As of Monday, 25 June, its STILL HOT, folks. Millwood Lake has stabilized, currently approx 2 inches above normal conservation pool and falling (as of Monday) at 259.4 ft-msl; and the discharge was near 1500 CFS for Little River, Monday, according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, as of Monday remains very low, approx 226.5 ft-msl. Water temps continued climbing over the past week. Be sure and check the most recent 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 and conditions.


***Be Advised, there are at least 2 BROKEN, MISSING, or DAMAGED BOAT LANE MARKERS ON THE NORTH END OF "LITTLE GAS LINE TO HIGHLINE BOAT LANE" FROM RECENT FLOOD DAMAGE. USE EXTREME CAUTION IN THE UPPER END OF THE BOAT LANE FROM THE HIGH LINE TO THE LITTLE GAS LINE CUTOFF AND WATCH FOR MISSING OR DAMAGED TELEPHONE POLE LANE MARKERS.***

NO-WAKE ZONES are in effect at White Cliffs Campground on Little River, and marked with No-Wake buoys.


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging near 85ºF early to 93ºF range later under full sun, depending on location. Continue to use caution in navigation on Little River and Millwood watching for random, broken, or floating timber.


Clarity and visibility continue improving over the past week, but remain stained in places, especially up river. The main lake and lower sections of Little River continue to improve, are not quite as stained or muddy as the upper regions of Little River and Saline 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 10-12 inches with heavy to moderate stain, depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 20-30 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: In this heat, best bite for Largemouth Bass happens at dawn to around 10am, and bite subsides until almost dusk. Lots of Bass are night feeding during cooler times of the feeding cycle when sun is not baking the shallow cover and flats. Largemouth Bass have been good to fair, and cloudy mornings have seen best activity, over the past few weeks early at dawn and dusk. Feeding activity levels have slowed with the increase of surface temperatures in the mid to upper 80's and low 90º range over the past couple weeks during the heat of the day. Best baits drawing reactions, over the past week or so have been plastic Frogs, and Bass Assassin Shads on a light wire hook working in new Lily Pad growth. Buzzbaits continue working for 2-3 lb Largemouths. Best color of frogs have been black and June Bug in new lily pads. Hot Firecracker, Firecracker Candy, Spot Remover, and Cotton Candy colored buzzbaits and spinnerbaits are working randomly, around flooded brush and new emerging vegetation. Slow-rolling the spinnerbaits off points, ditches, and creekmouths dumping into Little River from 8-12 feet, will yield a few random bass. The buzzbaits are working across flats with stumps and laydowns near creek channels, and around lily pads. StutterSteps, Cordell Crazy Shads, and Baby Torpedoes are still getting fair to good reactions from Largemouths, around vegetation and new pads. Topwater activity levels slow considerably after 11am with the high noon increased sun baking down. Very little top water activity after noon, until dusk.


Shallow running squarebill, 2.0 & 3.0 & S-cranks, Echo 1.75's, are drawing out a few good random reactions by deflecting and banging/deflecting them off stumps, from 8-10 feet deep in creek channels and points. The bass around 14-15" in length are randomly responding to crankbaits in shad and bream colors. Best color of cranks in the oxbows, like the 2.0 S-cranks, and Echo 1.75 squarebills, for the past week or so have been the Bold Bluegill, Millwood Magic, and Ghosts. Rat-L-Traps in Millwood Magic and White Smoke continue drawing random reaction from 14-17" Bass over the past couple weeks in creek channels leading in and out of flats worked slower and deeper in the creeks. Squarebill S-cranks and shallow running crankbaits in shad or bluegill and bream patterns are working near creek mouths and points extending into Little River for the past week or so, since the Largemouths pulled out to deeper sections of creek channels and points dumping into the river. Working the cranks in a stop and go, slow retrieve will draw a better reaction than fast retrieves.

Bass Assassin Shads in Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom, Houdini, and Watermelon Magic colors along with Magnum 4" Gitzit tubes with internal rattles continue working for the last couple weeks deeper into the creek channels. Best colors for the past couple weeks working best have been Black & Blue, Watermelon Candy, Pumpkinseed/Chartreuse, or Green Pumpkin.

Heavy, big, bulky 10"-12" worms continue working and taking random bites from Largemouth Bass in creek channels, creek mouths dumping into Little River, and points along Little River. Berkley Power worms, and Zoom Ole Monster 10"-12" worms in June-Bug/Red, Black, Blue Fleck, Red Shad, Junebug colors are drawing random reactions from lethargic, post-spawn Largemouths along steeper vertical washouts, ledges, and stairsteps along Little River and near creek mouth junctions, points, and intersecting feeder creeks dumping into Little River.


White Bass: Whites were found again by vertical jigging spoons in Little River under the Hwy 71 bridge next to bridge pilings.


Crappie: No Report, not many Crappie fishermen out in the past few days.

Cats: Nothing to report this week.




Lake Level & River Conditions Report


**** Be Advised, there are at least 2 BROKEN, MISSING, or DAMAGED BOAT LANE MARKERS ON THE "LITTLE GAS LINE TO HIGHLINE BOAT LANE" FROM RECENT FLOOD DAMAGE. USE EXTREME CAUTION IN THE UPPER END OF THE BOAT LANE FROM THE HIGH LINE TO THE LITTLE GAS LINE CUTOFF AND WATCH FOR MISSING OR DAMAGED TELEPHONE POLE LANE MARKERS.


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging in the 85ºF early to 93ºF range, depending on location.


Lake level as of Monday remains approx 2" inches above normal conservation pool, at 259.4 ft-msl and falling (as of Monday) with current and discharge near 1500 CFS as of Monday. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. The tailwater level as of Monday, approx 226.5 ft-msl. Wear your life jacket and kill switch and watch for obstructions, floaters, broken limbs, logs, and debris along Little River during navigation. 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 improving, moderate stain, but muddy further up river. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 10-15 inches. Little River's visibility is muddy up river, but improving further down to the main lake, the river clarity ranges 10-12 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 20-30 inches depth of visibility depending on location. Little River above McGuire oxbow is rolling muddy with current. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, or thunderstorms.

Be sure to note, new NO WAKE buoys in Little River along White Cliffs Campground, and NO TOLERANCE is being enforced by AGFC.


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!!