All throughout Mississippi, exceptional fish lurk in lakes and rivers, and in the Gulf of Mexico. Some may weigh a few ounces; others can tip the scales at more than 100 pounds.

The picks for each month that follow are just appetizers designed to whet your appetite for the angling feast awaiting you in the Magnolia State for 2006!

JANUARY
Redfish
Back Bay Biloxi
When the water cools down and baitfish and shrimp are in the marshes, these battlers of the inshore Gulf of Mexico spend a lot of time cruising the Back Bay area.

Fish any areas that are particularly muddy or grassy. The mouths of drainage ditches or the areas around boats, piers and breakwaters attract the bait that bring in the redfish.

Any bait that resembles a shrimp or minnow works fine. Since redfish have mouths suited for grubbing in the mud, baits that can go down several feet work best.

The biggest red I've caught in the area weighed more than 11 pounds, but most of the redfish that swim these muddy waterways are 3 pounds or less.

Options: Hunt for schools of white bass hanging in deep holes at the mouths of fast-running streams that drain into Enid Lake. They're fun to catch on ultralight rigs with sparkling spinners.

At 6,700 acres, Bay Springs Lake offers plenty of room for targeting wintertime saugers. They should be biting on this Tenn-Tom poll this month.

FEBRUARY
Crappie
Eagle Lake
The pre-spawn action for papermouths can be great on this old oxbow near Vicksburg. Serious anglers put limits of crappie in the boat this month.

Try drifting, or running the trolling motor, with several lines out, keeping them at differing depths between 10 and 16 feet down. This is a live-bait fishery, so bait up with medium-sized live minnows.

A likely area on which to concentrate is just off Australia Island. The slabs usually stage here before heading to the shallows to spawn.

Options: On warm, sunny afternoons, target largemouths along the shallows of Pelahatchie Bay, where the water warms up quickly. Working spinnerbaits among the lily-pad stems is a promising pattern.

Stick around Bay Springs Lake for another month to target the spotted bass. They like cool water and so will congregate 20 to 30 feet down.

MARCH
Cobia
Gulf Oil Rigs
The first signs of the early-spring migration of cobia appear around the oil rigs off the Magnolia State this month. Look for these streamlined fish cruising around the structure, or even coming out to meet your boat.

The fish can run to 50 pounds, so heavy tackle is needed. Eels are hard to beat as bait, but if they're not available, try cutting soft-plastic tubing into 6- to 9-inch lengths.

When you see cobia, toss one of these lures in front of them, or let it float slowly downward near the legs of the oil platform. There's a lot of fight in these fish, so be prepared for a pounding.

Options: Slow-trolling around structure can pay off with hookups on largemouths waiting for the world to warm. Lake Monroe near Aberdeen is a likely destination for this action.

For early crappie, visit Lake Washington. At the first of the month, troll for them in 6 to 10 feet of water; by month's end, they'll be on the bed at the bank.

APRIL
Largemouth Bass
Lake Bogue Homa
Though this snag-studded reservoir can challenge your casting ability, it gives up some lunker largemouths this month.

Braided line works best at Bogue Homa when you're targeting the stumps and downed trees. Plastic lizards or soft-plastic jerkbaits fished on a slow fall usually draw strikes. Topwater tube jigs and buzzbaits also get attacked early and late. Color and flash are important attributes for a lure here.

Options: In Mississippi River oxbows in the southern half of our state, crappie are beginning to head towards the shallows. Lake Mary in Wilkinson County is a good place to start your search for the slabs. Live bait works best.

Backwaters of the Pearl River hold some survivors from prehistory: bowfins. Find shallow, muddy spots without much current and run a light-colored spinnerbait through the water to attract these rugged living fossils.