The Overall Picture:

As of Monday, 05 May, lake is falling, and is approx 10 inches above normal conservation pool and dropping. There is increased current of Little River with the gates releasing around 12,530 CFS Monday. Water temps rose over the past week. Navigation is considered hazardous for Little River, as of Monday. Several river buoy markers are missing in Little River with current.

Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging approx 65ºF early to 75ºF range, depending on location, wind, and sun.

Lake level is currently is 260.05 ft-msl, with heavy increased river current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate near 12,530 CFS as of Monday. Tailwater level 237.17 and falling. Clarity and visibility is mostly stained, most areas of the lake. Up Little River oxbows still fair clarity. Saline River and Cottonshed areas still muddy inflows.

As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 3-5 inches. Entire lake is stained, but Cottonshed, Okay, and east to Saratoga from Saline River inflow remains muddy. Little River's visibility ranges 2-4 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarities still stained in places, yet better than most of river and main lake, ranging approx 10-20 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: most of the Largemouth Bass are in process of finishing most spawing activities in most locations, most of big Bass have already finished and are post-spawn over the past several weeks. A few random late bloomers are still near bedding areas, those are fewer in number than last week.

Majority of Bass remain moving from spawning flats to creek channels and ditches, and a variety of lures are working randomly. Swim baits, chatterbaits, Rat-L-Traps, 5" Bass Assassin Shads, frogs, and lizards continue working over the past few weeks. Over the past week, bass energy levels continued to improved, and were good on a variety of lures, preferred locations seem to be the clearest water clarity you can locate.

Berkley Pit Bosses in black/blue or blue disco, big magnum, 4" gizits tubes in black neon or purple smoke, and slow moving Rat-L-Traps continue taking bass that are running in and out of spawning areas and in creek channels and ditches. Real Deal Custom Tackle jigs in Texas Craw, Voodoo, and Purple Smoke Candy continue catching 3-4 pound Largemouths, in 3-8 feet of depth adjacent to flats where spawning activities are finishing.

South Hickory Creek and pockets near the golf course continue to be good locations to target Largemouths over the past couple weeks, down to Millwood State Park. Squarebill crankbaits, chatterbaits, and 10 bulky worms have been working around isolated cover, stumps and vegetation, and were all good choices in 3-10 feet of water in contact with wood and cover.

Buzz baits are beginning to work in Mud Lake and Horseshoe around new lily pad growth. Best colors over the past couple weeks were firecracker, spot remover, and bleeding bream. Yum Dingers in watermelon red were catching some nice bass in McGuire over the past week, back in the clearest water you can find away from current. Ole Monster 10" and 12" bulky worms and Berkley Power worms are working in black/blue flake, or black grape, or june bug.

5" Bass Assassin Shads continue working in any clean water you can find away from current around lily pads and vegetation. Gold Pepper Shiner is best color in stained water, and continue catching 3-5 pound Largemouths, moving in and out of the spawning areas using a light wire Rig-N Hook. Swimming a 5" Bang Die Dapper in Houdini or Grey Ghost, or a 6" Turbo Shad in Black Shad or Crystal Shad on a swim bait hook continue taking decent 2-4 pound bass around cypress trees, knees, and vegetation in 5-9 feet of depth.

Warrior Baits Buzz Frogs are still catching nice bass around new lily pad growth, early until the sun is up high.

White Bass: no report this week.

Crappie: staging and in spawning cycles, around cypress trees and knees out of the wind for their spawning cycles, and were faily consistent over the past couple weeks in 3-5 feet depth on live shiners and Southern Pro Hustler tubes in white/blue combinations in back of some of the oxbows away from current and in clearest water you can find.

Cats: are biting good over past couple weeks w/ increased current of Little River, on trot lines using cut shad and cut bait and also on homemade blood bait and Charlie, set between 8-10 feet of depth.
}><(((º> Lake Level & River Conditions Report <º)))><{


Surface temps as of Monday, 05 May currently range 65ºF to 75ºF later in the day under full sun.

As of Monday, Millwood elevation is approx 10.2 inches above normal conservation pool and falling. There is increased current in Little River with the gates releasing around 12,530 CFS on Monday. Navigation in Little River considered hazardous with the increased current. There are a few river buoys missing in Little River.

Lake level fell over the past week, and currently is 260.05 mfsl. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate around 12,530 CFS as of Monday. Tailwater level at 237.17 ft-msl as of Monday below the spillway.

Clarity and visibility in most areas on main lake and Little River stained mostly lake wide, however, east side near Saline inflow to Okay and Cottonshed, is muddy from river inflow. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 3-5 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 2-4 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity has began to improve, away from current, ranging approx 10-20 inches depth of visibility as of Monday, depending on location. 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........

MS