The Overall Picture:

As of Monday, 23 Sept, the lake level is approx 7 inches above normal conservation pool and rising from over 9" of rain in sw Arkansas and se Oklahoma. There is a increase of current of Little River since last week. The Largemouth Bass have been schooling in several oxbows over the past month. Little River and the oxbows over the past week are muddy from recent high wind and thunderstorms. Surface water temps dropped significantly over the past week with the cold front over the last weekend.

Largemouth Bass are in a fall transition phase, and the topwater bite which was very good over the past 4-5 weeks with schooling activities up Little River prior to the recent cold front subsided over the past week.



Surface temps as of Monday, 23 Sept are ranging 74ºF early to 78ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

Lake level as of Monday 23 Sept is currently is 259.70 mfsl, and rising with increased muddy river current, which is approx 7 inches above normal conservation pool. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was a total discharge of 967 CFS . The tailwater level as of Monday was up slightly, 226.45 mfsl.

Clarity and visibility have worsened over the past week from high winds, heavy rain, and thunderstorms. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 3-5 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 3-4 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity began to stain over the weekend with the rise of the current of Little River, ranging approx 1-2 feet depth of visibility depending on location. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, or thunderstorms.


The USACE recently completed addition of the 5 new campsites to White Cliffs campground. Currently, the new pavement in the park and the electrical work is completed. The new campsite areas opened over the past week or ten days, for overnight camping with electrical hookups.


To volunteer for one of the cleanup dates or ramp and USACE park information, contact Tony Porter at the Millwood Tri-Lakes Project Office. 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.

The Details:


Largemouth Bass: The top water action which has been very good to excellent over the past 5-6 weeks, with surface schooling in various locations by bass in the 14-15" age class, subsided over the past week with the cold front, severe thunderstorms, high winds, and increase of muddy current in the river. The schooling had been taking place in lily pads, grass, and pockets near cypress trees. The Johnson Chrome spoons with white grub trailers in the lily pads were getting good reactions prior to the surface temp drop and thunderstorms, and Bass Assassin Shads, hollow and solid body plastic frogs, and spinnerbaits were catching good Largemouths around vegetation. After the cold front, surface temperature drop and muddy current, these schooling fish subsided, but were found upriver on points and junctions of creek dumps quite subdued.

Over the past week, the best reaction baits were Bass Assassin Shads, Bomber crankbaits, and War Eagle Spinnerbaits around pads and vegetation. Johnson Spoons are still working randomly in vegetation and pads. Bass Assassin Shads in salt-n-pepper or gold pepper shiner and frogs in black or pumpkinseed are good choices in pads.

War Eagle Spinnerbaits in Firetiger, and Sexy Mouse colors are best colors working along the edges of pads, hydrilla, pond weed, and coontail moss or most any vegetation lines. Best color for Rat-L-Traps over the past week are White Zombie, Millwood Magic, or Red Crawfish colors around 2-3 feet depth flats with stumps & vegetation nearby. 10" Yum plastic worms are working randomly, Watermelon Red in clear water if you can find any, or Black Grape and Blue Flake in stained to muddy water around cypress trees and stumps.

Real Deal Custom Tackle jigs continue randomly working for nice, chunky, 2-3 pound Largemouths with improved water clarity. Best colors over the past week with the stained to muddy water are Texas Craw, June Bug, and Habenero colors. We are using black craw-worm trailers with the jigs in the muddier water clarity. The jig bite moved more shallow over the past week, and work the jigs on base of cypress trees, knees, and stumps in 1-3 foot depths of ditches, creek channel flats adjacent to deep creek bends, shallow patches of sawgrass, and where alligator weed is in close proximity to cypress trees in less than 5 feet of depth.


White Bass: Whites are also on the move, up river and being caught on points of Little River along side the Largemouths using Bomber & XCalibur crankbaits in Citruse, Chartreuse Brown Tiger, Foxy Lady, or Chartreuse Blush colors, and in grass and pads on Firetiger colored spinner baits. Whites also continue biting Rat-L-Traps in Millwood Magic, Green Tiger, and Sexy Zombie in clear water if you can find any.



Crappie: Crappie were beginning to improve until the muddy and stained water clarity hit last weekend. Live shiners, hair jigs, and Blakemore Roadrunners were working by vertical jigging in and around planted brush piles from 8-9 feet of depth and jigs in white/red, black/chartreuse, or Blakemore Roadrunners in white & chartreuse were best colors, but the Crappie have scattered from the muddy current over the past few days.


Cats: Blues and Channel Cats improved with the increase of current in Little River, biting well on trot lines or yo-yo's with cut bait, chicken livers, Catfish Charlie, and homemade blood bait, along Little River and creek mouths dumping into the river. The 7-9 feet deep wash-outs and creek dumps into Little River seem to be best locations for drop lines or tight lines for the past few days. Yo-yo's hung from cypress tree limbs in the oxbows up Little River still are working from 10-15 feet depths using live shiners, chicken livers, and Charlie dough balls.


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

Surface temps as of Monday, 23 Sept are ranging 74ºF early to 78ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

Lake level as of Monday 23 Sept is currently is 259.70 mfsl, and rising with increased muddy river current, which is approx 7 inches above normal conservation pool. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was a total discharge of 967 CFS . The tailwater level as of Monday was up slightly, 226.45 mfsl.

Clarity and visibility have worsened over the past week from high winds, heavy rain, and thunderstorms. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 3-5 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 3-4 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity began to stain over the weekend with the rise of the current of Little River, ranging approx 1-2 feet depth of visibility depending on location. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, or thunderstorms.

The USACE recently completed addition of the 5 new campsites to White Cliffs campground. Currently, the new pavement in the park and the electrical work is completed. The new campsite areas opened over the past week or ten days, for overnight camping with electrical hookups.




To volunteer for one of the cleanup dates or ramp and USACE park information, contact Tony Porter at the Millwood Tri-Lakes Project Office. 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.

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 US Army Corps of Engineers, Arkansas.com and tons more great fishing stuff....

Until next time, see you on the water,