One of my favorite things to do is hit Interstate 75 and drive a couple of hours south to The Everglades. I have a number of spots that I fish where I can catch largemouth bass, bluegill and the exotics: oscars and Mayan cichlids.

If you've never caught the exotics on fly, you're missing something that is really fun and exciting. Both species are extremely strong and fast.

Oscars and Mayan cichlids like to hang out around structure. They love fallen trees, root systems, rocks, docks, etc. Key is to cast as close to the structure as possible. When the fish hits, it's your task to get it away from the structure -- if you can. This is where you'll lose a few flies and fish.

Last spring, I took Capt. Mark Phelps, a saltwater charter guide, down to the 'Glades. And I laughed like crazy when he broke off three world-record size oscars in a row. They just tore him up. I said to him, "You don't have any trouble with a 125-pound taron on fly, but these little fish tear you up!"

We usually begin with No. 10 poppers. We'll switch to my Myakka Minnow when the topwater bite slows. It's not time to leave when the topwater bites stalls.

One my favorite places to fish in along Alligator Alley. Three members of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers (http://www.mangrovecoastflyfishers.com/) and myself made the drive last May and we lost count of how many fish we caught. We estimated a conservative 500 fish.

Our rods of choice are 2- to 4-weight rods. The fish aren't leadershy, so I beef up just a little so that you can wrestle them away from the cover.

For those who haven't experienced oscars or Mayan cichclids, I can only describe them as bulllies. They're extremely strong and can put most bass to shame. And their plentiful.

Both species probably entered the system in the 1950s. What likely happened is a south Florida aquarium enthusiast was getting ready for a move and dumped the aquarium fish in the backyard canal or pond. The rest is history.

This is a typical Everglades oscar. The fish, which weighed more than 2 pounds, was caught by Paul Drewry of Michigan.