Bruce flew in from Virginia, trading striper runs for something a little wilder—his first taste of redfish action in the skinny waters of New Smyrna Beach. Though he’d logged time chasing fish up north, the idea of stalking reds in knee-deep, crystal-clear flats was a whole new world. But he was fired up and ready to dive in. We kicked off the morning with high hopes, heading to a spot where a school of 60 reds had been hanging tight the last couple weeks. But with the recent water temp bump, the big group had broken up. Still, a few stragglers lingered on a shallow point. Bruce launched his first cast and—bam!—a redfish slammed the bait. The fight was short-lived, though, as the fish shook free. Bruce was gutted for a moment… but the sight of that explosive eat had him hooked for good. We pushed deeper into the backcountry, and the next flat came alive. Overslot reds cruised through like torpedoes in the sun. Bruce had half a dozen solid shots before finally connecting—and this time, the hook held. After a hard-fought battle, he landed a massive 32” overslot redfish—an epic way to cross redfish off the list. The day didn’t end there. Later, under the edge of a mangrove, Bruce stuck his first-ever snook, a solid fish that made for a perfect finale. Two firsts, plenty of action, and a day neither of us will forget.