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Spring 2010 began with beautiful waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Pensacola Bay, and Santa Rosa Sound. The incredible redfish sight-fishing along the edge of the Gulf continued through mid-May, the spring pompano migration started right on time, and the inside flats were loaded with unusually large speckled trout and slot-sized redfish. The annual sheepshead spawning ritual occurred in April as expected, and we had some outstanding bottom-fishing in Pensacola Bay for red snappers and groupers. The oil spill affected us in June, and we limited charters to the inland waters for the rest of the season. With little fishing pressure we had many outstanding trips for redfish, red snappers, groupers, and trout. Here are photos from the 2010 spring season. For photos from previous seasons, check out these additional galleries: 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. 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.
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Daniel
Roberts, Little Rock, starts off the spring gallery with this
hefty speckled trout caught and released on March 23. The trout
ate a tan/white Clouser minnow. |
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Daniel
followed up with this redfish on the same fly. Check out the
blue in the fish's tail. |
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This flounder was a surprise, although it's
not uncommon to find them on sand spots among the grass flats.
Nice triple, Daniel. |
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Travis
Akins, Yellowstone National Park, MT, and the first bull redfish
of the spring season landed March 30. When you visit Yellowstone
stop by and see Travis at the Yellowstone Lake retail shop. Love
that hat, Trav. |
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After
poling the outside of the bar for redfish we staked
out in an inside cut to sight-fish for pompano. Water clarity
was perfect as Trav waited for a fish to appear. |
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Life
is Good! Travis Akins with the first pompano on fly for 2010.
This beautiful fish took a yellow pompano rocket, and Trav
released
it
unharmed. |
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Did someone say pompano? This is the all-time boat record pompano landed by Cole Boughner on April 1. The fish weighed 6.1 pounds and ate a live sand flea. What a fish!
|
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Cole
followed up with this perfect redfish caught on a Spro bucktail
jig and light spinning gear. |
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Cole's dad Jay Boughner and another trophy redfish landed and released
on April 1.
|
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Vernon
Prather, Gulf Breeze, had his hands full with this monster
redfish on April 2. |
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Buz
Eddy, Gulf Breeze City Manager, playing his favorite tune
on this redfish April 2 as the Blue Angels flew overhead. |
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Jennifer
Antrobus, Atlanta, and a fine sheepshead landed on April 4. |
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Chester
and Keith Henderson with one of numerous redfish landed
on April 5. |
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Diane
Stephens, Knoxville, TN, landed and released this lovely slot-redfish
on April 7. She gratiously invited husband Gary to join her in
the photo. |
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Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Howell Raines and the first redfish of
the day on April 10. |
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We
moved out to the Gulf of Mexico and found redfish feeding
in schools between the sandbars. Here's Howell with one of about
a dozen fish landed and released. |
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Howell's cousin Joe Raines, Ft Walton Beach, FL, with the biggest fish of the day on April 10. All the fish that day were landed on St Croix Avid Series AS70MF spinning rods, Shimano Stradic 2500 reels, and 15# PowerPro braid. |
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Michael
Chamblee, Birmingham, AL, coaxed this bull redfish to take a
tan/white Clouser minnow on April 12. Michael also hooked two
jack crevalle that day, but they both threw the doggone hook. |
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Susan
Shaw, Washington, DC, and Jim Epik caught a cooler full of sheepshead,
redfish, and black drum on April 16. |
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Jeff Bird, Portland, Oregon, and a nice slot-redfish caught and released late in the day April 17 on a flat in Santa Rosa Sound. |
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Retired USN Captain Tom Lyons was in town for a Naval Academy class reunion on April 19 and took the morning off for a little fishing. Tom learned a lot about redfish when this brute took his Spro bucktail jig... |
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Ken
Hutchison and Greg Fisher, Nampa, ID, arrived April 20 for a
three day fishing vacation. On the 21st the Gulf calmed down
and fishing turned on in a big way. Here's Greg with his
first-ever saltwater catch on fly...a fine Spanish mackerel. |
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A
little later we found the redfish in schools along the shore.
