"You can catch them on big minnows, and catalpa worms are good if you can get them," Curtis advised.

To reach Davy Crockett Lake from Interstate 40 in eastern Crockett County, get on U.S. Highway 45 at exit 80B and follow it north to Humboldt. Stay on the bypass west of Humboldt, then take a right onto State Highway 152W. For directions and current fishing conditions, call the lake concessionaire at (731) 784-3889.

MAPLES CREEK LAKE
The blue and channel catfish in this 90-acre lake have a taste for turkey and chicken livers and night crawlers, according to TWRA spokesman Gabbard. Maples Creek Lake lies within Natchez Trace State Park in the southeastern corner of Carroll County.

"During hot weather, the locals fish primarily with jugs," but bank-fishing here is productive, too, Gabbard said. The lake is fairly shallow compared with most other TWRA Family Fishing Lakes, so you'll increase your catch by bumping the bottom of the main creek channel with bait. Because the lake is several decades old, much of the original timber is decaying, but you'll find fish seeking refuge from the summer heat under vegetation and in a few pockets covered with lily pads. While the average fish is a pound and a half or so, it's not unusual for anglers to tangle with 15- and 20-pounders, Gabbard confirmed.

To reach Maples Creek Lake from Interstate 40, take exit 116 onto State Highway 114 and follow it to Maples Lake Road. You'll find a boat ramp and handicapped-accessible fishing pier here. There's no concessionaire, but you can call TWRA's Region 1 office at (731) 423-5725 for additional information.

BROWN'S CREEK LAKE
This 167-acre catfish haven is the other TWRA Family Fishing Lake within Natchez Trace State Park. It's south of Maples Creek Lake, in northeastern Henderson County. Gabbard credits the TWRA's fisheries management program for the good catfishing here: A fertile lake and plenty of manmade fish attractors ensure good conditions for growing double-digit blue and channel cats. Where you spy TWRA buoys, you'll also detect brushpiles or other fish-attracting structure nearby.

Shaped like a jigsaw puzzle piece, Brown's Creek Lake has plenty of tree-lined coves and creeks to explore, and there's some bank-fishing access. If the catfish aren't cooperating, you might dangle a jig or minnow in brushpiles and hope to hook a descendent of the 4 1/4-pound state-record black crappie caught here in 1985.

Although you can rent a boat for only $8 per day or cast from a pier designed for disabled anglers, there's no concessionaire. For more information, contact the TWRA Region 1 office at (731) 423-5725. Brown's Creek Lake is 10 miles south of Interstate 40 in Natchez Trace State Park. From I-40, take exit 116 and follow State Road 114 to Brown's Creek Lake Road.

LAKE GRAHAM
"A catfish, he's a scavenger, and he can be anywhere," said concessionaire William Clyatt as he described the fishing on Lake Graham in eastern Madison County. "This is a very clean, spring-fed lake with extremely clear water, shallow coves and 25- to 30-foot-deep water in the main lake."

You'll see standing timber in about half the water, and the TWRA left plenty more on the bottom when it built Graham in the early 1980s. At 550 acres, it's the second-largest Family Fishing Lake.