Hey Hall of Fame family,
I write this with a heavy heart following the destructive aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in the coming days. I have past and current coworkers in Florida who have already been impacted, and we are sending our prayers and best wishes and intentions to all those affected by the hurricanes. This is the third hurricane to hit Florida this season, as Hurricane Francine struck the panhandle in September. Francine was only a category 2 storm, but I was there for it. I wrote about my experience with Hurricane Francine in the recent saltwater fishing blog post. Helene was much worse, and thankfully I was home in Missouri for the storm. The photos of Helene's destruction broke my heart; I couldn't imagine such a storm.
I've spent a little more than one month in Florida in 2024. Three and a half weeks in Tampa earlier this spring and eight days in Pensacola earlier this fall. It's such a fun place to both work and vacation. I got to do some fishing in both Tampa (St. Petersburg) and Pensacola along the way, too. I tried fly fishing in the Tampa/St. Pete metro area in both fresh and saltwater, but ultimately was unable to catch anything. Upon my return to Tampa a few weeks later, I caught my first ever speckled trout from the Air Force base I was working at! I saw a pod of dolphins there, too! I didn't return to Florida for some time, but I spent a vacation in Pensacola with my wife and her family in September. I fished in the bay and ocean every single day, catching over 30 fish and at least 6 species of fish. I even 'pre-fished' Hurricane Francine. The hurricane itself brought very strong winds and heavy rain. The worst of it hit in the middle of the night, and the wind sounded like waves were hitting our window. Not going to lie, I didn't know what to expect for my first hurricane. I wrote about this Pensacola trip in the saltwater fishing blog post, so check that out if you haven't!
My family used to regularly vacation down to Destin and Navarre every year when I was younger. We would go deep sea fishing and fish from the beach, always catching fish. In 2023, my wife and I went on a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. I went fishing before we embarked, catching my first jack in waves bigger than me. My family is also planning to go down to Florida, near Cape Coral, in February 2025 for my mom's birthday. I'm sure Paul and I will do some fishing there, too! Florida is one of my favorite states.
From Paul and I at Hall of Fame Outdoor Co, we are sending our thoughts and prayers to everyone adversely affected by Hurricane Francine, Helene, or Milton. We know Florida will come out of this hurricane season stronger than before. Stay safe out there!
Tight lines,
Erik Hoffman, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co