Bull Shoals white bass tend to be hefty and in excellent shape. Two-pounders are a dime a dozen, and the big egg-laden females often push the 4 1/2-pound mark. When they ascend feeder creeks to spawn, it's not unusual to find them in only 1 to 2 feet of water.

In March, the male white bass, mostly 1- to 1 1/2-pound fish, show up on the shoals and bars in the mouths of tributaries, usually in 10 to 15 feet of water. Jigs, grubs, Rat-L-Traps and tailspinners like the Little George will take them. In late March or early April, as the water warms, male whites ascend the spawning streams and are soon joined by the females. After spawning, both sexes return to the main lake. It's during their upstream and downstream runs that most whites are caught, often by bank-fishermen working the streams with spoons, small crankbaits or live baitfish. Good areas to try include Big Music Creek, Sugarloaf Creek, West Sugarloaf Creek and Carolton Hollow Creek, all on the south (Arkansas) side of the lake.

LAKE NORFORK
Though best known for its topnotch largemouth, crappie and striper fishing, this 22,000-acre Corps impoundment in Baxter and Fulton counties serves up excellent white-bass fishing as well. Small horsehead-spinners like the Roadrunner are popular with local anglers fishing Brushy Creek, Big Creek, Diamond Creek, Tracy Cove, Bennett's Creek and other tributary areas. During the April spawning run, it's not unusual to catch 50 to 100 in a half-day of fishing, including many in the 2- to 3-pound range.

GREERS FERRY LAKE
All of the feeder streams for Greers Ferry are attractive to white bass when they make their spawning migrations. Peter Creek, which enters the lake from the northeast a few miles uplake from the dam, is one of the most popular white-bass hotspots and produces many fish in the 3- to 4-pound range. The four forks of the Little Red River above the lake -- Devil's, Archey's, Middle and South -- also offer opportunities for catching lots of jumbo whites during the spawn.

Whites and hybrid stripers move up the tributaries at the same time, and the same tactics usually result in mixed stringers. Ultralight tackle is OK for whites, but if you use it, you take a chance of losing any sizable hybrid that might come along. Good lure choices for both species include 1/4-ounce jigheads with 3-inch grubs, 1/4-ounce Rat-L-Traps, or 2-inch crankbaits in shad colors.

LAKE HAMILTON
This 7,200-acre Entergy lake on the Ouachita River at Hot Springs offers excellent fishing for these scrappy sportfish. In March, white bass congregate in the basins of Little Mazarn, Big Mazarn, Glazypeau, Kelly and Hot Springs creeks, awaiting the water temperature that will send them swarming up the streams to spawn in mid-April. The anglers swarm with them. Banks are lined with fishermen, and limit catches are common. Most white-bass anglers must pursue their quarry from boats, however, because most shoreline property on Hamilton is privately owned. Tandem-rigged jigs, small spoons, crankbaits and live minnows are among the most popular white bass enticements.