JULY
Channel Catfish
North Dakota
Channel catfish over 30 pounds are caught on a regular basis at the Red River, with fish in the 4- to 8-pound range being very common as well. Find catfish during this month of the year in tributary streams on the Red. Catfish use these areas to spawn; accordingly, anglers might even be able to find weedy patches in these spots where carp are known to spawn.

So what's the connection between cats and carp? Channel cats on the Red love feeding on carp eggs. Anglers can often catch them on a variety of catfish baits merely by working baits slow through the water, much as a bass angler deep-fishes a plastic worm.

AUGUST
Mixed Bag
Kansas
Every year during this time, college football polls come out. Everyone has their different list of teams and players, making many out to be pre-season all-world choices. Using the same type of system, analyzing last year's work and hoping that everything works in the way that I hope it does, Kansas' Sebelius Lake is this year's pre-season numero uno in the Mixed Bag category.

From the southern edges of Kansas to the land of Devils in North Dakota, the region is once again home to a year's worth of fishing that you'll never forget.

There's not a place better at presenting anglers with options. While those fishing here don't manage a lot of big bass, Sebelius can boast being a reservoir at which anglers can manage not just excellent largemouth fishing in regard to numbers but also saugeyes, wipers, channel and flathead catfish, and spotted bass.

But if Sebelius doesn't tickle your fancy, buy a topographical map of Kansas, refer to the state's bonanza of statistical data, and plan out a weekend trip for the game fish of your choice. You can do it without ever driving more than an hour from the point at which you first put your boat in.

SEPTEMBER
Largemouth Bass
Nebraska
If I were to draw you a map of the I-80 lakes and say "Fish this one" or "Fish that one," I'd be doing a negligent job. With sandpits that stretch from North Platte to Lincoln, the I-80 lakes are a small-boat angler's dream and a land angler's heaven.

I'm sure the locals know the names of the lakes and exactly where to go, but you wouldn't be getting the full appreciation of the system if you looked at them from a distance like that. As far as highway-adjacent fishing lakes go, the I-80 lakes are one of the best systems -- maybe the best one -- in the entire country.

Here's how I fish them: quick. I don't wait around to see if a fish is going to strike. I also fish very offensively on these lakes, for I feel that in a day's time I can fish from 10 to 15 lakes without having to drive very far. I'll fish the lakes for no longer than an hour, attempting to draw fish to strike with a collection of lures that stay in a side pouch in my tackle box labeled "I-80." Inside are white spinnerbaits, Baby-1, Zara Spook, and a floating soft plastic.

Your job is to fish quickly without hanging up. It's going to be windy, and you're probably going to want to fish off the bank --so fish fast, fast, fast! Go with the idea that the first lake you see isn't necessarily the one you're going to end up at that day.

OCTOBER
Walleyes
North Dakota
Despite June being prime time for walleyes on Lake Sakakawea, October can also bring worthwhile walleye fishing to the area. (Plus I figure that if you read long enough into the year, you can always go there again as well.)