Lake Hogue was completely renovated in 1985, and since this makeover, it's been giving up some really nice crappie. A lot of big brood fish have been stocked in the lake, and the number of big crappie is up considerably from what it was just a few years ago. Most crappie average about a pound apiece, but 2-pounders aren't unheard of.

Hogue provides good spawning and feeding cover. Crappie grow fat on abundant aquatic insects and baitfish. And because Hogue only covers about 280 acres, it's easy to locate good fishing spots, even for first-time visitors. Lots of local anglers work jigs and minnows in deeper water around the edges of the lake. Borrow ditches were dug here when the lake levees were built, and crappie gather in the cooler depths around snags and other woody cover.

Lake Hogue is in the Earl Buss/ Bayou DeView Wildlife Management Area three miles west of state Highway 49 near Weiner. A highway sign marks the turnoff.

For more info on Hogue, log on to www.agfc.com or call the AGFC's District 3 office in Jonesboro, 1-877-972-5438.

DISTRICT 4
It's tough to pick the premier big crappie lake in District 4. This area covers Woodruff, Cross, Crittenden, St. Francis, Lonoke, Prairie, Monroe, Lee, Phillips and Arkansas counties, some of the best barn-door crappie territory in the southern U.S. A dozen lakes here qualify among the best in Arkansas, lakes like Midway, Whitehall, Old Town and the White River oxbows. If I were forced to pick just one, though, and I suppose I am, I'd have to pick Mellwood Old River Lake in Phillips County. Mellwood is on again, off again as far as crappie fishing is concerned. But catch it when it's hot, and it's not unusual to catch a 50-fish limit of 1-pound-plus crappie. Two-pounders are common, with occasional 3-pound giants.

Mellwood covers 1,000 acres just across the Mississippi River levee from the town of Mellwood on state Highway 44. Anglers must follow water conditions closely to pick the most productive crappie fishing days. Fishing is best when there's a slow rise in the water level. A slow fall isn't bad either, but a fast rise or fall hurts fishing. The best fishing is in buckbrush and treetops near shore, but follow river reports in local newspapers so you know when conditions are right to visit.

Information on Mellwood Old River is available from the AGFC's District 4 office in Brinkley by phoning 1-877-734-4581.

DISTRICT 5
This district covers Jefferson, Cleveland, Lincoln, Desha, Bradley, Drew, Ashley and Chicot counties in Arkansas' southeast corner. Many anglers who fish this region would quickly choose Lower Lake Chicot as the best slab crappie lake in the area.

Actually, Lower Chicot is probably the only lake in this area that has consistently good action for big crappie. Jumbo slabs have always inhabited the lake, but before the lake renovation in 1985 and 1986, not many people fished here, because the water was so muddy. Since the renovation, though, the water has cleared tremendously, and more and more folks travel here to enjoy the first-class fishing. They're catching lots of crappie up to 2 pounds and more.

Some of the best crappie fishing is around the Connerly Bayou area, where there are creek conditions with lots of good cover. Most anglers fish around willows and cypress trees, but Connerly has lots of deep brushy tops that also hold good fish.

Lake Chicot, divided into upper and lower portions by a dam constructed in 1948, covers more than 5,000 acres in east-central Chicot County. The lake is easily accessed by state and federal highways traversing the city of Lake Village.