Get out that black book with all the calendar pages and start filling them in! It's going to be a great season for fishing, and if you don't pencil in the hotspots now, something else -- like raking leaves, fixing the car, painting the deck -- is going to squeeze into that time. Book your days on the water now, before it's too late!

Found virtually all over Minnesota in rivers and in lakes, smallmouth bass provide a solid fight and plenty of acrobatics. Photo by Tim Lesmeister.

JANUARY
Crappies -- Island Lake
There's a lot of structure on 3,000-acre Island Lake, but it's the crappies you're after, so stay in the deep water between those sunken islands. One hotspot is to the west of Elmwood Island, a cone-shaped hole that pulls in the crappies and stacks them up. Also, be sure to visit that deep water on the north side of the lake.

Walleyes -- Lake Reno
Lake Reno has a well-deserved reputation as a great walleye lake, so you can expect some fishing pressure there. Successful ice-anglers will be the ones who stay mobile. With little bottom structure, it pays to drill lots of holes and stay on the move.

Crappies -- Lake Rabideau
Head for the deep basin on the west end of the lake and start drilling. Use the sonar to look for telltale signs of suspended crappies. When you spot them on the sonar, send down a horizontal jig tipped with a tiny minnow.

FEBRUARY
Bluegills -- Crystal Lake
There is a lot of vegetation in Crystal Lake, and the bluegills will hang near the edge of it throughout the hardwater season. Drill holes along the weedline and work the edge with a tiny jig tipped with a micro-plastic body. Carry some maggots in case the bluegills get finicky.

Lake Trout -- Snowbank Lake
Lake trout are fun to catch on the ice. Watch the sonar and see the fish swim up to the bait. Part of Snowbank Lake is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, so take along a GPS so you know where not to fire up a gas auger.

Bluegills -- Centerville Lake
Big bluegills come out to play in the wintertime on Centerville Lake and while there might be a few stationary shelters where the hotspots are, there are plenty of nice fish throughout the lake.

MARCH
Perch -- Ash Lake
Perch are interesting to catch in the wintertime. The biggest, gaudiest, shiniest spoons tipped with a couple of maggots will often solicit bites from fish that are barely bigger than the lure. That's what makes perch fishing so much fun, and on Ash Lake there are plenty of perch willing to cooperate. Drill a lot of holes and keep moving until you find them.

Bluegills -- Shields Lake
While many lakes are on the downswing by March, Shields Lake will be showing no sign of letting up when it comes to the great bluegill fishing there. Move off the community spots to find some active fish.

Crappies -- South Big Pine Lake
It's all deep water on South Big Pine Lake. Drill a few dozen more holes than you think you'll need, and search with the sonar while your fishing buddies test the holes where you saw some fish.

APRIL
Crappies -- Little Rock Lake
In April, the ice goes out and the crappies move into the shallows, where anglers can suspend a minnow below a bobber and catch some of the big fish that are looking for baitfish. On Little Rock Lake, there are plenty of cuts and bays where crappies stack up to feed on the minnows that hide there. Take plenty of bait.