• Surf Fishingfishing image by Du??an Zidar from Fotolia.com
  
  Few sports can match the excitement of hooking into a giant ocean predator like a blue marlin or bluefin tuna. These saltwater giants tend to follow their prey so the hot spots where they congregate are usually along migratory routes. They also prefer places that have thriving reefs and lots of underwater structure. Having good skills and the right gear is always important but you won't catch fish unless you go where they are.
  
  

Oregon Inlet, North Carolina

• North Carolina's Outer Banks has some of America's best saltwater fishing and the Oregon Inlet is at the heart of its annual tuna run. Peak season is from June through September and fish congregate in the northeast portion of the inlet and along the fathom curve that makes up the continental shelf edge of the Outer Banks. The gulf stream is about 35 miles from shore and migrating fish are also attracted to its warm waters. You won't break records in the Oregon Inlet, but there are plenty of 100 to 200 pound tuna to make your trip worthwhile. Charter captain Tony Tillett says a typical outing produces five to 15 bluefins.
  
  

Key West, Florida

• Key West is America's southern most city and it's also among the country's top saltwater fishing destinations. The beautiful reefs of the Florida Keys are home to an incredible variety of saltwater fish. You'll find lots of smaller fish during the spring months of April and May but the big ones show up in October and November. Your best bet is to fish areas of the reef where there are fissures in the wall. Bait fish pile up in these locations and predators are attracted to them. Permit, bonefish and tarpon are plentiful in the waters of Key West and the tarpon grow to over 200 pounds. Now that's a catch you won't forget.
  
  

Langara Island, Canada

• Canada has a well-deserved reputation for great fishing and Langara Island is a local legend. It's farther north than other islands in the Queen Charlotte chain and that makes it the first land migrating salmon come to when they leave their Arctic feeding grounds. This advantage and the abundant schools of anchovies, herring and sandlance that live against the island's rock cliffs make Langara an angler's dream. In a single day commercial fisherman have caught large numbers of trophy sized chinook that weighed over 40 pounds. The chinook salmon migration is from June through August and fish weighing 50 and even 60 pounds are caught almost daily during this time. When the chinook run ends a coho salmon run begins and it lasts from August to September. The coho average 15 pounds but it's not unusual to catch one that weighs 20. Although Langara is in a remote wilderness location, its red hot salmon fishing is worth the trip.