There are good populations of forage fish in all these waters, and because the blues, channels and flatheads living here feed well and live to ripe old ages, they can reach tremendous sizes. None of the other Corps impoundments should be discounted either, as lots of big cats swim in all.

Nimrod Lake in particular demands watching. Though relatively small compared to other Corps impoundments (3,550 acres), the shallow timber-filled waters of this Yell/Perry county reservoir are fertile breeding grounds for big flatheads and channel cats. Target this lake with the right tactics and you could be astonished at your catch.

OXBOW LAKES
Oxbow lakes don't typically produce many big catfish, but Horseshoe Lake near Hughes in northeast Arkansas is an exception to the rule. "The 'Shoe" offers blue-ribbon angling for two kinds of catfish-blue cats and channels. And while a new state record isn't likely to be caught here, blues over 30 pounds are possible, and 10- to 15-pounders are common. Channel cats run only slightly smaller, with numerous fish in the 5- to 12-pound range. Occasionally, an angler comes ashore with a nice flathead, but "shovelheads" (as they are known locally) account for only a small percentage of the total catfish harvest.

Catfishing pressure is light, but the fact that other anglers are passing up Horseshoe's whiskered polebenders shouldn't inhibit you. Less competition means, quite simply, that there are more cats out there to be caught -- if you use the right tactics.

In our largest oxbow, 5,300-acre Lake Chicot in the state's southeast corner, action for channel cats and flatheads is red-hot, particularly in summer. Like Horseshoe, this isn't a lake likely to produce many trophy-class cats, but the number of smaller catfish you'll catch on a good day is at times astounding.

Island 40 Chute, inside the Mississippi River levee just north of West Memphis, is another old river oxbow that provides outstanding catfishing, especially for channel catfish. The best catfishing here comes when the Mississippi River has almost dropped out of the lake following a period of high water. This usually occurs when the river is at 15 to 17 feet on the Memphis gauge.

The key to fishing the run-out successfully is watching water level fluctuations closely to determine the best fishing times. A slow, steady fall produces the best fishing as it draws fish into the chute from the river. Impressive numbers of catfish -- mostly blues and channels -- will concentrate in the run-out from the lake into the river to get an easy meal of bait being pulled out of the chute. The action usually continues at a frantic pace until the Mississippi backs completely out of the lake. Most of your catch will be eating-sized cats weighing 1 to 5 pounds, but there are usually a few hawgs sprinkled in for good measure.

STATE PARK LAKES
Most folks probably wouldn't include the small state park lakes in a listing of Arkansas' best catfish waters. Yet because these waters are frequently and heavily stocked with catfish, they often produce fish-a-minute action for catters in the know.

At the top of the list are lakes Dunn and Austell in Village Creek State Park near Wynne. These lakes are well known among bass and bluegill fans, but their names are hardly spoken by catfishing enthusiasts.

Channel cats and blue cats ranging between 1 and 2 pounds are abundant, and though both lakes are less than 70 acres, their deep, timbered coves and channels harbor some amazingly large blues. Some over 40 pounds have been landed, but larger ones are difficult to pull from the maze of underwater timber. It's possible that an angler could take a true giant with the right tackle and knowhow. I've seen some huge channel cats come from Dunn, including five fish taken by a single angler one night that weighed 17, 15, 9, 8 and 5 pounds.