That's a hawg!!

Have you ever been out on the water in fog so thick you can't see the bow of the boat from where you stand at the console? Well, that's how foggy it was the day we went out in Tampa Bay to shoot this episode. Our guest guide, Skeeter Pro Capt. Ryan Farner had his buddy "escort" us out to the spot because his big offshore boat had radar. It was a scene from "The Fog" really, eerily quiet and a little strange. I was excited though because I was about to do something new in a fishery I really don't know much about . . . hogfish on hook and line. I've only ever spearfished for hogfish in the Keys and off of reefs, this was Capt. Ryan's specialty and so here we go! I've got to say it was a great day, super cool looking fish and probably one of the tastiest I've had too. 

Tune in Sunday (October 12th) at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. and Friday at 2:00 a.m. on The Sportsman Channel to see "Hogs in the Fog." Set your DVR's if you can't tune in on time, or check back online, Mr. Producerman has the full length episode up on YouTube for y'all to watch! Click here for a preview. Isn't that just a cool lookin' fish? 

I just got back from opening a new Dick's Sporting Goods store in Savannah, GA and it was awesome to meet the folks up there. I was happy to see (for the 1st time on the shelves) the Mogan Maiden pink Sabalos reels . . . Yup, they're here!! They will make that Flats Pink rod look extra good. Check 'em out at Dick's y'all. 

Gotta make this week's blog quick . . . I'm getting ready to hunt and leaving early in the a.m. Have a great weekend!

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair

2014 Season on Sportsman Channel

Moving to the Sportsman Channel this week, so if you haven't been able to see the 2014 season of Addictive Fishing yet, here's your chance! Check all of your local listings for the Sportsman Channel and get ready for another season of rod bendin' drag screamin' television. We start on Sunday, October 5th at 10 a.m. with "Canaveral Slam." I'm fishing with Capt. Jim Ross right off of Cape Canaveral and hooking into cobia, triple tail and flounder. Great time on the water with one of my favorite captains. Don't miss episode #1 this week! Check out the AF website for replay details. 

I'm heading to Savannah, GA tomorrow to celebrate the opening of a new Dick's Sporting Goods store! Come out and spend some time with me after you get off work. I'll be there from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. and can help ya pick out the perfect rod/reel combo, the right lures, line and everything you need to catch your next Mogan! They always have killer grand opening deals going on throughout the store, so no matter what you need get on in here! Make sure you stop by the Lodge at Dick's and say hello to me. 

After that, I think I'm going to take some time to do some hunting. Bow season is open and I'm in Georgia, so I need to get my hunt on! I spend so much time on the road, shooting shows and doing appearances that sometimes it's just nice to unplug, unwind and listen to the wind blow. Before long, I'll be back on the water shooting next season's episodes. If I'm not fishing, I like to be hunting. How many of you feel the same way? 

Our new Skeeter Boats will be here when I get back. They're on their way from Kilgore, TX and heading into Skeeter dealer, Central Marine in St. Petersburg, FL. Can't wait to pick 'em up. They're sweet fishing machines rigged with the top equipment in the industry. This year I've got a new Skeeter SX240 coming, but without the tower and another SX220 as well. Got Yamaha engines on the back, Minn Kota iPilot, Humminbird Onix and 360 imaging, Talons, Atlas Jackplates, and Engel coolers. New color schemes to keep things fresh on camera. Stay tuned, I'll have photos for you soon. Stay in touch with us. We love to hear from ya! Check out our Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channel. Got fishing questions, share your photos or just say hey! 

Until next week . . . tight lines,

Blair

That's a wrap!

Just shot the Season Finale of Addictive Fishing 2014! Had a great time last night shooting it, sitting around with the Mogan Music Boys, crew and a few of the 4-legged staff members. It was a tough season, one of the toughest we've had in the history of AF, but we made it through and we're not looking back. I think we put in all our dues to Mother Nature this season, so the 2015 season will be smooth sailing, right? Achem . . . right? 

I say it every year and mean it every time I say it, THANK YOU to our sponsors for supporting us, without them we couldn't bring you rod bendin' drag screamin' television like we do. I've just gotta call 'em all out too . . . thanks to:  Dick's Sporting Goods, Skeeter, Star Brite, Wright & McGill, Trokar, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Talon, DOA Lures, Mirrolure, FINS Braid, Seaguar, Engel Coolers, Altas Jackplates, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, and Florida's Spacecoast. Proud to be part of such a fantastic team! 

