Polly Dean.

~October~
Bonefish
Florida Keys
Cooling temperatures spark some life into the Keys’ resident bonefish population. Now, instead of hoping to catch the right tide early and late, anglers can just fish the rising tide whenever it occurs, and expect success. Bonefish move shallow to forage on rising water on the ocean side or bayside. But this time of year, savvy anglers spend a lot of their time on the bay flats. Even the smallest hump can hold a few bones.

This is sight-fishing for individual fish, although small schools of bones may show. Fly-rodders and skimmer-jig anglers can score, but a simple shrimp rig is best for the novice.

Spool a 7-foot medium-light action spinning rod with 8-pound monofilament. Forget a leader or weight. Just tie on a short-shanked 1/0 hook. Pull the head from a fresh shrimp, thread the body on the hook, get it in front of a bone, and hang on!

Alternatives: Large schools of redfish turn the water bronze on the Cedar Key flats between Seahorse Key and Deadmans Key.

Anglers trolling jigs or minnow plugs with downriggers in the Egmont Shipping Channel in Tampa Bay run into grouper.

~November~
Bull Redfish
Mayport,
Recent years have seen a world-class fishery for bull redfish of 20 to 60 pounds developing along the First Coast during the fall months. One easy place to tap in is on the St. Johns River upstream from Mayport.

Reds show up with the annual fall mullet run and stay through the winter. Favored hangouts are the rock jetties at Mayport, but they range farther upriver to Blount Island. In the river, they favor deeper 25- to 45-foot holes, especially those along the edge of the main channel.

Jetty fish often hit a variety of live baitfish. But once they enter the river, they seem to prefer a cut, half blue crab to anything else. Stout gear is needed to prevent killing the fish -- these brutes are far over the slot length limit and cannot be kept.

Alternatives: Blackfin tuna and even a few yellows gather at the Bar off Key West, and other structures like the Islamorada Hump.

Trout will shortly be moving into Big Bend rivers for the winter, but many gather this month on the grass flats off Keaton Beach.

~December~
Speckled Perch
Santa Fe Lake
It’s not widely advertised, but Santa Fe Lake produces some of the largest specs in Florida.

Two weighing more than 3 pounds were caught within the last few years, and 1 1/2- to 2-pound fish are relatively common -- the result of deep, stable water and an excellent population of threadfin shad.

Begin targeting specs in 20 to 25 feet of water. Have a spread that puts some baits right on the bottom, others five feet above it, and more at an eight- to 10-foot depth. If you don’t find them, move to 16 feet of water and repeat the process. Once you contact fish, concentrate on that depth.

Minnow-tipped jigs work well, but often a No. 4 gold hook with a single minnow is the best bet.

Alternatives: Large numbers of sailfish are working the color changes between 80 and 200 feet off the coast from Palm Beach to Stuart. Red snapper -- along with a variety of other bottom fish -- are available on the near-shore wrecks from nine to 15 miles off the First Coast.

Find more about Florida fishing and hunting at FloridaGameandFish.com