Captain's corner

By LARRY BLUE

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 26, 2000

In the ninth annual Scot Brantley Celebrity All-Release Flats Tournament on Saturday, Troy Nevitt won the Grand Slam, General Division, with 84 inches total. The Grand Slam, Spin-plug Division, went to Chris O'Leary with 88.5 inches.

Nevitt's strategy was to look for a big snook early in the tournament; he succeeded using a pigfish for bait. His trout also hit as he was fishing for snook, but it took a sardine. The redfish followed when Nevitt switched to crabs. Nevitt said the fish were biting until about 11 a.m., then shut off.

O'Leary, who fished south of the Skyway on a grass flat, used a topwater plug to catch a trout first thing in the morning. He then turned his attention to snook in the murky water near the mangroves. The redfish were found at noon in one of the deeper holes as the tide had fallen to its low.

Brantley, a Buccaneers linebacker from 1980-87 and now a sports-radio host, set up the tournament to raise money for charity and he calls on area celebrities to participate.

This year's biggest name might have been Wade Boggs, the former Devil Rays player who recorded his 3,000th hit last season. Boggs landed three snook and one redfish. Boggs and Brantley, who have been friends for about 15 years, engage in some friendly competition. "This past year there were some personal milestones for both Scot and I," Boggs said. "I hit 3,000 hits, Scot has done 3,000 radio shows."

- To get in touch with Larry Blue, call (727) 397-3373 or send him an e-mail, CaptLBlue@aol.com.

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