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

Let the new season begin!

One of my favorite fish to catch is a Permit. This photo was taken back in 2003, the day I went fishing with Capt. Glenn Andrews and Jim O'Keefe. I caught two personal bests that day, one was a snook and the other this permit. The memories of that day on the water make me smile every time I think about them. This photo sure makes me smile too!

Well, we're just about a week out from the new season beginning and I must confess, this season has been one of the hardest ones to shoot by far. In our 15 years of shooting and producing shows I don't think we've had this many weather challenges that have pushed us to our limits. I think y'all know what I'm talking about too. 

If you've been trying to get out on the water these past few months, it's been hit or miss with the weather, the wind and the bite. I think I should have done another ice-fishing episode this year . . . probably would have had better luck?! 

We've been able to put together some new commercial spots though in our time off the water. Mr. Producerman and Trice have been busy shooting, editing and producing new spots for Star Tron and Dick's Sporting Goods. Click the word "Enzo" for a sneak peak at the Star Tron spot:  ENZO

Love that sountrack! Once again, those Mogan Music Boys knock it out of the park with attitude. Doesn't that voiceover sound like the guy from the movie "Transformers," Optimus Prime? Cool beans! 

Well, I'll be back in touch next week to remind you about the new season that starts on Friday, April 4th at 10:30 a.m. Can't wait to show you what's new this year! 

Until then though, 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.

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