• Millwood Lake Fishing Report - AR

    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 - AR

    The Overall Picture:

    As of Monday, 9 Mar, the lake level jumped over 2 feet in elevation, and is approx 28 inches above normal conservation pool and rising. There is increase of current of Little River with the gates releasing around 20,000 CFS Monday. Extreme caution urged for boaters during navigation, with limbs, logs, and entire trees coming downriver in heavy debris fields. Water temps stable over the past week. Navigation is considered extremely hazardous for Little River, as of Monday. Several river buoy markers are missing in Little River with extreme heavy current.

    Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging approx 40ºF early to 45ºF range, depending on location.

    Lake level is currently is 261.55 ft-msl, with heavy increased river current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate near 20,000 CFS as of Friday. Tailwater level 246.97 rising rapidly. Clarity and visibility is diminished and muddy most lake wide and Little River and Saline River inflows.

    As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 0 inches. Entire lake is heavy stain to muddy from Yarborough Landing to Cottonshed, Okay, and east to Saratoga, all sectors of the lake is muddy from current from all incoming rivers. Little River's visibility ranges 0 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarities remain heavy stained to muddy in places, ranging approx 1-5 inches depth of visibility more or less, depending on location. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, thunderstorms, or increased current.

    The Details:

    Largemouth Bass: the Bass activity levels dropped off over the past week with incoming cold muddy water. Most Bass are lethargic and scattered, over the past week with continued freezing temperatures during the night and cold incoming rainfall and heavy current, keeping surface temperatures lower than normal for this time of year.

    Bass continue remaining at their most aggressive during the warmest time of the day, typically noon-3pm, hitting slowly moving target crankbaits, Rat-L-Traps, and a few soft plastics. For the past 2-3 weeks, bass were fair to good on swim baits, chatterbaits, jigs, and crankbaits. Best color of Real Deal Custom Tackle jigs over the past few weeks has been the black and blue, Tx Craw, or VooDoo. This was working in ditches and creek channels on stumps, and points extending into the river from 9-14 feet of depth prior to the influx of muddy high water and current. Big Bass were caught, two six pounders and an 8 pound Largemouth, week before the rapid muddy rise, in south Hickory and the Millwood State Park.

    Bomber Fat Free Shad cranks in Dance's Crawfish, Firetiger, or a "Flat A" in Apple Red Craw were getting reactions during the warmer period of the day, worked slowly and deflecting off stumps and cover. Clear water seemed to be their preferred hang out, which is now mostly non-existent. Crankbaits moved erratic; stop and go, were the best bets to draw reactions and get bit, but most active during the warmest period of the high sun over the past few weeks.

    Chatterbaits in Texas Craw, black/blue, and Ozark Craw were beginning to catch 2-4 pound Largemouths, on warm days in stained water around cypress trees, dead lily pad stems, and grass. No matter which color skirt used on the chatterbait, a black trailer seems to stand out better and draw more reactions. Several 8 and 9 pound Bass have been caught on this combination at Millwood over the past few weeks, again, this was prior to the recent 2 foot rise of muddy water and current.

    Big 3/4 oz, slow-moving Rat-L-Traps were also working over the past couple weeks also, with the best colors over the past few weeks being Red Shad, Red Chrome, 'Lectric Red, McCraw, and Red Zombie colors before the rapid rise and current. Moving the Traps slow and deflecting off stumps in creek channels adjacent to large warming flats, much like the lipped crankbaits on warmer, bright sun days seemed to be the best pattern. Best bite was in 8-12 feet of depth with stumps and cypress knees in the deeper water, moving slowly and deflecting off timber and stumps with a brief pause at the deflection point.

    White Bass: Whites, which were located upriver btween McGuire and Cemetary slough, trolling crankbaits before all the cold freezing rain, sleet and snow, and rapid 2 foot rise of muddy water dissapeared over the past couple weeks.

    Crappie: no report since all the muddy current inflow over the past couple weeks in increase in discharge at the dam. Not many Crappie fishermen out on the lake.

    Cats: no report.

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


    Surface temps as of Monday, 9 Mar currently range 40ºF to 45ºF later in the day under full sun.

    As of Monday, 9 Mar, Millwood Lake level jumped over two feet in elevation and is approx 28 inches above normal conservation pool and rapidly rising. There is huge increase of current in Little River with the gates releasing around 20,000 CFS with huge debris fields of logs, limbs, trees, and other damaging debris. Boaters need to use extreme caution during low light or other navigation. Water temps stable over the past week with the freezing rain, sleet and snow. Navigation is considered extremely hazardous for Little River. There are a few river buoys missing in Little River.

    Lake level is currently is 261.55 mfsl, rapidly rising with extreme heavy current and widespread debris fields. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate around 20,000 CFS. Tailwater level also rapidly rising at 246.97 ft-msl as of Monday and lots of discharge and current below the spillway.

    Clarity and visibility worsened over the past week, in most areas on main lake and Little River from recent thunderstorms, incoming high, muddy water and inflow. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 0 inches. Little River and Yarborough Landing all the way to Cottonshed and northeast section of the lake are muddy and heavy stain from all river's inflow. Little River's visibility ranges 0 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity continue worsening away from current, ranging approx 1-5 inches depth of visibility depending on location. Little River muddy from above highway 71 to Yarborough. 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, boat safely, be courteous, wear your life jacket, kill switch, & we'll see you on the lake........
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