ENGLEWOOD, Fla. – Stop No.3 in the Eastern Division of the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series is shaping up to be a dreamy event. Pleasant, stable weather is in the forecast for the next 10 days, with high temperatures in the mid-80s and a mixture of clouds and sun. Even better, the redfish in the Englewood, Fla., area are both plentiful and patternable, meaning the next three days should be as enjoyable as a trip to the beach.
Thanks to the stable weather, the majority of the 127 teams will likely bring in a two-fish limit every day. Getting a limit is not a real difficult task, but getting the right size of limit is an altogether different story. When the weather is stable, redfish tend to school up in packs of 5 to 100. Finding the right school is important, as sorting through numerous fish can be a tedious task.
In Englewood, the right size of redfish weighs about 7 pounds, if not bigger. Any team that can catch two of those 7-pounders for three consecutive days will likely take home the top prize of $50,000.
“The forage is just plentiful here,” said Dallas Dudley of St. Cloud, Fla. “These are fat fish, plus they’re comfortable, not agitated and spooky.”
The fact that these fish aren’t spooky is a little bit of a surprise. The area has been getting pounded lately with both local guide traffic and tournament boats. In addition to this event, the Redfish Cup visits Englewood next week, so prefishing for that tournament is already under way. The local guides are catching dozens of redfish with live bait, yet the fish are still succumbing to artificials.
“Soft plastics are working great,” said Brian Capo, Dudley’s teammate. “The wind has been picking up in the afternoon, so you have to add a little weight to it.”
Many anglers will stick to the large schools of redfish on the flats. Others will try to get away from the local guide traffic by poling way back into mangrove sloughs. Oyster bars and natural shorelines also provide productive structure.
Tournament logistics
Anglers will take off at 7 each morning from Stump Pass Marina located at 260 Maryland Ave. in Englewood. Weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern time Thursday and Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday. 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.
In FLW Redfish Series competition, 150 points are awarded to the winner, 149 for second, 148 for third, and so on. All teams that receive weight credit will receive points that determine team standings. All FLW Redfish Series events are three-day tournaments (Thursday, Friday and Saturday). The full field competes during the first two days, and the top five teams based on accumulated weight advance to day three. Final standings are determined by the total weight from all three days.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:55 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 68 degrees
Expected high temperature: 86 degrees
Water temperature: 73-78 degrees
Wind: SSE at 13 mph
Maximum humidity: 58 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy