APRIL
Apple River Smallmouths
This clear Jo Daviess County stream remains the premier smallmouth stream in the entire state. Some of the best action is found on private land, and getting permission is easy if you are respectful.

State park and private campgrounds nearby and warming temperatures make northwest Illinois a terrific destination for the year's first fishing trip. For more information, contact Tri-Lakes Sporting Goods, (815) 369-5520.

Put-And-Take Rainbows
The IDNR stocks rainbow trout at a number of sites around the state in early April offering a profound opportunity to take a kid fishing. Visit the DNR Web site at www.dnr.state.il.us for stocking sites and regulations.

Powerton Smallmouth Bass
Smart money says this northern Illinois cooling lake near Pekin will produce the next state-record bronzeback. Three-pounders are almost a sure thing. A surface temperature gauge to find the warmest water is almost as valuable as sharp hooks on a Bomber A crawdad pattern crankbait.

MAY
Fox Chain Walleyes
The intimidating surface acreage of this natural chain of lakes in northeast Illinois is minimized for those seeking walleyes from mid-April through mid-May. Almost all of the chain's walleyes are holding in water less than 10 feet deep.

Necked-down areas in lakes, like the confluence of Channel and Catherine, are springtime walleye magnets. Petite, Pistakee and Marie lakes also hold good populations of fish.

Greg Dickson understands the movement and habits of these fish more than most anglers who fish there. Dickson can be reached at Triangle Bait Shop, (847) 395-0813.

Rock River Channel Catfish
IDNR spring fisheries surveys indicate many catfish in this north-central Illinois River prefer to hold above snags and deadfalls, in moderate current, above a rocky-rubble bottom. Whiskerfish are waiting within a long cast from more than a dozen boat ramps in Winnebago and Ogle counties.

Decatur Lake Crappies
This 3,093-acre Macon County lake may be the best place in the state to catch a stringer of crappies in early May as fish move toward shore and woody cover to spawn.

JUNE
Evergreen Muskies
This 1,100-acre central Illinois lake has a problem -- muskies keep bothering crappies and crappie anglers. If you've never caught a muskie, odds for success may be shorter here than on any other Illinois fishery.

A county park surrounding this lake north of Bloomington is a super place for a camping/fishing mini-vacation. A 10-horsepower limit is in effect on this water. For more information, contact the site office at (815) 667-4862.

Gillespie Largemouths
The New City Reservoir near this Macoupin County village has one of the greatest and most diverse largemouth bass populations in the state, according to IDNR fisheries surveys. Almost one-third of the bass swimming here are in excess of 3 pounds.

Panther Creek Bluegills
The Jim Edgar complex outside Springfield provides plenty of opportunity to tangle with our state fish, the bluegill. Some specimens may rate a trip to the taxidermist rather than the frying pan.

JULY
Mississippi River Largemouths
Old Man River can be a dangerous place, but those probing backwater areas on both sides of the Mississippi that employ navigational diligence can experience bucketmouth action bordering on the unbelievable.

Be sure a map, cell phone, extra fuel, spare prop, tool kit, first aid kit, food and water are in the boat before you load the fishing gear. After a couple of days on the water here, you'll discover why Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were such fun-loving kids.

For more information, contact the Savanna Area Chamber of Commerce at (815) 273-2722.