• 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, 19 Dec, the lake level is approx 5" above normal conservation pool and falling. There is reduced current this week of Little River, with the gates releasing around 878 CFS as of Monday. Water temps dropped slightly over the past week. Navigation is cautioned for Little River as of Monday due to many missing river buoys throughout the channel on main lake structure. Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging approx 45ºF early, to 50ºF late, depending on location. Appears the Corps of Engineers continue working to replace some river buoys in the channel over the past week, however several are either out of place or missing in the main lake body. Use caution in navigation on the Little River throughout the main lake body.

    Bass are slow to fair on warm days, from 2-3 pounds on Rat-L-Traps, jigs, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits. Lake level as of Monday, is currently is 259.6 ft-msl, with consistent current from last week. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was approx 878 CFS. Tailwater level as of Monday at 225.8 ft-msl. Clarity and visibility is consistent over last couple weeks.

    As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 4-8 inches due to high wind and rain over the past couple days. Cottonshed, Saline River, Okay Point, and northeast quadrant remain stained. Little River's visibility ranges 5-10 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 15-25 inches depth of visibility depending on location. Little River clarity above McGuire oxbow is stained from rain and wind, approx 5-10", some areas have better clarity. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, or thunderstorms.


    The Details:

    Largemouth Bass: Bass continue migration to their wintering spots and deeper creeks, and Little River over the past few weeks, but roaming during the highest sun/warmest period of the day back to shallow flats and creeks. Most bass have slowed to fair feeding moods over the past few weeks, best from 2 to 3 pounds on crankbaits and Rat-L-Traps, jigs and spinnerbaits in deeper creek mouths and channel swings dumping into Little River. Most bass continue their seasonal nomadic roaming over the past few weeks, following huge shad schools in and out of creek channels and up and down Little River. Points, creek channels away from river current, flats, and oxbows are good starting locations. Shad continue relating to creek channels over the past couple weeks, moving in and out of the main creek channel to the points and back again, depending on surface temperatures. Huge schools of shad are roaming in and out of creeks and points junction with Little River over the past several weeks, and the Largemouths are following them on a daily basis. One day they maybe in the mouth of the creek dumping into Little River, the next day, gone, or moved to backs of creeks, depending on surface temps overnight. Lots of migration and nomadic activity this time of year on Millwood. Majority of hours of the daylight now the bass are spending more time in the 12-15 foot depths of deeper creek channels and Little River drop offs.

    Bass Assassin Shads in Panhandle Moon, Bad To The Bone, and Grey Ghost colors are still working by deadsticking on light wire hook in remaining lily pad stems and vegetation. Sexy West or Ghost colored Echo 1.75 crankbaits are working.

    Real Deal Custom Tackle jigs continue working this week with the best colors being Habenero, Black/blue, and Texas Craw colors using black craw worm trailers. Berkley 10" Berkley Power worms in black, black grape, and blue fleck continue working around vegetation and drop-offs in creek channels and mouths of creeks.

    Rat-L-Traps worked along points and in creek channels have been working well for several weeks. The Rat-L-Traps continue catching 2-3 pound Largemouths in creeks, with the Chrome/blue tail spinners, Millwood Magic, and Tennessee Shad colors. The 1.75 Echo Squarebill crankbaits in Ghost, Sexy West, or Millwood Magic colors continue working on points and in creek channels, dumping into Little River. The bite has slowed and aggressive levels tapered off over the past week of cold nights and cool mornings. Best bites using crankbaits is a stop-n-go retrieve with a few pauses along the way.

    Deeper diving Bomber cranks in Citruse, Citrus Shad, & Tennessee Special colors continue to be best choices in the oxbows and in the deeper creek channels over the past several weeks by Largemouths and White Bass alike. These same cranks and squarebills are also working in creek mouths and points extending into Little River at various times during the day.

    Magnum sized, bulky 3-5" big fatbutt gizzit tubes continue working in creeks next to stumps and standing timber. Best colors over the past week include black neon, pumpkinseed/chartreuse, or black/blue. Placing rattles in the tubes are best way with the stained water conditions, and adding scent pads, for the bass to locate the slow moving tubes. Pitching and shaking the rattling tubes near stumps in 8-9 feet of creek channel depths, are getting some good responses from lethargic bass on colder days/mornings.

    White Bass: Whites & hybrids continue roaming Little River, mouths of creek channels, and the oxbows, and are hitting the Citrus, Chartreuse Shad or Tennessee Shad colored crankbaits, tail spinner Rat-L-Traps, Little Georges, Rocket Shads, jigging spoons, and Rooster Tails in red/white or chartreuse/white.

    Crappie: have improved due to reduction of current in Little River. Planted brush in 12-18 feet are beginning to draw in some good slabs out of any remaining, reduced current. Cordell Paddle tail smoke grubs on light wire jig heads were catching some nice 2-2.5 pound slabs over the past week in planted brush between 12-15 feet deep.

    Cats: Blues and channel cats continue to bite good in Little River over the past couple weeks. Best best are trot lines 10-15 feet of depth along outer bends of Little River using cut bait and cheese dough bait.


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


    Surface temps as of Monday dropped again over the past week, and are ranging 45ºF early to 50ºF range, depending on location. USACE working to replace river marker buoys along main lake channel. Use caution until river buoy markers can be fully realigned or replaced as many are missing or drifted out of center in main lake structure. Millwood Lake level as of Monday is approx 5" above normal pool at 259.5 ft-msl, falling, with reduced river current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate was around 878 CFS on Monday. The tailwater level as of Monday, is 225.8 ft-msl. Navigation caution is recommended for Millwood at current conditions due to missing or moved, channel buoys in the main lake body. Clarity and visibility is consistent over last couple weeks, most areas on main lake and Little River. Use caution running the Little River throughout the main lake body, there are many river buoys missing or moved out of center, in the channel along main lake.

    As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 4-8 inches. Cottonshed and northeast section of the lake remains stained. Little River's visibility ranges 5-10 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 15-25 inches depth of visibility depending on location as of Monday. Little River above McGuire oxbow is clear in areas with stain in others. 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. Call the Millwood State Park at 870-898-2800. Call the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for an officer, biologist, or to report AGFC regulation violation at 800-482-9262. 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........
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