The Overall Picture:

As of Monday, 03 April, the lake level is approximately 5 inches above normal conservation pool and falling. There is current in Little River with the gates releasing around 7500 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 dropped slightly over the past few days, water temps continue a slow rise. Largemouth Bass on beds in multiple locations lake wide. White Bass are starting to scatter in large schools in Little River. Crappie spawning on beds and gar are extremely shallow in large groups making great opportunities for bow fishermen very shallow.

Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging 69ºF early to 77ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

Lake level as of Monday, is currently is 259.6 mfsl, and rising with current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was near 7500 CFS. As of Monday the tailwater level was 234.0 mfsl.

Be advised there are NEW NO-WAKE RIVER BUOYS AT WHITE CLIFFS BOAT RAMP AND THE NO WAKE ZONE EXTENDS FROM NORTH END OF PARK TO SOUTH END OF PARK, and being enforced by AGFC in Little River.

Clarity and visibility stained to muddy, this week depending on location, oxbows are in good shape for visibility as of today. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 3-5 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 5-8 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity is ranging approx 15-24 inches depth of visibility 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 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: Water temperatures slowly rising. Largemouth Bass are in all stages of spawn activity, some on beds are being seen in spawning areas. Some bass have completed their spawning rituals already. We continue to catching male and female Largemouth Bass from 2 to around 7 pounds each, running in and out of bedding areas for the past few weeks and males guarding beds. Baby bass fry have been noted over the last week already hatched. Big, 7" bulky lizards, brush hogs, 10" worms, Rat-L-Traps, slow moving squarebill crankbaits and chatterbaits have been taking staging bass on points, ditches, and in creek channels. Bass Assassin Shads are working on bass moving into and out of bedding areas, and on beds. Key continues to be finding water temps that are 3-5º warmer than surrounding areas, and clearer water with the current conditions. Several females in the 4-7 pound range full of eggs continue to be caught and released over the past couple weeks.

The clearest water you can find away from river flow has been the best location for big females over the past several weeks. Bass are on beds in flats and spawning grounds in and behind cypress tree stands, for windbreaks. Bass Assassin Shads, magnum Lizards, Brush Hogs, chatterbaits continue working over the past couple weeks. The further from Little River current and heavy stain water; and in deeper sections of creeks over the past couple weeks, will produce best Largemouths. Cordell Redfins and Smithwick Rouges are catching nice size Bass from 3 to 4 pounds each in south Hickory pockets of the area of main lake by the golf course and the Millwood State Park. Chatterbaits in black/blue/purple and spring bream colors are taking nice 4-6 pound Largemouth females full of eggs along creeks and ditches.

War Eagle Spinnerbaits in Cole Slaw, Spot Remover, and White/Chart continue taking nice keeper size Largemouths in Mud Lake, Horseshoe, and McGuire oxbows, up river.

Bass Assassin Shads continue catching nice and fat prespawn Largemouth Bass and best colors for the past couple weeks include Houdini, Salt & Pepper, Grey Ghost, and Gold Pepper Shiner colors continue catching good Bass along old vegetation lines, dead lily pad stems, and buckbrush. Jingle Bugs are working in these same areas, and best colors over the past week or two have been the Okeechobee Craw, Black/Red Glitter, and Red Shad/Green Glitter. Bulky lizards in cotton candy color are working on cypress trees in clear water.

Locating water temps 2-5 degrees warmer on sunny days, seems to be key in locating bass in a 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. Spawning female Largemouths full of eggs are being caught and released in spawning areas on beds, coming in to the beds and leaving beds. These bass are hammering plastic lizards, chatterbaits, Bass Assassin Shads, lizards, and brush hogs in black / blue, black / purple, or plum. Key is finding these warmer water areas on sunny days for the most aggressive bite this time of year.

White Bass: have begun to scatter in large schools, upriver between McGuire Lake and Patterson Shoals over the past week or so. Points all along north end of Little River are holding large schools of the White Bass and Hybrids. Shad colored Bomber and XCalibur crankbaits, chrome/blue or Smokey Joe Rat-L-Traps, Little Georges, Rocket Shads, Little Cleos, Spin Traps, Blakemore Roadrunners were all catching these whites over the past week, but the Little River up past McGuire Lake oxbow, continues to be heavy stain to muddy over the past week with all the rain and fresh water coming into the lake.

Crappie: The Crappie continue spawning near cypress trees with the Largemouths. Good locations over the past couple weeks were around cypress trees in 5-8 feet of depth with a white/chartreuse hair jig, and a flat tail grub in smoke w/ chartreuse tip, and minnows over the past week have began to get bit good.

Cats: Blues and Channel cats continue biting well, with the current in Little River on trot lines, and in oxbows on yo-yo's. Cats continue biting on cut baits, chicken livers, Alpo dog food chunks.

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

Be advised there are NEW NO-WAKE RIVER BUOYS AT WHITE CLIFFS BOAT RAMP AND THE NO WAKE ZONE EXTENDS FROM NORTH END OF PARK TO SOUTH END OF PARK being enforced by AGFC in Little River.

Surface temps as of Monday, 3 Apr are ranging 69ºF early to 77ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

Lake level as of Monday is currently is 259.6 mfsl, and falling with river current, which is 5 inches above normal conservation pool. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate was around 7500 CFS on Monday. The tailwater level as of Monday was at 234.0 mfsl.

Clarity and visibility as of Monday fair to stained. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 3-5 inches. Cottonshed and Saline in the northeast section of the lake is muddy. Little River's visibility ranges 5-8 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity also began clearing over the weekend ranging approx 15-24 inches depth of visibility 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. 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, kill switch, slow down for others, & we'll see you on the lake.......



'Til next week, hope to see you on the lake,