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

Snook-squatch!

What's bigger than Snookzilla? Snook-squatch! Went fishing with Capt. Greg Snyder just a couple of weeks ago in Jensen Beach and caught my biggest snook of my life. I get to show you in this week's episode and I can't wait! Here's the scoop, we went down to Jensen Beach and tried to film a couple of episodes with Capt. Greg Snyder and Capt. Ed Zyak. Went out with Capt. Greg first day and had a rough start to the day. It was hot, nothing big biting, we had to outrun some storms and almost called it quits late in the afternoon. So we hid under the 10 cent bridge and s we were casting for the 400th time, I hooked into something huge and lost it. My stomach sank . . . but I knew they were here! Then Greg casts and hooks into something that feels pretty decent and pulls in a sweet 42 inch snook. Now, I'm happy for him an all . . . after all it was his birthday, but I'm feeling a little left out, right? 

So, I'm casting, and casting, I'm throwing a deep diving DOA Baitbuster by the bridge, I'm actually doing a "tip" for the camera on using the baitbuster when all of a sudden I feel a thump . . . it felt like a good fish, but when I got the first look at it I think I may have freaked out a bit! It was a beast! Both Greg and me had to hold on to her at first when we got her to the boat. Once I was sure I had a hold, I told Greg to let go. I got her into the boat and measured her on the boat. I got my personal best snook, ever that day - 48 inches! Happy Birthday Greg and an early Happy Birthday to me too I guess, my birthday was only 4 days away. Can't wait to show y'all this episode.

I was just over at the MPI Studios yesterday shooting some stuff for our upcoming "Bits and Bites" episode and got to get a quick sneak peak of the segment where I'm fighting that big snook. Got my heart pumping and my knees shaking again. Wait until you see how much my 7'6" Flats Blue rod is bent over fighting that 48 inch Snook-squatch! If you've ever wanted to know if those rods have the backbone needed to catch big fish - you'll get to see it in action with your own eyes on this episode. 

The second day we went out with Capt. Ed Zyak and the conditions had changed, completely different than the day before. Capt. Ed was also just back from a 10 day road trip out in Texas for DOA Lures and this was his first day back on the water. We had a great day tooling around in my Skeeter SX240 and playing with all the gadgets (especially since Capt. Ed's also a Pro for Humminbird - I always learn something new from him), but the fish just weren't biting. That's all right, we'll be back to Jensen Beach, River Palm Cottages and will be visiting those snook again soon. 

Tune in tomorrow, Friday, August 8th at 10:30 a.m. ET on Fox SunSports for this week's episode "Baitbuster Bridge." Check the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday. 

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

Deadwood - This Week's New Episode

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE BELOW

Slammin' the Cape!

I know I'm not starting off this week's blog with a fish, but I knew this throwback photo would catch your eye anyway. Can't believe I was 20 years old when this photo was taken. Feels like a lifetime ago. I never dreamed back then that I'd be doing what I am now - fishing for a living. I bet I'm not too far off in saying the military gave me the confidence to chase any dream and work ethic to make it happen. Happy and proud to have served my country in the Air Force all those years ago. 

Tune in tomorrow for another episode of Addictive Fishing - "Canaveral Slam." We shot this episode in my backyard, on the Space Coast with Capt. Jim Ross. We knew where we were going fishing, we just weren't sure what we'd be hooking into, so we had to be prepared for anything. Good thing we were . . . we hooked into cobia, tripletail and some serious flatties - flounder. Capt. Jim's been fishing the Cape about as long as I have, and we always have a good time out there together. While on this trip something happened to us that was a first for sure. Check it out in this week's episode tomorrow (Friday, May 2nd) at 10:30 a.m. on Fox SunSports. Visit the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday.

Thank you to Tampa Bay Mogan Maniacs for rolling out the red carpet and coming out in force to see the newest Dick's Sporting Goods store this past weekend. A special thanks to Skeeter dealer Central Marine for bringing out some new Skeeter boats to check out, Capt. Ryan Farner and Capt. Chris Camps for donating fishing trips and being on hand to answer any Tampa Bay fishing questions, Minn Kota for giving away a Talon and trolling motor and to Costa Del Mar sunglasses for donating a pair of cool new shades to give away as well. There are going to be some happy winners notified very soon! What a cool looking store too . . . that two-story store will surely keep a lot of shoppers busy. 

