 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|||
 |
|
|||
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
|||
 |
|
|||
 |
|
|||
 |
|
|||
 |
|
|||
 |
|
|||
Fall 2011 was spectacular with cooler temperatures, clear water, and outstanding fishing. The biggest Spanish mackerel of the year thrilled both spin and fly-fishing clients with their screaming runs. Redfish and pompano were active on the flats. The red snapper and grouper fishing in Pensacola Bay produced all-time records for both species. Schools of massive black drum were dependable sight-fishing targets along the shores of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. But the coup de grace was the "Running of the Bulls". Around the end of October the surface of Pensacola Bay exploded with more giant redfish than we've ever experienced, and the incredible action continued throughout the season. If that wasn't enough, the false albacore winter run started in early-November! We've never had the FA (bonitos) on the beach this early. Here are the photos and videos from the fall season. Click on any of the images to see the full size photos. For photos from previous seasons, check out these additional galleries: Summer 2011, Spring 2011, Winter 2011, Fall 2010, Summer 2010, Spring 2010, Winter 2010, Fall 2009,Summer 2009, Spring 2009, 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. Use the back button on your browser to return to this page.
 |
Back
again to kick off the fall season is Wade Knight, Tigertown,
TX, with an impressive Spanish mackerel landed on ultra-light
tackle 1.5 miles offshore at the wreck of the WWI battleship
USS Massachusetts. |
 |
Casie
Knight also got into the hot Spanish mackerel action on September
21. The "Mass"
was loaded with them that day. Make a long cast, count to
three to let the #2 Clark spoon sink, put the rod tip in the
water,
crank as fast
as you can, and hang on! |
 |
Wade's fishing buddy Tom Moodie
took a break from the Spanish and landed the first bull redfish
of the season.
|
 |
Bernie Smelstoys Jr and Sr on September 23 with another nice Spanish mackerel caught this time on the grass flats of Santa Rosa Sound. Check out the "sooty-black" dorsal fin on this fish. It's the easiest way to distinguish Spanish mackerel from juvenile king mackerel. Kings have a gray dorsal fin. |
 |
Dan
Matassino, September 23, with a Pensacola Bay red snapper to
be proud of... |
 |
The
final member of the Smelstoys Fishing Team was Dave Bird
who landed the biggest redfish of the day |
 |
Andy
Sherrill and Hobart McWhorter were in town October 2 fly rods
in hand when we found a school of big black
drum ambling along a foot below the surface west of Pensacola Pass.
Andy threw a tan/white clouser in front of the school where it
was immediately eaten by this pompano...the believe-it-or-not first
pompano on fly for 2011! The pompano were swimming with the drum
and happily free-jumping around the school. |
 |
Imagine a situation where you're trying to keep the fly away from the pompano! After landing three pompano in short order we changed to the bigger "go-meaux" flies from Deep South Outfitters, Birmingham, and Hobart McWhorter landed this and another monster black drum. Andy hooked three or four, but they all came unbuttoned. If we weren't purists we might leave the doggone barbs up every now and then...
|
 |
Kameron Bellamy had a ball Oct 3 catching and
releasing big Spanish mackerel while fishing with his grandpa Gordon
Kelsay. |
 |
Of course Gordon had to do it on fly, and who
could blame him... |
 |
Steve Schuman, Baltimore, and a lovely red snapper landed and released on October 11. |
 |
Steve got style points for releasing this Pensacola
Bay gag grouper even though the season was open. |
 |
Glenn Evans, Tulsa, OK, October 12 with a hard-fighting
Spanish mackerel on fly |
 |
Glenn's
fishing buddy Kirk Byrn was happy to land the Spanish on ultra-light
spinning tackle and a Sidewinder
spoon (single, barbless hook) |
 |
Graham
Pollock on a bright, sunny October 14 with calm seas and clear
water. We were looking for schools of redfish and black drum
when we noticed a big cloud shadow moving in our direction...except
there weren't any clouds. It was a huge school of jack
crevalle swimming in tight formation. We had the big spinning
rod with a 4 3/8 inch topwater "chug
bug" ready to rock 'n roll. Gotta be Graham's
Facebook photo... |
 |
Here's
Graham releasing his second jack after a typically epic battle |
 |
Stephen
Larson and Brian Whitman were here from Atlanta on an incredibly
beautiful weekend October 15 &16.
