If sea conditions allow that to be done with a trolling motor, then good. More often, though, you will need to idle from point to point and set the anchor to hold your positions. That should pose no real problems, since the water around most of the structures in the northern Eugene Island blocks is less than 20 feet deep. In most cases, a scope of "two" is sufficient.

Understand that if you choose to limit your fishing to the downcurrent side of a platform, you may thereby limit your exposure to potentially productive structure. By being a bit more flexible, you can target more consistently productive forms that are often present -- particularly, the point where the "risers" of the individual flow lines (small-diameter pipelines) enter the platform from the seabed. Remember that the more iron concentrated in the water, the better the platform draws and holds specks.

There are a few safety measures you should follow if you decide to work the water around these platforms. First, do not move your boat beneath a platform whose legs are supported by horizontal or near-horizontal beams. Likewise, if wells penetrate the water beneath the platform's deck, then keep out! Work the water beneath such structures from outside their perimeters. And finally, never climb onto a platform! That's private property. If you do, you are trespassing!

While specks holding to offshore platforms are often found in the top half of the water column, they are almost as likely to be near bottom. Therefore, your jigs -- without question the lures of choice for the latter scenario -- must gain and hold that position in order to be effective. On the other hand, one that is too heavy will not dance about in such an appealing manner as one that is a bit lighter.

For most occasions, I prefer a 3/8-ounce head. However, in light to non-existent current, I'll step down to 1/4-ounce sizes, and if the current demands it, I'll go up to 1/2-ounce. If that's not heavy enough, I'll try to find a platform with less current around it -- or one in water that is a bit shallower.

Deep-fishing in current is an exercise with which many of Louisiana's coastal anglers are not altogether experienced. It demands a lot of "feel," since even if your jigs do reach and remain in the strike zone, the current may create a slight belly in your line that masks the specks' tentative strikes.

Here, I have found that a slightly shorter and stiffer rod than most folks generally use for saltwater purposes is best, a 6-foot freshwater "worm rod" being a favorite. While it is a "casting" type, similar spinning sticks are just as good, as proven by Metz and Galloway. And while reel-particulars are not especially important here, the line is.

To put it simply, braids excel! On either type of reel, 8/30 is highly recommended because of its thin diameter, which makes it less resistant to the force of the current, and because of its lack of stretch, which allows you to feel soft, deep strikes. Around 3 feet of 30-pound fluorocarbon should be attached to the braid with a double uni-knot. Use no snaps or swivels in your terminal assembly.