• 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

    As of Monday, 11 December, the lake level remains approx 8 inches below conservation pool and slowly rising at 258.5 ft-msl; drawdown has ended and lake pool is slowly coming back to normal conservation pool, just need more rain to continue to raise lake back to normal conservation pool. There is current of 190 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. The tailwater as of Monday is approx 224.5 ft-msl. Water temps dropped over the past week. Check lake level of Millwood Lake on our website helpful links page, or at the US Army Corps of Engineers website for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels during ongoing drawdown conditions. USACE ended the lake drawdown, the elevation is starting to slowly rise back up to 259.2, and as of today, remains 8" below normal since USACE ended the drawdown, began raising back to normal conservation pool.


    Use extreme caution in navigation on Millwood Lake during drawdown conditionsUse caution in navigation along Little River and Millwood as the below normal pool elevation has brought stumps and broken timber close to surface pool in many areas, and the boat lanes are much shallower than routine conditions, exposing submerged objects at or near surface pool. New NO-WAKE ZONES are in effect at both, northern and southern, ends of White Cliffs Campground on the river, and marked with river buoys. Be advised, no tolerance of boat wakes within the marked area, is being enforced by AGFC along the river.


    Surface temps have dropped again, as of Monday, are ranging near 41ºF early to 48ºF range later under full sun, depending on location. Continue to use extreme caution in navigation on Little River and Millwood, this week during drawdown conditions.


    Clarity and visibility continues improving, depending on location for main lake and Little River. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility is moderate stain, ranging approx 10-15 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 12-15 inches with moderate stain, depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 18-28 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. 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. Also reach the US Corps of Engineers at 870-898-3343 for more information.



    The Details:


    Largemouth Bass: Largemouth Bass are transitioning to their typical drops and structure in winter temperature and pool conditions. The random schooling has all but disappeared in most areas. Largemouths and Kentuckies (Spotted Bass) were random schooling on shad and surface breaking over the past few weeks have been totally awesome, but slowed this week. These Bass have been very good from 2-3 pounds, on topwaters, Rat-L-Traps, Bass Assassin Shads, Stuttersteps, and squarebill cranks during their typical fall schooling activity. Bass will still hit almost any crankbait shad pattern like the Millwood Magic, Chrome/blue, or ghost shad, in the creek channels or where they dump in to the river, albeit much slower over the past week or ten days. With the reduction of photoperiod and water temperatures, a slow, heavy knocking crankbait will still get bit, but the bass have pulled to middle of deeper creeks and points where quick drops into Little River are much closer in proximity. Best colors for squarebills and crankbaits over the past couple weeks are the shad imitations like Millwood Magic, Ghost Shad, Ghost Minnow, Citrus Shad and Tennessee Shad.


    The deep and medium diving crankbaits like the Bomber Fat Free Shads, Fat Free Fry, or Fat Free Guppys are working, worked slower and deeper, from 8-12 feet deep in creek channels and across primary points along Little River with the best colors over the past couple weeks drawing best reactions are the Citrus Shad, White Pearl, Threadfin Shad and Citruse. The Rat-L-Trap 1.75 Echo squarebill crankbaits continue working in creek channel swings (outer bends and deflecting off stumps) as long as you maintain depth in creek channels, and where creek mouths and sloughs feed and dump into the oxbows, and the the best colors over the past few days have been the Ghost Minnow or Millwood Magic in the better water clarity away from remaining current.


    Real Deal Custom Tackle jigs continue to get a bite, with best colors over the past week being Texas Craw or Black/blue/purple, in creek channels on stumps and cypress trees from 8-12 feet of depth using a beaver bug in green pumpkin or black, for a trailer.


    Big, bulky 10-12" Berkley Power worms are still getting a reaction from Largemouth Bass in the 3-4lb class, with a good bite in the same 8-10 foot deep areas of these creek channels and ditches, that dump into Little River. Best colors we have been seeing a good reaction to are the Blue Fleck, Black Grape, and Plum or Purple.


    White Bass: Whites/hybrids are pulling into their winter deep holes in Little River and their schooling activities diminished over the past week or so as well. A splinter spoon or vertical jigging Kastmaster spoon will locate these nomads in 15-26 feet of depth in Little River cut-outs in standing timber.


    Crappie: continue to stack up very good on planted brush piles, and continue improving. Good size Crappie are best near standing timber back in oxbows along Little River and planted brush piles in Little River. Best response is from 16-18 feet deep on vertical jigging minnows and jigs.


    Cats: good this past week on trot lines using punch bait, and chicken livers/gizzards/hearts.


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


    Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging in the 41ºF early to 48ºF range, depending on location. Lake Drawdown has ended, slow rise to normal pool elevation is in progress.


    Lake level as of Monday is approx 8 inches below normal pool, at 258.5 ft-msl and slowly rising, since lake drawdown ended, with discharge near 190 CFS. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. The tailwater level as of Monday, approx 224.5 ft-msl. Wear your life jacket and kill switch and watch for obstructions. Navigation is cautioned during Millwood Lake drawdown until slow rise brings surface to normal conservation pool.


    Use extreme caution during navigation on Millwood Lake during drawdownDrawdown ended, but with the slow rise, and lake still well below normal conservation pool, use extreme caution in Little River and the main lake boat lanes, since stumps and submerged objects will be at or near surface pool. New NO-WAKE ZONES are in effect at both, northern and southern, ends of White Cliffs Campground on the river, and marked with river buoys. Be advised, no tolerance of boat wakes within the marked area, is being enforced by AGFC along the river.


    Clarity and visibility is moderate stain. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 10-15 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 12-15 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 18-28 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.


    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!!
  • Search Fishin.com

  • Recent Articles