Sardis Lake-Sardis, MS
Reelfoot Lake- TN
Norfork Lake AR
Lake of the Ozarks, AR

What you can catch - on a good day

Largemouth Bass - Frequently caught in excess of 5 pounds. Sounds pretty good, and many folks do just that.  The biggest fish of the year are caught in the early spring.  Fill your  livewell with these fish in April or May.  Summer is much slower.  The fall months bring a return of spring catches. Largemouth will move back to dropoffs during the winter, but a few mild days may find them feeding in the shallows.
Smallmouth Bass - The best battler when hooked.  These spring spawners closely follow the patterns of largemouths. 
Kentucky Bass / Spotted Bass - This fighter is found along both main lakes and major tributaries. They follow many of the spring and summer patterns of the largemouth they can also be found near points where bait fish are present. You will find these bass moving in shallow water, especially near wood structures. Like the largemouth, they will hang near the dropoffs during the winter months.
White & Black Crappie - The Average size of this species is LARGE due to the minimum size limitations and immense forage base found in both lakes.  You can find them along shallow dropoffs and near shore where cover is available. As the water temperature rises, the crappie move into the shallows to spawn.  The heaviest activity is in March, April, May.  As summer approaches they will seek the cooler areas around droppoffs, but will reappear in the fall months around structures and shorelines with cover. 
Bluegill - Located all over the lakes, bluegill spawn in late spring and concentrate in timber and brush during April and May. During summer, and even late fall, they can be found near practically every dock and tree, with the bigger of the species being caught deeper. They will often keep these patterns until as late as December, but will grow sluggish in January and February.
White Bass - These fish make annual runs to upper reaches of the main tributaries each spring. During the summer months, large schools will chase shad and minnows on the surface of the main lake, providing some of the best action to be found.  Troll with deep divers or spoons along the edges of the main river channel. During the fall months they will be more difficult to locate but are still in large schools and will occasionally show some surface activity. White bass tend to frequent deep flats in late fall.

Striped Bass / Rock Fish - This species concentrate below the dams in the swift tailwaters. Live bait (herring or shad, caught below the dams), jigs and rapala type lures will produce best results in the spring.  Rockfish are more active in the fall. Switch to a larger bait, 6 to 10 inches, and watch for surfacing fish. During the winter months, the activity will slow. Use smaller baits at this time of year.
Catfish - This great eater is located in coves, creeks and main lake pockets. They are late spring spawners and will move to the shallow mud banks in April then to rocky shoreline to spawn during May and June. During the summer months, fishing is best on the main river channels, especially near sharp bends. Feeding activity of the catfish falls with the cooling of the water temperatures.