As of Monday, 31 July, the lake level is approx 3 inches above normal conservation pool and falling at 259.4 ft-msl. There is current of 1167 CFS in Little River; tailwater approx 226.1 ft-msl. Water temps were stable over the past week. Lake level in process of a return to normal pool elevation. Use normal caution during navigation. Mayfly hatch remains in full swing on Millwood, and like we have never seen in recent years. It is super hot this time of year on Millwood, and the Bream bite continues after these Mayflies!


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging near 83ºF early to 92ºF range later under full sun, depending on location. Navigation considered normal caution on Little River and Millwood, this week.


Clarity and visibility is improved compared to last week, most areas on main lake and Little River. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 10-15 inches. Cottonshed and northeast section of the lake remains heavy stained. Little River's visibility ranges 12-15 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 20 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.


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.


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. 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.




The Details:


Largemouth Bass: Not a lot of change in "Bassattitude" over the past week or so. Bass remain excellent from 2 to 3 pounds and occasionally a 4-5 pounder blow up, on topwaters early at daybreak. Bass are the most aggressive at dawn around lily pad stands, stumps, cypress trees, and vegetation in Little River near deep drops. Stuttersteps, Chug Bugs, Baby Torpedoes, Shad Assassins, Smithwick Jerk Baits, Heddon Dying Flutters, and Jointed Jitterbugs, all continue drawing good reactions on topwater at daybreak. Soft plastic Bass Assassin Shads and top water soft plastic frogs all remain drawing good responses, early in the morning around vegetation and lily pads. Best color of buzz baits over the past couple weeks included Black, Blue Glimmer Ghost, White/chartreuse or Bream colors around pads and vegetation adjacent to deeper sections of the creek channels or in the river. Bass Assassin Shads continue biting best on Salt and Pepper Silver Phantom, Grey Ghost, and Bad To the Bone colors. Good bites continue on black, pumpkinseed, or june bug colored soft plastic frogs this week around pads in clearest water you can find.


Big bulky, fat, 7-10" worms, and brush hogs continue working in drop-offs, with best colors over the past week or two being peanut butter'n jelly, black grape, watermelon-purple, or watermelon candy and green pumpkin. Best locations for working the bulky worms range from 5-10 feet deep in Little River around grass mats after morning top water bite subsides, and in the same areas where the top water early bite is aggressive. Continue moving deeper in the creek channels or to the points of Little River where the creek junctions the river as the sun rises and begins to heat up the flats adjacent to creek channels. The deep and medium diving crankbaits like the Bomber Fat Free Shad, remain working across underwater points in Little River; squarebill crankbaits continue working long old river channel cut-overs, ditches, and deep creek outer swings where creek mouths and sloughs feed and dump into Little River. Rat-L-Trap/Echo 1.75 squarebills continue working in Millwood Magic and Ghost colors around deeper drops in Little River. Nice size bass also continue biting on magnum sized, 4" salty tubes with Smokey/black/red flake, Purple Smoke/purple fleck, and black/blue tail colors working over the past several weeks.


Chatterbaits continuing to get bit using Spot Remover or Firecracker colors, next to cypress trees and knees, over the past couple weeks in the oxbows once the sun gets up.


Shad and Bream colored squarebill crankbaits continue working around hydrilla and stumps from 4-7 feet deep near cypress trees along creeks and parallel to vegetation lines/mats dumping into the oxbows.


White Bass: Whites/hybrids continue roaming Little River and the oxbows, and have been caught on Rat-L-Traps, Fat Free Shad crankbaits, Little Georges, Beetle Spins, Rooster Tails, and Rocket Shads from approx 7-12 feet deep. Schooling Whites have been noted in the back of McGuire and Horseshoe oxbows off Little River early at daybreak on flats adjacent to deeper drops in the depths from 5-10 feet deep at random intervals for the past several weeks.


Crappie: Crappie continued improving over the past week, in Little River, out of any remaining current, and continue biting over planted brush piles vertical jigging tubes and jigs from 7-8 feet of depth, out of any remaining current in Little River. Best colors were pink/white, chartreuse/blue, and chartreuse/white combinations. Jig'n Spins, Chuck'n Spins, and Blakemore Roadrunners were also vertically jigging up some decent size Crappie last week.


Bream: The Bluegills and Longear Sunfish Bream continue biting really good. Good Bream and Bluegills were hitting crickets and worms at the Millwood State Park late last week off the bank, and all along Little River over the past couple weeks, and especially under any leaning cypress or willow, and other "leafed out" trees where the Mayfly hatch is happening. The Mayfly hatch this year is tremendous. Any bait resembling a Mayfly will get you a limit of Bream really quick along the river. Casting or jigging with popping bugs, crickets, and red worms, Mayflies, and tiny jigging spoons and Blakemore Roadrunners are catching a limit in short order. It's hot, but so is the Bream Bite!


Cats: Blues improved this week with the increase in Little River current up. Trot lines set along outer bends of the river in stump rows of old river timber from 10-12 feet deep with chicken livers, hearts, gizzards, cut buffalo, and blood bait were working.


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


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging in the 83ºF early to 92ºF range, depending on location.


Lake level as of Monday is currently 3 inches above normal pool, at 259.4 ft-msl and falling with reduced river current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate approx 1167 CFS Monday. The tailwater level as of Monday, approx 226.1 ft-msl. Wear your life jacket and kill switch and watch for obstructions. Navigation is normal caution.


Clarity and visibility is improved compared to last week, most areas on main lake and Little River. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 10-15 inches. Cottonshed and northeast section of the lake remains heavy stained. Little River's visibility ranges 12-15 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 20 inches depth of visibility depending on location. Little River above McGuire oxbow is stained with current. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, or thunderstorms.


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.


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....


Use extreme caution in navigation, wear your life jacket and let us know how we can help you GET OUT THERE!!

Mike Siefert
Owner/Operator
www.MillwoodGuideService.com
P.O.Box 4957
Texarkana, AR/TX/USA 75505-4957
Shop: 870-772-6840


"Your fun we take seriously, so you don't have to!"


""""""""GOFISH""""<º)))><{{"""""""""""

"Some Photos courtesy, Jason Sealock"
Thanks for your interest in
Millwood Lake Guide Service ~ Arkansas' Best Bass Fishing!


""""""""GOFISH""""<º)))><{{"""""""""""


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