The presence of hard bottom near a bridge or dock is another indicator of good snook habitat. The presence of bait is directly related to structures like ledges, oyster bars and seawalls. These areas attract the bait that lures the fish. The type of light on the dock can also influence the action. Lights that sit low to the water seem to have a more distinctive shadow line, an area where feeding fish concentrate. Grassett also finds the new underwater lights are good fish attractors. In both cases the fish seem to hang on the dark edges of the shadow lines.

Since most of the snook caught around structure are in the 18- to 27-inch range, Grassett uses a seven- or eight-weight outfit with either a floating or intermediate line for his early morning trips. His leaders are tied tapered with fluorocarbon line and measure about 10 feet long. A 30-pound bite tippet is tied to the flies with a non-slip mono loop knot. His spinning tackle is light action in the six- to eight-pound range.

Flies for snook under the lights are picked by "matching the hatch," which in most cases means small shrimp or baitfish patterns. He has developed a small white fly that he calls the Grass Minnow. When he fishes the flats early, he prefers baitfish patterns like the Lefty’s Deceiver, Clousers and Puglisi baitfish patterns. These flies simulate pilchards, which make up a large portion of the summer forage. Small jigs as well as live baits are also an option, but the red tide will often kill bait in areas where the fish are active. Smaller is better here, often requiring light spinners to cast the smaller more effective artificial lures like the DOA Tiny TerrorEyz.

Red tide concentrates fish in certain spots so you might have to explore for the best areas. Often, lights devoid of fish can be only a short distance from others that have large concentrations of snook. That’s how fickle the red tide can be. Early mornings before daylight have been better than the late evenings. Early, pre-dawn treks allow Grassett to take advantage of the coolest time of the day, and he can usually avoid those pesky late evening thunder storms. Grassett has been spending more time closer to Sarasota during the latest outbreak because it allows him the option of fishing the flats after dawn. He has been finding good action under lights on the mainland and Siesta Key.

Fishing the "doldrums" has always been challenging, but the red tide is requiring some sacrifices from local anglers. Getting less sleep is one of those sacrifices that have been yielding hot action in the face of what some see as insurmountable odds.