OCTOBER
Bass: Nebraska
Walnut Creek, just south of Omaha, provides an excellent late-season bass lake to feed the angler's appetite before the long winter sets in. With so much vegetation to work through during the summer months here, bass anglers are often able to find fish in the usual spots at this time of year, thanks to the lack of pressure and the dying back of summertime's nightmarish green maze. I've always fished a lot of topwater lures at Walnut Creek owing to the grass issues, and have often found fish by using scum frogs, floating plastics and spinnerbaits.

Fish the rocky points and edges of the receding grassbeds before committing to the midlake timber. While fish can be found on this structure, it's often too eye-appealing for its own good. Instead, pay attention to your depth and start by fishing the edges of lake structure. Also, spend time on the rocky levee. Shallow near its edge, it drops off, allowing anglers to slow-roll spinnerbaits or work diving crankbaits into deeper water.

NOVEMBER
Walleyes: South Dakota
At Lake Oahe, walleye fishing is a way of life. With virtually three separate lakes to fish (lower, middle, and upper), anglers can find the exact fish they're looking for on any given day. While walleye fishing peaks during the summer months, this time of the year allows diehards to find fish while others are chasing ringnecks over milo fields.

Fish the lower lake this time of year for big walleyes, advises the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. The amount of fish you can catch increases as you go to the upper end, yet the lower end still provides the best chance at a trophy. Talk with locals and state officials regarding the best areas for walleye angling right before you visit.

DECEMBER
Largemouth Bass: Kansas
Complete your bass fishing this year searching for big fish, and don't worry about slowing down your retrieve quite yet. At La Cygne, where the water stays warm all year long thanks to the associated power plant's warmwater discharge outlet, big bass (and a lot of 'em!) can be found even at this time of year. Fish as you normally would at first -- that is, without slowing down your choices too much. If the fish tell you to show them your lure a bit longer than you usually do, then slow it down.

A ton of riprap and weedbeds means that there still should be action relating to these constant factors. The fishing, no doubt, is best at this time of year. The lengthy growing season of the fish -- a consequence of the warm lake temperature -- makes La Cygne the best bass fishery in the state.

If, however, winter is a more typically frigid affair, slow your retrieve down. I often just switch to reels with a lower gear ratio in order to achieve the exact speed I need, and spend more time in spots instead of quickly buzzing from area to area.

Drop down on lure size, and fish spinnerbaits with pork trailers to leave these lures in the strike zone for quite a while. Continue searching for fish in shallow water until the fish tell you to do otherwise.

La Cygne, at 2,600 acres, has one of the best largemouth populations in the state, and has Kansas's best big-bass population by far. With fish surveyed near 10 pounds just over a year ago, La Cygne appears to offer bass anglers everything they can handle this upcoming year, and now is a great time to start.

SUMMARY
Now your year's complete. You've caught everything from trout in South Dakota and salmon in North Dakota to white bass in Kansas and largemouths in Nebraska.

Whew! I'm worn out! Maybe you are, too. Spend this year planning all those trips you've always wanted to make, and know there are places within the Great Plains that can fill your fishing dreams any month of the year -- regardless of the species.