As of Monday, 15 October, Millwood Lake continues a slow steady rise with all recent thunderstorms. Monday lake is approx 12" inches ABOVE normal conservation pool on Monday at 260.2 ft-msl; and the discharge was around 3850 CFS for Little River, Monday, according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam is pushed back up to the headwaters of Little River from recent Red River rising levels, as of Monday is now approx 236 ft-msl, with gates release. Water temps have dropped 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. We expect another gate change mid-week from the USACE to begin reducing surface pool, which is presently, above 12" above normal and rising. Watch for sudden gate changes and debris, which will increase current in Little River.


For more information on Millwood Lake levels, contract work, and maintenance, contact the Millwood Project Office at 870-898-3343. Millwood Lake Drawdown has ended.


***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 63ºF early to 68ºF 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 have stained over the past week with rising lake pool, but remain fair to good in places. Further up river finds highest turbidity rates. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility is moderate stain, ranging approx 5-10 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 5-7 inches with heavy to moderate stain, depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 8-15 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 cold frontal passages, cool rain, and cloud cover continue dropping the surface temps, and recent thunderstorms stained up the lake more this week. Runnoff from mud flats and creek channels have contributed to most stain along the river over the past couple weeks. Current is increased with the dam gate changes in the river, and surface is cloudy to heavy stain in places, from runoff. Over the past 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 surface breaking Largemouth Bass, Kentucky Bass, and a few White Bass activity has tapered off over the past few days with the cooler surface temperatures along Little River and the oxbows. Large schools of Largemouths, Kentuckies (Spots), and White Bass continue roaming and following the huge shad schools along Little River. Best locations over the past few days have found these schools located at mouths of creeks dumping into Little River on points, ranging from 5-10 feet deep with vegetation and pads. Shad are beginning to migrate into the creeks with the reduction in surface temperatures over the past week. Bass have begun following these shad schools into numerous creek channels and ditches, feeding activity diminished at the surface, but randomly feeding in the creeks from 8-12 feet of depth. Surface feeding activity levels have tapered off except for a few random schooling fish, over the past week. Best baits drawing reactions over the past week continue to be Bass Assassin Shads, H&H Spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, Rat-L-Traps, Echo 1.75 and 2.5 crankbaits in shad patterns like Millwood Magic, Sexy Bone Nova, Blueback Herring, or Liv-N Chrome in, or near pads, and creek channels with vegetation. Black/white and white/chartreuse or Black/white/yellow H&H Spinners or Rocket Shads are drawing reactions from Kentucky Bass and White Bass along points extending into Little River. The Bass Assassin Shads continue working near the vegetation and in between lily pads. The surface breaking fish have tapered off with the reduction in surface temps over the past week, but still can be randomly seen and found, off and on, near mid day. Chrome Johnson Silver Minnow Spoons with a white grub trailer over tops of the lily pads will still find a random 4 pounder blowing up on shad in the lily pads. Rocket Shads, Hammered Cordell spoons, Rooster Tails, and H&H Spinnerbaits retrieved quickly, and occasionally breaking the surface will draw a reaction 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.


Fair to good good bites can be found for several weeks by medium depth-running (5' to 9' deep) Rat-L-Traps, Fat Free Shad crankbaits, chatterbaits, Rocket Shads, or squarebill crankbaits, 2.0 & 3.0 & S-cranks, Echo 1.75's, continue to draw a few random reaction 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 most any shad patterns like the Tennessee Shad or Blueback Herring Shads. 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. 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 and Citrus Shad colors continue working near creek mouths and points extending into Little River for the past week or so. Working the cranks in a stop-and-go retrieve will initiate a reaction a lot more lately.

Best colors over the past few weeks of Bass Assassin Shads are Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom, Houdini, and Gold Pepper Shiner colors 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 continues to draw good reactions are 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, 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 continue roaming Little River following the shad schools in Little River, and continue hitting hard on Fat Free Shads, Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Hammered Spoons with red/white bucktails, and Rocket Shads.


Crappie: had improved a week ago in standing timber, by vertically jigging Crappie tubes or Cordell paddle tail grubs in smoke colors. Cold rain and river current along Little River over the past few days have scattered the Crappie.

Cats: No Report.





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

Millwood Lake is currently slowly rising and currently elevation is 12" ABOVE normal conservation pool and increased current of Little River is around 3850CFS. Use caution during navigation on Millwood Lake.

**** 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 63ºF early to 68ºF range, depending on location and time of day.

Lake elevation Drawdown on Millwood Lake has now ended from USACE

Lake level as of Monday approx 12" inches ABOVE normal conservation pool, at 260.2 ft-msl and rising (as of Monday) with current and discharge near 3800 CFS as of Monday. Normal consv. pool is 259.2 feet. The tailwater level as of Monday, approx 236 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. We expect a gate change mid week to begin dropping lake level back to normal pool. Watch for increased current and debris in Little 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 5-10 inches. Little River's visibility is muddy up river, but improving further down to the main lake, the river clarity ranges 5-7 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 8-15 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.


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!