We started off Oct 15 blind casting for big Spanish mackerel
on a grass bed in Santa Rosa Sound. This is Stephen with a beaut
landed on his old faithful St Croix 6wt outfit. Tiny reel...big
fish...hardly seems possible. |
 |
Brian Whitman with one of many Spanish mackerel
landed on tan/white clousers and released unharmed. These fish
are so powerful and toothy that we use 80# mono bite tippet. |
 |
After
lunch we moved out to the Gulf of Mexico and found it to be
picture-perfect. We poled the beaches east of Pensacola Pass
sight-fishing for pompano
until it got too late to see fish. Never got a hookup. Here's
Stephen laying out a nice cast in idyllic conditions... |
 |
October 16 started off nicely with Brian landing
his first false albacore on fly |
 |
And
then things got very interesting. We decided to run
west of the pass and almost immediately found a huge school of
big black drum just below the surface. The fish were hungry,
and for the next few hours Stephen and Brian landed fish after
fish on 8 and 9wt tackle. Stephen's first fish weighed
24 pounds. |
 |
Brian
Whitman with one of his playmates on October 16 |
 |
We
had a number of double hookups but took the time to land both
of these fish together for a rare "Drum Double" photo.
It was pretty wild and we captured it on video. Click HERE. CAUTION:
ADULT LANGUAGE |
 |
Brian,
Capt Baz, and Stephen with a sunset toast to their all-time best
day on the water together. Let the good times
roll! |
 |
Virginia
Wages, Memphis, TN, having fun with a big
Spanish
mackerel on October 18 |
 |
Sarah Wages and friend. Check out the teeth
on this Spanish mackerel |
 |
Sarah's pal Kelsey Reynolds landed the most impressive Spanish
that day...one of the biggest of the season. |
 |
Later
in the trip we moved out in the bay for some bottom-fishing and
David Wages landed the biggest fish of
the day |
 |
A nice shot of Arnold Boles, Athens, GA, while
fishing with a couple buddies on October 20 |
 |
Arnold's
buddy Larry Pope with the biggest redfish of the day October
20 |
 |
But it was Brannon Culpepper who landed the
boat record 15 1/2# Pensacola Bay gag grouper that day. Congratulations,
Brannon! Double click on the photo for another view of this fine
fish. |
 |
We
started the day October 21 flipping live shrimp around the
docks in Santa Rosa Sound, and Lori Walker-Nall, Nixa, MO,
landed her first redfish
|
 |
Next
we moved to the grass flats for some fly-fishing, and Jeff
Nall had his knuckles busted by the big Spanish mackerel. |
 |
Bonus catch! Jeff and a flats pompano landed
on a tan/white clouser with 80# mono bite tippet... Go figure. |
 |
What a way to end the day! Jeff Nall and a
late-afternoon redfish on October 21. |
 |
Tom Zavoral, Shereen Alyse, and a soon-to-be-released
red snapper in Pensacola Pass October 22. |
 |
Earlier in the day the Spanish mackerel gave
"Z" a good workout on his 8wt |
 |
Woo Hoo! The redfish are coming! The redfish are coming!! That afternoon we found the first school of bull redfish on the surface about a mile west of the pass, and Z coaxed this one to eat the old favorite go-meaux. The annual "Running of the Bulls" is right around the corner... |
 |
Shereen got this beauty to eat a SPRO prime
bucktail jig. That's a lot of fish on a 4.1 ounce ultra-light
St Croix rod. |
 |
Big
time fun for mother and son! Creagh Proctor battled this
giant Spanish to the boat, and son Gannon snuck
into the picture. You've got to love it... |
 |
Tom Blair and a super-fine Spanish mackerel
on fly October 26 |
 |
Tom's guest October 26 was Danny Bergin from
Manhattan, IL, and this was his first day of saltwater fishing.