Hutch and Greg were soon doubled up and brought these fish to
the boat at the same time. Check out the glassy water... |
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Hutch
appears to be kicked back relaxing in this shot, but I can guarantee
you in three seconds he can drop the fly in front of an approaching
fish. |
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That's
exactly what happened when a small school of pompano showed up
twenty feet from the boat while we were having lunch. Hutch had
his fly in front of the fish before most anglers would've started
their
backcast.
With
the redfish landed earlier, this pompano was the second leg of
the Spring Grand Slam. All we needed was a jack crevalle... |
 |
The
wind kicked up from the south, so we moved inside to Deb's
Cove (named for Greg's wife Deb Fisher) where we found huge redfish
milling around in 4-5 feet of water. Greg landed this giant on
light
spinning
tackle. |
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At
the end of the day Hutch got this redfish to suck down a modified
white and chartreuse "Go-meaux". |
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On
April 22 we hit the water early to be the first
boat at "the spot". Even
though the light was low, this fish looked like a submarine
in 3' of water fifty feet from the boat. Hutch dropped the fly
right on target and the big redfish turned and nailed it. There's
no flash in this photo; the light on this spectacular fish is
from the early-morning sun. |
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When
the sun got high enough we set up just outside the bar and waited
for the pompano to come down the beach. Which they
did, and Hutch got this fish to eat his version of the pompano
rocket. Once again Hutch had two legs of the Grand Slam,
but the darn jack crevalle
never showed up. |
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A
little later Greg joined the elite few who've coaxed a
pompano to eat a fly. |
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We
finished off the day and the trip at Deb's Cove that afternoon
where Greg landed one of the biggest redfish of the trip. It
was a fitting end to a terrific three days of fishing. |
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Sandy
Loveless, Henderson, TN, landed this redfish first thing the
morning of April 23 while grouper fishing in Pensacola Bay. It
was nice of his fishing partner
Pam Hatcher to help pose the fish for the photograph. |
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Sandy
with a typical sheepshead a little later in the morning. It's
hard to describe how hard these fish pull. Imagine a 6-7# bluegill... |
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The
"Fish of the Day" honors went to Pam Hatcher. Pam had
just learned to cast and work a Spro bucktail jig when this huge
redfish
came out of nowhere and attacked it. After a 15
minute fight the reel handle broke off, and we handlined (think
braided
line)
the fish in the final 15'. It was an epic and memorable
battle... |
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Clint
Horan, Fayetteville, Arkansas, on April 27 with biggest
sheepshead of the spring season. Clint released this fish to
the cooler
and
later
to the
grill... |
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April 28 was one of the all-time great days
for redfish sight-fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Marsh family
from Chicago was here to take full advantage of the situation.
Ellen Marsh, who lives in Pensacola now, landed the first fish
of the
day. |
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Ellen's dad, Tim Marsh, followed suit with
this beauty. |
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Here's a nice shot of Tim releasing his first
redfish. |
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Next, Ellen and Tim doubled up with these monsters.
Where's a magazine looking for a cover photo when we need 'em... |
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Dawn Marsh was pleased to get into the action
with this fat redfish which weighed over thirty pounds. Not bad
for light spinning tackle and 15# PowerPro.... |
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Later in the day we poled some flats
inside Pensacola Pass and found giant redfish cruising around
in 3-4' of water. It was sight-fishing at it's absolute best, and
Tim landed numerous fish of this quality on Spro bucktail jigs. |
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Mike
Collins, Birmingham, AL, lays out a nice cast April 29
along a pretty stretch of water in the Big Lagoon |
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Didn't
see that guy lying there! This flounder was happy to eat Mike's
slow-moving Clouser minnow... |
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Andrea Collins with the main ingredient of
a blackened pompano sandwich at the Paradise Bar and Grill |
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Mike
Collins with the catch of the day on April 29 |
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Arnold Boles landed this fine red snapper on
a rainy April 30 while fishing with son John and grandson John
Jr. |
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John
Boles, Auburn, AL, with another nice red snapper landed and released
in Pensacola Bay April 30. |
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OB
Pettit with a bona fide whopper red snapper caught and released
in Pensacola Bay on May 1. You just don't expect to catch
snappers of this quality in the inland waters... |
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Conditions
were perfect for the Leslie family reunion fishing trip on May
7. After catching slot redfish and trout in the inland waters
we moved into the Gulf of Mexico looking for bigger targets.
