• Millwood Lake 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 Fishing Report

    The Overall Picture:

    As of Monday, 24 Mar, the lake level is approx 3 inches above normal conservation pool and falling. There is increased current of Little River with the gates releasing around 4681 CFS as of Monday. Water temps rose over the past week. There were good numbers of fishermen on the lake over the past week. Lake level has rose slightly over the past few days from the rain over last weekend but is now falling back to normal.

    Surface temps as of Monday, 24 Mar are ranging 58ºF early to 63ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

    Lake level as of Monday, is currently is 259.46 mfsl, and falling with river current, which is approx 3 inches above normal conservation pool. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was increased to near 4681 CFS. As of Monday the tailwater level was 234.90 mfsl.

    Clarity and visibility fair to stained but improved, this week, in most areas on main lake. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 8-10 inches. Cottonshed and northeast section of the lake is still muddy. Little River's visibility ranges 8-10 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity is much improved, ranging approx 25-30 inches depth of visibility depending on location. Little River above McGuire oxbow is still muddy and lots of current. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, or thunderstorms.

    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 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.

    The Details:

    Largemouth Bass: This past week, we again saw a rise in water temperature, putting Bass in a spawning mode. We are seeing males and female bass on beds up to 7 or 8 pounds this week. The bite can be soft, and random, but good, prespawn Bass full of eggs are being caught over the past week up to 7 pounds. Plastic lizards, Rat-L-Traps, chatterbaits and suspending hard jerk baits have been taking staging bass on flats with stumps, ditches, and in creek channels. Key continues to be finding water temps that are 5-8º warmer than surrounding areas, and clearer water with the current conditions.

    The clearest water you can find away from river flow has been the best method over the past few weeks. Bass are continuing to roam onto flats and spawning grounds, dropping eggs, on beds, tight to trees and cover. Rat-L-Traps, Bass Assassins, frogs, chatterbaits, and plastic lizards, tubes, and jigs over the past few week, have been the go to baits. The further from Little River current and heavy stain water; and in deeper sections of creeks over the past couple weeks, will produce best Largemouths. Cordell Red Fins, Smithwick Rouges, and hard jerk baits continue taking a few good size Bass in south Hickory pockets of the area of main lake and the Millwood State Park as well as the oxbows up Little River.

    Real Deal Custom Tackle jigs in Texas Craw, PB&J, or bruiser colors with a Berkley craw chunk or Yum Wooly Bullee or Wooly Bug trailer are taking a few prespawn bass in the 4-7 lb class. Chatterbaits continue catching nice bass in Mud Lake oxbow over the weekend in dead lily pad stems.

    Large size Rat-L-Traps worked much slower and deflecting off stumps and timber, deeper in the creek channels, over the past few week are still catching Largemouths. Best colors over the past few weeks that continue to produce are Red Shad Zombie, Candy Craw, Sexy Bone Nova, or Honey Craw around 4-8 feet depth flats near creek channel swings, deflecting off stumps in the clearest water you can locate away from muddy water or Little River current.

    Locating water temps 2-5 degrees warmer on sunny days, seems to be key in locating bass in a prespawn, feeding mood over the past few weeks. Large flats near deeper creek channels with stumps and timber will hold a few Largemouths on bright sunny days where the water will warm substantially over the mid-day hours as much as 8 degrees. Largemouths hiding near lay downs, cypress trees, stumps and timber will randomly react and smack a slow, wobbling Rat-L-Trap in Toledo Gold, Red Shad; a bubblegum tube, pumpkinseed lizards, or white chatter bait. Key is finding these warmer water areas on sunny days for the most aggressive bite this time of year. Salty Rat tails and Yum Dingers were catching some random bass over the past few days.

    White Bass: Continue staging above State Highway 71 bridge for the spawn. Points along Cossatot inflow ditch and creek channels protruding into Little River were giving up a few Whites mid-week chrome/blue, Millwood Magic, or Smokey Joe Rat-L-Traps. Annual migration to spawning grounds for the Whites continue to move that direction provided the muddy current in Little River subsides this week.

    Crappie: A few more crappie fishermen were out over the past week, and have been catching prespawn Black and White Crappie around 8-12' depth creek channels with deep cypress trees, on Blakemore Roadrunners this week.

    Cats: Blues and Channel cats improved with the increase of current in Little River this week on trot lines running 8-12 feet of depth with chicken hearts, gizzards, liver, hot dogs and blood bait.

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

    Surface temps as of Monday, 24 Mar are ranging 58ºF early to 63ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

    Lake level as of Monday is currently is 259.46 mfsl, and falling with river current, which is approx 3 inches above normal conservation pool. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate was around 4681 CFS on Monday. The tailwater level as of Monday was at 232.63 mfsl.

    Clarity and visibility as of Monday fair to stained but improved. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 8-10 inches. Cottonshed and Saline in the northeast section of the lake is muddy. Little River's visibility ranges 8-10 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity also began clearing over the weekend ranging approx 25-30 inches depth of visibility depending on location. Little River above McGuire oxbow is still muddy and lots of current. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, or thunderstorms.

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

    'Til next week, hope to see you on the lake,
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