When the trout finally do arrive, however, the action can be chaotic. "I've seen them with 50 fish on board," Katcher said. "Some nights it's so fast that we'll have fish flopping all over the floor. They'll be anywhere from a pound and a half to 6 or 7 pounds. Up to about 2 pounds is about what you can expect, though."

In stark contrast to the Orvis and G. Loomis world of the tailwaters is the tackle anglers use to catch lake rainbows. Most use Zebco or Johnson spincast rigs. More-adventurous souls sometimes use a device called a "cowbell," which consists of a 2-foot leader festooned with red beads and a series of counter-rotating spinners. This is supposed to mimic a school of shad when trolled slowly.

You'll find a wide array of lodging facilities all around Bull Shoals Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates eight campgrounds on the Arkansas side of the lake offering 442 campsites. Bull Shoals Lake State Park also has 85 RV campsites and 20 tent sites.

LAKE HAMILTON
During the winter, the AGFC stocks rainbow trout in the uppermost portion of Lake Hamilton, right below Blakely Dam. Though Lake Hamilton is best known for largemouth bass, the trout provide a seasonal fishing opportunity in an otherwise static part of the lake.

This is an entirely different experience from that at Bull Shoals. Basically, people follow the stocking truck to the water. Those trout are used to the pampered life at the fish hatchery, and when they hit the water and see all that corn and Powerbait, it's a meat haul.

Of course, a few trout always survive that melee, and a few actually endure for a year or two. There aren't enough to make it worthwhile targeting them specifically, but anglers occasionally welcome them into the boat by accident.

LAKE CATHERINE TAILWATER
Directly below Lake Hamilton is Lake Catherine, the last in the chain of Diamond Lakes before the Ouachita River plunges into the lowlands of the Gulf Coastal Plain. During the winter, the AGFC stocks rainbow trout below Carpenter Dam, which impounds Lake Catherine. The stream profile is more typical of a tailrace, so it's better suited to fly-fishing and wade-fishing than is the upper part of Hamilton, which is deep and steep. You can usually find flyfishermen practicing their craft here. Brown and olive Wooly Buggers are very effective for catching these trout, as are tiny sowbugs.

Of course, this is a put-and-take fishery, so corn and Powerbait are quite acceptable.

LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER
During the winter, the AGFC stocks 75,000 to 80,000 rainbow trout in a six-mile stretch of the Little Missouri below Lake Greeson. Although the first half-mile below the dam is a catch-and-release area, the Little Missouri is primarily a put-and-take fishery. Still, a number of trout survive the initial assault and move into deeper pools downstream where they encounter cooler water and less fishing pressure. The best time to fish for them is between early summer and mid-autumn.