North Carolina, where you can leave the sand and drive 250 miles to a mountaintop, certainly has a lot to offer in the way of a variety of quality fisheries. Here are some of them.

JANUARY
Cape Lookout
Bluefin Tuna
The winter bluefin run was originally an Outer Banks affair, but since 2000, more and more big tuna are showing up in the Cape Lookout area from December through February.

Nowadays, you've got as good a chance to battle tuna by leaving from Atlantic Beach or Harker's Island as you would from any other port.

In January, most of the action will take place east of Cape Lookout Shoals, around inshore wrecks and reefs like 30-Minute Rock, the Summerlin Reef and the Atlas Tanker wreck. One key is finding water in the 61- to 64-degree range; that's the bluefin's comfort zone. The other is finding big schools of bait, and for a bluefin, bait doesn't necessarily mean little sardines or menhaden; it may mean gray trout. Most fishermen set out trolling around likely spots using extremely heavy tackle (80- to 130-pound class) and circle hooks in the 16/0 range. Horse ballyhoo and split-tail mullet are the most productive baits, often dressed with a trolling feather of some kind.

When a concentration of tuna is located, many fishermen will knock their boats out of gear and drift live bait 10 or 15 feet deep behind the transom. The best live bait can be anything from a huge menhaden, a gray trout or bluefish, but make sure it is a foot to 14 inches long.

Capt. Joe Shute's is a popular tackle shop in Atlantic Beach where fishermen can hook up with a charter captain or get the latest in bluefin information. Call (252) 240-2744.

FEBRUARY
Fontana Lake
Walleyes
Walleyes are among the most popular fish in North Carolina's mountain reservoirs, and even a rumor about fish starting to make their spawning run into creeks and rivers is bound to bring dozens of fishermen running.

Fontana is one of North Carolina's best walleye lakes, and walleyes normally start to stir around the middle of the month, moving to the head of their two main spawning rivers: the Little Tennessee and Tuckaseegee, both of which are on the eastern end of the lake, near Bryson City.

According to Jim Mathis at Almond Boat Park (828-488-6423), walleyes will work their way back into the rivers until they're stopped by an impassible set of shoals; that's where they'll set up shop to spawn.

Mathis advises fishermen to work along the banks of the rivers, looking for any kind of current break that will give fish a place to rest and feed -- either a laydown tree, a boulder or a little point that offers protection from the faster water.

Tackle should be relatively light. Spinning outfits are the norm, spooled with 6- to 8-pound-test line. Most fishermen will be using curlytailed grubs (chartreuse is a favorite color) threaded onto leadhead jigs. One-quarter- or 1/8-ounce jigs work best, depending on the amount of current. Cast out, bump them along the bottom and wait for the walleye's characteristic light bite. Small crankbaits, such as No. 5 and No. 7 Shad Raps, can also be very effective.

MARCH
Largemouth Bass
Lake Wylie
Few lakes can match Lake Wylie as a bass fishery, especially in the months when the water is a little on the cool side.

This 12,100-acre reservoir southwest of Charlotte has long been extremely productive, and with numerous feeder creeks and a nutrient-filled river feeding it, it can be a bass hotspot in the early spring.

Concentrate your efforts on the upper half of the lake, from the Buster Boyd Bridge upstream. A lot of fishermen like the Catawba River section of the lake, or the South Fork, where the action picks up fairly early.