The lower end of Tampa Bay is alive with red drum, tarpon and Spanish mackerel. You can bag all three if you play your cards right. At blue light first thing in the morning, have your fresh dead shad and get out to the beaches. Silver kings are rolling from Bean Point north along the Pinellas County shoreline. Either anchor and wait for a pod to pass through or slowly make your way along the beach looking for silver flashes as you go. Have your shad situated so they are waiting for the tarpon to pass through. A quiet, stealthy approach is the key. After you've landed your tarpon and you're waiting for the tide to come up, head to one of the passes for some great mackerel action. Macks in the 4-pound range are ravaging whitebait as they hit the water. Use a long shank No. 1 hook and have plenty of whitebait. There's plenty of bait around the channel markers that line the passes.

Since you have a fish for the smoker and the tide is plenty high, head to the mangrove islands that dot the lower bay for redfish. Look for reds hanging tight to the branches. Just like with tarpon, a stealthy approach is the ticket. Cork small pinfish and have them waiting on the reds to pass through. Casting your offering into the tightly bunched school is going to send them all to the next county.

-- Capt. Rick Frazier runs Lucky Dawg Charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 510-4376 or by e-mail at captrick@luckydawg.com.

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