Anglers should work the shale banks along the White River and the dropoffs leading to the river. Concentrate on Crow Creek north of Chamberlain by working off channel breaks and flats. One last thing: Because Francis Case is ordinarily a shallow reservoir, move to the deeper Lake Sharpe as the summer draws on. Search for walleyes there on edges near dropoffs and tree stumps.

The last spot on the list takes us to mighty Lake Oahe, whose anglers can expect the typical fish to range from 2 to 5 pounds. The good bite starts the last two weeks in May and runs through the prime months of June and July. During the post-spawn period, concentrate on Whitlock's Bay. As the summer goes on, fish move toward Bush's Landing, Sutton's Bay and the Cheyenne River.

"Fish a variety of depths," advised Oahe fishing guide Andre Adams, who primarily uses live-bait techniques including bottom-bouncing with crawlers and minnows.

At Oahe, fish can be found off the mouths of bays; by July, look for walleye in 20 to 30 feet of water near humps and changing depths. If it's bright outside, go deeper; if it's more overcast, work shallower.

As far as lure colors are concerned, the primary forage fish are shad and flathead minnows, which spawn in the spring and in August on the lake. Follow these balls of fish during the summer to find 'eyes.

"I expect a repeat of the 2006 year," said Adams, "I fished all but three days in June last year, and the average fish were between 18 and 25 inches. We had our limits by noon each day."

Limits by noon. Not a bad way to start -- or to finish -- the day, is it?

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What anglers have available to them in this article is a roster of some of the best hotspots in the Great Plains, on which appears an unparalleled variety of types of water to fish. It's never my desire to tell about the same type of fishing over a number of lakes, and this list certainly avoids that pitfall. From fishing creeks and weedbeds to dropoffs and edges, walleye chasers have a very good list of fishing locations at which to start their walleye fishing this year.

And start they should, for right now they're missing out on fish somewhere. They really needn't worry, though. There are plenty of walleyes to go around -- all year long!

Find more about Great Plains fishing and hunting at: GreatPlainsGameandFish.com