Danny was amazed at the power and speed of the Spanish mackerel. |
 |
But it was the false albacore that really blew
Danny's mind! Sight-fishing for the FA demands lightning-fast response
time and accurate casting. It's ultra-light sport fishing of the
highest degree. |
 |
On October 28 Jesse Quillen brought his friends
Derrick and Spencer Ross to town, and the fishing was red hot.
After spending the morning hammering the big Spanish we moved out
to Pensacola Bay for some bottom-fishing. Derrick was hoping for
a grouper but got this nice redfish instead. Not a bad trade... |
 |
As the afternoon progressed the grouper fishing
turned on big time. Here's Spencer Ross with a fine gag grouper
en route to the cooler. |
 |
Jesse
Quillen had been "snake bit" with the groupers on previous trips
but not today! Jesse likes to take a few fillets home, and his
timing was perfect. Grouper season closed three days later... |
 |
We had to work our way through the red snappers
to get to the groupers. Now that's the kind of problem
a person can deal with... Jesse with a "lit up" red snapper |
 |
Spencer Ross with the all-time record Pensacola
Bay snapper. This incredibly powerful fish weighed 19# on the bogagrip.
It was shocking to see this giant fish when it first came into
view a few feet below the surface. |
 |
The "Running of the Bulls" officially started
in Pensacola Bay on October 30, and Greg Catalano, Acton, MA, and
John Moylan were on the boat to witness and participate in the
mayhem. Here's John with a typically fat, brightly colored redfish
in the 22-25# range. |
 |
Greg Catalano is not only a skilled fly-caster,
but he's also one of our luckiest clients. Year after
year Greg seems to be here when something very special happens.
This time we were nearing the end of a two-day trip, Greg had a
flight out that afternoon, and we were staying on the water as
long as possible hoping the magic would happen. And that's when
the redfish came to the surface, Greg grabbed his 12wt, and landed
this beauty. The man's got some seriously good karma going on.. |
 |
We
had a few minutes left in the day before heading for the airport,
so we drifted around some schools of bait
while John worked a SPRO bucktail jig slowly along the bottom.
He hit the jackpot with this monster redfish in the 28# range...the
biggest fish of the trip. Way to go, John! |
 |
Arlen Reynolds and Jeff Honea took a break
from their pharmacy on October 31 and had a heck of a time catching
redfish, red snappers, and gag groupers around Pensacola Pass.
This grouper weighed over 10# and Jeff released it for next time... |
 |
We were fishing on the east side of the pass
late in the afternoon, but way across on the other side by Ft McRee
hundreds of pelicans started crashing the surface. We ran over
there at top speed and found a huge school of bull redfish exploding
on top. Arlen hooked up immediately, landed this fish, and
asked Jeff to join in the photo. |
 |
A little later Jeff landed the biggest fish of the day. This is one of those shots that could grace the cover of Florida Sportsman.
|
 |
Kevin Barnes, Athens, GA, met his fishing buddies Jon Benstead and Chris Windram for four days of fly-fishing in early-November. The Gulf was blown out Nov 3, but the false albacore moved just inside Pensacola Pass where "Barney" landed the first fish of the day.
|
 |
With
the challenging fly-fishing conditions we decided to try "deep-dropping" streamers
on weighted lines around some inshore structure. How 'bout a
Pensacola Bay red snapper on fly?! |
 |
Marlin Johnson and Josh Sullivan had fun around the same structure on November 4, but they were armed for the "big boys" with stand-up 50# class tackle and fresh, cut menhadden. Here's Marlin with an impressive gag grouper.
