Let's get right to the point: You're going to remember 2010 as one of the best years ever for fishing in the Natural State.

High water in many lakes and rivers after record-breaking rains in 2008 and 2009 created perfect conditions for fish reproduction and growth. And fishing pressure was down due to flooded access areas and damaged ramps and roads. By now, game fish spawned in 2008 are reaching catchable sizes, and the unfettered older fish simply have fattened up.

Like a sampler platter at your favorite restaurant, we hope our annual menu of recommended fisheries and fish species will whet your appetite for the outstanding angling that awaits us.

JANUARY
Florida-Strain Largemouths, SWEPCO Lake
If you're a bit leery of a lake unnaturally warmed by a coal-powered electricity plant, we understand. But when you hook that first bucketmouth on a topwater bait in the dead of winter, we predict you'll get over it. Florida-strain bass grow year 'round in the 530-acre hot tub known as SWEPCO Lake, located near Gentry in northwest Arkansas' Benton County.

Because SWEPCO's bass school during winter, expect surface action on poppers, chuggers and jerkbaits. Then switch to shad-imitating spinnerbaits and shallow-running crankbaits when the topwater bite cools. Work toward or away from the crystalline, 100-degree water flowing out of the Flint Creek power plant, and when the temperature's just right, the bass will let you know you've found the sweet spot.

A few years ago, a forage shortage caused underweight bass, but SWEPCO now boasts plenty of 3- to 5-pounders, with granddaddies up to 11. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission encourages you to thin the population with a daily limit of 10, but only one can exceed 18 inches. Access SWEPCO from Cripps Road, which runs off state routes 12 and 43. Anglers who battered their trucks and trailers in the field opposite the ramp will appreciate the 23,000-square-feet of blacktop parking added in 2008.

FEBRUARY
Rainbows, Upper White River
This is one of the months (January and March are the others) when a legendary phenomenon can occur. Water temperatures in Bull Shoals Lake plummet, sending countless dead and dying shad through Bull Shoals Dam into the White River. These "easy pickin's" trigger a trout feeding frenzy, making that your best chance to land one of our most elusive trophies: a 5-pound or better rainbow.

Monitor Web sites operated by outfitters or fly shops and be prepared to call in sick and head to Bull Shoals Dam when the kill starts. We like the Mountain River Journal, via e-mail, from mtnriverflyshop.com.

Fly-anglers use white streamers on sink-tip lines while spin-fishermen score with silver or white jerkbaits, in-line spinners, spoons and jigs. Fifty-fish days aren't just possible; they're common!

Review regulations for seasonal closures and species-specific length limits at www.agfc.com before you go. For the best action near the dam, launch or wade from Bull Shoals-White River State Park, off State Route 178 west of Mountain Home. You'll need a fishing license and $5 trout stamp.

MARCH
White Bass, Lake Maumelle
Central Arkansas' so-called "Dead Sea" becomes downright lively when the siren song of early spring calls countless white bass out of the Maumelle River and into 8,900-acre Lake Maumelle. As the water reaches 60 to 65 degrees, these sporty fish become as hyperactive as sticky-mouthed kids on a sugar high. They roam the lake in packs, alternately wreaking havoc on the shad population and making baby white bass -- with equal enthusiasm.