Driven by migratory instincts, tarpon show up in more places than you realize.

The sun's fiery circumference was spreading over the horizon as I eased into position. It had been a few weeks short of a year since I'd watched the glistening backs of tarpon break the surface as fish took turns gulping air. I was immersed in the memory, when I spotted the first school of the new season coming toward me. The fish milled leisurely, rolling languidly, and I could hear them blow in the still morning air as they moved across the shallows.

I watched them, and when they were within range I dropped a purple-and-black streamer 10 feet ahead of the school. Though it wasn't more than a few seconds, I fought to steady my shaking knees as the fly sank and the fish closed on it. Then, slow, short strips caught the eye of a lead fish. My stripping was interrupted by a light tap, then heavy resistance. I struck hard, and my first silver king of the new season went airborne.

That scenario took place in Biscayne Bay just as the southbound migration got underway this year. It's also a scene that has been repeated every year in the Keys, for decades.

But wait--before those of you who don't live near these fabled tarpon grounds grab your fly rods and head south, you should know that there is excellent tarpon fishing found close to you--no matter where you live.

Fly anglers off both Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida have for years been catching poons, even hundreds of miles from the Keys. And every year, more and more areas are discovered that provide excellent fly fishing for tarpon.

Boca Grande Pass and Homosassa, of course, are also legendary hotspots. But why compete with bait-soaking mega yachts and TV stars when there's fishing that can be just as rewarding--and certainly less stressful--in your own backyard?

Most tarpon encounters around the state will differ a bit from those in the shallows of Dade and Monroe counties, but fly anglers willing to do a little exploring and adjust tactics can easily tap into some terrific fly fishing.

In Northwest Florida, for instance, tarpon are regular visitors to the flats off St. Marks and the shallows around St. George Island. For some outrageous action, fly rodders hit Mud Cove in the Alligator Peninsula, where the fish show up in droves to feed on shrimp and menhaden. In June, when the baitfish are most abundant, tarpon from 40 to over 100 pounds can often be spotted tearing into schools of menhaden, particularly during an early morning high tide.

When you find these conditions, a baitfish imitation, such as a weighted Lefty's Deceiver, MirrOlure fly or even a slider in green-and-white, can bring explosive results.

From the Big Bend through the southwest, some of the best fly rodding for tarpon takes place along the beaches and deep, outside grassflats. Numerous productive spots lie from Anna Maria Island down to Marco Island and, unlike the more famous passes, it is still quite possible to find more tarpon than fishing boats along this stretch of coastline.

A few areas like Passage Key at Tampa Bay's southwestern end, Bean Point off the west tip of Anna Maria Island, and Charlotte Harbor's Johnson Shoals, offer fly anglers a shallow-water environment reminiscent of the Keys. Tarpon here are stalked by staking out or poling.

But, there also are many other west coast areas, like Longboat, Siesta and Casey Keys, Sarasota's Point of Rocks, Casperson, Manasota, Cayo Costa, Sanibel Island, Bonita, Estero Island, Naples, Marco, Keewaydin, Kive and Cape Romano islands, where the best fly rodding for tarpon takes place along the beaches and over deep grassflats, as anglers idle slowly along the shore in 10 to 20 feet of water, looking for signs of fish.

When they spot a school they switch from outboards to quieter electric power to position their boats in the path of the school, and let the fish come to them. Because the fish travel deeper here than in other parts of the coast, anglers count on calm water to locate the tarpon, thus early mornings, when breezes are gentler and boat traffic is light, often produce the best action.

From the Ten Thousand Islands to Cape Sable, tarpon fishing varies a bit. Some schools of silver kings will still run the beaches, but others will travel across grassflats and even temporarily move in and out of rivers and bays. Here, as in the Keys, tides have a stronger influence on the movement path of fish. It's critical to understand the tides if you are to score on tarpon here.

High falling water, for instance, can send fish inside rivers and creeks, or push them to travel right along the inshore edge of outside grassflats, where baitfish and crustaceans washed out by the tide will be most abundant. A low incoming tide will often congregate fish outside the mouth of the same rivers and creeks, or drive them out to the deeper edges of the flats. In addition, it is also possible to find laid-up fish in protected coves, mangrove shorelines, depressions surrounding oyster bars or even in spots inside rivers and creeks where submerged structure slows the current.

Opportunities for fly anglers in this region are diverse, and while places like Round, Indian, Rabbit and Pavilion keys, Highland Beach, the Broad and Harney Rivers, and Ponce de Leon Bay will all host their share of silver kings, the area is too large and complex to pinpoint where the fish will be at any given tide. Be alert to the geography, and try to think like a traveling tarpon.

From Flamingo to Key West, fly enthusiasts will find the classic tarpon flats fishing. This vast region is full of flats, banks and channels where tarpon can be targeted by either poling or by staking out at strategic points along travel routes. Ideally, the average water depth is four to eight feet, but the fish may at times cruise flats only a couple of feet deep, or travel through the deep channels that bisect the flats or separate mangrove islands.

Very fond of running along seams and borders, tarpon love to follow ledges parallel to shorelines where the bottom drops slightly, as well as edges that divide grassy areas from sand strips. And as it happens with tarpon on the west coast, tide changes will push the fish closer in or farther off the shallows to depths where they feel more comfortable. As was the case with the Ten Thousand Islands region, good tarpon spots in this extensive area are far too numerous to list in full, but surely those who pursue tarpon with a fly rod are familiar with names like Buchanan, Oxfoot and Ninemile banks, Sandy Key Basin, the Contents and Sawyer Key, Johnston Key Channel, Snipe Point, Boca Grande, Man and Woman Keys, and the Marquesas, all on the west side of the Keys.

Of course, the east side of the Keys has many excellent spots, too. Headed back up to Biscayne Bay, anglers will run into favorite tarpon stops like Boca Chica, Pelican and Sugarloaf keys, Loggerhead Key, Coupon Bight and Bahia Honda, Long Key and Tavernier, El Radabob and Rattlesnake, Elliott and the Ragged Keys.