Summer feeding patterns also favor live baits. As shallow Gulf water starts to warm, inshore gags begin to slow down. As the water warms through August, the fish become lethargic. So before casting into a patch, pitch out a handful of crippled live baits to get the fish in the hole excited. Remember, in eight to 15 feet of water, a grouper will blast a surface bait much like a snook and it pays to stimulate their feeding instincts. This teasing will reduce your chances of catching fish on frozen or cut fresh baits, but you shouldn't plan on staying long at any hole that doesn't produce an immediate strike from live bait.

Shallow-water grouper aren't all that big, usually between 20 and 30 inches with an occasional 12-pounder hitting the deck--Bradley's best of 17 years of fishing the Hernando County waters is a 20-pounder. But don't think that just because you don't have to drag a Volkswagen-size grouper out of a hundred feet of water that you can step down your grouper tackle to 12-pound test. That would be real sporting of you, but be prepared to lose many of your fish to cutoffs in the tangled mess of limerock and coral.

With a broad powerful tail and streamlining meant for speed, gags are notorious for dashing out from under a ledge to crunch a bait then turning a blurred about-face back to his hole. In deepwater grouper fishing, it's a groaning fight to get him away from that hole, but once you do that, there is little chance of a cutoff on the remaining haul to the surface.

But a shallow-water bite comes with perhaps 30 feet of line out in 10 feet of water and the fish is fighting to stay on a bottom that is well within reach all across that distance. He might pass by several holes or rocks on his way to the boat and be only a foot or two above safety. From a different perspective, imagine wrestling a grouper out of 60 feet of water with a vertical wall of coral-encrusted bramble within 10 feet of the fish.

There may be an even greater need for heavy tackle in this shallow water, so instead of downsizing, I recommend you stay with the 50-pound test, 3/0 stuff you usually use farther offshore. You'll get more fish to the boat and leave less mono on this snarly bottom. Five feet of 100-pound leader ending in a 3/0 hook should take care of terminal business.

Instead of a slip sinker rig, Bradley recommends a swivel sinker--the ones with a barrel swivel protruding from each end of the lead. Two problems led him to abandon the standard slip sinker rig when shallow-water gag fishing: Big summer sardines and pinfish can easily pull several feet of line through a slip sinker swivel and have more opportunity to swim the leader and line into the tangled bottom. And perhaps most importantly, the bait can swim slack into the line between itself and the sinker and you can't feel the grouper until he's already into the rocks.

With a swivel sinker, the bait is only allowed the freedom of the leader. Hook the bait in the center of the belly, which causes it to swim in a tight upward circle creating lots of flash and action. One or two ounces of weight is all you'll need to maintain castability with a medium action, soft-tip livebait rod.

For summertime west coast gag grouper fishing, you don't always have to jockey for position at one of those secret loran numbers listed in every fisherman's black book. Just get up on plane north of Port Richey and head for Suwannee--the gags are there, just keep an eye open for sandy dishpans. FS

Boat Ramps of Hernando and Citrus Counties

CITRUS COUNTY Crystal River -- Fort Island Gulf Beach--from U.S. 19, turn W onto W. Fort Island Trail, 8.9 miles. -- Fort Island Trail Park--From U.S. 19, turn west onto W. Ft. Island Trail, 5 miles. -- Pete's Pier--From U.S. 19, turn W onto S.E. King's Bay Drive. Go south to S.W. 1 Place, turn right. -- Knox Bait House--Downtown Crystal River, across from fire department on U.S. 19. -- Plantation Inn Marina--From U.S. 19, turn east of Ft. Island Trail. Ozello -- Ozello Community Park--From U.S. 19, turn west onto N. Ozello Trail to end. Turn right on W. Sand dollar. Homosassa -- MacRae's--5300 S. Cherokee Way. From U.S. 19, turn west onto W. Yulee Rd, 3.2 miles to Cherokee Way. -- Mason Creek--From U.S. 19, turn west onto W. Yulee Rd., go 3.2 miles, turn on Mason Creek Rd. to end. Inglis -- Cross Fla. Canal--From U.S. 19, on the south side of bridge, turn onto access road and go 2 miles. -- Chassahowitzka River--From U.S. 19, turn west onto Miss Maggie. Drive 1.8 miles.

HERNANDO COUNTY -- Hernando Beach Marina--From U.S. 19, turn west onto SR 595 (Osowaw Rd.) and go to Shoaline Blvd. Turn north to Calienta St. left to ramp. -- Bayport Boat ramp--From U.S. 19, turn west onto SR 50, follow to end.