Wisconsin is blessed with two Great Lakes, thousands of miles of rivers, streams and flowages, myriad lakes and countless ponds. You are never more than 30 minutes away from a fishin' hole from pretty much any point within the state. Following is our annual report on how, when and where your time on the water can be spent with the highest expectations for angling fun and success.

Hit the Mississippi River this October for a chance to boat some bruiser bronzebacks. Run-and-gun to find concentrated smallmouth bass. Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

JANUARY
Lake Onalaska Pike
This sprawling flowage just north of LaCrosse has a diverse forage base of panfish to feed a healthy northern pike population, with some of these toothers measuring up to 40 inches.

Pike seldom venture far from this forage base, which is hiding in remaining green weeds right now. Tip-ups baited with big shiners, dead smelt or -- better yet -- small bluegills are the most productive.

Green Bay Walleyes
Dawn and dusk are the best times to find active walleyes on shallow reefs using a jig stick with a No. 3-7 Jigging Rapala. Chartreuse and orange/gold baits work best in the southern bay; chrome/blue is the best color farther north. Chequamegon Bay Lakers

Snowmobiles, radios and power augers are part of the plan on this run-and-gun bite on this southern wing of Lake Superior. A GPS is as important as a stout spinning rod with 10-pound fluorocarbon.

FEBRUARY
Big Green Lakers
Our deepest inland lake has a healthy population of 3- to 10-pound lake trout, which love to dine on a heavy Swedish Pimple. A small float is key to effective presentation. Because fish are suspended in deep water, the float is pegged to allow the lure to hover in front of fish 50-80 feet deep. Jig the bait a couple times every five minutes. Oak Creek Brownies

Pay close attention to wind direction before launching your boat for the three mile run to this warmwater discharge. This is a trolling bite with small stick baits set 40 feet behind planer boards.

Koshkonong Walleyes
Target waters at least 5 feet deep with a minnow set about 3 feet down under a tip-up. Cover the hole to minimize light penetration.

MARCH
Lower Wisconsin River Saugers
The tailwaters of both the Dells and Sac dams and the river above Lake Wisconsin hold a great population of saugers at this time of the year. Fish tend to be depth-sensitive, especially right below the dams. Catch one at 19 feet and that will likely be the productive depth for active fish a half-mile away.

A favorite tactic is dragging a three-way rig with a half-ounce bullet sinker above the swivel.

Tributary Steelhead
Steelies stage just offshore in Lake Michigan waiting for spring runoff to tell them it's time to move inland. Fishing is usually best two or three days after major snowmelt or a rain event occurs. Spawn sacs and small spoons fished in deeper holes are generally effective.

DuBay Crappies
Target woody structure on the bottom off main lake points with jigging sticks and tip-downs baited with small minnows. Depth is critical. Fish sometimes suspend just off the bottom and sometimes just below the ice, where they can't be picked up by electronics.