• Millwood Lake - Arkansas Fishing Report

    Millwood Lake Guide Service
    (870) 772-6840 http://www.millwoodguideservice.com/index.html MillwoodLakeGSvc@aol.com
  • Millwood Lake Guide Service has been featured numerous times on the popular TV show Fishing Country with Charlie Pack. We guide for Largemouth bass, White bass, Kentucky bass, and Crappie. Since 1990, Millwood Lake Guide Service has supported and worked with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and The US Army Corps of Engineers regularly, Catch and Release Foundation, Black Bass Federation and Restoration Projects

  • Millwood Lake - Arkansas Fishing Report

    The Overall Picture:

    As of Tuesday, Millwood Lake is near normal, currently approx 2" above NCP. The lake Tuesday was at 259.4 ft-msl and falling; oxbows' water clarity stained. Little River clarity stained with current discharge this week. Millwood Lake tailwater elevation near 226 ft-msl with gate discharge at the dam around 450 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. Be sure and check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on our website helpful link page, or at the US Army Corps of Engineers website for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels. NAVIGATION CONDITIONS ARE NORMAL on Millwood Lake with reduced discharge rates and flow conditions in Little River. Use EXTREME CAUTION anytime high gate discharge conditions exist.


    Surface temps remain stable this week, ranging in 82-88ºF range, depending on location. Continue to use caution in navigation on Little River and Millwood watching for random broken, or floating timber in Little River are in effect. Lots of Little River buoy markers along the main lake channel MAY HAVE MOVED with recent gate changes at the Millwood Dam. Use caution in navigation on main lake river channels where river buoys may be out of channel from recent high winds.


    Current along Little River decreased this week with discharge release at the dam, and river clarity ranging 3-5 inches visibility depending on location. Clarity & visibility of Oxbows at 10-14 inches depending on location. Mud lines last week that were observed flowing into Horseshoe oxbow, are dissipating and oxbows began clearing. Further up Little River near White Cliffs and Wilton Landing has heavier stain conditions. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, gate discharge, rain, or thunderstorms. Clarity (at Saratoga and Okay area) has improved drastically.


    From the USACE, all campgrounds and parks, & boat ramps ARE REOPENED EXCEPT PARALOMA AND SARATOGA which are in seasonal closures, will reopen in the fall.




    USACE Recently completed additional 25+ River Buoys along Little River main lake channel late last week to improve navigation.




    FROM USACE: TWO-FEET OF DRAW-DOWN RECENTLY APPROVED FOR MILLWOOD LAKE BEGINNING 15 SEPTEMBER & RUNNING THROUGH AT LEAST 01 OCTOBER 2021 DEPENDENT UPON RAINFALL AND CONCRETE REPAIR. USE EXTREME CAUTION DURING DRAW-DOWN POOL ELEVATIONS, AS STUMPS AND OBSTACLES WILL BE NEAR OR AT SURFACE POOL DURING NAVIGATION ON MILLWOOD LAKE!! BOAT LANES ON OPEN WATER MAY BE DRY GROUND OR MERE INCHES IN DEPTH WITH STUMPS AND HAZARDS. DRAW-DOWN WORK INCLUDES BOAT RAMP REPAIR NEAR BEARDS BLUFF, SHORELINE ABATEMENT/EROSION REPLACEMENT, AND OTHER RELATED MAINTENANCE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON, OR REGARDING THE DRAW-DOWN, CALL THE USACE TRI-LAKES OFFICE AT: 870-898-3343.




    The AGFC Hatchery have released a total of 528,114 Florida Bass Fingerlings into Millwood Lake thus far this year!


    Numerous areas on Millwood Lake are fully choked with alligator weed mats, and inaccessible for navigation or fishing. The USACE was able to conduct an alligator weed beetle release a few weeks ago and are monitoring.


    The USACE is currently monitoring and evaluating the excessive alligatorweed densities, lake wide and what corrective action may be necessary.


    Millwood State Park is OPEN for campers. Call Millwood State Park or other USACE parks for camping information and check open/close status.


    See the CV-19 related information, and camping reservation requirements at https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/p...ood-state-park.


    The Millwood State Park Marina at Millwood State Park has minnows and bait. Call the Millwood State Park Marina at 870-898-5334.


    The Millwood State Park Office can be reached at 870-898-2800 for availability or additional information.


    Be aware of sudden gate changes fishing the rocks below Millwood Dam and spillway.


    USACE were replacing river buoys along Little River over the past few weeks. The USACE continues working to replace numerous missing river channel buoys along main lake river channel out on the open lake area.




