Dredges, for want of a better description, sort of resemble an umbrella minus the cloth, with either real or rubber fish dangling from the spines. Most have two tiers and carry 12 to 24 natural or soft-plastic baits with one or two trailing down the middle behind the main group. That's about all the hardware any teaser reel, mate or angler can handle weight-wise. Most mates compare pulling in a dredge to wiring a 25-pound block of concrete. So it's best to slow down while bringing them aboard to clean off weeds or stow them out of the way during the heat of battle.

While plastic baits get the nod from most recreational anglers because they are easier to use, many tournament-caliber sailfish crews mix rubber and natural together. The two types complement each other and are not nearly as time-consuming to rig as a dredge sporting only naturals. Rigging one completely natural is a job best reserved for full-time mates. Combo dredges cover all the bases-flash, smell, durability and relatively easy rigging. Something to keep in mind the next time your sailfish tactics aren't producing.

Pulling dredges takes some work to gain the maximum benefits. It's not as easy as simply dropping one into your trolling spread. "Fishing a dredge takes some fine tuning," Capt. Grubbs revealed on Heavy Hitter's bridge. "You've got to adjust the boat's speed and bait spread to get the most out of any dredge." For Grubbs this means backing off the throttles, crawling along at a snail's pace of three to four knots. Any faster and it's hard to keep these teasers in the water, even with the mandatory 2- to 4-pound cigar weight clipped to the front of the spreader to get it down. And as any mate worth his salt will readily tell you, "if it's not underwater, it's not gonna work." Slower speeds are key when pulling these teasers.

Grubbs prefers running the dredge off the right transom corner about five feet below the surface some 5 to 10 yards back depending on the conditions. Captain and mate say positioning the lifelike bait pod is critical to its billfish-raising success. "We want it close, but not obscured by the boat's whitewash. We like it visible," explained Robbie. "The trick is to pull the sails in close so we can see the take and judge the dropback." To get the desired position, Grubbs runs Heavy Hitter's dredge off the outrigger on a teaser reel he controls from the bridge. He connects the dredge to the stout line with a sturdy ball-bearing snap swivel.

Bait position is also paramount when dragging dredges and trolling rigged baits for sails. Grubbs fishes a small "dink" ballyhoo spread tight to the boat, keeping baits within close range of sails rising to the dredge. He staggers right and left flatline baits immediately beyond the dredge and runs the outrigger baits about even, 30 feet or so beyond the flatlines. Sometimes the skipper drops a shotgun bait down the middle, drawing up the rear so to speak, for dolphin and other gamesters. But, as lonely and appetizing as that long bait may seem, it's the flatline baits closer to the teaser that receive the brunt of sailfish strikes. His tactics obviously work. We released seven out of ten sails this October morning. Not as hot a bite as the super sailfish blitz of the two previous days, but still mighty respectable numbers anywhere on the Florida coast.

Down Sizing.

Dredge teasers aren't limited to battlewagon trollers anymore. With a little ingenuity, small-boat anglers can add this handy tool to their fish-raising arsenals. All you need to do is downsize to smaller models that fishermen and friends can handle manually, without elaborate outrigger setups and beefy teaser reels. Many center console trollers prefer four-arm dredges rigged with rubber 'hoo-type fish. The slimmer fish still swim or paddle just fine and offer much less water resistance when it comes to manhandling the teaser. Many also lean toward dredges with 24-inch versus 36-inch bars-again, weight being the major factor.

If you've got a teaser reel on your small boat that can do the dirty work, great. If not, try tying it off to a stern cleat. Since that's the only option on my boat, I cheat a little. Instead of rigging it entirely with heavy mono, I use thicker parachute cord for the main line and finish it with a 5-foot piece of 300-pound mono directly in front of the dredge. Connect mono and parachute cord via heavy-duty ball-bearing swivel. Parachute cord is much easier on the hands, although it's still a good idea to wear gloves when retrieving it, and the swivel eliminates dredge spin, a definite no-no.

Sailfish season's upon us. Why not add dredges to your bag of spindlebeak tricks?

Dredge Shopping

Several companies offer pre-rigged dredges ready to unwrap and drop in your trolling spread. Choose one suited for your needs. You can also forego the plastic and add de-boned mullet to any of these dredges.

1. Calcutta Baits, small umbrella rig Bully, large umbrella rig Bully and double-tier dredges. Price range: $50 to $160. Contact Calcutta Baits, (800) 362-7675; 300 Dunbar Ave., Oldsmar, FL 34677; www.calcuttabaits.com.

2. Tournament Cable, single- and double-tier titanium dredges with choice of Mold Craft Tuff 'Hoos, Calcutta Bullys, Mann's Ultimate 'Hoos or squid baits. Price range, $149 to $249. Contact Tournament Cable, (800) 979-3474; P.O. Box 444, Stone Harbor, NJ 08247; www.tournamentcable.com.

3. Mold Craft Products, 24- or 36-inch four-arm dredges rigged with Mold Craft Tuff 'Hoos. Price range: $110 to $160. Contact Mold Craft Products, Inc., (954) 785-4650; 501 NE 28 Street, Pompano Beach, FL 33064.

Daytona On Fire

Daytona skippers booted this winter's Florida sailfish season into warp drive, with a handful of boats releasing hundreds of sails within 72 memorable hours. Scores were impressive. Heavy Hitter had it alone on Monday, the first day of the blitz, tallying 41 releases with lines in by three. Word of the ballistic bite got around that evening, courtesy of the spindlebeak hotline, and the fleet joined in on Tuesday, the hottest day of the bite. Trinai Dai captured 50. Inlet Magic freed 40, Right Side clocked in with 34, Heavy Hitter scored another 21 and about six other boats finished in the double digits. Everyone lucky enough to be there labeled the bite extraordinary. Pods of spindlebeaks surrounded herring schools brandishing their bills much like rapiers, stunning baits before scarfing up the damage.