Stone said, "The crappie fishing the last two years has just been excellent on Bull Shoals. On any day during the last week of March all the way into the middle of May, on average, we've been catching 30 to 40 crappie in the 12-inch to 14-inch range."

During the early spring, he routinely catches black crappie up to 3 pounds on minnows, inline spinners or small, shiny crankbaits.

OTHER NORTHERN HOTSPOTS
Beaver Lake in Carroll and Washington counties has a heavy crappie population this year, and if you visit Fayetteville for a Razorback basketball game in February, wet a hook at lakes Fayetteville, Sequoyah or Wilson. Lake Bob Kidd is another excellent Washington County crappie hole.

In northern Izard County, try Crown, Diamond and Pioneer lakes near Horseshoe Bend. In Greene County to the northeast, crappie teem in lakes Frierson and Ashbaugh, while locals favor Poinsett Lake in its namesake county.

GREERS FERRY TOPS CENTRAL REGION
Greers Ferry, another link in the upper White River chain, features deep, clear water.

"For guys who are used to fishing for bass in shallow water along the shore, it can be hard to fish when the water is this deep and this clear," explained Roy Johnson, who works at Lacey's Narrows Marina and has lived most of his life on the lake. "In the spring, you're usually fishing 14 to 17 feet deep for crappie," he said.

Dozens of creeks and three forks of the Little Red River feed the upper section of the 40,000-acre reservoir, which stretches across parts of Van Buren and Cleburne counties. The lower lake lies entirely within Cleburne County, and the aptly-named Narrows area -- three miles of the original river channel -- divides it from the upper lake.

Johnson has explored the lake for years, and expertly navigates most of it, but he and his buddies focus on very specific areas for the makings of a springtime fish fry.

"We catch a lot of crappie in Brushy Creek and up Hill Creek," he revealed, citing two tributaries on the eastern end of the upper lake. "You really get the feeling of being in a canyon there-they've both got beautiful bluffs and great fishing," he said.

Submerged railroads tracks line much of Brushy Creek, where dropoffs on outside bends reach 60 to 80 feet deep. Farther east, Hill Creek is scenic and fishable thanks to shelf rock and standing timber. On the lower lake, Johnson favors the area all around Goat Island between Scout Island and the resort community of Eden Isle.

Although he recommends light tackle and line, Johnson's most valuable crappie tool is a detailed map for pinpointing superb habitat.

"When they flooded the lake, they left railroads, farmhouses, barns, roads -- everything you can think of," he explained. "There are even Indian burial grounds, and, of course, the original river channel and all the creek channels are important," Johnson explained. "And the AGFC and Corps of Engineers have built big brushpiles and marked them so anyone can find them."