2 Lagoon Charters

Captain Fred Pharis has been fishing the waters around Titusville for more than three decades, and for the last fifteen plus years he has turned that knowledge into a full time guiding business, 2 Lagoon Charters, based out of the Max Brewer Memorial Parkway area right along the Indian River. That kind of tenure matters on water like this, where the redfish and trout do not sit still and a guide’s real value is knowing which flat holds fish on a falling tide in October versus a rising tide in June. The charter focuses on the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons, two of the most productive and most talked about inshore fisheries in Florida, sitting right in the shadow of the Kennedy Space Center. Trips run five hours year round, with longer seven hour trips available from October through early May when conditions and daylight allow for it. Anglers can expect a shot at redfish, sea trout, snook, tarpon, and black drum, using either bait fishing or sight fishing with artificial lures depending on what a client wants out of the day. Captain Fred runs the trips out of a well maintained flats skiff rigged with modern electronics, and he supplies top quality tackle so clients do not need to show up with their own gear, which makes the charter approachable for visitors flying into Orlando without room in their luggage for rods and reels. The trips are built to flex around the people booking them too, described as tailored to each guest’s skill level, preference, and style, so a first timer gets a very different day on the water than an experienced angler chasing a personal best. That kind of adaptability is one of the clearest advantages of booking with an independent, owner operated charter instead of a big multi boat operation. There is no dispatcher assigning you to whichever captain is free that day. You are fishing with Fred, who has spent years learning these specific lagoons, and who tunes each trip around the person actually holding the rod. The Max Brewer Parkway launch point puts the charter within easy reach of the Max Brewer Bridge and the wide open water toward Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most scenic stretches of the Indian River Lagoon system anywhere in Florida. Between the wildlife along the shoreline, the chance at redfish tailing in skinny water, and a guide who genuinely knows the terrain, it is easy to see why 2 Lagoon Charters keeps a steady stream of repeat clients. Anyone planning a fishing trip out of Titusville, whether a serious angler or someone who has never held a rod, should reach out to book a date with Captain Fred directly through the charter’s website.