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

Brrrrrrrrrr!

Y'all still cold, shoveling snow and freezin' your butts off up north? Well, if it makes you feel any better it's cold here in Florida too! Reminds me of our trip to Colorado with the Wright & McGill folks a couple of years back. We did a little ice fishing and backcountry snowmobiling. It was fun, but cold! 

I haven't been doing much fishing or anything else outside lately so I'm getting a little cabin fever and itching to get back on the water soon. Good news is, by the time it is warm enough my new Skeeter SX240 Bay boat will be ready and I'll be breakin' her in with a saltwater bath. I get to pick her up at the Miami Boat Show next month and can't wait.  

Want to see my newest Skeeter? Stop by the booth and say "hi!"  I'll be at the boat show Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Skeeter and the rest of the AF sponsor team have teamed up for a couple of cool giveaways . . . I'll fill you in on the details the closer we get to the weekend in Miami, but make sure you stay tuned for the chance to win a new Flats Blue rod, Flats Pink rod, Sabalos reel, Minn Kota Talon, Humminbird Fishfinder, Costa shades, Star Brite cleaning products, Trokar Mirrolure, FINS braid, Mogan Spoon, and more good stuff. You'll definitely have to come see me at the Skeeter booth!

What have y'all been doing this winter? Catching any fish? Ice fishing? Make sure you share your photos with us on Facebook or Instagram. I love checking online and seeing what everyone else is catching. If you're not fishing get your fix by watching this week's episode of Addictive Fishing on the Sportsman Channel. On Sunday, January 26th at 10 a.m. you can check out the "Bits and Bites" episode . . . it's all the footage you didn't get to see during the season. I'm hooking into blackfin tuna, grouper, redfish and triple tail. Then, on Monday at 9 a.m. and Tuesday at 2:30 a.m. watch the episode we shot out in California, "San Clemente," my first time ever catching calico bass.  

I was going through some old photos recently and came across this one sent in to us back in 2005. Producerman and I went to high school with the brother of the guy on the far right in the AF visor.  We sent over a care package of DVDs, visors and goodies for Flip Stalling's troop in Afghanistan and this is what they sent us back.  Pretty cool!  I wonder where these guys are today?  Thank you then and thank you now military men and women for your service!!  

Stay safe on the snow and keep thinking warm thoughts!  

Until next week . . . tight lines,

Blair

New Year, New Season, and Soooo Many Fish to Catch!

Happy New Year Y'all!  Hope your holiday season was a good one. Hope you got to do some fishing, hunting or whatever you love to do in your off time. I got to fish with Mark Nichols of DOA Lures to close out 2013, and hooked into this nice 32" Seatrout, then I got some duck hunting in . . . it had been a while, but man was it fun.  

I know a lot of you are freezin' your butts off up North, but believe it or not, Florida's been cold too. My wife loves when the temperatures go down this time of year, I'm the complete opposite so thankfully it doesn't last very long around here. This photo was sent it to us from long time fans/friends of AF - LT & Brenda Cochran. They recently relocated to Missouri and Mother Nature greeted them with a blizzard.  Welcome home y'all! 

The rest of the country . . . well, you're just going to have to come down to do some saltwater fishing or dream about it while you're on the ice fishing out of a frozen hole. I went ice fishing in Colorado a few years back and sure it was fun, but just a little too cold for me. Can't go barefoot!? 

Me and the AF Crew just had our beginning of the year meeting to go over schedule, plan shoots, and map out our travels for the 2014 season. Lots of exciting stuff going on and it looks like Spring is going to be busy!  Here's a quick rundown of where I'll be over the next 3 months:  Raleigh, Miami, Birmingham, Panama City, Slidell, Ft. Myers, Bradenton, Tampa, Coral Springs, Key West, Tampa, and Destin.  I'll fill you in on details, what we'll be doing and when you can come out to see us. Some of those stops are strictly fishing and I can't wait. I'm hoping to show you some Mogan cobia, snapper, tarpon, redfish, grouper and much, much more in this season's shows. So many fish to catch, gotta get started!! We've also got some new products coming out this year and I'll keep you posted on that too. More choices for the Mogan Maidens out there and I think you'll be real happy!  

In the meantime, check out this week's episode shot from the Dry Tortugas with Capt. Chris Trosset. He's wearing me out on kingfish and snapper while we're fishing off the back of the Star Brite. Amazing time down there and we'll be doing something with that crew again this Spring.  "One Hour Later" airs on Sunday, January 12th at 10 a.m. (ET) on the Sportsman Channel. Then on Monday and Tuesday you can catch another episode "Tortuga Bank" from the Dry Tortugas where I'm hooking into some really nice grouper and snapper. Tune in on Monday at 9:00 a.m. and Tuesday at 2:30 a.m. Man, I can't wait to get back out there in that water!  

Taking down the Christmas lights and tossing the tree . . . hope I can put some shorts back on soon, take the cover off my Skeeter bay boat, kick off my shoes and get my toes wet again with some saltwater. It won't be long I know, but I'm ready to sweat!  

Until next week . . . tight lines,

Blair

On the road again . . .

Here's a throwback for Thursday for ya from 2006 . . . I sure love catching snook and this one was a beast! Would be nice to see a few that size on the show this season, don't ya think? 

We're hitting the road this weekend and coming to a Dick's Sporting Goods near you! Well, that's if you live in Panama City Beach, FL and Slidell, LA. Me and the AF Crew are coming up to the newest Dick's store in Panama City Beach on Friday, March 7th . . . we'll be there from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. and then again on Saturday, March 8th from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. There'll be lots of fun, in store specials, and the local Skeeter dealer, Legendary Marine, will be coming out with a couple of boats for you to see. Come see us and pick up some sweet tackle deals! Wait, I'm not finished . . . then on Sunday we'll be at the Slidell, Louisiana Dick's grand opening from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

After we wrap up a few days at Dick's celebrating the new stores opening, me and the AF film crew are heading straight to the water for fishing and filming in the Bayou. Can't wait! It's been a while since I've been back fishing in Louisiana and I gotta tell ya . . . one of my favorite places to fish. We'll be filming all week there and I'm not sure what I'm most excited about, the fishing or the food? Ha!  

I'm turning around and heading right back to Florida after we wrap the shoots in Louisiana. Got to get back to Dick's in Ft. Myers and Bradenton to kick off the Spring season! I'll get you the details in next week's blog.  I know most of you in the country are still battling the winter blahs, but here in Florida we're gearing up, spooling reels and getting our tackle together for another saltwater season of Florida fishin'. 

Tune in this week to AF on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. ET (Sportsman Channel), Monday at 9:00 a.m. and again on Tuesday at 2:30 a.m. But remember, if you can't watch it on TV, you can always subscribe to the AF YouTube channel for full episodes anywhere / any time.

I'm off to smash some bugs on my windshield, on the road again!

Until next week . . . tight lines,
Blair