Lake Ouachita produces many big bass in February. In early spring, look for long, sloping points with plenty of grass that offer fish easy access to both shallow and deep water. Some grass beds might grow in water as deep as 20 feet. Fish staging for the pre-spawn often move up the sloped points until they find good bedding sites. In the morning, throw topwater baits, jerkbaits or spinnerbaits. Later, run deep-running crankbaits along the points or drop Texas-rigged lizards along the edge of creek channels.

"Lake Ouachita has some really big bass," Chris Elder noted. "In 2001, I caught an 11-pounder. I also know of several fish in the 8- to 10-pound range. I heard of a 13-pounder. In June 2002, I was fishing with Mark Davis, the bass pro, when he caught a 12.2-pounder. Grass and brushpiles are the dominant structure on Lake Ouachita. I like to use a 7-inch ribworm or a 6-inch worm in tequila green, cherry seed or camouflage on a jighead. After the water warms up, throw at grass in about 8 to 10 feet of water and work the bait along the bottom to about 20 feet deep."

Cutting across the central part of the state, the Arkansas River contains several pools that offer excellent bass fishing. Known more for numbers than for big fish, it has a few river pools that can give up some creditable lunkers.

Lake Dardanelle, northwest of Little Rock, flows through 34,000 acres of channels, backwaters and coves of the Arkansas River channel. "Lake Dardanelle is more like a lake than other pools on the Arkansas River," said Frank Leone, an AGFC fisheries biologist in nearby Russellville. "In 2006, we saw more 5- to 7-pound bass brought to the weigh-ins in tournaments than in a long time. We've also recorded a lot more fish exceeding 5 pounds when electrofishing. The biggest that I know about in 2006 weighed 8.75 pounds."

Also in District 9 is Lake Atkins, which may well provide big-bass opportunities in the near future, according to Leone. In order to eliminate many rough fish, mainly smallmouth buffalo, the state completely drained the 752-acre lake near the town of the same name in 2002. Exposed to sun, the lake bottom cracked, releasing many nutrients. In addition, the AGFC fertilized the lake with 750 tons of lime to encourage plant growth and built numerous brush piles. Workers also made repairs to the dam.

"We stocked the lake with Florida bass in 2003 and reopened it to fishing in 2004," Leone said. "We've already seen some tremendous growth in the bass. By the late summer of 2006, we saw some fish in the 6-pound range. That's an extremely good growth rate. We should start seeing some fish breaking 8 pounds in 2007. It could potentially produce some double-digit fish in a couple years."

Built in 1956 on a feeder stream of the Arkansas River, Atkins Lake has never contained Florida bass before 2003. Wood from standing timber and cypresses along the margins form the dominant cover in the lake, which reaches a depth of about 20 feet deep in places. Before the state introduced Florida bass, the lake produced bass in the 5- to 8-pound range. To give Florida bass a chance, the state stocked no crappie into the rebuilt lake.