"You never want to go out there without a Zara Spook on a pole," he added, noting that a good shallow spinnerbait and topwater bite can be found on many days. Summer can also mean slowing down to go deep with finesse rigs.

At Beaver Lake, you'll find Jason Piper who operates J.T. Crappie Guide Service. But don't let the name of his business fool you. He knows a good deal about the local black bass fishing as well.

"We've got some excellent fishing for spotted bass," said Piper. "In fact, we're overrun with them. The smallmouths are getting bigger and bigger. And the largemouth fishing is also not as bad as in the past."

Good times for catching largemouths out of Beaver begin in February, according to Piper. He suggested fishing on or near the banks in the spring and early summer, then dropping deeper on underwater points, humps and flats in the summer heat. Chunk rock banks are one key in the fall. As for topwater lures, they can be very productive in May through June or September through October.

"We've got some pretty good black bass fishing around Hot Springs, but you can always get better," joked Wayne Crumpton, who guides for a variety of fish in the area. "Ouachita is rebounding well, while Hamilton can be good but doesn't have as many big fish."

Crankbaits need to be in your box to fish the docks on Hamilton that you won't find on Ouachita. "The best times to fish these lakes are from the end of March into May, then in late September through November," he noted.

Sight-fishing in the clear water is good during the spawn, while topwaters take more fish afterward. "The difference in fishing the two lakes is the grass," Crumpton continued. "Ouachita has it; Hamilton does not. You have to fish the two differently."

In the lower Arkansas River, murky or stained water is the rule. Angler Jerry Spakes has been fishing the Arkansas around Pendleton for years.

"I like fishing with plastics in the spring, worms or lizards," he said, and then adding frog baits to his list of favorites. "Bedding fish are found around lily pads and stumps during the spawn, but you'll seldom be able to sight-fish for them. Among the keys is not bumping the treetops, stumps and other cover. Otherwise, the females will move out," Spakes said, noting the skinny water often fished.

Fishing usually slows some at the end of May, with the bass moving back toward the main river and into deeper pockets, scattering them over more area. Early and late in the summer, topwaters can produce a big bite, like the 10-pound, 4-ouncer Spakes caught a few years ago.

"Everybody knows that this is one of the best places in the state to fish as far as sight-fishing," said Greg Gulledge of Lake Monticello. While Gulledge shifts to deep structure in the summer, he believes that spring is the best time to fish for largemouths.

"Begin with live bait like shad or Black Salties at the first sign of a spring warmup," Gulledge said. Then, it's Carolina rigs in bright colors for fishing the beds. Use worms in 12 to 16 feet of water in the summer for better quality fish then. But don't forget to include a topwater bait or a Rat-L-Trap to take advantage of schooling fish in the summer through October or November, he advised.

As with DeGray, Gulledge is hoping for an increase in vegetation here. The AGFC planted a variety of aquatic flora in 2009, hoping to return the lake to its pre-grass carp habitat.