Tiny, tumbling creeks drain the rugged Appalachian foothills, joining forces to form mountain rivers -- rivers that then take on a Piedmont character after they fall off the Blue Ridge Escarpment. Ever growing in size, rivers tumble over rugged shoals when they cross the Fall Line, where the Piedmont gives way to the Coastal Plain. Through the Coastal Plain, the rivers broaden and slow their courses, running through swamps and eventually tidal marshes. Within the marshes, the streams split into countless fingers. Some open into bays, which are bounded by barrier islands that divide the tidal backwaters from the Atlantic Ocean.

Along the way, South Carolina's streams back up in numerous impoundments that range from pond size to Lake Marion's 110,000 acres and are as varied in character as the stream sections they impound. Not surprisingly, the Palmetto State's fishing opportunities are extraordinarily diverse. With that diversity in mind, we've selected fishing hotspots for every season, looking at all parts of the state, and many different styles of fishing.

JANUARY
Blue Catfish
Santee Cooper
Through the first part of January, the best catfishing action on the Santee Cooper lakes is likely to be within a couple miles of Santee Dam on Lake Marion. Threadfin shad and other baitfish congregate near the dam when winter hits hard, and the cats show up in big numbers for the feast. Anglers commonly drift near the dam, suspending live or cut shad just below the baitfish on tight lines. Action can be intense.

If a really cold snap comes through, the shad may begin dying, triggering an even more furious bite. Shad kills don't happen every winter, but when they do, serious catfishermen want to be at Lake Marion. It's a "now-or-never" thing when it happens, though. Within a week after the shad start dying, most fish will be filled to the gills, and the fishing will go from a feast to a famine overnight.

At the other end of the spectrum, any string of sunny, warm days can push cats shallow, where the water warms just a tiny bit faster. They move onto flats in less than 6 feet of water and relate to stumps, ditches and other subtle features. Local anglers spread several big pieces of cut bait across a flat and wait for the lines to take off. With nowhere to dive, big blues make drag-sizzling runs. The fish will go back down with the first hint of cold weather but will return to the shallows with each series of sunny days.

FEBRUARY
COOPER RIVER
Largemouths
Abundant crawfish, sunfish and various species of shad and herring keep the largemouths very well fed in the Cooper River's short run from the Tailrace Canal to upper reaches of Charleston Harbor. Unlike the coastal streams that lace the South Carolina coast, the Cooper is highly fertile.

Big-fish potential is the Cooper's main attraction. Ten-pound-plus largemouths hardly turn heads among anglers who know the Cooper well, and every year, this broad tidal river yields some absolute monsters. February is prime time to hook a really large fish as the big females fatten up for the spawn and move shallow.

Tidal movements heavily influence fishing patterns along the Cooper. High water draws bass into broken rice fields, where they feast on crawfish. Low tides push them back into the main river, where they pile up in submerged vegetation away from the banks and in the ends of downed trees.

MARCH
LAKE WYLIE
Crappie
Another very fertile waterway, Lake Wylie is a perennial producer of heavyweight crappie. Despite very heavy pressure brought on both by Wylie's reputation and its Charlotte/ Rock Hill location, this lake continues to serve up fine fishing.