Blue cats and channel cats also thrive here, primarily from stockings by the AGFC. Trophy catches aren't common, but there are plenty of eating-size cats that won't turn a nose up at offerings ranging from commercial stink baits and night crawlers to cut shad and chicken liver.

Lake Conway lies just off Interstate I-40, three miles south of Conway in Faulkner County. Exit 135 (Mayflower) on Interstate 40 offers access by way of Arkansas Highway 365 to docks on the west side of the lake, or Arkansas Highway 89 and Clinton Road to docks on the east side. The upper lake can be reached by roads branching off Arkansas Highway 286. For additional information, call the AGFC's District 10 office in Mayflower at 1-877-470-3309, or log on to www.agfc.com.

BEST STATE PARK LAKES
Dunn & Austell
Most folks probably wouldn't include the small state park lakes in a listing of Arkansas' best catfish waters, but 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, bodies of water well known among bass and bluegill fans, but whose names are hardly spoken by catfishing enthusiasts. One- to 2-pound channel cats and blue cats are abundant, and though both lakes are less than 70 acres in size, 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.

I've also 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. And Lake Dunn harbors some really nice bullhead catfish, a bonus for panfish enthusiasts.

There are first-rate bank-fishing sites on both lakes, and boat ramps if you want to bring a boat and trolling motor. (Gas motors aren't allowed.) Dunn covers 68 acres, Austell 64.

At Dunn, look for catfish around brushy points and in coves with dense stands of dead timber. The arm of the lake running north from the boat dock is productive at times, but most anglers do best fishing the small, heavily timbered fingers jutting into the eastern shore, across the lake from the swimming beach. When it's breezy, concentrate your efforts around the numerous points in this area, where shad and other baitfish stack up and attract feeding cats.