Tight Lines,

Blair

Flounder, Cobia and Tripletail - oh my!

I still can't believe we're starting the 15th season of Addictive Fishing Television! Tomorrow marks 15 years of producing shows and I still get butterflies thinking about this week's premiere. Ha!  Tune in tomorrow for episode #1 of the 2014 season - "Canaveral Slam." We shot this episode in my backyard, on the Space Coast with Capt. Jim Ross. We knew we were going wreck fishing off of Cape Canaveral, but just weren't sure what we'd be hooking into, so we had to be prepared for anything. Good thing we were . . . we hooked into cobia, triple tail and some serious flatties - flounder. 

We had a blast and it was the first time we'd taken the new Skeeter tower boat out (SX240) and shot a show with it. The 240 rigged with the Humminbird 360 and Minn Kota iPilot Spot-Lock, sure put us in the perfect spot and held us there so we could hook one Mogan Flounder after another. I say it when I do my seminars and I say it again on the show, if you know you're going wreck fishin' make sure you're rigged and prepared for anything. Have a big stick (Flats Blue) rigged with heavy line (Seaguar/FINS), have some light tackle for those fun fights, back up rigs, hooks (Trokar), and lures (Mirrolure/DOA) so you are ready for anything. We didn't think we would see cobia since it was still technically winter, but one of my cameramen spotted a big manta ray off the side of the boat, and since we had the right rig ready, it was game on! 

Tune in tomorrow (Friday, April 4th) at 10:30 a.m., Sunday at 9:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. on Fox Sun Sports to see the start of Addictive Fishing's 2014 season - "Canaveral Slam." Set your DVR's if you can't tune in on time, or check back sometime next week online, Mr. Producerman will have the full length episode up on YouTube for y'all to watch soon!  

Click here for a preview of this week's episode:"Canaveral Slam" 

We're heading down South to the Everglades next week and then straight back up to the Panhandle to Destin the week after. It's that time of year again of towin' boats, riggin' lines and fishin' our butts off. I ain't complaining . . . oh no, it's my favorite time of year! 

In the words of Producerman, "Let's Go Now!!"

Until next week . . . tight lines,

Blair

Wanna See My Skeeter?!

It's boat show season and what a better way to spend the weekend if you can't be on the water . . . around boats, Skeeter Boats that is. I'll be in Orlando this Saturday, February 1st at the Central Florida Boat Show. I'll be with Sonny's Marine Center hanging out with the Skeeter Pros from 10:30 a.m. to around 3:30 p.m. that day. I'm planning on doing a seminar at 11:00 a.m., so come on over and ask me anything you'd like to know about fishing the flats, inshore, offshore, fly and deep dropping. I'll share my experiences catching redfish, trout, snook, tarpon, grouper, snapper and cobia with you using Mirrolure topwater plugs, DOA soft plastic lures, TroKar circle hooks, flies and live bait. Hang around and share some of your own fish stories with me and if you're like a lot of us out there, I'm sure you've got a Mogan pic or two on your smartphone. 

Skeeter's got a smart deal running until the end of March, so now's the time to at least check 'em out! If it's not in Orlando this weekend, I'll be hanging in the Skeeter/Yamaha booth for the Miami Boat Show February 13th - 16th.  Addictive Fishing has teamed up with all of our sponsors to create some killer Prize Paks we'll be giving away during the Miami Boat Show. Stop by the Skeeter booth to say "Hey" and to register for a chance to win a Minn Kota Talon, Humminbird Fishfinder, Flats Blue and Flats Pink Rods, Sabalos Reels, bucket of Star Brite boat cleaning products, Engel Cooler and much more! My new Skeeter SX240 Bay boat will be there too . . . I can't wait to tow it out of the show at the end of the week and dunk her in some saltwater. 

If you can't make it to the boat shows this time, make sure you like us on Facebook so you can find out where we'll be next. We've got a busy schedule coming up and look forward to seeing new faces, meeting new anglers and sharing lots of fish stories! Oh yeah, and giving away a lot of cool Prize Paks too.  

