Shhhhh, be vewy, vewy quiet . . .

I've been hunting! Sorry it's been a couple of weeks since y'all have heard from me. I've been up in Georgia for a couple of weeks getting things done up here hunting and frankly, freezin' my butt off! At least the bugs aren't out. I love this time of year where I switch for a little bit from the water to the tree stands. I need a little time to shut off, recharge and get ready for another season of AF - shooting shows, on the road, appearances and oh yeah, fishing! 

The last time you may have seen me was in Naples at the grand opening of the new Dick's Sporting Goods store. Thank you to everyone who came out. 

We had one of the best openings of the year so far at that event. Mr. Producerman even tells me that we set a new AF record on Instagram that day with y'all posting your photos from the event. Pretty cool! Here's a "selfie" from that day . . . 

I love Thanksgiving. We all go over to my sister's house and celebrate the holiday with about 50 relatives and tons of food. We do a little bit of everything - turkey, stuffing, seafood and oh my, the pies!! Better get to the gym before next week. Ha! I'm thankful for a lot and just like most people, I bet I don't say it enough. I'm thankful for my wife Cari, my son Drayden and the rest of my family. I'm thankful for what I get to do each day and the sponsors that help us get it done. I am especially thankful for all the Mogan Maniacs out there that watch the show and come out to see us. What are you thankful for?  #thanksmoganmaniacs

It's that Holiday season again and I've got to get back home to start my Christmas shopping. I'm usually the type that waits until the last minute to get it done, so maybe I'll just stay up here in my deer stand for a little longer and worry about all the presents later.

Tune in this weekend to The Sportsman Channel for two episodes of Addictive Fishing. Tomorrow's episode is "Canaveral Slam" where I fish with Capt. Jim Ross and we hook into triple tail, cobia and big flounder. Then on Sunday, watch "Hogs in the Fog" with Capt. Ryan Farner. This was a first for me fishing for hog snapper with line and hook in Tampa Bay. Cool show and great lookin' fish! Check the website for times. Set your DVR's if you can't tune in on time, or check 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? 

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

Takin' me to camp!

Just back from ICAST last week, off to Jensen Beach to shoot some episodes this week, and then we're opening up some more Dick's Sporting Goods stores in Florida soon . . . this train keeps on movin'!

ICAST was probably the best one I've been to yet! There were a lot of new vendors, they added a new "Fly" division to the show and seeing all of my sponsors under one roof debut new product was just plain fun. Here's a just a few of some of the "Best of Show" winners from our team:

Humminbird ONIX with Best of Electronics

Minn Kota Ulterra with Best of Boating Accessories 

Engel with Best of Tackle Management Products for its Cooler Dry Box with Rod Holders

Trokar with Best of Terminal Tackle for its new TK619

Addictive Fishing is proud to be part of such a winning team!! I can't wait to put all these new products to use. We are now down in Jensen Beach filming shows with Capt. Greg Snyder and Capt. Ed Zyak this week. Just went out with Capt. Greg yesterday and got my personal best snook, ever - 45 inches! Producerman may have to go back and check the footage to make sure I won't need a "bleep" when I first hooked into this beast. LOL! Here's a photo of me with Capt. Greg's 42 incher. Guess you could say it was a good day. Can't wait to show y'all this episode. 

Speaking of great episodes . . . we just shot this week's episode a couple of weeks ago and it airs tomorrow - "Camp Tarpon." Shot this one in just a few hours with Capt. Chris Camps right off of Anna Maria Island. We've known Capt. Chris for years and we were excited about finally getting to shoot an episode with him, but even happier after he put us on some Mogan tarpon. Had a blast and y'all have to check this out. Tune in tomorrow, Friday July 25th at 10:30 a.m. ET on Fox SunSports. Check the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday. 

I'll keep you posted on what we're doing next and where we'll be for the next Dick's Grand Opening. 

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

The Chokoloskee Kid

Just got back from the DOA Lures Writers Fest in Jensen Beach. Mark Nichols and DOA crew sure know how to put on a great time. Always fun to hang around River Palm Cottages, Mark Nichols and other fishing friends for a couple of days on the water. First day I fished with River Palm's very own Rufus Wakeman and we were catching some nice cobia and bonita. I had to get home though so I could get myself cleaned up, get the boat back and washed, and head over to Tampa today. We're shooting cool stuff for Star Tron and then some stuff for a special episode of never-been-seen-before footage that's coming up this season. 

This Saturday I'll be at Dick's Sporting Goods in Clermont, Florida (Sandhills Commons). They're opening a new store there and I'll be there to kick things off from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 28th. Can't wait to see y'all and answer any fishing questions, tackle questions or listen to your fish stories. Make sure if you've got a good fish story, you have a photo to show me. You know, show your Mogan! There are some cool summer deals going on this weekend at Dick's too. Buy one, get one 50% off on MirrOlure, and buy one get one FREE on Eagle Claw and Lazer Sharp terminal tackle. 

After that, we'll be heading out again on the water to shoot some more episodes. It's been fish, fish, fish for me lately and I love it! Hope y'all have been fishing a lot too. Whatcha been catching? Show your Mogan on Facebook, Google+ in the Mogan Lounge or Instagram.