|
 |
Later
in the day Josh and Marlin got to experience the "Running
of the Bulls", and we captured it all on video. Here's
Josh with as fine a bull redfish as you'll ever see. For the short
Youtube video click
here. |
 |
Marlin
Johnson with another of many bull reds landed on a wild and wonderful
November 4. |
 |
While
Marlin and Josh were on the boat our fly-casters from the previous
day were fishing by themselves along a pristine stretch
of beach in the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The seas had calmed
down from the previous day, and the the albies were feeding along
shore. Here's Jon Benstead, Tuscaloosa, AL, landing his first
FA of the
day. |
 |
"Hail to the Victor!" A very satisfied Jon Benstead before releasing this false albacore. Photo by Chris Windram. There a lots of beach-fishing opportunities for our fall visitors, and as you can see in the photo not many take advantage of the situation. |
 |
November
5 was a challenging day. Seas in this photo look calm, but there
was a significant shore break and enough wind to make accurate
casting difficult. Intermediate sinking lines helped control the
line in the wind. We anchored just outside the bar, and let the
fish
come to us. Kevin Barnes was fishing from the stern of the Mako
and was the first to hit paydirt. |
 |
There
was a spot where the albies were swimming close to the breakers
just outside the sandbar, and we drifted into range
hoping to
take a shot at a fish moving in the troughs between waves. Chris
Windram from www.saltwaterflies.com was on deck and made a perfect
cast to
a fast-moving
single. The
following one-minute video captures the moment and the raw excitement
of the false albacore fly-fishing experience. Click HERE. |
 |
Jon Benstead had been "snake bit" along the shore but got back on his game later in the day when we found schools of fish feeding inside the pass. Once again perseverance paid off... |
 |
There was a strong south wind the morning of November 6 making
the Gulf unfishable. In this photo we are drifting the
dropoff at Pickens Point, and Chris Windram is on his knees blind-casting
for false albacore in the strong current. Double
click to get the full effect. Talk about hard core!
Looks like we're fishing in the North Sea... |
 |
But
late in the afternoon as if on queue the wind settled and the
bull redfish came to the surface for Barney, Jon and Chris. It
was a perfect ending to an outstanding trip. Kevin Barnes with
a monster
redfish taken on a crease fly while both his buddies are hooked up. |
 |
Talk about having your
hands full! Jon Benstead with one of numerous bull redfish landed
and released unharmed on November 6. |
 |
There
were so many redfish that Chris Windram started "playing"
with them...dropping the fly just over the side and trying to
pull
it out of the way
of fish charging out from underneath the boat. He wasn't quite
quick
enough this time. We filmed some of the action that day, and you
can view it HERE. |
 |
On
November 7 Pensacola area Zaxby's owners Carter and Stuart Brown
took a break from the restaurants and went fishing. You've gotta
do it sometime. This is Carter out in Pensacola Bay with a beauty. |
 |
We spent a little time bottom-fishing in the
bay and Stuart landed and released this very impressive gag grouper. |
 |
After
landing numerous bull reds on spinning tackle Stuart pulled out
his fly rod and coaxed
this fish to eat a green/white "go-meaux". Love that late-afternoon
sun reflecting off the golden redfish... |
 |
Duke Goeddel, Hillsborough, CA, on a cold, windy, overcast November
10. A cold front arrived the day before, and the wind was howling
from the NW. It would've been easy to stay home in front of the fire,
but we decided to take a chance and get out in the middle of it.
Duke was rewarded with his first Florida false albacore. |
 |
A
little later we spotted a large brownish-red mass which turned
out to be a school of big redfish. Duke landed this and another
on
his 11wt before the school disappeared in the dark water outside
the second sandbar.
Sure would've been nice to have a little sunshine that day... |
 |
Late
in the day we ran to the west beyond the Perdido Key condos and
found a few schools of FA crashing baitfish
on the
surface. What little you can see of this angler belongs to
Rocket Man, Ft Collins, Colorado. Thanks for the hand gesture,
Rocket. The false albacore seem to bring out the worst in some
people... |
 |
The
following day the wind settled down and the sun came out...a
perfect day for redfish sight-fishing on
the grass/sand flats of Santa Rosa Sound. As always the fish were
spooky, but Duke used his expert casting to land two fish of
this quality
on
a Puglisi gray/white baitfish pattern. Redneck Riviera "bonefishing"
at its finest... |
 |
We had a tough time finding the schools of big redfish that day
but finally saw pelicans crashing close to shore by Deadman's Island.
