• 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, 31 Mar, the lake level is approx 3 inches above normal conservation pool and rising. There is increased current of Little River with the gates releasing around 8132 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 and continues rising above normal.

    Surface temps as of Monday, 31 Mar are ranging 59ºF early to 67ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

    Lake level as of Monday, is currently is 259.43 mfsl, and rising 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 8132 CFS. As of Monday the tailwater level was 233.00 mfsl.

    Clarity and visibility fair to stained 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 18-30 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, Bass kicked it up a notch, in a spawning mode. We are seeing males and female bass on beds up to 8 or 9 pounds the past couple weeks. The bite was somewhat better this week with more stable temperatures and weather. Nice, fat, prespawn Bass full of eggs are being caught over the past week up to 9 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 activity and agressive reactions. 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, Watermelon Candy-Red, or Green Pumpkin Candy colors with a Berkley Pit Boss or Yum Wooly Bullee trailer are taking a few prespawn bass in the 4-7 lb class. Chatterbaits were catching nice bass in Mud Lake oxbow over the past couple weeks in dead lily pad stems and new pad blooms.

    Rat-L-Traps worked slow, and deflecting off stumps and timber in the creek channels, over the past couple weeks have been taking some healthy Largemouths. Best colors over the past few weeks that continue to produce are Red Shad Zombie, Toledo Gold, Pumpkin Craw, or Creole 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 in watermelon red colors were catching some random bass over the past week. Lizards in plum, june bug-red, black grape, or pumpkinseed/pearl are all good choices over the past few days.

    White Bass: Continue staging above State Highway 71 bridge for the spawn. Points along inflow ditches 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. Several fishermen reported to us they were beginning to catch good numbers and quantities of Whites/Hybrids early this week.

    Crappie: A few more crappie fishermen continue to venture out over the past week, and have been catching prespawn Black and White Crappie around 3-6' depth creek channels around cypress trees, on Blakemore Roadrunners, beetle spins, Little Cleos, and H & H spinners. Best colors with the stained water clarity seem to be white, chartreuse, and black.

    Cats: Blues and Channel cats improved with the increase of current in Little River this week on trot lines running 7-10 feet of depth, or on Yo-Yos in Mud Lake and other oxbows up Little River, using chicken hearts, gizzards, liver, live shiners, and homemade cheese dough balls.


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

    Surface temps as of Monday, 31 Mar are ranging 59ºF early to 67ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

    Lake level as of Monday is currently is 259.43 mfsl, and rising with river current, which is approx 3 inches above normal conservation pool. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate was around 8132 CFS on Monday. The tailwater level as of Monday was at 233.00 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 18-30 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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