JULY
Tarpon: New Port Richey
Big tarpon get all the press, but "baby" tarpon from 5 to 50 pounds are more fun to catch. The New Port Richey area is a great place for finding these juvenile jumpers.

The maze of manmade canals in this locale hosts an impressive population of juvenile tarpon throughout the year, but warmer-weather periods are when they bite best. Boost your chances of connecting by hitting the canals on a low tide with dim light. Early and late in the day you see the most activity, but action can last throughout the day if it is heavily overcast.

Spot rolling fish first and then chum the area with live greenies to fire them up. Then toss out a greenie on a hook and hang on. If you don't have live bait, try casting to rolling fish with topwater plugs or jigs with plastic trailers.

Alternatives: The tangle of tidal creeks in the St. Augustine area can be loaded up with eating-sized flounder this month. Jigs and live mud minnows are top bait and lure choices.

Anglers in the Destin area find a wealth of king mackerel working the offshore waters, and trolling can provoke strikes.

AUGUST
Tarpon: St. Augustine
Some of the biggest tarpon in Florida are found this month within three miles of the St. Augustine Inlet. Fish in the 200-pound class were caught in 2003 and 2004. Tarpon weighing 150 pounds are common, and they are within the reach of small center-console boats.

The fish are following shrimp boats and feeding off the discarded by-catch. The standard procedure is to obtain chum from a shrimp boat, scoop up their by-catch from the water or cast-net 50 pounds of pogies, then set up your own chum line and bring the silver kings to you.

It's simple if you know how, and difficult if you don't. Capt. Dennis Goldstein is one of the best at this game and can be reached for charters at (904) 501-8898.

Alternatives: Big snook are ganging up at the Lake Worth spillway when the water is entering the lagoon. Either live bait or artificial lures can score.

Peacock bass are at their most active in the canals in the Miami/Dade County area.

SEPTEMBER
Bonefish: Islamorada
This may seem like a strange month to visit the Keys, but if a trophy bonefish is your goal it can be one of the best. Even better, you don't have to travel too far from Islamorada to find one.

Look for big bones to be moving up onto bayside flats on a rising tide. The best tides are those occurring early and late in the day, but some midday movement can occur.

This is classic sight-fishing -- spot the fish and present a bait. A shrimp-tipped spade jig can work well, as can a precisely cast fly. Many local guides prefer to pinch the head off a live shrimp and thread it onto a 1/0 Sproat hook without additional weight. All these baits work, if the cast is accurate.

Alternatives: Cedar Key redfish are gathered in large schools inside Seahorse Key on a rising tide, and they run big. They eat almost any lure you get in front of them.

Look for schooling sunshine bass on offshore sandbars in Lake Seminole this month. Spoons, jigs and lipless crankbaits are top lures.