The Mississippi River is the largest river in North America, flowing more than 2,300 miles from its source at Lake Itasca in the Minnesota North Woods to its juncture with the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana's marsh country. The origin of the name "Mississippi" lies in the Native American words misi sipi, meaning "big river" -- in some interpretations, "gathering of waters." An appropriate designation for a river whose watershed extends from the Allegheny Mountains to the Rocky Mountains, including all or parts of 31 states and two Canadian provinces, and whose basin covers about 40 percent of the United States and about one-eighth of North America.

The Arkansas portion of the Mississippi River flows 320 miles along the state's eastern border with Tennessee and Mississippi, from near Blytheville on the north to near Eudora on the south. More than 100 species of fish inhabit the river in the Natural State, but few can tolerate the river's fast, muddy water for extended periods, and of those that do, very few are popular targets of anglers. Of those that do, the most popular by far are blue, channel and flathead catfish.

Catfishing in the Mississippi can be an extraordinary experience, with opportunities to catch lots of fish, including trophy-class specimens. In fact, many aficionados believe the Mississippi River offers action-packed fishing for giant catfish that surpasses that found anywhere else on this continent.

Blue cats reach enormous proportions here. In August 2001, Charles Ashley Jr. of Marion landed a former rod-and-reel world record -- a 116-pound, 12-ounce monster -- just downstream from the Interstate 40 bridge between Memphis, Tenn., and West Memphis, Ark. Several more 100-pound-plus blues have been caught in recent years -- some on commercial fishing tackle, but at least one that was caught on rod and reel and released by the angler who took it. Many anglers believe a 150-pounder is certain to lurk here.

The Mississippi is a mother lode of giant flatheads, too. Fifteen- to 30-pounders are abundant. Forty- to 70-pounders are probably caught somewhere along the river's length nearly every day during warm months.

Channel catfish are common, too, and catching 50 or more during a night's fishing is simple for savvy anglers. Most range from 1 to 5 pounds, but specimens exceeding 10 pounds usually anchor the stringers of serious fishermen.

Because catfish are so common, it is difficult to pick one portion of the river over another when selecting the best fishing areas. It is wiser, instead, for the visiting angler to learn as much as possible about the habits of the particular catfish being sought and then to apply knowledge of those habits in finding and catching the quarry. Some of this knowledge will be found in the paragraphs that follow.