ENGLEWOOD, Fla. – Redfish anglers are seldom in a state of haste, and maybe it’s because their quarry makes them that way.
Tournament redfishing, especially in Florida, is more of a waiting a game instead of a chasing game. Anglers often have to stake down and wait for the fish to come to them instead of running fish down with a dozen different techniques.
As one redfish angler said this morning, “Why should I be in a hurry? All I’m going to do when I get to my spot is wait some more.”
That seems to sum up the overall feel of the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Eastern at Englewood: Wait… and wait some more.
Wait for the tournament to start.
Wait for the long ride to the primary spot.
Wait for the fish to start biting.
Wait and guard your primary spot from other competitors.
Wait for the weigh-in to start.
So what about all the fast, furious fish catching?
“That’s condensed down into a small 30-minute period of time, and it’s what you live for,” Greg Watts said. “You wait and wait, and then suddenly it’s on. In a matter of seconds it goes from chirping crickets to screaming double drags out both ends of the boat. It’s pure chaos and mayhem, and good lord is it fun. We design our entire day around that one period so we can maximize every second of it when it happens.”
“And once you experience it,” chimed in brother Bryan Watts, “you just can’t wait for it to happen again.”
The day-two weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Eastern at Stump Pass Marina.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:21 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 64 degrees
Expected high temperature: 83 degrees
Water temperature: 70-75 degrees
Forecasted winds: SE at 10-15 mph
Day’s outlook: breezy