This week's episodes on the Sportsman Channel are sort of a double feature from California. Sunday is the last airing for "San Clemente" at 10 a.m. (ET), I'm fishing with a friend of my wife's family, Justin Reynolds, off of San Clemente Island.  Then on Monday at 9 a.m. (ET) and again on Tuesday at 2:30 a.m. (ET) I'm hooking into Calico Bass fishing with Eric Dent right around Catalina Island in "Catalina Blue."  If you can't watching on TV, you can always subscribe to the AF YouTube channel for full episodes anywhere / any time.  Check it out! 

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair

Staying Cooler

The weather's still chilly in Florida, went fishing last week and the Pompano were just not biting, I'm tired of wearing shoes, and I'm ready for the thermometer to heat back up again.  The good news is when the Florida heat and humidity do return, I'm all set with keeping things cool on my boat. 

Engel sent us a pretty nice gift last month to kick the year off right . . . I think they've got us covered for every size and function that I can possibly think of. That nice big grey box up front is an fridge freezer powered by a cigarette lighter plug. That's what I'm most excited about! I can take it with me on long road trips, when I go hunting, store fish and game, and it's portable. The next cooler in the Engel line up that makes me happy is the BoomBox. That thing is actually the best stereo I think I've ever owned! It's got a JL Audio system in it and functions as a small cooler to keep a few beers (or your beverage of choice) cold while you crank up the tunes and tap your toes. It connects to the Bluetooth function on your phone and puts out killer crisp sound. I've always been impressed with Engel coolers, but now I'm simply blown away. You should check 'em out! 

Another thing to check out is the new AF website design. Mr. Producerman's been busy tweeking up the layout, adding more videos, after the fight webisodes, where to stay section, and book a fishing trip with AF guest guides, the schwag shop featuring Flats Blue fishing rods and more! Tell us what you think with the new Contact Form at the bottom of the page.

We're heading to Miami next month for the boat show . . . stop by the Skeeter Boats booth and see me, check out the new Saltwater SX series and register to win some seriously cool AF Sponsor Schwag! 

I mentioned it earlier that I was out fishing and the Pompano just weren't biting, right. Well, I forgot to mention that I was fishing with Capt. Mark Nichols, creator of DOA Lures. We were trying to film an episode of AF, and the fish just weren't cooperating. As always, we had a great time with Mark, and we'll be back for sure to finish what we started.

How can I resist River Palm Cottages' hospitality and fishing with Mark Nichols? Seriously, could you resist this? 

Until next week . . . tight lines,

Blair

That ain't 5 - 10 mph!

Here's a real old one for ya's for this Thursday's Throwback. How many of you remember when this episode hit television. How many of you remember that old AF logo and the old Sunshine Network logo? This one's from 2001. Seems like just yesterday we were shooting our first season of Addictive Fishing and I was sayin', "Now that's a black drum, baby!" Ahhh, that was fun. I love to catch those big ugly drum!

I'm a little tired of this weather. I'm starting to get a little cranky and so is my Producer and crew. I get it, at least the sun is shining and we're not digging out of snow banks like some of y'all in the country, but c'mon! The weatherman said after our latest rain and cold front that Wednesday was going to be beautiful with winds at 5-10 mph. Um . . . WRONG! We went out in Tampa Bay again to try to finish off a show we started a couple of weeks back with Capt. Chad Manning. That episode shoot got cut short because of the weather and so this trip we were thrilled to hear the forecast. We get out to where Capt. Chad's got us fishing in Tampa Bay, we catch bait, we get to our spot, lines in, cameras rolling, we're catching some nice slot redfish, and then at about 10:30 a.m. someone turned on the wind machine and it started blowing. We fished hard, stuck it out and got an episode, but let me tell ya, it was tough. Thanks for stickin' it out with us Capt. Chad! 

I headed over to Dick's Sporting Goods in Wesley Chapel today to shoot our "Rig it Right" segment and to get some shots for the new updated Dick's commercial spot. The folks at that store are always great to us . . . it's kind of our "homebase" when it comes to shooting what we need for the show. Thanks to everyone there and the the couple of shoppers who will have their first cameos on television. 

Don't forget to visit your nearest Dick's Sporting Goods store this week. They've got some sweet Saltwater deals going on until Saturday, March 22nd. Here's a few for ya:

I've gotta run to do some research and make some phone calls to see where the fish are biting and where our next shoot is going to be. Hope this wind stops blowing and the fish get ready to play! 

Until next week . . . tight lines,

Blair