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Captain's corner

By DAVE WALKER

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 15, 2000

Great weather and warm days have held fish on the flats. We still are catching numerous snook and reds in water less than 2 feet deep. Live greenbacks and soft plastic jigs are the desired baits. I like to chum the area with dead greenbacks. There will be casualties in the live well, and I use the smelly things. Slice them into chunks and sling them in the direction you intend to fish. This, with live chum, is irresistible to the fish.

Trout are in limbo. They normally are in deeper water this time of year because of lower water temperatures. I like to target them on cool mornings in deeper holes next to grass flats. As the day rolls on, they move onto the flats. When the water is 72 degrees or lower, they usually will bunch up in deeper areas and can make for fabulous fishing. Break out the ultralights and have a ball. They are catch and release until Jan. 1 south of the Anclote River. Handle them with a wet hand, not a fish rag. This will not remove as much slime from the fish and help its chance of survival. For the same reason, don't net it unless you are going to keep it.

I really like to use artificials for trout. Small jigs fished slowly should do the trick. I like natural shrimp colors as well as green and gold.

For chumming, there are many gizmos to sling out there. A toy plastic baseball bat with the end cut off works great! It's a dollar or two well-spent.

- Dave Walker charters out of Tampa. Call (813) 831-0355.

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