The lake's namesake state park on the western side of the upper lake offers a marina, supplies and bait, boat rentals, walking trails and more. For more information, call White Oak Lake State Park at (870) 685-2748.

Ouachita River And Felsenthal
Raging waters actually cleared out some of the pesky vegetation on Felsenthal Reservoir in its namesake national wildlife refuge in southeast Union County, and the Ouachita River has a new 14-inch minimum length limit on largemouths from Tate's Bluff (Ouachita County) to Felsenthal Lock and Dam (Union and Ashley counties). These developments mean that bass fishing is on the rise in both fisheries, Brinkman said.

EAST ARKANSAS
With a sigh of relief, AGFC fisheries biologist Jeff Farwick said that access roads, ramps, and other public facilities in his 10-county district suffered little damage from 2008's storm waters. "In general, I suspect we had a great spawn and great recruitment."

Bear Creek Lake
One of the best places to catch plenty of largemouths in the 13- to 16-inch range is Bear Creek Lake within the St. Francis National Forest Wildlife Management Area. "And there's lots of bass in there over 16 inches," Farwick added. The 71-year-old reservoir atop Crowley's Ridge is "about 625 acres or so, which is actually not so small for this part of the world, and there's a 10-horsepower limit on boat motors there," he continued.

This year's anglers will reap benefits made possible by those who've abided by the 13- to 16-inch slot limit for many years, making plenty of room for bass to grow rapidly in this picturesque lake. It's on the north end of the national forest in southeastern Lee County, with a fishing pier on the west side off state Route 44 and a Forest Service ramp on the east side, south of Jeffersonville. While you're in the area, head to the south end of the WMA and check out the excellent hybrid striped bass fishing in Storm Creek Lake near Helena.

Lakes Dunn And Austelle
Village Creek State Park offers a perfect one-two punch: A lunker lake and one for catching plenty of eating-sized largemouths. At the north end of the park, you'll find 65-acre Lake Dunn, but don't let its dimensions fool you. "It produces lots of bass upwards of 8 to 10 pounds," Farwick said, predicting one of the state's best trophy destinations for 2009.

It's a short drive south to 85-acre Austelle, which used to be a legitimate trophy largemouth lake that once surrendered a 15-pound, 2-ounce monster. It's still a great fishery, but it's slipped in recent years, primarily because anglers so strongly practice catch-and-release fishing there. Instead of counting on wall-hangers, plan to fill a stringer with pan-sized bass for a shore lunch.

"Now, it's got a lot of small, skinny, undernourished fish in it, and we strongly encourage anglers to harvest more bass," Farwick said. "We have to have more harvest of the sub-13-inch fish. The limit is 10 per day, and we want people to take those smaller bass out of there."