From mountain streams to Atlantic Ocean reefs, South Carolina offers a tremendous variety of fishing conditions and of species to catch. Such an abundance of opportunities certainly is good for fishermen. However, it can make deciding where to go fishing more complicated.

What follows is a look at great opportunities that exist every month of the year. We offer great choices that may help you make some of your fishing decisions -- or make them harder. Either way, we've tried to pick some options that should help get the wheels turning as you begin to plan your fishing outings for the year.

JANUARY
Crappie: Lake Wateree
It's never too early to begin thinking about crappie fishing on Lake Wateree, a fertile and fairly shallow impoundment that consistently produces fine papermouth fishing. Less fickle than many of their cousins, crappie feed well throughout the seasons. Anglers simply need to consider conditions and fish appropriate patterns.

Through winter, most anglers spend the bulk of their time working the edges of channels -- either the main Wateree River channel or the lower main channels of major creeks. The most popular approach is to troll right along the channel break, putting some baits down in the channel and fishing others over the ledge. Both minnows and jigs have their advocates, and many anglers prefer to mix the offerings.

When strings of sunny days foreshadow spring, crappie will move into surprisingly shallow water to feed. Anglers should explore northern coves, which get a southern exposure and are protected form north wind, and look for concentrations of threadfin shad. Usually, where shad are up on flats under such conditions, the crappie are not far away.

FEBRUARY
Largemouths: Pee Dee River
Coastal rivers don't get quite as cold as do most of South Carolina's other bass waters, and their shallow waters begin warming quickly with the first sunny days of the year. February can be an outstanding time to fish tidal rivers and blackwater flows just upstream of tidal waters. Some of the state's coastal river fishing occurs in the lower reaches of the Great Pee Dee River and its major tributaries.

Upstream of tidal waters, most fish will be in oxbows and other backwaters where slack waters warm slightly faster. Through the river's far lower reaches, the fish will move up and down with the tides, feeding very tight to the banks on high tides and out around channels on low tides. Throughout tidal cycles, the fish will look for ambush points. Jigs and small crankbaits work well for February fishing.

The Pee Dee won't produce many giant largemouths. However, anglers who figure out how the bass relate to current and then find the right bait can enjoy very good action on these waters, with plenty of good-quality bass in the mix.

MARCH
Stripers: Lake Murray
March conditions push a lot of baitfish up onto flats, especially in creeks, and stripers follow the baitfish. Anglers who present live baits in shallow water, often by using planer boards, catch some big stripers this time of year. Not all of Lake Murray's stripers move way up the creeks, though. Anglers catch fish from all over the lake, and from a variety of depths.

The most popular approach during mid-spring is to troll very slowly with live bait. The extra slow pace allows the baitfish to swim around naturally, instead of being dragged, and an angler is able to work a larger area than he could by anchoring. Many anglers add floats to control depths or planer boards either to separate baits or to put offerings in specific places. Others simply put live baitfish on free lines, which they stretch out the back of the boat.

Because stripers move constantly, following schools of shad and herring all over the lake, a good starting point for any angler who hasn't fished Murray in recent days is in the bait shop, asking questions. Just getting a general idea of where the stripers have been hanging out and how they have been behaving can shorten an angler's search dramatically.

APRIL
Whiting: Coastal Piers
Anglers traveling to the coast for vacations can find great fishing off piers this time of year. Whiting, which are great tasting and fun to catch and usually travel in groups, are among the most commonly caught fish this time of year. However, part of the fun of pier-fishing is that an angler never really knows what might latch on when he casts out his line.

A variety of baits, including frozen shrimp and squid and bloodworms, can work well for pier-fishing. A good strategy is to pick up a couple different kinds of bait, based on what folks in the shops recommend, and experiment. Most anglers use two-hook bottom rigs, also available in coastal bait shops, so it's easy to try a couple different types of baits at a time with a single rig.

Pier-fishing is largely a waiting game. Anglers cast out, put their rods down and wait for wiggling rod tips. Typically the wait isn't long, although at times many bites will come from "bait thieves" of some sort that aren't really big enough to catch. At least a few (and often many) whiting and other desirable fish usually show up, making for fun spring fishing with plenty of action.