    Continue to use extreme caution in Little River where river current may have moved or damaged river buoys!


    Be aware of missing/broken telephone pole lane markers at upper end of Little Gas Line Cutoff boat lane!


    To volunteer for one of the cleanup dates or ramp, report any USACE project violations, or work updates, or USACE park information, contact Trey Shelton or Tiffany Smith at the Millwood Tri-Lakes Project Office 870-898-3343. To receive project updates, daily lake level information updates, gate release flows, tailwater information, park and campground information, or volunteer, call the US Army Corps of Engrs toll-free Millwood Project information line at 888-697-9830 or the US Army Corps of Engineers' main number to verify another Corp of Engineers project is open, at 877-444-6777. Call the Millwood State Park at 870-898-2800. Call the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for an officer, biologist, or to report AGFC regulation violation at 800-482-9262. Also reach the US Corps of Engineers at 870-898-3343 for more information about drawdown conditions, Millwood Lake project work, or to report/inquire regarding safety or navigation hazards directly to the US Army Corps of Engineers Tri-Lakes Project Office at Millwood.


    EXCELLENT ALLIGATOR POPULATIONS are being observed on Millwood this year, and Millwood Lake should be a good hunt this fall.




    The Details:




    "<º)))><{ " Fishing & Species Report " }><(((º>"



    Largemouth Bass: For the past several weeks, various Largemouth and Black Bass have been randomly schooling at daybreak in the oxbows up Little River for a few hours in early mornings. The best feeding periods have been early, from daylight to around 8-9am, slowing in the heat of the day. Random schooling slowed somewhat this week, with fewer schools seen surface breaking. When schools of Shad are broken up by juvenile and adolescent sized Bass, the melee can be awesome for several minutes. When good schools break, we were getting decent reactions using the Bill Lewis Stuttersteps, Cordell Boy Howdy's, Clear Baby Torpedoes, Heddon Dying Flutters, and Cordell Crazy Shads in chrome/black back. Blow up reactions randomly continue in the lily pads, early on plastic Frogs in black, white, or pumpkinseed/pearl belly, have been working near pads and grass. The schooling Bass are chasing large pods of Threadfin Shad to the surface and blowing them out of the water at daylight in the oxbows near vertical structure where the flats drop off into 8-15 feet of depth.


    Reaction strikes are fair during the mornings until around 10am on Arbogast Jitterbugs & jointed-Jitterbugs in Cricket Frog, Coach dog, and Perch colors. Moss Bosses in White, and Rattling Zara Mouses in Gray, are working randomly in the Lily Pads. Johnson chrome Silver Minnow spoons with a white 3" curly tail grub trailer are getting reactions in the pads by rumbling over and pausing in gaps between lily pads. Be advised, you need 30lb+ braided line to hoss the bigger Bass out of the salad and pads.


    H&H tandem Spinners in chartreuse/white and bream colors, Little John custom Shad painted crankbaits, Bill Lewis squarebill SB-57 and MR-6 crankbaits in Chartreuse Shad, Tennessee Shad, Millwood Magic colors, 3/4oz 1-knocker Rat-L-Traps, and Tandem Bass Assassin Rigs are also catching these surface schooling 3lb to 4lb fish. 10" bulky Worms in Blue Fleck, Black Grape, and Peanut Butter 'n Jelly colors continue working for a few Bass up to 4 pounds when the surface commotion subsides.


    Where the creek mouths dump into Little River, near Snake Creek, Jacks' Isle, and White Cliffs Creek, the Kentucky Bass were found inside the main creek channels, just out of river current, over the past few weeks, and hitting hammered chrome Cordell Spoons with white/red bucktail, Custom painted Little John cranks, and Fat Free Shads, and behind points extending into Little River above Jack's Isle. Vertical jigging of the spoons near standing timber and stumps continue working for some 2-3 lb Largemouth and White Bass.


    Bass Assassin Shad jerkbaits continue randomly working in the oxbows, same flats and stumps with lily pads as the top water frogs, early in the morning. Best colors over the past couple weeks have been Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom, Houdini, and Bluegill Flash in the 5" sizes seemed to draw best reactions.


