Channel cats are probably the most common species here in the South. Their color ranges from slate to dark blue, and their bellies are off-white. They are longer and more slender than their cousins, thus weights run lower. The current state record was taken out of Lake Ouachita in 1989 by Joe Holliman and weighed in at 38 pounds.

While a popular conception is that cats are "dirty-water" species, that's not really true. Many are caught in clear lakes and streams as anywhere else. They do have poor eyesight, which dictates that they rely on smell and feel to find food. The long "whiskers" act as external taste buds and allow the fish to taste objects without actually taking them into their mouths.

Fishing for cats -- and particularly big ones -- has evolved into a science. But most of that is overkill, because in reality everything a catfish does is governed by two basic desires: food and safety. Where you find the most of both is where the fish are going to be.

THE RIVERS
No discussion of prime Arkansas catfish waters could begin anywhere other than the Arkansas River, simply because there are few waterways in this country that produce bigger fish more consistently. The areas below the 13 lock and dams -- known as tailwaters -- hold a variety of baitfish that tend to school along the concrete walls and riprapped shorelines. Release of water through the dam breaks up these schools and carries them to the waiting cats. In the case of hydroelectric dams, fish may also be shredded as they come through the whirling blades of the turbines, driving the hungry cats into a feeding frenzy.

Fishing below these dams is mostly done by casting either from the bank or from boats. Most serious "catters" use large saltwater gear with at least 30-pound-test line. Beef livers, chicken entrails, live and cut shad, along with various commercial blood baits, all work at times. During the summer, night-fishing is usually better than the daytime variety, because as day ends, water temperatures cool slightly and the larger catfish leave their deep-water haunts to prowl the shallows for food. Arkansas River, Pool 6

There are plenty of good spots along the Arkansas, but Pool 6 near Little Rock remains among the very best. There's excellent bank-fishing below Murray Lock and Dam on the south side and below the North Little Rock hydroelectric plant on the north. Other good spots include below the Little Rock-North Little Rock bridges and the mouth of Fourche Creek above Interstate 440. Drift-fishing with skipjack or shad in shallower water provides the most action.

One of my favorite spots lies at the very eastern end of the Arkansas River, along the last 20 miles before the waterway empties into the Mississippi. The area below Dam 2 was not part of the river's navigational program and thus remains as it always has been, wild and free. Boats are necessary here because of a lack of bank access and can be put in at a ramp near the dam. There are no channel markers along this section of the river, and there are numerous snags and sandbars. Tying up and casting into these eddies created by downed treetops and logjams can yield fantastic results if your timing is right. Live bream, cut shad and night crawlers are preferred baits.