Gulf Breeze Guide Service photo gallery

Spring 2009 arrived with the fishing hitting on all cylinders. We had bull redfish active around Pensacola Pass, sheepshead spawning in the usual spots, and incredible sight-fishing for reds on the inshore flats. The pompano arrived right on time along with the jack crevalle and big Spanish mackerel. Speckled trout fishing was the best in years with numerous reports of fish over ten pounds. Later in the season grouper, red snappers, and mangrove snappers provided excellent table fare for spin-fishing anglers wanting to take fish home. Here are photos from the first two months of Spring 2009. For photos from previous seasons, check out these additional galleries: Winter 2009, Fall 2008, Summer 2008, Spring 2008, Winter 2008, Fall 2007, Summer 2007, Spring 2007, Winter 2007, Fall 2006, Summer 2006, Spring 2006, Winter 2006, Spring 2005, Summer 2005, Fall 2005. Click on any of the small images below to see the full size photos. Use the back button on your browser to return to this page.

	Calvin Joyner opens the spring gallery with this healthy redfish landed March 21 on light tackle in the shallow waters around Pensacola Pass.
	Debra and Greg Fisher, Nampa, ID, came to town for the early-spring sheepshead and redfish action. Here's Debra with the first sheepshead of the spring season caught and released March 24.
	Greg landed and released this fine flounder a little later around the old Ft Pickens pier.
	Matt McQueary from Missouri State University was the last angler to experience the best flats redfishing in years on March 26. Muddy water from the spring floods trashed the flats the following day. Good timing, Matt.
	Here's Matt with another flats beauty landed on a tan/white deep eyed minnow.
	Martin Brosch was lucky to land this toothy fellow March 29 on 20# tippet. Every spring the big Spanish mackerel move into Pensacola Bay to feed on the grass flats.
	Karena Cawthon from Pensacola and a perfect Pensacola Pass redfish on March 30.
	Maxx and Stan Warr found the sheepshead on April 3. It's hard to beat fighting these powerful fish on light spinning tackle. Peace and love, Maxx.
	This is Atlanta chef Curt Bohling with a little pal landed very close to shore on April 5.
	The day before Curt and son Graham with a "double" landed on Sidewinder spoons and released.
	If anybody "knows jack" it's Jay Pippen. Here's Jay with the first jack crevalle of the year landed April 7 on a topwater chug bug.
	Jay's fishing buddy John Tiberi followed suit with his first ever jack crevalle...one of five landed that day.
	Loreen Mason on April 9 with one of the many lovely speckled trout landed this spring. This was the best spring in memory for big trout.
	April 14 was a day of family fun for the Wargo family from Michigan. This is an unusual and spectacular redfish landed by Nikki Wargo on light spinning tackle.
	Andrew Wargo emerged victorious after a hard-fought battle.
	Here's Philip Wargo with the first pompano of the spring season.
	Ken Hutchison, Nampa, ID, brought son-in-law Brian Cummings to town April 15 to introduce him to saltwater fishing. Imagine Brian's surprise when this jack crevalle exploded on his topwater plug!
	Brian proved he was "The Man" by landing this monster on fly.
	How about this redfish for a hearty Pensacola Pass welcome...
	Hutch was pretty happy about hooking his first jack crevalle on fly for 2009.
	Ah yes...sweet success after a half hour battle.
	Always the record setter, this is Hutch with the first pompano on fly for 2009. After catching a pompano and jack crevalle Hutch needed a redfish to complete the Emerald Coast Grand Slam, but it wasn't to be on April 15.
	Hutch and Brian with the final catch after a memorable April 15.
	Brian got things going early with this brute on April 16.
	Here's Brian a little later with his first pompano.
	Hutch with the first leg of "The Slam" on April 16.
	Leg number two came when this nervous little guy ate Hutch's pompano rocket. Late in the afternoon we found a big school of redfish and Hutch dropped the fly into their midst immediately hooking a large fish. After a 20 minute fight the fish came to the surface, and we saw it was a jack crevalle. The jack beat the reds to the fly, and the Grand Slam eluded Hutch once again.
	Tim Marsh with his first pompano on April 22.
	The water was finally clear enough to see fish on April 23, and Bob Hardin was there to take full advantage of the situation. Gary Miller in the background is trying to get one to eat his fly.
	Gary Miller with his first redfish of the day on April 23.
	Another shot of Gary with his first pompano.
	Bill Milstead couldn't get the reds to eat the fly on April 29, but his wife Jackie had no problem with spinning tackle. Jackie released this fish unharmed.
	Richard Tatum and Frank Davis came to town May 1 for some pre-season red snapper action. Here's Richard with a typical catch.
	We moved into Pensacola Pass and Frank found this fish lurking in 58' of water.
	The bull redfish were still there for Craig Barker on May 2.
	Craig was surprised to find this red snapper mixed in with the Pensacola Pass reffish.
	Size was not important May 6 for Ketchum, ID, photographer Karl Weatherly shown here with his first trout on fly.
	Tracy Crowley and Greg Eudaley hit the redfish big time on May 9. This is Tracy with the first fish of the day.
	Size WAS important to Greg Eudaley with the biggest catch of the day.
	The darn false albacore appeared for one day on May 12, and Ken (Cowboy) Shireman was here from Arkansas to take advantage of the situation.
	May 14 was a "happy anniversary" trip for Kate and Joe McNeel from Montrose, AL. This is Kate with a prized 27" slot redfish.
	Joe followed suit with another addition for the cooler.
	A little rain didn't bother Jay Walters on May 23. Looks like an Auburn University cap to me...
	Wylie Hogeman took his grandkids Blanton and Laura Stagno fishing with their pals on May 27. Here's Blanton with a fine catch.
	Not to be outdone, Laura Stagno landed this pretty redfish a little later in Pensacola Pass.
	Another beautiful redfish landed by Laura's pal Madison.
	It took both Madison and Laura to land this legal grouper on very light spinning tackle. To Wylie's delight this fish made its way to the cooler to join a couple slot reds.
	Pat Patterson of Pensacola landed his first redfish on fly May 29 at Pickens Point. We were anchored in shallow water having lunch when a school of fish appeared 200' down current. We unclipped the anchor, drifted into range, and Pat hooked this beauty on his first cast.
	It wasn't catch-and-release on June 1 for Tom Gutierrez and Dennis Farkas on the first day of snapper season.
	Frank Basehoar, Mechanicsburg, PA, on June 4 with the boat record grouper on fly. This fish hammered a big Clouser minnow and Frank somehow coerced it out of the structure. The grouper was legal, but Frank got style points by releasing it unharmed.
	The "wolfpack" from NY/NJ arrived June 5 for a return engagement. This is ringleader Ken Michaels with a 26" grouper caught and released in Pensacola Bay.
	Wolfpack member Howard Garfield and the biggest Spanish mackerel of the season.
	Wolfpack award for the biggest fish of the day went to Stan Winnick for this nice jack crevalle.
	UK's Graham Tweed on June 14 with his first ever speckled trout on fly. Fly reels must be bigger in the UK...
	Brandon Morgan landed the boat record mangrove snapper on June 16. What a beauty!
	Ted Lalonde, Baton Rouge, LA, set the bar high with this fine slot redfish on a family fishing trip June 18.
	But daughter Hollie Lalonde edged out old dad with this catch.