The Overall Picture:


As of Monday, 24 September, Millwood Lake continues a slow steady rise with all recent thunderstorms. Monday lake is approx 8" inches below normal conservation pool on Monday at 258.5 ft-msl; and the discharge was between 168-200 CFS for Little River, Monday, according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, as of Monday is stable with gate release, approx 224 ft-msl, with gates releasing approx 180CFS. Water temps have jumped 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 while the Corps of Engineers drawdown is in effect. This 24" reduction of normal pool elevation is bringing stumps and broken timber to, and very near surface pool. Use extreme caution in navigation during ongoing drawdown conditions on Millwood. Statement from the USACE indicates as follows:

ASHDOWN, Ark., – The Army Corps of Engineers will begin a drawdown of Millwood Lake July 16 in an effort to improve shoreline vegetation. The lake will be held near elevation 257.2 until late August, at that time the lake will be permitted to rise as conditions allow, with the target to be back to conservation pool, elevation 259.2, by the end of October. During the drawdown, boaters should exercise extreme caution and always wear a life jacket because submerged stumps and shallow areas will be more prominent, especially in boat lanes. The drawdown exposes an extensive amount of shoreline for re-vegetation; promoting water quality, habitat for wintering waterfowl and fish production. Additionally it concentrates prey fish for predator consumption, promoting growth and production for larger fish. The drawdown was requested by the Southwest Arkansas Water District from their consumptive storage in coordination with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
For more information on Millwood Lake and the drawdown contact the Millwood Project Office at 870-898-3343.


***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 78ºF early to 85ºF 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. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility is moderate stain, ranging approx 9-12 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 8-10 inches with heavy to moderate stain, depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 15- 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.


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: Recent cool rain and cloud cover have dropped the surface temps, and recent thunderstorms stained up the lake some this week. Runnoff from mud flats and creek channels have stained the river since last week. Current is almost non-existent in the river, but surface is cloudy from runoff. Last few weeks, we found Bass surface feeding in Little River, running shad to the surface, and in adjacent shallow flats to deeper ditches, creek channels, and points along the river. The Largemouth Bass, Kentucky Bass, and a few White Bass continue randomly surface schooling on shad along Little River and the oxbows, random in nature, at varying times early to mid morning, over depths of 15-20 feet, and also a few of the flats from 5-9' in lily pads and vegetation. We continue finding numerous schools of Largemouths, Kentuckies (Spots), and White Bass at mouths of creeks dumping into Little River on points, ranging from 5-10 feet deep with pads. Bass remain active at daylight up to 2 or 3 pounds. Surface feeding activity levels taper off except for the random schooling fish and we are finding them more frequent in occurrence the past few weeks, and longer in duration with the daylight hours reducing, over the past week. Best baits drawing topwater reactions, at early morning, over the past couple weeks continue to be Heddon Spitn' Images, Cordell Crazy Shads, and Stuttersteps, Bass Assassin Shads at dawn near pads and vegetation. Chatterbaits and H&H Spinnerbaits are working in same areas at same time as the surface feeders. Black/white and white/chartreuse or Black/white/yellow H&H Spinners seem to produce best lately. The Cordell Crazy Shads, and Bass Assassin Shads continue working near the vegetation and inbetween lily pads. The surface schooling Bass are showing up randomly along Little River's creek dumps and the oxbow lakes most days, off and on, near mid morning. 1/4 to 1/2 oz Rat-L-Traps in Millwood Magic, Ghost, Holographic Transparent Shad, Livin Chrome, and most any shad pattern are catching these schoolers breaking surface on shad, along with fast moving Chrome Johnson Silver Minnow Spoons with a white grub trailer over tops of the lily pads. Rocket Shads, Hammered Cordell spoons, Rooster Tails, and H&H Spinnerbaits skipped and retrieved quickly, for the surface breaking fish continue working when you see the surface breaking. Majority of these surface breakers are the younger buck bass, adolescents and juveniles from 1.5 to 2.5 pounds in size. These surface feeders are huge time to get kids interested in fishing, while the action is hot!


After the topwater activity diminishes, a fairly good bite has been found for several weeks by medium depth-running (5' to 9' deep) Rat-L-Traps, Fat Free Shad crankbaits or squarebill crankbaits, 2.0 & 3.0 & S-cranks, Echo 1.75's, to draw 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 from 2-3 pounds are randomly responding to crankbaits in shad colors. Best color of cranks in the oxbows, like the 2.0 S-cranks, and Echo 1.75 squarebills, for the past couple weeks or so have been the Millwood Magic, and Ghosts. Increasing size up to a 3/4 oz Rat-L-Trap, fished much slower and deeper will draw a few random hits during late mornings in creek channels and across points converging with Little River. Best colors of Traps over the past week or so have been Millwood Magic and Diamond Dust. The Squarebills, S-cranks, and Echo 1.75 cranks and shallow running crankbaits in shad, and ghost colors, and Fat Free Shads, Fat Free Guppys, and Fat Free Frys in Tennessee Shad and Citrus Shad colors are working near creek mouths and points extending into Little River for the past week or so. Working the cranks in a fast retrieve will initiate a reaction a lot more lately.

