You'll have a tough time choosing between saltwater and freshwater fishing in Coastal Florida. The state's 2,276 miles of tidal coastline along the Intracoastal Waterway provide clusters of mangroves where you can drop a line for snapper, sheepshead, sand perch, and grunts. The influent of the Gulf Stream a few miles offshore gives you a chance to hook blue and white marlin, dolphinfish, black-fin tuna, barracuda, amberjack, wahoo, king and Spanish mackerel, and the most popular of all, sailfish, from spring until fall. Tarpon and king mackerel stay close to shore following the shrimp boats. And big game fish gather around offshore oilrigs and artificial reefs.

No one species of saltwater fish brings on more acute attacks of fishing fever than the tarpon, silver king of Florida game fish. The tarpon leap from mid-May until August. In fact, most fishermen go after them to experience their balletic leaps from the water as they struggle to get away, then toss them back when the battle is over. All the major Florida ports have excellent fleets of sleek charter boats carrying as many as six anglers and making half- and full-day fishing trips. You'll pay $200 and up for a six-hour run. Though some provide snacks and drinks, you most likely will have to bring your own. Some of Coastal Florida's great fishing areas include:

Alligator Alley: The canal paralleling Route 84 between Naples and Fort Lauderdale has loads of bluegills and bass.

Boca Grande Pass: Famous for tarpon from March through October, but best in June.

De Soto Canyon: Also known as Billfish Alley, this offshore depression near Pensacola parallels the coast for 100 miles and is known for its abundance of tuna, sailfish, white and blue marlin, and swordfish.

Destin: Has the state's largest fishing fleet of 100 charters and party boats going after grouper, pompano, king mackerel, and sailfish.

Ten Thousand Islands: A mangrove wilderness of coves and creeks stretching 60 miles along the Gulf Coast below Marco Island, noted for its snook.

The Florida Keys: Islamorada, Marathon, and Key West are the three main centers for bonefish and tarpon.

Rivers emptying into the waters of the Gulf and the Atlantic offer excellent freshwater fishing. Bridges and piers also offer good vantage points for hooking trout, snook, redfish, and sheepshead. Along many of these, you'll find fishing camps where you can rent a boat and buy bait and tackle. You can catch bluegills, shellcrack-ers, stumprockers, and crappie using cane poles baited with worms, crickets, or minnows, as well as light spinning tackle or a fly rod baited with flies. Coastal Florida also has generous bag limits for freshwater fish.