    If you can find drops and vertical structure where the alligator weed and lily pads converge on receding flats or deeper drops on secondary points, from 5-6 feet deep tapering out to 8-9 feet deep, custom painted S-cranks and Little John cranks in Bream and shad patterns are still getting random reactions over the past few weeks. Bandit 200 cranks in Splatterback, LA Shad, Chartreuse Rootbeer and Citrus Shad colors have been randomly working for several weeks for Largemouth and White Bass.
    Bream: Millwood had another Mayfly hatch over the past 2 weeks, and have the Bream active again under willow trees. Bream were fair to good at Millwood State Park and Jack's Isle over the past week on red worms, crickets, and mayflies.


    White Bass: continued roaming Little River over the past few weeks, but have been random in locations. Last week, 2 anglers found large schools of Whites in McGuire oxbow, schooling with the Largemouths near vertical structure, and in creek channel dumps into the oxbow near back of McGuire in front of standing timber. Random schooling was taking place from daylight until around 9am with shad pods breaking as the Whites were pushing them to the surface. Johnson Beetle Spins, Hammered Cordell chrome spoons with a red bucktail, Rocket Shads, 3/4oz Rat-L-Traps, and Little Cleo's were all randomly catching Whites, over last couple weeks in McGuire.


    Crappie: over the past week were random in strikes, on a solid bite one day, and flip a switch off the next day, best bite seems to have shifted from jigs and Mizmo tubes to minnows, in planted brush piles in the oxbows up Little River and on main lake, (see photos above) from 8-12 feet of depth. Vertical jigging seemed to work best for jigs a week or so ago, but minnows seemed to work best over the past week, randomly for Crappie early, but were slow in the afternoon.


    Cats: Improved on the main lake (photo above), using King's punch bait, minnows, Charlie, and hot dogs. Blues and channel cats up to around 4 pounds were fair and slightly more active this week.




    }><(((º> Lake Pool & River Conditions Report <º)))><{




    As of Tuesday, Millwood Lake is approx 2" above NCP elevation and falling. The lake elevation on Tuesday was 259.4 ft-msl; oxbows' water clarity stained. Little River clarity has improved slightly with decreased discharge this week. Millwood Lake tailwater elevation near 226 ft-msl with gate discharge at the dam around 450 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. Be sure and check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on our website helpful link page, or at the US Army Corps of Engineers website for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels. NAVIGATION CONDITIONS ARE NORMAL on Millwood Lake with discharge rates and conditions in Little River. Use EXTREME CAUTION at any time during current high gate discharge conditions.


    Surface temps remain stable this week, ranging in 82-88ºF range, depending on location. Continue to use caution in navigation on Little River and Millwood watching for random broken, or floating timber in Little River are in effect. Lots of Little River buoy markers along the main lake channel MAY HAVE MOVED with recent GATE DISCHARGE RATES. Use caution in navigation on main lake river channels.


    Current along Little River decreased this week with discharge release at the dam, and river clarity ranging 3-5 inches visibility depending on location. Clarity & visibility of Oxbows at 10-14 inches depending on location. Further up Little River near White Cliffs and Wilton Landing has heavier stain, with inflow conditions. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, gate discharge, rain, or thunderstorms. Clarity conditions were worse further up river past White Cliffs on Little River.


    WILTON LANDING on Little River, Millwood State Park, and numerous other campgrounds and boat launch ramps that were closed, have recently REOPENED. Watch for broken timber, trees, and floaters with debris in Little River. Be sure you call your various respective park location to check if has reopened on Millwood Lake.


    From the USACE, all campgrounds and parks, & boat ramps ARE REOPENED EXCEPT PARALOMA AND SARATOGA which are in seasonal closures, will reopen in the fall.




    USACE Recently completed additional 25+ River Buoys along Little River main lake channel late last week to improve navigation.




    FROM USACE: TWO-FEET OF DRAW-DOWN RECENTLY APPROVED FOR MILLWOOD LAKE BEGINNING 15 SEPTEMBER & RUNNING THROUGH AT LEAST 01 OCTOBER 2021 DEPENDENT UPON RAINFALL AND CONCRETE REPAIR. USE EXTREME CAUTION DURING DRAW-DOWN POOL ELEVATIONS, AS STUMPS AND OBSTACLES WILL BE NEAR OR AT SURFACE POOL DURING NAVIGATION ON MILLWOOD LAKE!! BOAT LANES ON OPEN WATER MAY BE DRY GROUND OR MERE INCHES IN DEPTH WITH STUMPS AND HAZARDS. DRAW-DOWN WORK INCLUDES BOAT RAMP REPAIR NEAR BEARDS BLUFF, SHORELINE ABATEMENT/EROSION REPLACEMENT, AND OTHER RELATED MAINTENANCE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON, OR REGARDING THE DRAW-DOWN, CALL THE USACE TRI-LAKES OFFICE AT: 870-898-3343.




