I have a friend who fishes several times every week year-round. Of course, he is retired and has plenty of time to wet a line. But even if you're not retired and don't have a great deal of spare time, you still can find plenty of close-to-home destinations to make your time outdoors time well spent. Here are some possible destinations for every month of the year.

JANUARY
Muskies: New River
Last year while fishing for muskies with guide Blane Chocklett, who operates Blue Ridge Fly Fishers (540-563-1617) in Roanoke, he made a fascinating comment about this species.

"On the New River, there are two great times to fish for muskies, the dead of winter and the dog days of summer," Chocklett told me. "At both times, muskies are at their most predictable concerning where they will hold and when they will bite. Look for muskies to be hanging out in deep pools near some kind of cover like a downed tree or brush. In the winter, often the best time to fish for them is the last few hours before dark."

FEBRUARY
Redear Sunfish: Western Branch
At 1,579 acres, Western Branch is a huge lake by Tidewater standards. And something else is huge by angling standards anywhere in the Commonwealth -- the panfish population and diversity. Bluegills, warmouths, redbreasts, pumpkinseeds, fliers and redear sunfish all dwell in this Suffolk body of water.

Of that panfish potpourri, the redear, also known as a shellcracker, is the one that is perhaps the best one to angle for in February. The second month is often the coldest one of the year in the Commonwealth, but in the warmer environs of eastern Virginia, ice cover, even around the edges of the lake, is rare. And as far as the size of Western Branch's sunfish goes, the shellcrackers in this lake many times top a half-pound and often weigh more than a pound.

Come February, look for the larger redear to hold in 5 to 10 feet of water, often along subtle dropoffs and/or near wood cover. If you are able to catch one good-size fish from a locale, invest some more time in that area as several more shellcrackers of the same size are likely present.

MARCH
Crappie: Lake Anna
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) biologist John Odenkirk describes the crappie sport on 9,600-acre Lake Anna as being "pretty darn good -- especially the upper arms during the early spring months." The upper arms on this Spotsylvania County lake mean the North Anna River and all the creeks that converge uplake from Lake Anna State Park. Some of those tributaries include Pamunkey and Ware creeks and Terrys Run.

Another reason to angle for Anna's crappie in early spring is the relative lack of fishing pressure then. Of course, given its location between Richmond and Washington, D.C., Anna always seems to attract more boating pressure than other major Old Dominion impoundments, even in the late winter/early spring period. But many, if not most, of the anglers visiting Anna in March will be seeking largemouth bass or stripers.

Anna has a healthy contingent of brushpiles and sunken Christmas and cedar trees, and these make for good places to prospect for papermouths. A few warm days in a row are all that is needed for the fish to turn on.

APRIL
Trout: Special Regulation Streams
Trout command a lot of attention in April, and certainly some of the most enticing streams to fish that month are the state's special regulation waters. Among the possibilities are designated sections of the Buffalo River (Amherst County), Big and Little Wilson creeks (Grayson County), Dan River (Patrick County), Little Stony Creek (Giles County), North Fork Moormans River (Albemarle County), Roaring Fork (Tazewell County), Stewart's Creek (Carroll County), Whitetop Laurel (Washington County) and numerous others.

One of the best things about these special regulations streams is that the restrictions placed on fishing often result in less angling pressure and good carryover of fish. Single-hook artificial lures are typically required, and strict size and creel limits exist. It is absolutely imperative that anglers review a 2005 fishing regulations pamphlet (or the game department's Web site: www.dgif.state.va.us) before visiting a special regulation stream, as regulations can vary considerably.

Another virtue of these streams as a whole is that they often require effort to reach. But an angler having to spend time hiking in order to catch brilliantly hued wild trout will often consider the effort worthwhile.