Polly Dean.

~July~
Permit
South Biscayne Bay
Permit are roaming the hard-bottomed flats bathed by the ocean side waters from Soldier Key south to Ocean Reef. Though it gets blistering hot, permit don’t mind the heat. They can be caught as they cruise the flats throughout the day.

This is sight-fishing at its finest, and polarized glasses are a must. Spot the fish, make the cast, and pray for the best. Those favoring flies or skimmer jigs take some fish. But if success is mandated, a small silver dollar-sized blue crab hooked in the corner of the shell on a straight-shank 1/0 to 2/0 hook is hard to beat.

Fish this on a 7-foot medium action rod spooled with 8- to 10-pound monofilament, and don’t worry about a weight or leader.

Alternatives: Snook are roaming the Gordon Pass area at the mouth of Naples Bay. Lures work early and late, but live bait is best at midday.

Some of the biggest bluegill in Florida are nestled in beds of lily pads in Leon County’s Lake Iamonia. They hit crickets, worms or popping bugs early and late in the day.

~August~
Tarpon
St. Augustine
Schools of migrating tarpon find the near-shore waters just off St. Augustine’s beaches a convenient place to spend the summer, as they feed on pods of pogies and by-catch from shrimp boats. They can be huge. In recent years, at least one fish over 200 pounds was caught and released.

Most tarpon are caught in 25 to 50 feet of water, using 50-pound tackle, and within a mile of the beach --quite accessible to smaller boats.

The procedure is rather ritualized. Chum is first collected from shrimp boats, or cast-netted from pogy pods. Establish a chum line to draw the fish, and float baits within it.

Those trying it for the first time are advised to hire an experienced guide. Capt. Dennis Goldstein is a good choice. Call him at (904) 810-2455.

Alternatives: This month, tripletails running to more than 20 pounds -- a 25-pounder was caught in the summer of 2007 -- are snuggled up to channel markers, crab floats, and other manmade objects on incoming tides at the Cedar Key area.

Bull reds gather in the cuts running through and around St. George Island in Apalachicola Bay. Cut crab baits on an outgoing tide are your best bet.

~September~
Snook
Marco Island
Look for bruiser snook to be cruising the beaches around Marco Island. Massive schools of baitfish, including shiners, thread herring and sardines, are running the beaches, and the snook are right behind them. The morning bite is normally the best, but action can continue all day.

The procedure is simple: Walk the beach and spot the fish before casting to them. Or fish near pods of bait. Beach regulars often pull a cart with an aerator bucket to hold bait they have cast-netted, but artificial lures also work.

Pearl-white plastic-tail jigs are a top choice. But if the light levels are low, a big surface bait can be deadly.

Alternatives: Wahoos are following bonito schools off the coast from Palm Beach to Miami.

Trollers who catch a few bonito and turn them into bait are scoring on 50- to 80-pound ‘hoos.

Tarpon are still running the pass at Boca Grande, but the hordes of anglers pursuing them have thinned out considerably.