There is so, so much instructional information out there on sight casting with a fly rod that you might have gotten the impression that doing it with spinning gear is a snap from the get-go. Well, be warned. Just because you can wind up and throw a lure a country mile with your spinning rod doesn't mean you will be Deadly Dan out there on the flats. There are spinfishing skills to learn and master if you are to become a good sight caster.

The vast majority of flats permit are taken with spinning tackle because long casts with natural baits are a snap.

Many anglers new to flats fishing use spinning tackle first. That's often the tackle that they are already comfortable with. And that's a good thing. Just so happens that your good ol' spinner is ideal for the job. Truth is, after it first appeared on the scene in the late '40s, it quickly revolutionized this arena of inshore sportfishing.

Spinning tackle is great for tossing the lightweight lures and natural baits that excel in skinny water. A fast-action 7- to 8-foot spinning rod with a flexible, light tip, that is rated for 6- to 10-pound-test line is a sweet flats stick indeed. Match one up with one of today's top-quality spinning reels and you own an outfit that's a pleasure to use.

Out on the flats, wind is a near-constant on all but the sultriest mid-summer days. Spinning gear is very forgiving in a headwind. With baitcasting (plug) tackle, punching a shrimp or small crab, unweighted soft-plastic bait, or a 1/8-ounce or lighter flats-style jig into a headwind can be tough. If you insist on going at it with plug gear, unless you're very, very good with it, all you'll be punching is a one-way ticket to backlash city.

During my stint as a flats guide in South Florida, many of my charter customers lacked the skill to cast to a moving fish quickly and accurately. Though most could hold a spinning rod correctly (unlike those stone-jawed, Mel Gibson-esque department store male models holding spinning rods with the reels pointed at the sky) they had little experience at casting at moving targets with spin gear. I have seen, and, oh yes, have committed every spinfishing bad habit under the sun. All of which can be avoided from the start. But first, you have to select a proper flats spinning outfit.

Flats fishing for inshore species-perhaps with the exception of adult tarpon-calls for light to medium-light gear. For bonefish, redfish, seatrout, snook, permit, baby tarpon, barracuda, small sharks and all but the biggest stripers, 6- to 10-pound-class spinning tackle is ideal. If limited to one line-test, 8-pound is a happy medium, though many experienced bonefishers lean toward 6-pound for additional casting distance with light baits and maximum spool capacity. Permit-chasers choose 8-pound on the light end, and some consider 10-pound-test line ideal. When you get into 12-pound line, which is suitable for sight casting to tarpon over 50 pounds you need a bigger spinning reel to spool up the 200-plus yards that is the benchmark for the flats.

Almost without exception, a fast-action rod with a light, flexible rodtip is most desirable for sight fishing. It has to flex easily on your back stroke to load (store energy) and flex back to release that energy to propel a light bait or lure with minimal effort. When that redfish or bonefish pops into view 30 feet away, you need to flip your bait out delicately, with a soft landing. A light, flexible tip will help. And if you need to reach out twice as far, that rod will do that, too. There's no place for a pool cue in this game. Figure on a 7-foot rod at the minimum. I prefer 7 1/2-footers, and 8-footers, too, which are becoming the rod of choice for anglers looking for maximum casting distance with light baits and lures, particularly when dealing with boat-wary fish such as big permit, stripers and bonefish.

Enough about the gear-suffice to say it has never been better. Now, let's go fishing. Your buddy back there on the poling platform is working hard, grunting and keeping a watchful eye to help you succeed, so pay attention. Foul up, and you may get goosed with the pointed end of that pushpole.

Since you need to get the goods to a fish quickly, you must keep your bail open while searching. The length of line (drop length) between rodtip and lure depends on what you're used to, but figure on 8 to 12 inches to be about right, allowing the longest length for the lightest lures or baits.

Drop you lure on a dime by cupping the reel spool with your crank hand.

Many beginners mistakenly clinch their line tightly around the rod foregrip with their forefinger. Rather, the line should rest on the tip of your forefinger, which should not touch the rod at all. If you've ever performed the "concussion cast," in which lure or bait slaps the water way short of the target, as in, say, five feet from the boat, you probably didn't get your finger off the line smoothly, or soon enough. When I was a kid, if I did this, Dad would chuckle, "What are you trying to do, son, knock the fish out?" On the flip side, should you release your finger too soon during your delivery, you will execute the always lovely "rainbow" cast. A rainbow cast usually gets the same laughs as the concussion cast from all those aboard, and you'll really have them rolling on the deck if the lure lands in the boat. And the higher the trajectory of your rainbow cast, the greater the chance your fellow anglers will make the whistling sound of a bomb falling from an airplane. Fish are normally totally safe when you perform either cast. So there is simply a matter of forefinger timing here.

After some practice, you'll get it right, getting the proper flight trajectory more times than not, though a big fish waving a tail seductively can make even an old hand choke up on the cast from time to time. Yep, even with spinning gear.

When it comes to dialing in on the distance, don't just apply the power on the forestroke and then hope for the best. Better to overpower the cast a bit, then slow the lure down during the flight so that it lands where you want it to. That way, you can stop it on a dime. But let's be happy to drop it in a circle the size of a garbage can lid at first. The trick is to keep your eyes on the fish-actually on the spot where you want to put your lure-and on the lure's progress in the air. Don't worry-in time this will become second nature. How much time it takes depends on how often you get out there and do it.