The Overall Picture:

As of Monday, 15 May, the lake level is approximately 14 inches above normal conservation pool and rising from all the recent thunderstorms and rain. Monday, there is current in Little River with the gates releasing around 5,300 CFS. Lake level continues rising, and water temps jumped up this week. Largemouth Bass are in transition. White Bass are scattered in large schools along Little River. Crappie finished spawning over the past couple weeks, and gar are extremely shallow in large groups making great opportunities for bow fishermen very shallow.

Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging 68ºF early to 76ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

Lake level as of Monday, is currently is 260.4 mfsl with current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was near 5,300 CFS. As of Monday the tailwater level was 234 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 for approximately over 1 mile, and being enforced by AGFC in Little River. This no wake zone is being strictly enforced and is no tolerance for wake boaters or barges.

Clarity and visibility is heavy stained and muddy, this week depending on location, oxbows are in fair shape for visibility as of today. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 2-3 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 2-3 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity is ranging approx 8-12 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 jumped up over the past week. Largemouth Bass are mostly in the postspawn blues mindset, and continue to move to deeper water. Largemouth Bass from around 2 to 3 pounds each, are fair to good most days, running in and out of flats adjacent to deeper drops into creek channels. Baby bass fry have been noted over the couple weeks, already hatched. Buzz baits, magnum bulky lizards, brush hogs, 10" worms, chatterbaits and Bass Assassin Shads continue to work randomly, catching 2-3 pound Bass near ridges, ditches, and flats adjacent to deep drops in the oxbows and deeper creek channels.

The clearest water you can find away from muddy current in Little River continues to produce the best bite for bass over the past week. Bass continue to transition to deeper water drops, but are relating to flats adjacent to creek channels early, moving horizontally toward deeper drops in creeks later in the day. Buzz baits are drawing random reaction strikes in black, lime, or firetiger colors. Bass Assassin Shads in gold pepper shiner in the off-colored, stained water clarity, magnum Lizards and baby brush hogs are working with the best colors over the past week with the stained to muddy water are June bug, chartreuse pepper, California 420 or Blackberry. The chatterbaits are still working with the better reactions coming on spring bream, lime, or firetiger colors, over the past couple weeks. The further from Little River muddy current and heavy stain water; and in deeper sections of creeks over the past couple weeks, will produce the most aggressive bite for Largemouths.

Magnum 3-4" big bulky tubes or gizzits, in black neon, pumkinseed/chartreuse, or bream colors are drawing hard hits on cypress trees in 4-8 feet of depth in the oxbows. The Bass Assassin Shads continue working around new lily pad growth and grass or vegetation by deadsticking and working on a light wire hook extrememly slow. Best colors for the past week include Hammertime, Limetreuse Ghost, gold pepper shiner, or Houdini in the off-color water clarity. Work these in and around new growth of vegetation lines, new bloom stands of lily pads, and buckbrush.

Squarebill shallow to medium running crankbaits are beginning to work sporadically with a stop-and-go retrieve in the oxbows, upriver, and creek channels where you can find stained to fairly clear water, depending on location. Medium diving, Bomber Tennessee Shad & Citrus Shad colored Fat Free Shads, and Rat-L-Trap 1.75 Squarebills in Oxbow, Chartreuse Flash, and Pinch'n Peach colors are all randomly catching bass working erratically in creek channels up river.

White Bass: in large schools continue roaming, but have been hard to locate with much consistency over the past week.

Crappie: Continue to remain elusive in the muddy current of Little River, and not much of any consistent pattern to report this week.

Cats: The cats continue biting well, with the current in Little River on Yo-Yos and trot lines using spoiled chicken livers and hears, cut drum or buffalo, and homemade cheese dough along current of Little River.

}><(((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. NO TOLERANCE allowed regarding boats or barges of wake zones from north end of White Cliffs Campground/Park to south end which stretches over approximately 1 mile in Little River.

Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging 68ºF early to 76ºF range, depending on rain, wind, incoming fresh water, location, and time of day.

Lake level as of Monday is currently is 260.4 mfsl, and rising with river current, which is approx 14 inches above normal conservation pool. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate was around 5,000 CFS on Monday. The tailwater level as of Monday was at 234 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 2-3 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity also began clearing over the weekend ranging approx 12-18 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,