Bass Assassin Shads in Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom, Houdini, and Bad to the Bone colors continue working for the past couple weeks near creek channels and flats 4-9' deep with stumps, lily pads, and vegetation. Magnum Tubes like Gitzits, over the past several weeks have been working on stumps with best reactions on Black & Blue tail, Pumpkinseed/Chartreuse tail, or Bluegill colors. Bass Assassin Skunk Apes are working in creeks from 8-10 feet deep on stumps. Best color of Skunk Apes over the past week has been the Houdini or Hillbilly Special color.

Bulky, 10"-12" worms and Bass Assassin Skunk Apes, around stumps on points and deeper in the creeks, will draw a few reactions from feeding Largemouth Bass, and on points dumping into Little River, and secondary points along Little River. Berkley Power worms in Black, Blue Fleck, Red Shad, Junebug colors continue drawing random reactions from 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.

Vertical jigging spoons are still working with Kentucky (Spotted) bass and schools of Largemouths in Little River behind points and washouts. Schools of Kentuckies and Largemouths feeding on river shad, will hit vertical jigged spoons with abandon, once the topwater bite subsides late in the morning. We have been using Cotton Cordell hammered spoons over the past couple weeks, with added bucktails. Some mornings a white bucktail is best, and seems like cloudy mornings that a red bucktail works better. Between Jack's Isle and Hurricane Creek along Little River, in 10-15 foot of depth where broken timber and stumps are located, will find the most aggressive spoon-bass feeders. Hurricane creek had some spoon feeding bass early over the past few weeks, near mid-morning, and surface schooling Kentucky Bass and White Bass several days where bends of creeks contained deeper water in the 10-15 feet depth range.


White Bass: Fair to Large size schools of White Bass have been randomly schooling on surface feeding shad in Little River with the Largemouths and Kentucky Bass, and are fair to good on Fat Free Shads, Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Hammered Spoons with red/white bucktails, and Rocket Shads.


Crappie: were more consistent over the past couple weeks from 8-13 feet of depth on minnows, shiners, and vertically jigging Crappie tubes in red/white, blue/white, or Cordell paddle tail grubs in smoke colors.

Cats: Channel and Blue cats from 3-4 pounds continue biting in oxbows along Little River using yo-yos hung from Cypress trees using cut bait, live shiners, chicken livers and homemade blood baits for a couple weeks.





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

Millwood Lake is currently slowly rising from recent 24" pool reduction drawdown by USACE, and currently elevation is 8" below normal conservation pool and slowly rising. Use extreme caution navigation on Millwood Lake during drawdown conditions.

**** 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 78ºF early to 85ºF range, depending on location and time of day.

Lake elevation Drawdown on Millwood Lake for a 24" reduction in normal pool surface through late August. Note Statement from USACE:

ASHDOWN, Ark., – The Army Corps of Engineers will begin a drawdown of Millwood Lake July 16 in an effort to improve shoreline vegetation.
The lake will be held near elevation 257.2 until late August, at that time the lake will be permitted to rise as conditions allow, with the target to be back to conservation pool, elevation 259.2, by the end of October.
During the drawdown, boaters should exercise extreme caution and always wear a life jacket because submerged stumps and shallow areas will be more prominent, especially in boat lanes.
The drawdown exposes an extensive amount of shoreline for re-vegetation; promoting water quality, habitat for wintering waterfowl and fish production. Additionally it concentrates prey fish for predator consumption, promoting growth and production for larger fish. The drawdown was requested by the Southwest Arkansas Water District from their consumptive storage in coordination with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
For more information on Millwood Lake and the drawdown contact the Millwood Project Office at 870-898-3343.

Exercise EXTREME CAUTION on Millwood Lake during the 24" drawdown now in process, as this will bring stumps, broken timber, and debris near surface, especially in some of the more shallow creek channels, and boat lanes across the main lake.


Lake level as of Monday approx 8" inches BELOW normal conservation pool, at 258.5 ft-msl and rising (as of Monday) with current and discharge near 180 CFS in 24" drawdown, as of Monday. Normal consv. pool is 259.2 feet. The tailwater level as of Monday, approx 224 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 ZONE in effect at 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 9-12 inches. Little River's visibility is muddy up river, but improving further down to the main lake, the river clarity ranges 15-20 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.


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!




'Get The Net.............




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)))><{{"""""""""""


Come see what all the excitement's about! Southwest Arkansas' best bassin' getaway! Watch our videos on Youtube and FaceBook by searching keywords: Millwood Lake Guide Service!!
28+ years in the professional guide business on Millwood Lake since 1990, and over 5 million Florida Bass stocked by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission! Let us help YOU, GET OUT THERE!