Here's Holly Leslie with the first bull redfish of the
day. |
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Brother
Steve Leslie battled this redfish to the boat on his own light
spinning tackle. |
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Late
in the day we moved back inside the bay, and Holly boated two
delicious gag groupers which we slid into the cooler. |
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A couple weeks after the trip Holly sent us this wonderful photo of herself, Steve, and their father Keith along with this heart-warming message: One Fishing Guide -$500 One condo -$1200 Family fishing photo - priceless |
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Bill
Clarida came down from Atlanta May 8 for some fishing and golf
with son David. We caught some slot reds for the cooler and
then moved out to the Gulf. This is Bill with a memorable redfish
caught on light tackle. |
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Dave
Clarida was pleased to land the biggest fish of the day... |
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Rob
Angus from Birmingham, AL, is hooked into a big redfish on fly
in this shot from May 9. It was a beautiful day, and we anchored
close to some structure in 8' of water and let the fish come to us. |
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Rob's first redfish ate a modified white and chartreuse "Go-meaux". |
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A little later we changed to a large version of the yellow pompano
rocket, and this redfish couldn't pass it up. A 240gr sinking line
helped get the fly down to the fish. |
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John
Palmer, Jackson, MS, and John Macwilliams, Boston, were here
May 10 and witnessed schools of redfish churning baitfish on
the
inside flats. John found some nice trout in the mix, too.
This fish took a tan/white Clouser minnow. |
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John Macwilliams with his first-ever redfish. John had lost a bigger
fish a little earlier after a hard fight...made this catch even sweeter. |
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When
the fish weren't on top in their feeding frenzy it was hard getting
them interested in fly. After numerous good shots John
Palmer
finally got this redfish to eat. |
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Late
in the day John Macwilliams landed this bull redfish in the Gulf
of Mexico in the same area we'd found all the fish the day before.
This was the last day we found the big reds along the beach ending
an incredible spring run. |
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Krystyna
Raines offering a ladyfish to the fishing gods on May 12. |
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The Contento family had a great day May 15 catching redfish on
live shrimp around some docks in Santa Rosa Sound. Joe Contento with
a typical catch. |
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Mack Contento with another beauty |
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The spadefish kept eating our bait on a May 26 grouper trip, so
Cal Schlessman put a few in the cooler. |
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Bubba Schlessman with a fine red snapper released four days before
the opening of snapper season. |
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Don Joyner, Great Falls, MT, with a hard-fighting redfish
on May 27. These fish grab the shrimp and head for the dock pilings.
You either stop them or get cut off on the barnacles. |
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Patsy
Joyner won a similar battle with this redfish. All fish were
released unharmed. |
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Bill
Clarida , Atlanta, came back for another spring trip June 11,
and we found lots of redfish around the docks in Santa Rosa
Sound. |
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Dave
Clarida once again landed the biggest redfish of the day on June
11... |
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Good job, PJ! PJ Whitehurst with a fine catch on June 14 |
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Raleigh Whitehurst got a little help with an impressive red
snapper on June 14 |
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Graham Pollack with one of two Pensacola Bay groupers landed on
June 16 |
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Will
Seabrook had his hands full June 18 when this redfish exploded
on a topwater plug. |
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A
little later Patton Seabrook added this gag grouper to the box.
Check out the glassy Pensacola Bay water. Didn't need the dramamine
that day... |
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Seth
Wilkins closes off the spring gallery with this redfish landed
on a another glassy-calm morning June 19. |
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
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