There are places in North America that offer excellent fishing for a limited number of species of fish. Missouri isn't one of them.

To the contrary, the Show Me State is bursting with excellent fishing for a number of species, which -- while technically not infinite -- is more than enough to give new meaning to the term "variety."

That said, catching certain species of fish is easier -- or at least less difficult -- in specific places at specific times. Missouri's 2010 Fish Calendar has been designed to illustrate some of the state's best bets on a month-by-month basis. Even so, it's far from definitive. It's not guaranteed either. How could it be in a state where there is no such thing as "normal" weather?

JANUARY
Brown Trout: Lake Taneycomo
There's a lot of good brown trout water in Missouri, but none of it is anything like the Table Rock dam tailrace at the upper end of Lake Taneycomo. Nowhere else in the state is it possible to fish for anything, let alone trophy-sized brown trout while standing in the shadow of a concrete wall hundreds of feet tall. If this will be your first visit, don't be embarrassed when you spend a few minutes staring upward in awestruck wonder. Veterans do too.

Eventually, of course, you'll turn your attention to a deceptively complex stream. Take a few minutes to study the currents. Ask yourself where a trout literally as long as your arm, or perhaps your leg, might lie in wait for an easy meal. That's because presenting your lure anywhere else is pointless.

And what should that lure be? Woolly Buggers, Muddler Minnows and large streamers are among the top choices for anglers wielding fly rods, but no wise trout angler would ever be without a selection of dry flies -- even during January. Anglers who prefer spinning tackle can easily use wet flies by adding a weighted float a few feet above the fly. Even so, most spin-fishermen opt for 2- to 3-inch-long minnow crankbaits, in-line spinners and small crankbaits.

Warning: A siren will sound just prior to increased water releases through the dam. When you hear it, get above the high-water mark immediately, even if it means breaking off the trout of a lifetime.

FEBRUARY
Hybrids: Thomas Hill Lake
Open-water fishing in February would be rare at Randolph County's Thomas Hill Lake if its southeastern end didn't serve as a "sink" for a large power plant's cooling water. Happily for both bank- and boat-anglers, the plant uses and then returns sufficient water to keep a portion of the lake ice-free.

Although channel cats, flatheads and crappie follow the shad into the warm-water arm, hybrids are the main draw for area anglers. Landing a new state record may be unlikely, but no other Missouri lake can match Thomas Hill's numbers of feisty 4- to 8-pounders.

Drift-fishing with chicken livers is often the best bet for boat-anglers, and the same bait tight-lined on the bottom or suspended beneath a float is usually the way to go for bank-anglers. That said, Thomas Hill's hybrids crush artificial lures as eagerly as will their brethren in other lakes. Quarter-ounce jigs tipped with 3-inch curlytail grubs -- yellow or white are good color choices -- are consistent producers. Lipless crankbaits and spoons are two other must-have lures.

MARCH
Smallmouth Bass: Stockton Lake
Twin-armed, wind-blown Stockton Lake (in Cedar and Dade counties) is one of the best, if not the best, flat-water smallmouth fisheries in the state. There are other possible structure types, of course, but main-lake and secondary points are the places to start. Narrow your search by concentrating on points with chunk rock or pea gravel banks.