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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.

Classroom Reports

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May12

Neap tide magic at Redfish University-May 12, 2011

Beginning of the neap tide this morning with minimal water movement and calm winds. Needed to concentrate in areas with huge numbers of redfish and trout and slow things down. Guided Rob and Nick this morning. The guys are tournament bass fisherman from Missouri and are both very talented anglers. Hit the water at 500am and made a pretty long run into East Bay. Met with decent water movement in this particular area with lots of mullet so things looked very promising. Long casts with Sebile Bongas were attacked nearly every cast by speckled trout of all sizes and found the redfish on the banks and out as well. Instead of hugging coves and sheltered points, we proved that finding the most water movement in an area would be most beneficial. Started the morning with 25 great trout and 5-6 redfish from 23-28″. When the water began to really slow down, we found our own water movement around river and creek mouths to find some more upper-slot redfish and trout. And when the wind picked up strangely out of the...

May12

A nutty morning of topwater at Redfish University-May 10, 2011

Guided Ryan Ball this morning for a very short 3-hour trip. Ryan only wanted to concentrate on topwater baits and then head to work at 900am. To enhance our fishing time, I opened up the Yamaha Vmax 250 SHO and flew at 68.5 mph to out first area. First cast, big trout. Second cast, 5# redfish and so on and so on. Nearly every cast produced a quality speckled trout and one of five was a nice redfish. Most redfish were on the banks and the trout were on the slicks and in the bait. Only fished two areas but spent some quality time in each. All fish caught on the Sebile Bonga Minnows and Ghost...

May12

Instructional trip at Redfish University-May 9, 2011

Guided Kevin Kenner this morning to introduce him to some productive redfish and trout areas in Escambia, East and Blackwater Bays. Started at first light and make a long milk-run. As usual, we made a few casts in each area to make sure Kevin liked what he saw and all but a few areas were full of both redfish and trout. Many of these areas held tons of mullet, minnows and menhaden which made finding the fish pretty easy but some did not so we relied on slicks and on actually seeing the fish to determine the numbers in the area. Covered topwaters, suspending baits, Gulp! Jerkshads and Shrimp, Johnson Gold Spoons and even popping corks. Kevin will no doubt have many, many successful outings with his family in the very near future. All fish...

May07

Great morning with topwaters at Redfish University-May 7, 2011

Guided the Folks this morning for a little birthday trip. Started very early as the fish have been most active from 530-800am. Ran to East Bay and threw topwaters with redfish and trout almost every cast. Incoming tide but low water meant the fish were off the banks where we found plenty of mullet and bait. Some great action for the first few hours and then it really shut down. After some adjustments we found some large trout willing to bite along Scenic Hwy. Wherever we found mullet, the trout were mixed in and really found some nice numbers of quality fish. Kept a few trout and a redfish for dinner and released the rest. We did see lots of flounder squirting off early along the banks but never boated one. Weird. Please click an image to...

May06

Fast trout, slow redfish at Redfish University-May 6, 2011

Guided Edwin Yee and Jack today in Santa Rosa Sound. Started at first light with topwaters baits to grab some nice speckled trout and had a few redfish swing and miss. Not much mullet action this morning which made things tough for the redfish. Covered some very good areas and saw plenty of usually pretty cooperative redfish but just couldn’t draw a bite on spoons and Gulp! Jerkshads. Apparently, they are frustrated with the recent cold front and pressure conditions. I saw a few fish from long distance and still they wouldn’t bite. Picked up a nice flounder as well in the same areas. At least the fellas know where they are now and should be able to return to score big in better conditions. All fish released. Tomorrow has to be...

May06

Some redfish and trout at Redfish University-May 5, 2011

Guided Don Patterson today in Escambia and East Bays this morning in search of redfish and trout. Found plenty of trout to take our topwater and suspending baits but found the redfish to be very difficult with the high pressure, blue skies and cooler temperatures. Threw Gulp! Jerkshads to grab a couple small fish but nothing great. All fish released and hopefully tomorrow will be...

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