On several occasions, and for reasons known only to the specks, nothing was happening around some well-established lights, yet I could hear the intermittent pops of trout striking in the dark surrounding me. Casts with the jigs I normally used were futile in this case.

I finally decided to try a 2-inch weighted popping cork fastened to the leader about 1 1/2 feet above the jig. Using such a rig is a complete waste of time when the specks are feeding where they should be, but when they choose to dine in the dark, the popping cork gets their attention. In this instance it began putting fish in the boat.

Another odd event can also call for different tactics.The appearance of large numbers of very small minnows beneath the lights can change the fishing. The speckled trout gorge themselves on these baitfish, focusing intently on small prey. At this time, conventional saltwater lures just won't do the job.

It's usually best to allow your lure to sink a bit before beginning your retrieve.

This is a time to try smaller crappie jigs. Those can be made of hair or synthetic fibers, or can be plastic grubs. The best of them are around 1 1/2 inches long. Translucent colors with metallic sparkles are usually best.

Since these lures weigh only 1/16 ounce and their No. 6 or 8 wire hooks are easily bent, some unusually light tackle is required to best work them. Rest assured that, sooner or later, you'll hook a fish that will eat you slap up. But without the light gear and tackle, you're unlikely to hook any size of speck.

In these instances I use a light-action 5 1/2-foot rod and matching reel with a capacity for perhaps 100 yards of 8-pound monofilament line. Such a rig can cast a 1/16-ounce crappie jig around 40 feet with relative ease. Just be sure you tip the rig with 3 feet of 16- to 20-pound fluorocarbon for a leader.

Another good option for coping with these conditions is to fly-fish. On still nights, and in water less than 5 or 6 feet deep, that's the best overall light-fishing technique there is.

If you're inclined to try the long rod, I suggest using nothing heavier than an 8-weight outfit with a floating line finished with a clear intermediate-sinking tip. Clouser Minnows in size No. 2 in your favorite color pattern should work. A very lightly weighted and rather sparsely tied size 8 bucktail is another good choice, especially when the tiny baitfish are present.

The fact of the matter is that night-fishing for specks under lights is possibly the best opportunity on the Gulf Coast for a newcomer to fly-fishing to get his or her feet wet.

But no matter your preference in tackle, this action is a great way to catch a bunch of summertime speckled trout.