Check out this week's episode, "Deadwood" where we're catching redfish and snook deep in the Everglades with the "Chokoloskee Kid" Capt. Brian Sanders. The area where he has us fishing was once devastated by hurricanes and all of the swamp trees have died there. The local captains call the area "Deadwood," and it's turned the area into an amazing fish habitat though so that's where we were fishing. Tune in tomorrow to see "Deadwood" (Friday, June 27th 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

This ain't a spaghetti western folks!

Hey, I'm all for this "Throwback" photo sharing and every week I post one I say to myself, I can't believe I'm going to post this. I love seeing all my friends' photos and I'm not scared to share mine. Here's a beauty from 1987/1988 when I was still in the Air Force. I was stationed over in Germany and a few of my buddies and me went skiing in Austria. Skiing the Alps in shorts will certainly go down on my list of top memories, we lived on the edge back then. Don't think my knees could handle skiing these days, let alone the runs we did in the Alps. Oh, where have the years gone?! Enjoy this one folks!

Y'all have seen my new Skeeter boats on the show this year and I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how they've been working for me. I couldn't be happier with both the SX220 and the SX240. The Yamaha-owned boat company sure knows what they're doing and they make a fine product. From the dry ride, to the live well capacities, the reliability and all the extras, it's a sweet machine from bow to stern. Another new piece of equipment I'm running for the first time this season is the Atlas jack plate (by T-H Marine). It's quiet, smooth and gets my boats in and out of skinny water whenever and wherever I need to be to catch fish. I've always talked about the importance of having reliable equipment and a jackplate is an essential. The Atlas hydraulic jack plate raises my Yamaha engine with little effort and keeps me from ever leaving a prop scar on the fishery floor. Check 'em out . . . they make a lot of boat accessories that improve your boat's performance. 

So, are y'all ready for the next new episode? This week we're down in Chokoloskee with Capt. Brian Sanders. Some of y'all probably remember Capt. Brian, he's been on a couple of episodes in the past seasons. He's always a go-to and a phone call away. We know he'll put us on the fish and have a good time. Check out this week's episode, "Deadwood" where we're catching redfish and snook deep in the Everglades with the "Chokoloskee Kid" Capt. Brian Sanders. The area where he has us fishing was once devastated by hurricanes and all of the swamp trees have died there. The local captains call the area "Deadwood," and it's turned the area into an amazing fish habitat though so that's where we were fishing. When I hear the word Deadwood though, I think of those old spaghetti western movies with Clint Eastwood . . . not quite, but you'll have to watch this week's episode to see what I'm talking about.

Tune in tomorrow to see "Deadwood" (Friday, May 27th at 10:30 a.m. ET on Fox SunSports). Check the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday.

I'm over in Tampa Bay again with my crew, looking for Tarpon today. Hope to bring you a great tarpon fight on an upcoming episode. We'll see if the fish gods cooperate!

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair

Simpler Times

Here I am with my Granddaddy, Haywood Wiggins after a great day on the water catching redfish. Back then (I think I was probably 15 or 16 years old here), I brought home almost everything I caught so my mom could cook it up for the family to eat that night. We didn't let a thing go to waste and lived off of the simple things like freshly caught fish, vegetables grown in my Dad's garden, and sweet sun tea. Those were the days!!

Hey - I wanted to give a quick update on how me and my fishing partner Todd Royall did in last weekend's tournament. Remember I was up in Destin for the 9th Annual Old Nick's Redfish Roundup tournament? Well, me and Todd took 1st in the spots division. Pretty darn cool.

Had a great turnout for my seminar on Friday night and then the tournament hit an all time high record for attendance. I hope those numbers increase next year too . . . we'll definitely be back! Thanks to Nick's and to Legendary Marine for the invite.

We've been traveling a lot lately, shooting shows and fishing. Last week I got to do something we've never done on AF . . . fish and film on a Bass lake. That's right, I said it - B A S S fishing. We were in St. Cloud fishing with Skeeter Bass Pro, Chuck Pippin. It was a beautiful lake and we had a great time with Chuck, just a little tough bite though. We'll show a little of it in an episode later this season. I think I'll stick to saltwater, I think I've got a little of it running through my veins. Ha!

Now, I'm off again to the Everglades in pursuit of tarpon! How many of you remember Capt. Gary Thompson from season 6 in "Tarpon Time"? Check out the AF YouTube Channel to see what Gary had me catching back then. We're hoping for a Part two of that same experience. Haven't caught a tarpon yet this season, so fingers crossed, no bananas on the boat . . . here we go!

This week's episode is a little something special for our friends at Star Brite. Last season we went to the Dry Tortugas and Key West on the Star Brite (62' Viking) and caught some amazing fish. This year we were scheduled to go again and do something a little different, but they had to postpone due to a "family member" having surgery and treatment coming up. We decided to do a look back to that Key West trip, put in some footage you haven't seen and dedicate it to the speedy recovery of "Jake." 

We're cheering you on Jake and can't wait to see your tail waggin' again soon! Tune in tomorrow to see "Keys Chronicles" (Friday, May 23rd at 10:30 a.m. ET on Fox SunSports). Check the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday.  

I'm heading back out on the water for now!  

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair