 6-7 redfish didn’t produce squat. Took off for some...
May17
Guided Leon Conley and his sister, Kelly, this morning for Day 1 of a 3-Day Pensacola inshore fishing adventure. Big full moon last night and nearly record low temperatures were sure to make things very interesting today. Started fishing at 500am this morning with topwater baits over in East Bay in about 2-4′ of water. By the way, and in my opinion, the redfish and trout fishing is so much better in the bays(Pensacola, East, Escambia, Blackwater) right now. Larger numbers and definitely better quality. Larger baitfish and sand bottom seems to always produce bigger fish. Like yesterday, there was very little visible bait and mullet in the area which made things pretty difficult. The duo stuck a few good trout on Sebile Bongos and Stick Shadds but the action was painfully slow with the exception of a large school of small trout that was slicking an area off the banks. Looked at some large schools of menhaden 200 yds off the banks and like always, gafftop galore. Approached the banks with high water conditions and only caught a few small redfish with a few other misses....
May16
After this weekend’s cold-front, the fishing got a bit tricky again with high pressure conditions and a lack of visible bait. Guided new Gulf Breeze residents, Andy Kemp and Odieat this morning in our bay system. Launched at 500am this with the temperature in the mid to upper 50’s and gentle northeast breeze. Travelled over to East Bay to throw some topwater baits for redfish and speckled trout. Found some bait and mullet but not as much as in the past several weeks. Started connecting with medium(14-18″) speckled trout immediately but lots of short bites as well. Switched to Stick Shads and Gulp! Jerkshads to really improve the hookup ratio. The trout were quite a distance off the banks this morning with the cooler temperatures and I believe that is where most of the bait was staged although they certainly weren’t visible. Finished with 20+ trout. Got in closer to the banks to find some solid redfish willing to pound topwater baits and landed 3-4 great fish before departing for our next spot. Cruised over to Escambia Bay along Scenic Hwy.(near The Chimney) where...
May13
Sometimes you can’t pick your days to fish, especially with regularly visiting clients. Guided Jeff and John Shiver today in the middle of a harsh neap tide and very light winds. Started early with topwaters and got a few nice trout and several short bites. Switched to Sebile Stickshad suspending hardbaits and really found the rhythm. Sat on a few large schools of speckled trout and stuck fish virtually every cast. Lots of small and medium fish this morning but fun nonetheless. Moved closer to the banks with Gulp! Jerkshads and found a few decent redfish in the 22-24″ range but no beasts. After catching 40+ trout between 13-17″ we moved to some areas with better water movement to find better speckled trout in the 2.5-4# range. These trout wanted a Gulp! Jerkshad in camo and watermelon slowing tapped on the bottom in 3-5′ of water. Some fish even wanted a deadsticker. The redfish were pretty tough today but found lots(20-30) of fish in shallow water that were not excited with the dead water. Ended up with around 50...