THANK YOU to all of the Mogan Maniacs out there who continue to tune in whether it's on television or online . . . we appreciate you and look forward to having more fun in the future!

Speaking of 2015 season, we're heading out next week to start shooting in North Carolina. I'm going to be fishing with an old friend from my FLW Redfish / Kingfish days and can't wait. The reason we're up there in the first place is to kick off the week in Cary, NC at the grand opening of the new Field & Stream store. Field & Stream is a new specialty retail concept that'll be carrying all the best brands that hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts could ever want/need. You've probably seen me this past season wearing those cool lookin' Field & Stream shirts in all the "Rig it Right" segments, well you can pick those up there too! Me and the AF crew will be celebrating the opening of its new store in Cary, NC on Sunday, September 7th from noon - 4 p.m. (Parkside Town Commons 1048 Parkside Main Street, Cary, NC 27519 - O'Kelly Chapel Road/Exit 66B)

Then we'll be heading South to North Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, September 13th to celebrate the opening of a new Dick's Sporting Goods store (Coastal North Town Center, 1536 Highway 17 North, N. Myrtle Bch, SC 29582). Me and the AF Crew will be there from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and trust me . . . get in, get shopping and save big! There will be some sweet deals happening and you don't want to miss it.

Cheers to "that's a wrap" for the 2014 season, we're already fishin' for 2015! I'll keep you posted on new things to come.

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair

Got More To Show Ya!

We're breaking out some footage you haven't seen yet this season! This stuff is the stuff Mr. Producerman can't fit into an episode, but it's good stuff, so he puts it all together in the "Bits and Bites" episode each year. This episode you'll see me hooking into snook, redfish and fishing with another "first" on AF. First time in 15 years of shooting Addictive Fishing Television we've had a lady angler on the show. And, what a better way to do it than with Engel Pro and model, Miss Darcie . . . she's fishing with the Flats Pink rod, rigged with FINS Pink Windtamer and decked out in Pink to catch her first Mogan Redfish, ever.  

You'll get to see some footage of me fishing with Capt. Ed Zyak from Jensen Beach that you didn't get to see from the "Baitbuster Bridge" episode too. Fishing with Ed is always fun. He knows the fishery, knows DOA Lures and knows all things Humminbird / Minn Kota too. Never a doubt that I learn something when I fish with this guy!

If you saw last week's "Baitbuster Bridge" episode then you saw the snook both Capt. Greg Snyder and I caught, but there was a lot more footage to be seen. We'll get to show you some more in this week's episode. Tune in tomorrow, Friday, August 15th at 10:30 a.m. ET on Fox SunSports for this week's episode "Bits and Bites." Check the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday.

Been traveling a bit again lately, this time I'm on the West Coast of the U.S. - California. My wife, Cari is from Orange County and we're back to visit family and go to her high school reunion. I've fished out here a few years ago for Calico and Vermilion Snapper and had a blast. 

Trying to get some fishing in this trip between Angels Baseball games, reunions and family, but not sure I'll get to it. No worries, I'll be back in March for a tradeshow and to do some fishing then . . . and I've seen a lot of Skeeters out here too. Besides, when I come home to Florida I'm back on the water immediately shooting episodes up in the Carolinas so a break out here in California is just fine with me. 

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair

Skunked!

Y'all ever have one of those dry spells on the water where the fish just aren't biting every time you go out? Maybe the wind's kicked up, the tide's too low, too much rain has made the saltwater too fresh, not enough rain has made the salinity level go sky high, moon phase was wrong time . . . you name it, it went wrong? Well, it feels like we've been proving ourselves to Mother Nature all season long and working extra hard for our dinner every shoot. We went out to shoot episodes more than a couple time this season and came home without a show. Here's one for ya, I had Bass Legend, Bill Dance on my boat again this year and the conditions and wind were so rough that we just couldn't put Bill through the abuse and called it an early shoot. We caught a shark and then went in for lunch and interviewed Bill about getting "Skunked". We didn't get enough footage for an entire episode, but still had fun. 

Also went out to fish one of the most incredible lakes in Florida, Lake X with Skeeter Pro, Chuck Pippin and it was supposed to be like fishing in a barrel. Nope! The bass had shut down because we were fishing on the wrong moon phase and not many of them wanted to "smile for the camera." Another trip that had the hopes of making an epic episode that never came to be. 

