Look for the bass to be within 60 feet of the actual shoreline in mixed vegetation during the morning and evening hours. Spinnerbaits and soft-plastic jerkbaits are top choices, but Lochloosa bass also show a decided preference for plastic worms in the 8- to 10-inch range.

During midday, flip any surface matted cover you can find in areas where bass have been located earlier. Midday flipping often produces the largest bass.

Alternatives: Bass on Lake Rousseau are seeking shallow grass and wood-laden flats along main channel edges. Lipless crankbaits and hard plastic jerkbaits are top choices for finding fish, while soft plastic worms and lizards handle those on the beds.

Speckled perch are fired up in the Lake Woodruff section of the St. Johns River near DeLand, and fish in the 2 1/2-pound range are not uncommon.

APRIL
Seatrout:
Jacksonville
Warming waters put big trout on the prowl this month, and there's no better time for northeast Florida anglers to bag a 'gator trout than around the region's largest city.

Look for big trout to be roaming the edges of Spartina grass or man-made bulkheads, seeking baitfish on a rising tide. Early morning is an excellent time for noisy topwater plugs, although jerkbaits are a better bet if trout consistently smash, but don't take, the surface baits.

On a falling tide, look for trout to gather around the mouths of the area's numerous feeder creeks, especially those bordering a deeper channel. Hard baits can still be deadly, but 4- and 5-inch plastic grubs or sinking plugs can often be more effective for trout holding on a channel drop.

Alternatives: Cobia are following the rising tide onto the shallow flats in the Homosassa area and can be sight-fished with jigs.

Stick Marsh bass have finished their spawn and are ready to eat. Look for big fish, using topwater plugs or large plastic worms around shoreline timber during the morning and evening hours.

MAY
Seatrout:
Fort Pierce
The current world-record seatrout of 17.7 pounds fell victim to a noisy topwater plug worked along a mangrove shoreline in Fort Pierce in May, during the morning hours Anglers looking for a shot at some of the largest trout in Florida would do well to emulate that game plan.

Experienced anglers will concentrate their effort along those mangrove edges located relatively close to some of the deeper water in the area; and the closer to a main or secondary channel, the better. Early and late in the day are peak times, but overcast weather can produce all day.

Aggressive topwater plugs are a top choice for trophy trout, but savvy anglers keep a second rod close at hand, rigged with a jerkbait or an unweighted fluke or large grub. Should a big trout miss the surface bait, it often takes the subsurface lure if it arrives into the boil quickly.

Alternatives: Big king mackerel are roaming the nearshore reefs off the coast of Panama City.

Bass on Talquin have largely finished their spawn and start to gather on the main-lake points outside the creek arms and coves.

JUNE
King Mackerel:
St. Augustine
June of 2005 saw a phenomenal fishery for schoolie-sized kings on the near-shore wrecks and reefs off the First Coast. Limits of 10- to 20-pound fish were the rule rather than the exception for anglers venturing 9 to 15 miles offshore.