The fish weren't on top, so Duke dredged the bottom with a heavy
sinking line and a green/white go-meaux. It was like a steelhead
"take" when the fly just stopped and you felt that big head-shake. |
 |
Mystery angler with another bottom-dweller along the Deadman's
Island dropoff |
 |
On
Duke's final day the redfish were once again elusive and never
came to the surface in large numbers. Undeterred, Duke was blind-casting
his sinking line around resting pelicans when this fish nailed
the fly. When things get tough there's only one thing to do...keep
casting! |
 |
On
November 15 Bob Lemire, Boulder, CO, landed the new all-time
boat record Pensacola Bay gag grouper while fishing with Shawn
Osborne.
This fish weighed 16 1/2#, and Bob was relentless bringing it to
the surface. VERY impressive for a guy with no saltwater fishing
experience! |
 |
If that wasn't experiential enough, the bull redfish came to surface
later in the day for Bob and Shawn. Here's Shawn Osborne who recently
moved to Pensacola from Memphis. Welcome to Paradise, Shawn! |
 |
Bob
Lemire with one of numerous fine redfish in Pensacola Bay on
November 15 |
 |
Well
look who they let out of Yellowstone Park! Travis Akins, inventor
of the green weenie, on a brief visit to Pensacola November 16.
Welcome back, Trav! You'll find Travis in the summertime managing
the
retail shop at Yellowstone Lake. Drop in to see him, and
he just might direct you to some off-the-beaten-trail spots for
cutthroat
trout. Or not... |
 |
Another
cold front blew through that night creating windy but sunny conditions
for Dave and Mark Walters on November 17.
We focused on the false albacore that were tearing up the surface
a few hundred yards offshore. Dave broke in his new Sage One 8wt
on this fish, and we got a 2 minute video of the fight. Click HERE Love
the way Dave's color-coordinated with the FA... |
 |
Conditions
improved a little for Mark and Dave the following day, and schools
of bull redfish
came
to the surface in Santa Rosa Sound. Mark Walters
landed this trophy on an 8' St Croix rod, Quantum Cabo 60
reel, 40# PowerPro braid,1 1/2oz 7/0 Owner jig head (barb mashed
down), and 8" "chartreuse sparkle" swirl tail
grub. |
 |
Of
course brother Dave went after them with his 12wt with a sinking
line and beautiful streamer tied by son Ben of Eastern Fly Outfitters.
We took a video in two parts: Vid
Part 1 ; Vid
Part 2. For custom
flies, leaders, and any other fly-fishing needs you can contact
Ben Walters, Eastern Fly Outfitters, Johnson City, TN. 423.928.2007.
www.easternflyoutfitters.com |
 |
Steve
Schuman and Stephen Drazin came back to town November 20,
and this time they brought their friend and contractor
Hank Twist for his first-time saltwater fishing experience. Steve
Schuman set the bar high with this redfish. |
 |
Stephen Drazin followed suit with another beauty. |
 |
With very little instruction Hank got the feel for
casting and working the jig and immediately connected with his
first saltwater catch... |
 |
The
following day was gorgeous, and Hank used his casting
skills on the false albacore |
 |
And on the bull redfish... |
 |
Rob
Donlan, Sacramento, on a warm but overcast November 22. We ran
up the Intracoastal Waterway to the east and found some slot-redfish
feeding around a sand bar in a couple feet of water. We anchored
on the edge of the bar and took shots at fish moving around the
edges
and across the sand. This is Rob with his first catch landed on
an EP gray/white baitfish, size 1/0. |
 |
After
a while the action slowed, but we continued to wait hoping for
one more fish. Just as it was time to go the biggest fish of
the day appeared on the bar 80' away heading straight for the boat.
