Chances are some state-record class fish inhabit Lake Conway, but they won't be caught by slouchy anglers. Be prepared with heavy tackle suited for landing behemoths.

LAKE OUACHITA
Lake Ouachita, just west of Hot Springs, holds some of the biggest catfish now swimming in Arkansas waters, and sooner or later, despite the fact that relatively few people target catfish on this huge impoundment, I believe someone is going to pull from the lake's depths a catfish of astounding proportions, one that will make this 40,000-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundment the focal point of catfishing attention for weeks, months, even years to come. Giant cats -- blues, flatheads and channel -- get to be giants here because they spend their active hours in places most anglers wouldn't consider fishing -- extremely deep holes and ledges, midlake reaches in open water, dense piles of down-deep woody cover and subtle, hard-to-find structures along creek and river channels. But if you learn to fish locales of this type, and fish mostly at night (in crystal-clear Ouachita most cats feed during hours of darkness), chances are good you might land the fish of a lifetime here.

The current state-record channel cat, a 38-pounder caught in June 1989, came from Lake Ouachita, and heavier ones probably lurk in the depths. I've seen numerous photos of 60- to 80-pound blues landed here by savvy local catmen who would prefer I didn't tell you that, including one almost 100-pound blue cat caught in 2005. And while the lake doesn't provide prime habitat for flatheads, the comparative rarity of this species is overshadowed by the size of those present. Flatheads over 50 pounds are taken here more often than most folks realize.

LAKE WILHELMINA
This 300-acre AGFC lake in Polk County once gave up a near-world-record channel catfish that weighed a reputed 51 pounds. While fish that size are as rare as 20-pound largemouths, this out-of-the-way honeyhole near Queen Wilhelmina State Park could produce another channel cat of gargantuan proportions. Wilhelmina doesn't get much catfishing pressure, and this lake is much more fertile than many Ouachita Mountain reservoirs, thanks to a caged fish rearing operation near the dam. Fish food and wastes from the operation enhance growth and reproduction of the lake's catfish population. This also is a deep lake for its size, averaging around 9 feet, and dropping to 45 in places. And deep lakes tend to produce bigger catfish. Shad, minnows and sunfish provide an abundant food source for gluttonous catfish, keeping them fat and healthy year 'round. A day spent fishing here is likely to produce lots of smaller channel cats as well.

The open shores around much of the lake are made to order for bank fishermen. Boaters have access to timber-laden waters offshore and to good fishing areas along the old Powell Creek channel which divides the standing timber on the northeast end.

The lake is six miles west of Mena off Arkansas Highway 8.