Morgan Point Bendway Lake was cut off from the Arkansas River in northern Desha County during construction of Dam 2 in the 1960s. Spring crappie fishing is a bit unpredictable there, but check out deep holes and underwater fish attractors that are marked with buoys during the winter, Andrews said.

At 5,300 acres, Lake Chicot is our largest natural lake, but according to Andrews, its crappie population isn't the equal of that at Grand. However, the fish you catch on Chicot will probably be larger.

Lake Monticello is better in the winter, but anglers cannot cull then, because few of the fish survive the trip from deep water to the surface. Check AGFC regulations before fishing there.

DISTRICT 6: SOUTH-CENTRAL
Better known for deer hunting than for fishing, District 6 includes Dallas, Ouachita, Calhoun, Columbia and Union counties. Assistant biologist Jason Olive recommended Tri-County Lake, near the intersection of Dallas, Calhoun and Cleveland counties, for crappie fishing. "When we sample it, we're always amazed at how many crappie there are," he said.

The stump-filled 280-acre lake is heavily pressured, but continues to produce. It's located off state Highway 205, three miles southeast of Fordyce.

White Oak Lake, which state Highway 387 splits into a 1,031-acre upper lake and 1,645-acre lower lake, straddles the Ouachita-Nevada county line. "Lower White Oak can be a kind of boom or bust lake for crappie, but in 2005 it was phenomenal," Olive recalled. "There was a good year-class of 9- to 11-inch fish then. The anglers took a lot of them out of there, but there'll still be a lot of 11- to 14-inch fish there this year."

DISTRICT 7: SOUTHWEST
Howard, Pike, Sevier, Little River, Hempstead, Nevada, Miller and Lafayette counties cover this distinctive region, where you'll find two of the state's top crappie factories. "Lake Erling is awfully good," said biologist Les Claybrook. "It's really fertile, with lots of structure and lots of good broodstock. Anglers catch a bunch of crappie, but they always leave enough, too."