Hurricane's catfishing doesn't end on the oxbows. Glaise Creek runs nine miles through the area, and stop-log structures form a lake covering about 100 acres during summer. Arkansas anglers find good numbers of channel and flathead catfish there. The creek is fairly deep, 10 feet on average, and has plenty of catfish cover in the form of fallen timber, undercut banks and inundated logs.

The White and Little Red rivers also traverse the WMA. Both streams offer good fishing for channel catfish, blues and flatheads. Channels run 5 to 10 pounds, blues over 20 and flatheads up to 50 pounds and more. The White River offers the best fishing for trophy-class cats, but Glaise Creek and the Little Red also have potential for producing some giants.

Catfishing is good at many points along the WMA streams, but during the dog days of summer, most catfish hold along breaklines in bottom structure -- areas such as deep holes, outside channel bends, undercut banks, and washouts above and below sandbars.

One really fun way to fish is to build a fire on one of the river sandbars and kick back in a lawn chair while you wait for something to bite. Most sandbars can only be reached by boat, but there are primitive roads leading to a few such spots. I've caught many big channel cats in the White River fishing this way, using blood bait, night crawlers, crawfish and catalpa worms for bait. A small live sunfish is sure to attract one of the big flatheads that live there, too.

Additional information, including a free map of Henry Gray/Hurricane Lake WMA that shows all the lakes and streams, is available on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Web site, which can be found at www.agfc.com. Go first to the "Hunting Section," then "Wildlife Management Areas" to find it.

Want to speak to an AGFC staff person who can help? Phone toll-free 1-877-734-4581.

LAKES DUNN AND AUSTELL
I've spent many nights and days fishing from the shores of these lakes in Village Creek State Park, just south of Wynne in Cross and St. Francis counties. I lived and worked in the park five years and discovered then the superb catfishing to be enjoyed there.

There are first-rate bank-fishing sites on both lakes, and launch ramps if you want to bring a boat and trolling motor. Gas motors aren't allowed. The park also has more than 160 campsites, so there are plenty of places to pitch a tent or park an RV for an overnight stay.

Dunn covers 68 acres, Austell 64 acres. In 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.

Look for Austell lunkers hiding around stumps, beaver lodges and fallen timber in the lake arm running north from the swimming beach. This arm has produced several of the lake's largest catfish. Also productive are shallow timbered flats adjacent to the creek channel running through Austell's southwest arm, two deep wooded coves on the lake's south side, and around logs and brush adjacent to the riprapped dam.