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

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