Gary Lewis.

There are many places around the world where you can pursue great fish, but why call a travel agent? Right here in Oregon and Washington, we have a lot of great waters -- far more than you could fish in a lifetime. But it’s worth a try anyway.

Want a shot at some of the best? Here are our recommendations for 36 -- three for each month -- of the Northwest’s top angling destinations.

~JANUARY~
Rainbow Trout
Rocky Ford Creek, Wash.
When ice forms along the bank and your breath turns to vapor in the morning air, anglers in the know head to Rocky Ford Creek, one of Washington’s best winter trout streams.

The water rises from underground, and its consistent temperature makes the fishery so reliable. Public access and the best fishing are found in the top reach, near the headwaters. Here the water is slow and wide, 60 to 80 feet across, lined with cattails, reeds and sage. Wading is not allowed.

Blue-winged olives and midges are a staple for winter dry-fly fishers. When there’s a hatch, try emergers and subsurface patterns.

When temperatures really drop, the standbys are scuds, chironomids and leeches. When nothing else works, try a leech pattern.

For information on current conditions or to book a guided trip, call the Blue Dun Fly Shop at (509) 884-4070. Time your trip for a weekday.

Other Choices
Take beadhead nymphs to Central Oregon’s fly-fishing-only Fall River for rainbows and browns.

Oregon’s Sandy River is one of the most consistent steelhead fisheries in the Columbia drainage.

~FEBRUARY~
Steelhead
Umpqua River, Ore.
Long rock gardens and ledges make for tricky runs for the drift-boater. But they harbor steelhead, and there’s no better way to target a winter sea-run than to side-drift with cured roe or yarn.

Rig with a snap swivel and 24 inches of 10-pound leader, terminated at an egg loop on a No. 6 bait hook. To the snap, attach a slinky weight, built of parachute cord and lead shot.

Look for structure: underwater ledges and boulders in long runs, and wavy gravel at the tail-outs.

“There are three kinds of bites you get when you’re side-drifting,” says Gary Lewis (no relation to the author) of Gary’s Guide Service. “First, there’s the trout bite. You get a tap-tap-tap-tap. The second is a rock bite. You feel the bait bouncing along, and then the rod goes down.

“The third bite is the steelhead bite. You feel a bump. Don’t set the hook. Wait for the fish to eat it. You’ll feel another bump, and then another as the fish chews the bait.

“Let the rod bounce two or three times, then give it to him.”

For a guided trip, call Gary’s Guide Service at (541) 672-2460, or the Big K at 1-800-390-2445.

Other Choices
In Washington, the Cowlitz River has great fishing all the way up to the mouth of Blue Creek and the Barrier Dam. Or head to the Oregon coast, to run the Siletz for steelhead.

~MARCH~
Steelhead
Clackamas River, Ore.

According to Rob Crandall, March is a great time to hit the Clackamas.

“You have a good mix of steelhead in the river, including wild steelhead, which are some of the biggest fish of the year. The brood-stock fish show up in March, and the Eagle Creek strain of fish are still in the mix.”

By the end of the month, the first summer-runs begin to show up.

Crandall likes to fish an 1/8-ounce marabou jig under a fixed float. Try a sliding float system for the deeper holes. Best colors are pink and white, cerise, black, pink and orange.

“The fish are right on the bottom,” Crandall said. “I want the jig set just over the tallest rocks on the bottom.

“If I don’t know the depth of the tallest rocks, I like to set it 18 inches off the bottom. Knowing the exact depth, as close as possible, is really the key to success.”

Best water is from River Mill Dam down to the mouth. For the drift-boater, the best drifts are from Feldheimer’s down to Barton and from Barton down to Carver.

For stream flows, call the PGE Fish Line at (503) 464-7474. To book a guided trip, call Rob Crandall at (503) 704-6449.

Other Choices
Take out the big tackle and put your baits on the bottom for lower Columbia River sturgeon.

Eagle Creek, a Clackamas tributary, sees its biggest return of hatchery steelhead in March.