The Overall Picture:

As of Monday, 24 August, the lake level is approx 3.25 inches above normal conservation pool and steady. There is only light current in Little River with the gates releasing 867 CFS as of Monday. Water temps stable over the past week. Navigation has returned to normal for Little River, as of Monday, but caution still urged with the debris, limbs, logs and broken vegetation mats floating in the river.

Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging approx 85ºF early to 93ºF range, depending on location. Bass remain excellent around 2-3 pounds on topwaters early, and really good on crankbaits and worms during the hotter times of day. Crappie are beginning to improve.

Lake level as of Monday, is currently is 259.47 ft-msl, with low river current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was 867 CFS. Continue to use caution during navigation on Little River and Millwood, watching for floating debris, floaters, and limbs from all the recent high flooding. Tailwater level as of Monday was 234.97 and reduced flow below the dam for tightliners and bowfishermen.

Clarity and visibility continues improving & good on main lake and oxbows, out of current. Little River clarity continues to improve considerably over the past few weeks. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 15-22 inches. Little River above McGuire remains stained but improving. Oxbows continue improving clarity also, and are beginning to markedly settle out. Clarity in the oxbows currently running anywhere from 18-36 inches, however, clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, or thunderstorms.

The Details:

Largemouth & Kentucky (Spotted) Bass: Bass activity continues improving over the past few weeks, and Bass remain excellent from 2 up to 4 pounds on topwaters early and late. Most bass are the most aggressive at dawn around shallow vegetation at dawn on frogs, Bass Assassin Jerkbaits, buzz baits, Heddon Baby Torpedoes and Cordell Crazy Shads . Later in the morning and heat of the afternoons, Largemouth bass are best on crankbaits, squarebills, and bulky 10" worms continue working very good around cover and cypress trees in 5-10 feet depths. Spotted Bass remained congregated at creek mouths that dump into Little River. Spots are aggressive on short 4" to 5" worms, smaller lizards and tubes with best colors being pumpkinseed/chartreuse, appleseed, or green pumpkin and Rat-L-Traps.

Buzz baits continue working early, as are solid body frogs, and 5" to 7" Bass Assassin Shads for the Largemouths. Baby Torpedoes, Crazy Shads, and Bass Assassin Shads are working around wood cover in close proximity to vegetation. Working top water plugs, frogs, and the Bass Assassins around random remaining pads and vegetation with stumps present, and on flats adjacent to deeper sections of the creek channels continue drawing good reactions at dawn. Good bites continue on the soft plastic frogs this week around any remaining pads after the recent flood, in clearest water you can find away from Little River current. Crankbaits are working later in the day in creek mouths dumping into Little River.

Best colors of Bass Assassin Shads over the past couple weeks continue to be the Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom, Mississippi Hippie, or Gold Pepper Shiner, working these in an erratic manner around vegetation. Rat-L- Traps and Echo 1.75 Squarebill crankbaits are working around deeper drops into the creek channels from 5-8 feet. Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad colors of Bomber deeper diving crankbaits continue working for Largemouths, Kentucky Bass, and White Bass in the river. Yum or Berkley 10" worms are working in the oxbows on stumps and timber in junebug/red, plum, blue fleck, and cherryseed colors. Yum Wooly Bugs, Tx rigged in California colors are working around cypress trees.

Best colors Rat-L-Traps and Echo 1.75 Squarebill crankbaits over the past few week have been Millwood Magic, Red Chrome, and Gold for the Rat-L-Traps; and Ghost Minnow, Gold, or Millwood Magic for the Echo 1.75 Squarebills, away from any river current around cypress trees and stumps in the oxbows. Back in the oxbows as far from any remaining river current and in the clearing water, around 4-6 feet depth flats near creek channel swings, deflecting off stumps in the clearest water you can locate seem to produce best over the past couple weeks with the Traps and Echo Squarebill crankbaits, however, they continue working in creek mouths dumping into Little River where schools of Largemouths, Whites, and Kentucky Bass are staging.

White Bass: Whites/hybrids continue roaming Little River and the oxbows, and are schooled up in creek mouths dumping into Littler River. Whites continue being caught on red/white Rooster Tails, chartreuse/white Little Cleos, shad colored Rocket Shads, and Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad colored crankbaits in creek dumps and mouths of sloughs connecting with Little River.

Crappie: bite improved on planted brush over the past week now that the clarity is getting better, and current reduced in Little River. Cordell smoke, paddle tail grubs on light wire jig head and Southern Pro LiL Hustler tubes were working early this week in 9-13 feet of water on planted brush piles.

Cats: Blues, Channel Cats continue biting well this week in Little River trot lines on homemade blood baits, spoiled chicken livers, and cheese dough-balls and hot dogs on trot lines running 12-14 feet deep.

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

Surface temps as of Monday, 24 Aug are ranging 85ºF early to 93ºF range, depending on location. Navigation is near normal for Millwood and Little River, however, caution during navigation is urged to watch for floaters and debris from all the recent 23 feet increase in lake level elevation during the flood of 2015. USACE continues working to clean debris left from the high water in the parks, and replacing any missing river buoy markers.

Lake level as of Monday is currently 3.25 inches above normal pool at 259.47 ft-msl, and steady with increased river current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate around 867 CFS on Monday. The tailwater level as of Monday, was 234.97ft-msl.

Clarity and visibility is for most areas on main lake and Little River has much improved over the past week. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 15-20 inches. Little River is still stained but improving daily. The oxbow's clarity continues to settle out after all the recent flooding and high water also improving daily approx 24-36 inches. 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, wear your life jacket & we'll see you on the lake........