Went up to Destin for a week-long shoot, thinking we would come home with at least 2 episodes. Nope! The rain moved in just as we arrived and never stopped. Too much fresh water in the places we were fishing and our targeted species moved out. The complete opposite happened in Corpus Christi earlier in the year when we traveled out there to shoot an episode . . . not enough rain for weeks had caused too much evaporation and the salinity level was sky high. Our fish moved out to cleaner water. 

This week's episode is a look at all of those shoots. We had at least one fish from each shoot that Mr. Producerman could piece together into one episode. I explain to you at the beginning of each segment what challenge we were up against and what we did to try to make it happen. 

Yes, even on television we get "Skunked!" Tune in tomorrow, Friday, August 1st at 10:30 a.m. ET on Fox SunSports. Check the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday. 

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair

It's that time of year . . .

Me and the AF Crew are heading to Orlando next week . . . getting ready right now for one of the biggest fishing industry events of the year, ICAST. All week, manufacturers, vendors, Television Networks, and fishing legends walk the tradeshow floors to buy, sell and plan for the next fishing season. It's a fisherman's candy store I tell ya and it's hard for me to concentrate on stuff. Ha! Something always catches my eye, each of my sponsors' booths are filled with the newest products, gadgets and doohickeys, and it's all I can do to not sneak out and go fishing with them. Plus, it's amazing how many of my fishing heroes I get to meet and see. Should be an interesting week. To kick off the start of the week, I'm taking the McGills (of Wright & McGill) out fishing. They're making the trip from Colorado for ICAST and it's my pleasure to show them a little of the saltwater world before we all have to suit up and work for the week. Hope to have some photos and a nice update for you next time. 

My schedule at the convention is usually a little crazy and all over the place, but I do know a couple of locked down times and booths where I'll be. So if you're at the show this year, and you want to stop by to say "hey," come see me on Wednesday at the W&M/EagleClaw/Trokar booth from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. and in the same booth on Thursday from 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. After that on Thursday, I'll be in the Engel Coolers booth at 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. They're testing out their coolers to show you firsthand how good they really work. When they load in on Tuesday, Engel is filling a couple of coolers with ice and beer, not touching them again until Thursday at 4 p.m. I will be ready for an "Engel cold" beer by 4 p.m. on Thursday . . . stop by for one too! 

I'm going to miss next week's blog because I'll be at ICAST, so stay tuned for reports and updates on Facebook and the following week in my blog. Gotta go meet with all my wonderful sponsors to see what's new for next year and how soon can we put it on TV. Can't wait!

Tune in tomorrow for this week's episode . . . "Lyin' Hawaiian." I'm fishing with Capt. Tony DelosSantos in the backcountry waters of Key Largo. Had a great time catching snook and redfish, and finally getting to fish with Tony. Watch tomorrow, Friday July 11th at 10:30 a.m. ET on Fox SunSports. Check the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday.

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair

Going Glades

This photo's not technically a "flashback" since we just shot it a couple of weeks ago, and I've already shared it on Facebook. But I've got to say how much I love catching snook and this one was caught the night before a shoot we had down in South Florida with my long time cameraman George. Sweet little backwater snook!

Gotta make this week's update short . . . we're heading out on the water to shoot another episode, and sticking close to home while getting all my gear and my boat ready has gotten me a little stir crazy. I think I better do some fishin' before we go fishin'! 

I'm also getting ready to head to another Dick's Sporting Goods store grand opening. If y'all haven't been out to one yet, they're a lot of fun and you can really load up on some great deals! I'll be in Clermont, Florida next weekend (on Saturday, June 28th from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.) at the newest store at the Sandhills Commons. Stop by to say "hey" and I'll help ya pick out a new Flats Blue or Flats Pink rod, some killer Mirrolure topwater plugs, DOA Lures and rig it all up with the right Seaguar leader and FINS braid.  

Tune in to this week's episode "Going Glades" (Friday, June 20th at 10:30 a.m. ET on Fox SunSports). I'm fishing the Everglades again with my good friend Capt. Gary Thompson. Y'all might remember a show we did in 2007 ("Tarpon Time") with Capt. Gary. I was battling big tarpon in the mosquito canals down there, and this year we went back for more, but did something a little different. I'm fishing for redfish and snook on this episode and we had a blast. 

Check it out tomorrow!  Also check the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday.

Until next week . . . tight lines,

Blair