TITUSVILLE, Fla. – As the old limbo dance beckons, “How low can you go?” It’s the same question anglers are asking themselves at stop No. 2 of the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Eastern Division in Titusville, Fla.
According to several local anglers in the event, the Indian River-Mosquito Lagoon estuary water levels are extremely low – some 8 to 10 inches below normal. And while that may not sound like much to some, to redfish anglers, it’s a huge deficit, mostly because 8 to 10 inches of extra water is the difference between floating a boat up on a productive redfish flat – or not.
Unlike many inshore waters, Mosquito Lagoon is a unique place because it is almost completely cut off from the ocean, making it more of a giant saltwater lake than a free-flowing bay. As a result, it has virtually no tide. The water levels are determined by rainfall, which there has been very little of on the east coast of Florida recently.
Low waters, combined with a fierce northeast wind, have made accessing the skinniest flats difficult.
“The fish seem to be more scattered out,” noted Dallas Dudley of St. Cloud, Fla., who finished third in the Titusville Redfish Series last year. “The last time we were here was in May, and the fish were in more of summer pattern: more bunched up and much more aggressive. We have seen very little of that this time around.”
“When those fish bolt way up onto those flats into this much water in the wind, you just can’t get to them,” said Mike Tindall, holding his hands about 5 inches apart. “Poling into a 25 mph wind is two steps forward, three steps back kind of thing.”
According to the forecast, the Redfish Series anglers are not going to get a break from 
the gusty onshore wind, either.
“A Power-Pole is going to be an integral part of this event,” noted C.A. Richardson of St. Petersburg, Fla. “Drifting, poling down and fan-casting … drifting, poling down and fan-casting – all day long.”
Dennis Cox of Edgewater, Fla., who was co-winner of this event last year, believes the exclusive pole/troll zone in the Tiger Shoals regions may produce a win for some team this year.
In the 3,000-acre pole/troll-only zone, anglers can only use a push pole or an electric motor to move around – outboard use is prohibited.
The idea of the zone is to protect valuable shallow grass flats from being marred to death by prop scars. The additional benefit is that hordes of redfish seek refuge in the pole/troll zone to avoid the noise of outboards.
“I think it might come down to who is willing to work the hardest in this wind,” Cox said. “The water is shallow; the wind is fierce. The combination of the two makes it very difficult to move around and get way back into that pole/troll zone. But there are some of the right-size fish there for those who are willing to work to get in there.”
Logistics
Redfish Series anglers will take off at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday and Friday from Sand Point Park located at 101 N. Washington Ave. in Titusville. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park beginning at 3:30 p.m. those two days.
Saturday’s final weigh-in of the top five teams will be held at the Titusville Wal-Mart at 4:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free, and the community is invited to attend the festivities.
The winning team will receive a top award of $25,000. If Ranger contingency guidelines are met, the winning team will also receive a $12,500 cash bonus. If Yamaha or Evinrude contingency guidelines are met, the winning team will receive an additional $12,500 cash bonus for a total of $50,000.
The top 50 teams in the FLW Redfish Series based on points standings at the end of the season will advance to the $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Championship presented by BP Oct. 18-20 in Orange Beach, Ala. The winning team at the championship will earn as much as $100,000.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:26 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 63 degrees
Expected high temperature: 73 degrees
Water temperature: 60 to 65 degrees
Forecasted winds: ENE 10 to 20 mph
Day’s outlook: warm and breezy