I know people — OK, mostly men — who have taken a fishing rod on their honeymoon to Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and other exotic destinations. Now, I like to fish, but that is a recipe for disaster. However, family reunions, business trips and vacations are perfect opportunities for some bonus fishing, especially when you can sneak out for some beach or bank fishing and watch the sunrise.

There are hundreds of destinations that have do-it-yourself and guided beach fishing. Sometimes the beach in front of your hotel can be the feeding lane for bonefish, barracuda, jacks, snook and others. With a rental car, you can expand a morning walk into a half-day or all-day fishing adventure.

Florida
Each year millions of tourists migrate to the Florida seashore. With a little research, an angler will discover a vast network of coastal opportunities. There are state parks in the Keys with bonefish and permit a few yards from sunburned snowbirds and sand castles. There are bridges where night fishing for tarpon can be addictive. There are bays, river mouths and jetties with redfish, sea trout and snook.

An angler who travels with a multi-piece fly or spin rod can rig up and be fishing in minutes. I have caught big bonefish while family members looked for shells, swam or read a favorite novel. I'll be the first to admit that a guided excursion will be more productive most of the time, but if you only have an hour or two, take some simple gear and go for it.

Texas
There are hundreds of miles of wadeable beaches and flats along the Texas coast. Often overlooked by travel agents, the Texas Gulf region is a great value and has a lifetime of shallow-water fishing. Some hotels have fishing piers that can be the happening spot at night, under the lights, for redfish and sea trout.

In the Rockport/Port Aransas/Corpus Christi area, you will find roads and highways that follow the shoreline, offering great access. A pair of wading booties, a little tackle and some tide information are all you need. Besides the fishing piers, there are long rock jetties that reach out past the surf zone and put jack crevalle, mackerel, tarpon and others into casting range. You won't be alone; the locals are out there with fly rods, plug rods and bait outfits. When in Rome ...

Mid-Atlantic And Points North
Other regions with famous beach fishing include the mid-Atlantic coast all the way up to Maine. Here the cooler waters hold bluefish and the renowned striped bass. Beach anglers patrol the surf looking for bait, with the hope of getting a shot at the predators that feed on them.

Around Cape Cod, an active and very traditional sport fishery is thriving. Besides tackle and a pair of waders, a Red Sox hat will help with acquiring some local knowledge. A guide also can really speed up the learning curve.

Washington
Near Seattle, there are beaches covered in mussels, oysters and barnacles. In the water, sea-run cutthroat trout chase small baitfish and often show themselves with splashes on the surface. A six-weight fly rod and floating line is perfect for these beautiful fish.

There are also some coho salmon cruising the beach and occasionally immature chinook salmon, locally called blackmouths, that hit baitfish patterns cast by beach fishermen. The scenery is great, you will have miles of water all to yourself and not far away is the Seattle skyline.

California
Near Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura, Calif., there are world-famous surfing beaches where more and more people surf cast for small halibut, croaker, surf perch and corbina. During meetings in those cities, I have gone fishing during the lunch hour. The water is cool; waders are recommended for fly-fishing.

Hawaii
The locals fish every day on the beaches and rock points in Hawaii. True, boogie boards outnumber fishing rods 100 to 1, but a couple hours of fishing in the early morning is a great way to start the day. Pacific jacks are the most common target.

The Bahamas
In the Bahamas, every out-island has fishing for bonefish, snapper, jacks, barracuda and sometimes baby tarpon. Places like Andros Island, Long Island and Abaco Island are legendary. Bahamian guides are great teachers and several days with them will change your life.

If you have only an hour or two, try a big, shallow flat on an incoming tide. I have also done very well on commercial piers, under the lights. In my youth I would put Zip-Lok bags in my pockets and go into an all-you-can-eat shrimp restaurant and take a few crustaceans with me. Then I'd cut them up and toss them out on a flat by the hotel at night. The next morning, there were tails everywhere. I know people who have caught permit and bonefish in the Bahamas while waiting for their guide to pick them up. There are fish everywhere.

Mexico
In Mexico, Cabo San Lucas started out as an adventurous, obscure fishing destination. Dirt streets have been replaced with high-rise, luxury condos and hotels, but the fishing is still very good.

Years ago, we tortured rental cars on bad roads and deep sand in the pursuit of roosterfish, jacks, sierra mackerel and others. Now, one of my favorite beaches is on the par 4, seventh hole of a famous golf course. Many times people have stopped their game to watch an extremely bent rod do battle with a roosterfish.

The Sea of Cortez has many beach fishing spots. Any beach at any time can go from a peaceful calm scene to a whitewater feeding frenzy as big roosters drive mullet up on the beach, where they wriggle and flip around on the wet sand until the next wave washes them back into the water, where they are hammered by fish weighing 15 to 60 pounds. The erect dorsal fin on a lit-up roosterfish ripping through the surface of the water is one of fishing's greatest moments. There are snook off the beaches in places near Cabo, and also off beaches on the west coast of Costa Rica.

A small fanny pack is often all you need for all your tackle. A small plastic lure box with a few shiny spoons, several Rapala/Rebel-type lures and some medium poppers will cover a lot of bases. For the fly-rodder, a selection of Clouser Minnows, Lefty's Deceivers and a few poppers will do the same. Specific bonefish, tarpon and 'cuda flies are in the Cabela's fly-fishing catalog and also available online at www.cabelas.com. Local flies and lures can be found easily, as well.

Tackle
Tackle for each destination varies to some degree, but many times, rods and reels for bass or steelhead are adequate. Saltwater gear needs to be rinsed off with freshwater after every day of fishing. Specialized warm-water fly lines can come in very handy in the tropics. Knowledge of wire leaders can be helpful where there are barracudas. Wading booties or boots are a must for most beach-fishing spots, as sharp rocks, shells and broken glass can put an end to your fishing plans very quickly.

Saltwater fishing is a gregarious sport and if one or two anglers have some luck on the beach, it is a good bet they won't be fishing alone for long.

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