Steady trips at Redfish University this week although there small concentrations of redfish in very few areas. Good news is, I expect the redfishing to improve dramatically in the coming weeks and especially next month. Guided Mr. Barry James and his wife Cheryl this morning. Barry is an avid local kayak angler and I was able to cover lots of water with him and introduce him to some excellent kayak fishing areas and some clever tricks with artificial baits. Started out with some quality trout and lower slot redfish as we waited for the water to drop in the upper bay areas. At 730am, we blasted to some very productive area and a found the fish to be very difficult(local Labor Day traffic?) Whatever the cause, we managed to product an decent range of quality redfish. Ended the day trying to scrape up a few flounder which proved to be predictably grim on slow water movement. All in all, a below average day according to Redfish University standards but hopefully much knowledge was gained and a fantastic redfish dinner was had. Thanks again for the wonderful bottles of wine, James and Cheryl!! Please click on photos to...
Read MoreThe End of an Up and Down Year- September 1, 2009
Well, the 2009 Redfish Cup season had come to a close. After starting the year in fine fashion, placing 16th and receiving a nice check in Punta Gorda, we started an uncharacteristic free-fall. Kemah was a big disappointment(should have fished the jetties, obviously, and entered the “fishing lotto”, and Chalmette still haunts us today. At the regular season ending event in Biloxi, we took a whole new approach. We prefished for 6 hours!! Yes, we knew where some very nice 28-30″ were in the Biloxi Marsh. A little pond on the outside that was full of oysters was the promised-land. Went there on Wednesday afternoon during a low tide and tails and wakes were everywhere. Jetted straight there on tournament morning, got a 10# and a 9.5# and slow cruised back arriving at 11:30am and took a nap. Ended up in 7th place after Day 1 with 19.45#. Great start and knew we could do the same on Saturday. Day 2-jetted back to the same oyster pond, stuck two great fish- both over 9.5#! We’re feeling pretty good but still looking for a 10# fish to secure the Top 5. Had a few chances and a few that were 9.5# but it was also a great idea to visit a few other areas nearby just in case we would be returning on Sunday to clean-house. Back at the weigh in, it was a little nerve-racking. Finally, it was our turn to weigh in and we secured 5th place with 19.38# with only 10 teams left to weigh in. With only 3 teams left, my fears came true as we were only worried about what the Watts Brothers would bring to the scales. We heard the weigh, but it took a few minutes for them to officially announce what position that weight would put them in. Crap!! They bested us by .19 of a pound!! We were happy for the Bryan and Greg who are awesome fellas but felt pretty shocked after what a disappointing 2009 season we had. No complaints with a 6th place!! We had a great two days of fishing and secured our exemption into the 2010 Redfish Cup where I assure you, we’ll do much, much...
Read MoreBack from Dusseldorf and Lisbon, Portugal and ready to fish!!-Aug 11, 2009
Just returned from Dusseldorf and Lisbon, Portugal where Tracy and I got engaged. It was a fabulous trip. Went to the U2 concert in Gelsenkirchen, Germany Aug. 3 and then toured the Rhine River on the 4th where I proposed and then had an incredible dinner at Brasserie 1806 that evening. On Wednesday morning, we took off to Lisbon, Portugal to celebrate my friend Duncan’s 4oth birthday with many of our best American and British friends. Our hotel was located at the St. George Castle at the beautiful Solar do Castelo. For five days, we explored Lisbon by boat, train and by foot. We traveled the coast in a 140 ft. triple mast sailboat as well as two 70ft motor yachts. Also got some great surfing in as well. No fishing, but did see a tremendous amount of mullet and small snapper as two marinas. Back to business with lots of trips planned in the near future. Redfishing will continue to improve into fall and winter months. Book your trip now and get in on the fun. See ya soon. Eric Holstman Click on an image to...
Read MoreSolid Slams and some Tripletail at Redfish University- July 19, 2009
Guided Mr. Rajiv Rajah and his girlfriend Stacy on a short trip in Escambia and Blackwater Bays this morning. Both had never fished inshore before with artificials and I think I made true believers out of them! Started out early with some very nice flounder and then moved to some very productive tripletail areas. We quickly stuck two beautiful tripletail on a very shallow bank. Focused on some sand flats that were loaded with bait which produced some quality trout. Finally, we ran north and found some redfish on a very shallow bar connected to some thick grass flats. All fish caught on Gulp! Jerkshads in camo. All redfish and trout were released. Tripletail and flounder went home with Rajiv and Stacy for the grill. Please CLICK on image to...
Read MoreNew baits from Berkley and new reels from Penn!!! July 18, 2009
Redfish University prides itself on providing its very exclusive clients with the best boats, motors, baits, rods and reels, and other saltwater equipment in the world. The arsenal just got better!! Checkout the new products from Pure Fishing. Just returned from my annual new-product review and meeting at Berkley with Scott Dubiel and Kevin Benton. Recently, Pure Fishing acquired Penn Reels so I had the opportunity to checkout some of their new reels as well. In addition to new baits, Berkley has introduced new braids, fluoros and monos from Trilene and Spiderwire. Also, several new baits from the Powerbait line are very impressive. I am very excited about some new baits in particular. The Gulp! Ghost Shrimp are sure to be a very productive bait. New from Powerbait in the scented and flavor-packed Rattle Shrimp. These shrimp baits will quickly become favorites for anglers targeting redfish, trout, flounder and even pompano. Sticking on the Powerbait side, the new Ripple Shad swim baits are sure to produce fish with a rippled body to create more vibration. Also, Gulp! Jerkshads have gone to 6 and 7 inch baits. On the line side, Berkley has created Fineline Braid, the first Radial Braid for roundness, smoothness and strength. Spiderwire has developed a 100% Fluorocarbon line and Berkley has created the Trilene TransOptic for anglers who focus on watching their line. This line is Hi-Vis in the sun(out of the water) and clear below the surface. Lastly, the new reels from Penn are extremely impressive. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to use the new Penn Conquer CQR4000 and CQR2000. These reels feature 10+1 shielded stainless steel ball bearings, bulletproof Eternal Alloy construction, the Superline Spools, and it’s most unique feature, the EAS System. The EAS is the innovative maintenance feature ever introduced in a spinning reel. By backing out one screw on the stem of the reel, the rear hatch opens and gives full access to the gearbox. Very simple to clean and maintain! Also, the new Penn Torque Spinning Reel System is incredible. Mainly for nearshore and offshore applications, this reel offers the highest drag pressure in its class!! The patented Versa-Darg system...
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