Key areas include the Cape Romano Shoals, the grasses south of Round Key, the huge grassbeds between Rabbit Key and Pavilion Key as well as the expanse of grassbeds from there to Lostmans River. All of these areas hold fish. Just drift over them until you find the action.

Offshore, March is not as fickle as she is in the backcountry. She still may provide more tease than action when it comes to tarpon, but when you mention kingfish, March produces. This is the height of the spring kingfish run and these maniacs will be schooled up all along the coast, and there is no need to worry about moody feeders. These gluttons eat anything! Spoons, jigs, shrimp, cut sardines, probably an old boot if the shoelace wiggles. All you need to do is find them, a task that is not all too difficult.

Kings will gather wherever there is structure such as wrecks and ledges, but you do not have to be that precise. The kings will also gather over hard-bottom areas in 40 to 50 feet of water, and these huge schools invariably attract quite a fleet of fishermen. If you run straight out of Naples and look for what appears to be a giant boatyard of rambling, circling flybridges and towers, you can bet that you have found the kingfish fleet.

There is no need to crowd in. The schools cover quite an area, and no one minds the company if you keep your distance and politely boat your own limit of kingfish.

Trolling is the easiest method of fishing. Spoons stacked at different depths with planers or downriggers is a given. If you are a bit too lazy for such complicated rigging, anchor, chum heavily, and let the fish come to you. Then, simply float a freelined shrimp or baitfish to them and wait until your reel screams. Fifteen-pound-test line on matching spinning gear is ideal, but be ready for a few reels to burn up, and prepare to change the line after each outing because of the twisting. Still, this is a small price to pay for some of the most exhilarating runs of your life.

Offshore opportunities are not limited to kingfish. Grouper fishing is good and snapper fishing can be great, especially right after the fronts when the water is dirty. March can be one of the best months for cobia, the first permit of the season show up over the wrecks, and as mentioned above, there are tarpon for those who like to be teased.

Best Bet: 10,000 ISLANDS

In the world of fishing and human relations, there is a lot of prestige with regard to size; however, there is often great value in small packages. While many anglers in March are chasing the shadows or hallucinations of tarpon, and others are developing arthritic wrists while attempting to slow the runs of kingfish, I simply prefer the more delicate art of light-tackle snapper.

Snapper are plentiful over the wrecks this month, and with everybody else chasing “Mr. Big,” there is little competition in this arena. Choose a favorite wreck and chum heavily to bring the snapper up. If you are lucky, these tasty little nippers will come all the way to the surface, and you can fish them with no weight; just a small No. 1 hook and a shrimp. If they hang deeper, use a 1⁄8-ounce jighead to bring the bait to them.

Twelve-pound-test line with no leader is the ideal terminal setup. Besides that, all you need is a little skill and touch to feel the bite, and a bit of finesse to land the big ones. You will still break off quite a few fish, and some pesky king mackerel will occasionally cut your line, but by the end of the day you should have a cooler full of brightly colored, good-eating snapper.

FS