Today was Day 3 of my speckled trout adventure with Greg Amos. We decided to stay local and find some more trout and then head out to the beach to look for some big redfish. Started the morning out with some decent trout but it was painfully slow after 8am. Pointed the Hewes Redfisher towards Pensacola Pass and went in search of redfish. We were met by 3-4′ rollers as the wind and tide were fighting so we turned around and went to find more trout. Stuck some more medium trout and got a redfish as well. Overall, a very slow day and we had to really work for our strikes. Changed baits, techniques and depth but not much was working. Under the difficult water conditions this week, we actually did pretty well and caught the trout and redfish that were in the various locations. I am proud to say that I guided Greg to his first sightfished redfish in West Bay yesterday and I hope he has years of fun stalking the shallow redfish in Tampa/Sarasota. Anyway, it was three fun days of pretty difficult fishing but we managed about 40 or 50 trout of all sizes(1-4#) and some very nice quality redfish. Most fish caught on Gulp! Jerkshads in various colors as well as Berkley Swimmin’ Pogies in Lime Tiger. All plastics confidently rigged with Marsh Works bull red 1/4oz jigheads. No fish worthy of...
Read MoreDay 2 of the Trout Adventure in West Bay-January 28, 2010
Today was Day 2 of the Speckled Trout Adventure with Greg Amos of Sarasota. Picked Greg up in the Excursion this morning at 315am and hit the road for West Bay, FL. Ran to the Warm Water Canal at first light and pushed all the way to the back of the canal. The water was very low(-1.3) so we concentrated in 4-6ft. of water outside of the WW canal. Picked up several small trout with few legals in the mix. Ran into North and poled Greg along a bank to produce his first sightfished redfish ever!! Picked out a comfortable, distracted, tailing fish and Greg made a perfect cast. Approached a few small schools of redfish but not many takers. Returned to the WW canal to hammer some more trout on high water and ended to the day near Breakfast Pt. watching waking and sitting redfish that simply wouldn’t eat. All fish caught on Gulp! Shrimp and Jerkshads. I caught the smallest trout today. Day 3 is...
Read MorePrefishing for the 3 days of Trout-January 26, 2010
Prefished this morning with friend and fellow angler, RJ McDermott, in search of some large trout for my Wednesday, Thursday, Friday trout trips. Found plenty of quality trout including this nearly 7 pound beast and some quality redfish. All fish caught on Gulp! 5″ Jerkshads in camo. Pensacola Wednesday, Panama City on Thursday and TBA for Friday. Looking forward to changing gears with some big...
Read MoreRedfish University is closed next week! 1/16-1/27
Time for vacation, to get married and some fishing on my own. Heading to Ambergris Caye, Belize in the morning and spending eight days fishing for bonefish, permit, tarpon and more. Some free diving, sailing, Mayan ruins and looking for some property is also in the plans. Planning on spending LOTS of time down in Belize in the very near future. For clients looking to schedule a trip at Redfish University, please email me or leave a message on my cell which I will check a few times while in Belize(but possibly not!) I will return Monday, January 25 with a 3-Day trip already scheduled. I will be well-rested and ready to put everyone on quality fish upon returning. Reports and photos to follow in about a week’s time. See you soon. Eric...
Read MoreFreezing cold at Redfish University-January 10, 2010
Redfish University is still running trips!! It’s cold but the fish are really cooperative. Short, 25 mph runs keep things as comfortable as possible for clients and once the catching begins, the coldest temps will be forgotten. More trout than redfish at the moment but the quality of fish is very good. Quality cold-weather gear, face protection, gloves and warm socks are a must! See ya soon. Guided Mr. Larry McAdoo this morning here in Pensacola. Larry is a recent Houston transplant to the Pensacola area and a long-time Hewes flats boat owner. Today was the coldest conditions I have ever fished. The temperature range in Redfish University’s Ford Diesel 7.3 Excursion registered at 24 degrees at takeoff time and only rose to 37 degrees at noon. Nevertheless, redfish and trout were found and redfish and trout were caught. Over 25 quality trout and 12-15 redfish were landed in extremely harsh conditions. In fact, we were having a difficult time casting because of the icebergs forming between the guides on our rods! This is the first time I have EVER seen this!!! Anyway, it was an extremely cold but productive morning of redfish and speckled trout. All fish caught on Gulp! 5″ Jerkshads in Lime Tiger and Gulp! 3″ Shrimp in Natural. Rattles increased strikes and ALL fish released. Please click an image to...
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