You'll find smallmouths in many of Arkansas' big manmade mountain lakes, and they occur surprisingly far downstream in some rivers. Mostly, though, smallmouths live in the upper reaches of their drainages, up there in the sparkling waters. If you've never floated an Ozark or Ouachita mountain stream in a canoe, you've missed some of the prettiest waters in the world. You've missed some of the most enjoyable fishing, too. And when you can catch a spell of mild winter weather, January and February are absolutely the best months of the year to do it.

Timing's crucial to catching Arkansas' winter stream smallies. Target a spate of mild weather, especially just before an expected patch of harsh conditions. Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

It's tempting to rank the smallmouth streams of the state, but since there's no objective way to do it, the discussions that follow are arranged in alphabetical order:

Big Piney Creek: Northeast of Clarksville, the portion of this Ozark stream above state Route 123 is fast and difficult, but the eight-mile stretch from Route 123 to Treat is better. Avoid the stretch from Treat to Long Pool; it has rapids with names that will scare you. The five miles from Long Pool to state Route 164 is slower, though, and provides excellent fishing. Big Piney has a four-fish limit on smallmouths, with a 10-inch minimum.

Local outfitters: Moore Outdoors, (479) 331-3606, www.mooreoutdoors.com; River Tech, (479) 890-6980, www.rivertech.com.

Buffalo River: This is one of the most productive smallmouth streams in the state. Despite its warm-weather popularity as a canoe stream, in winter, it's nearly deserted. For a full-day float, the six miles between Maumee South (12 miles north of Marshall on state Route 27) to Buffalo Point (off state Route 14 between Harriet and Yellville), or the seven and a half miles between Buffalo Point and Rush farther downstream. Another section worth considering is the 10-mile stretch between state Routes 7 and 123, with accesses at Carver and Hasty.

If you're looking for a longer trip and want to camp two or three nights, try the 22 miles of the lower Buffalo between Rush and Buffalo City Be forewarned, though: this is wilderness all the way, with absolutely no way out except downstream, and at the end of it you're faced with either a 3/4-mile paddle against the current to the Buffalo City access on the White, or a several-mile float downstream to other access points on the White River.

Be sure to check the extended weather forecast before going -- and don't do anything risky: You're going to be a long way from any help.

The Buffalo is a Blue Ribbon Smallmouth Stream with a daily limit of two fish at least 14 inches long. Dozens of businesses offer rental canoes and shuttle service. Two of the most popular are Buffalo Adventures Canoe Rental, (870) 446-5406, and Buffalo Outdoor Center, 1-800-221-5514, www.buffaloriver.com.

Caddo River: The six-mile float from the low-water bridge in Caddo Gap to U.S. Route 70 at Glenwood is a good stretch for winter smallmouths. The stretch has many small rapids, deep pools, gravel bars and an abundance of good smallmouth habitat around boulders and fallen treetops.