    AGFC have released 528,114 Florida Bass into Millwood thus far this calendar year to improve the genetics of LMB in Millwood.




    Numerous areas on Millwood Lake are matted with alligator weed mats, and inaccessible for navigation or fishing. The USACE was able to conduct an alligator weed beetle release a few weeks ago and are monitoring.


    The USACE is currently monitoring and evaluating the excessive alligatorweed densities, lake wide and what corrective action may be necessary.


    Millwood State Park is OPEN for campers. Call Millwood State Park or other USACE parks for camping information and check open/close status.


    See the CV-19 related information, and camping reservation requirements at https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/p...ood-state-park.


    The Millwood State Park Marina at Millwood State Park has minnows and bait. Call the Millwood State Park Marina at 870-898-5334.


    The Millwood State Park Office can be reached at 870-898-2800 for availability or additional information.


    USACE is in process of discharging river volume at the Millwood Dam. Be aware of sudden gate changes fishing the rocks below Millwood Dam and spillway. Navigation is NORMAL.


    USACE were replacing river buoys this week along Little River, and continue replacing moved or missing buoys in Little River, along main lake river channel in the open water.


    Continue to use extreme caution in Little River where river current may have moved or damaged river buoys!


    Many river buoys along Little River were recently replaced, however high flow conditions have moved some of these river buoys out of channel. Use caution where buoys have moved.


    IMPORTANT: USE CAUTION IN THE UPPER END OF THE BOAT LANE FROM THE HIGH LINE TO THE LITTLE GAS LINE CUTOFF FOR MISSING OR DAMAGED TELEPHONE POLE BOAT LANE MARKERS that were damaged or moved by broken timber on north end of main lake in open water!


    Wear your life jacket and kill switch and watch for obstructions, floaters, broken limbs, logs, and debris along Little River.


    To volunteer for one of the cleanup dates or ramp and USACE park information, contact Trey Shelton or Tiffany Smith at the Millwood Tri-Lakes Project Office at 870-898-3343. To receive project updates, daily lake level information updates, gate release flows, tailwater information, park and campground information, or volunteer, call the US Army Corps of Engrs toll-free information line at 888-697-9830 or the US Army Corps of Engineers' main number to verify another Corps of Engrs project is open, at 877-444-6777.


    Wear your Life Jacket and kill switch!! If you are suddenly or unexpectedly thrown from your boat, it could be your only chance of survival. Use caution navigating Little River in low light conditions, SLOW DOWN, and pass friendly to other boaters! As always, careful watch for any random floaters and debris in Little River's current, and wearing your PFD and kill switch is a requirement!


    Visit with us on our website, YouTube, and on Facebook, for the most current Millwood Lake fishing and water conditions report, updated weekly. See some great catch and release photos, sponsor links, tons of great information and resources on the lake available to you, along with excellent related direct links to Arkansas' State Parks, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Black Bass Program, the AGFC Florida Bass Stocking Program photos, The US Army Corps of Engineers, Arkansas.com and tons more great fishing stuff....


    Use extreme caution in navigation, wear your life jacket and let us know how we can help you GET OUT THERE!!




    Our goal is simple, to help you and yours make rewarding fishing experience memories to last a lifetime and increase your knowledge of the vast resource known simply to locals as, "The Jungle" we call Millwood Lake.


    Our commitment is simple, whatever it takes to make our goal a reality. If we are able to coach and mentor folks with techniques and experience we have gained in fishing here for over 40 years, to help them be better fishermen long after their time spent with us has passed, then we have succeeded.











    'Get The Net.............


    Mike Siefert
    Owner/Operator
    https://www.MillwoodGuideService.com


    PO Box 4957
    Texarkana, AR/TX/USA 75505-4957
    Shop: 870-772-6840


    "Your fun we take seriously, so you don't have to!"


    """"""""GOFISH""""<º)))><{{"""""""""""

    "Some Photos courtesy, Jason Sealock"
    Thanks for your interest in
    Millwood Lake Guide Service ~ Arkansas' Best Bass Fishing!


    """"""""GOFISH""""<º)))><{{"""""""""""


    Come see what all the excitement's about! Southwest Arkansas' best bassin' getaway! Watch our videos on Youtube and FaceBook by searching keywords: Millwood Lake Guide Service!!


    Over 31 years in the professional guide business on Millwood Lake since 1990, and over 5 million Florida Bass stocked by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission! Let us help YOU, GET OUT THERE!
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