The Shouse Ford and Brushy areas of DeGray are great spring hotspots, said Wooldridge -- but be prepared for company, as lots of other anglers have also gotten wind of the opportunities there.

Try minnows under a light float or bobber for the best results.

DeGray Lake is part of the newly established DeGray Wildlife Management Area. It’s located near Amity in Clark County. Contact the Hot Springs Region at 1-877-525-8606 for additional information.

HAMILTON LAKE
“We saw a lot of nice crappie last spring -- and we’re talking 12 inches,” said Wooldridge. “The tree-top brush tops start to group up crappie during periods of lower water in about 10- to 12-foot depths. Though these are primarily fall spots, spring crappie can sometimes be caught here as well.”

White crappie dominate the scene, said Wooldridge. Whites prefer more open water than do the weed-loving black crappie, and Hamilton fits the bill nicely. Weeds aren’t overly abundant, and the crappie relate to docks and other manmade structures.

The lake is a busy one. Residences, cottages and businesses line the shoreline. Anglers and recreational boaters share the lake’s 7,200 acres, which can be crowded, especially on weekends.

Hamilton Lake is in Garland County near Hot Springs. It’s 18 miles long and accessible from state routes 7 and 70 and Interstate 270. Call the AGFC’s Hot Springs Region at 1-877-525-8606 for more information.

GRAND LAKE
“The best crappie lake in my area is Grand Lake,” said AGFC fisheries biologist Diana Andrews.

Grand Lake is an old oxbow off the Mississippi River with a healthy crappie population. Jigs and minnows are the typical crappie fare. The lake doesn’t have a lot of submerged vegetation, but it still continues to churn out the slabs.

Grand Lake has a pea-green coloration, suggesting that little sunlight penetrates the depths. Lily pads are about the only plant life that can grow here, and anglers can often take crappie from the pads. The stalks harbor minnows and other small prey, providing an overhead sense of security.

Successful crappie techniques here include dropping minnows into the holes between lily pads and fishing along the outside edges of the beds.

According to Andrews, there’s a healthy range of crappie in Grand Lake, with some nice slabs mixed in. The lake covers nearly a thousand acres in Chicot County. Access is off state Route 8 and U.S. Route 65 near Eudora. Call the AGFC’s Southeast Region at 1-877-367-3559 for additional information.

LAKE CHICOT
Crappie at Lake Chicot are larger than those in neighboring waters, thanks to a 10-inch minimum-length limit, according to Andrews.

Spring crappie hunters will do well to start in the Connerly Bayou. The slabs move up into shallow water to spawn early on in the spring. A minnow under a bobber or a brightly colored jig tipped with a minnow are proven baits. A small spinner can sometimes tempt these big slabs as well.