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

Destined for rough weather . . .

I can't seem to outrun, escape or get away from the weather!! Bah! We have NEVER had such a challenging season as this one. Last you heard, we were in Chokoloskee shooting with Capt. Brian Sanders. Luckily we got a show shot in one day because the weather gave us no choice but to pack up and go home the next day. Then, we head up to Destin because the reports of cobia all over were pouring in, plus we were invited by our good friends and Skeeter Boats dealer, Legendary Marine. We never pass up an invite from those folks. We head out on day one of the shoot and the weather gods do NOT want to cooperate. We were patient that week though and did get an episode. Stay tuned this season and I'll get to show you some Mogan redfish in this episode from Destin.  

Me and the AF crew were even socked in one day on land . . . never stepped a foot on the boat, we found other ways to entertain ourselves at the Harborwalk Village and Emerald Grande. Great place to be stuck inside, I tell ya! I may have gained a few extra pounds from all the great food too. Might have to head back up there soon just for another plate of oysters! 

The other positive was we got to spend time with some very cool anglers and military folks. Legendary Marine and Skeeter Boats put on a killer dinner Friday night to kick off the Royall Rumble - a cobia tournament with the Wounded Warrior program and local captains. Earlier that evening I was introduced to a young man, Chance Roye who was fishing the tournament with his Dad. His Dad said, "My son met his hero!" and I thank you for that, thanks Chance. My heroes were all in the room that night. What an honor to meet these folks and given the opportunity to thank them all for their service and sacrifice. Everyone in the Captain's meeting jumped to their feet for a standing ovation when introduced to our Veterans. Thank you! 

This weekend is a pretty exciting and big weekend for Dick's and for the AF Crew. We'll be in Tampa kicking off the newest store in the Westshore Mall. Can't wait because Dick's is really going all out to welcome Tampa Mogan Maniacs to this new location! I'll be there on Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day. I'll be doing some seminars on inshore and offshore fishing in Tampa Bay. We just aired two of the episodes we shot in Tampa this season, and I'll be talking about those cool lookin' hogfish too! 

Come out and get registered to win a Minn Kota Talon, trolling motor, Costa sunglasses and a couple of guided fishing trips inshore with Capt. Chris Camps and offshore with Capt. Ryan Farner. The sales are on! Come out and get geared up for your next fishing trip too. 

This week's episode we're doing something a little 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, April 25th at 10:30 a.m. ET on Fox SunSports). Check the AF website for replay times on Sunday and Wednesday.  

Heading outside to make sure the weather doesn't change just because I'm out there. I'm starting to get a complex! Is it me? 

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair

Hogs in the fog!

I like this Throwback Thursday thing on Facebook. It gives me a chance to go through some old fishing photos and relive the great catches I've had in the past. Sometimes it's not just about what I'm catching, but what I've helped others catch. Here are a few from 2003 when I went snook fishing in Jensen Beach with my production crew and cousin. We were just out for fun one day and each one of us hooked up to a snook of a lifetime. The photo above is Mr. Producerman Kevin with his Mogan Snook. The next photo is Trice our Operations Manager with her impressive linesider. 

. . . and then my cousin Shane rockin' one for the photo album. The ride home that day was filled with lots of grins!  

Earlier this week we had a really small window of good weather over in the Tampa Bay area and Skeeter Pro Capt. Ryan Farner called to let us know he had a show idea for us - Hogfishin'. Now, I had never caught Hoggies on a hook before, I had only ever caught them spearfishing, so this was going to be a challenge but I was up for it. The only hesitation I had was we had to make sure we could catch 'em for the camera, and the pressure was on. You'll have to tune in to the episode when it airs this Spring, but let me tell you . . . I had a blast catching these crazy and beautiful looking fish. They sure are pretty (and pretty tasty). 

Hey Florida Panhandlers - we're coming back up and will be in Panama City Beach next weekend on Friday and Saturday (the 7th & 8th)!! I'll give you all the details on where to find us in next week's blog. My new Skeeter SX220 will be there for you to check out and Legendary Marine will be bringing out a new SX2250.  We'll be leaving right from Panama City on Saturday to head to Slidell, LA for some fun with y'all on Sunday, March 9th. After we spend the day with y'all on Sunday, me and the crew are heading to do some Louisiana fishing and shoot an episode for the new AF season. Going to be a long, but very fun trip. Hope to see y'all next weekend . . . I'll fill you in on the where/when soon! 

Tune in this week to AF and catch the last airing of "Tortuga Bank" on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. ET (Sportsman Channel). We've got some killer grouper and snapper action to show you from the Dry Tortugas. Then on Monday at 9:00 a.m. and again on Tuesday at 2:30 a.m. check out the "Bits & Bites" episode for footage you didn't get to see before, like blackfin tuna, grouper, redfish and tripletail. Don't forget, if you can't watch it on TV, you can always subscribe to the AF YouTube channel for full episodes anywhere / any time.

I've got to get the oil changed in my truck and get ready to hit the road again. Next stop, Panama City Beach! 

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