Rob laid out a perfect cast a few feet left of target to not
spook the fish. It was a beautiful thing to watch this redfish
veer over to the fly, follow it for about 10', flare its gills,
and suck it down. We got the picture, released the fish, pulled
the anchor, and headed for
the dock. |
 |
Casie and Wade Knight, Tigertown, TX, came back for a return engagement
November 23, and Casie got it all started on her first cast... |
 |
Dang, Wade, that's a
pretty nice redfish! |
 |
Well
there it is! The "Let's Fish" dynamic duo
of Wade and Casie Knight from Tigertown showing off with an impressive
redfish
double on November
23. If ya got it flaunt it! |
 |
Happy Thanksgiving, Michael Wallace! Mike Wakefield, Jacksonville
Beach, FL, on November 24 while fishing with Tim Yelverton of Ft
Walton Beach. |
 |
Timbo
got his licks in with this beauty landed and released by Deadman's
Island. |
 |
Wade Knight came back solo on November 25 and landed his first
false albacore. Now Wade knows what all the
fuss is about. You have to catch these "bad little dudes" on ultra-light
tackle to understand why they're known as pound-for-pound the hardest
fighting fish in show business... |
 |
We spent the rest of the day chasing the big redfish, and Wade
landed about a dozen fish of this quality. It was another
fabulous day of bull redfish fishing and a great way to end Wade's
vacation. |
 |
Bruce
Yepsin and Gary West drove over from Mobile November
26 and found the big redfish willing to cooperate. Here's
a nice shot of Bruce with a 20 pounder |
 |
Gary West looking good with one of the biggest fish of the day |
 |
Dave
Yelverton, Charlotte, NC, was here for a few hours the morning
of November 29 and connected with one of the more impressive redfish
of the season. Way to go, Big Dave! Nice to have you on the
boat... |
 |
November
30 started off with a bang. Mike Youkee and Ray Sutton from the
UK climbed aboard at the Navy Point boat ramp,
and we headed out to the bay from Bayou Grande. Three minutes
out of the channel we saw pelicans diving and the redfish came
to the surface all around the boat. Both Mike (pictured here)
and Ray
landed fish on fly. Mike got this one
on a 9wt, 240gr sinking line, and a green/white "go-meaux". |
 |
Ray
Sutton had the 10wt with 325 grain sinking line...same fly. No
problem. Check out the belly on that redfish. |
 |
Late in the morning we
moved to the Gulf looking for false albacore and finally found
them east of the Pensacola
Beach pier. Mike landed this fish on a 9wt with an intermediate
sinking line (Little Tunny line from Scientific Anglers) and a
size 6, clear gummy minnow. |
 |
December
1 was tough, but Brian Riddle got this fish to eat by the dropoff
at Deadman's Island. Good job, Brian! Saved the day. |
 |
Bruce
Trumbull, Littleton, MA, and a perfect slot redfish landed and
released December 9. We were in 2' of water, Bruce dropped the
fly (Puglisi baitfish) right on target, and the redfish just
swam
over and
ate it. Made it look easy. What's
not to like about that! |
 |
Matthew Vann wanted a perfect day weather-wise to introduce sons
Eli and Moe to the excitement of sight-fishing along the edge of
the Gulf, and December 18 was exactly THE DAY! Light north wind,
bright blue sky, and gin-clear water. We were anchored inside the
inner bar when a school of redfish approached in three feet of water.
This fish followed Matthew's green weenie about 10' before eating
it. The leader was almost in the rod tip... |
 |
Eli
and Moe caught a bunch of redfish of this quality on ultra-light
spinning tackle. They're officially hooked on the whole sight-fishing
thing, and who could blame them... |
 |
Matthew
and what has to be his favorite false albacore to date. It
really doesn't get any better. You know it's good when you witness
the
10" roostertail coming up from your fly line and begin to
wonder if you're going to run out of backing. |
 |
December
19 was a "Happy Anniversary" trip for Jeremy and Rose
Kader, and it turned out to be all about false albacore. This
is
expert-angler Rose with her first "bonito" landed on ultra-light
tackle and a 1/2 oz nickel-colored Acme Sidewinder spoon. We
replace
the treble hook with a single hook and mash the barb down for
quick releases. Capt Baz managed to sneak into the background. |
 |
Jeremy Kader looking good with a false albacore in the final photo of the season. It was a truly outstanding fall; we hated to see it come to an end. Of course now we're enjoying the great winter fishing, and the good times continue to roll... |
It’s always a great day on the water with Gulf Breeze Guide Service!
Gulf
Breeze Guide Service
P.O. Box 251
Gulf Breeze, Florida 32562-0251 (USA)
Tel: 850.934.3292 or 850.261.9035 (cell)
Email: gbgsfishing@aol.com
Home Local Waters Fleet Your Guide Types of Trips Photo Gallery Booking What to Bring Contact Us Local Links