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Captain's corner

By DOUG HEMMER

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 2, 2001

The first bait that shows up on the flats will be large and in small numbers. Scaled sardines in the 3- to 4-inch range are roaming the flats and falling victim to schools of big redfish.

The normal presentation for reds is a corked bait that won't get tangled in the grass. That has changed now that the reds have gotten used to chasing single baits instead of crashing big schools.

The best technique is a free-lined sardine that gets reeled back at a speed just fast enough to keep it out of the grass. Hook the bait through the mouth and out the top of the head.

When a school of reds is working the flats, try to spot the lead fish. This is the one that spooks the easiest and will take off running at the slightest sign of trouble.

Try casting to the fish on the sides or at the back of the school. These are followers that will take a bait faster. Make your cast to the side of the school and reel the bait past the reds. If you don't get a strike on the first cast, keep trying.

The quiet approach will help keep the reds in a feeding mood. A No. 1 hook and 20-pound leader tied to 8-pound line is the right size tackle for most of the reds.

- Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 347-1389.

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