Larry Self.

February is on the horizon, and by now you received the usual complimentary calendars from everything to drug stores to other business acquaintances. Well, now you can add one more to your list -- the only one that comes complete with year-round fishing tips in Tennessee from January to December.

Smallmouth bass rule in Tennessee as king, but here you’ll also find tips and how-to pointers on everything from bass and crappie to trout and walleyes and more. Whether you’re a fair weather angler or prefer the good fishing found during Tennessee’s colder months, we have you covered.

Everyone knows the fishing can be best in the spring and fall, but this 12-month planner will help you during those in between times as well. We’ve ranked the destinations from excellent to good in that order for you.

JANUARY
Cherokee Lake
Largemouths
Cold weather calls for deep tactics, and Cherokee Lake has the long winter points and humps to fit the bill in January. There are baits that come and go, and there are those that stand the test of time. At Cherokee Lake, January and Silver Buddies go hand in hand in the wintertime for largemouths. This lake has always been what anglers call a good “Buddy” lake and January is one of the best times to test the cold waters by jigging the long winter points with a Silver Buddy.

Many anglers work the points by casting to them and then hopping the bait back to the boat. You can also find success by vertically jigging a Buddy in deep water. Sunny days aren’t bad either with the added flash that it puts on the bait. Good Silver Buddy points can be found above and below the Hwy. 25-E bridge and beyond.

FEBRUARY
South Holston Lake
Smallmouth Bass
Big smallmouth bass start to make a move in February, and that includes the heavier females. We’re a little while away from spawning time, but ask any veteran brown fish angler and he’ll tell the bigger smallies start to show up this month. South Holston is a great starting place and the Float-N-Fly will get you out of the gate on time.

South Holston can either make you look like the best bobber fisherman or the worst. Keep in mind that this lake is not only deep and clear but has a light-colored bottom. What all that means is you have to use a deeper leader between your float and your duck or craft hair fly. The lake’s long, tapering winter points and pockets with deep water located above and below the Hwy. 321 bridge hold some quality smallmouth bass. You’ll want to employ at least a 12- to 15-foot leader on many days and expect to have to go to an 18- to 20-foot leader on most days. Cloudy days with low clouds are best for bobber fishermen, and don’t be surprised to see over 25 pounds of brown fish weighed in at February tournaments on South Holston.

MARCH
Reelfoot Lake
Crappie
There are many fishing traditions in Tennessee, and the springtime crappie action found at Reelfoot Lake is one of them. A scan of the parking lots at ramps around Reelfoot Lake will be your barometer for when the real deal is happening. Word spreads quickly when they’re biting. Don’t be surprised to see trucks with license plates from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and of course, Tennessee. It’s just that good in the early spring.

Unless times change, you can still keep 30 crappie per day at Reelfoot with no size limit, and that (and the good fishing) draws the crowds. The biggest crappie will run up to around 2 pounds, but it’s nothing to boat 50 to 70 per trip in this time frame. The basins with their deeper waters around 10 feet and then the shallow waters around shoreline stumps provide the drawing cards for both crappie and anglers.

The lake’s famed Reelfoot double-hook rig tipped with minnows is the most deadly of combinations. However, everyone from old-timers to the up-and-coming anglers will tell you it’s hard to beat rosy-red minnows when targeting Reelfoot’s crappie. You can fish with or without a float, but in the spring, many anglers count on a small cork for a strike indicator.