• 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, 29 October, Millwood Lake is on a slow steady pool reduction and falling with recent rain and gate changes at the dam by the USACE. Millwood lake is approx 5" inches above normal conservation pool on Monday at 259.6 ft-msl; and the discharge was reduced to 2350 CFS for Little River, according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam has crested and began falling also, as of Monday is now approx 237 ft-msl, with USACE gates release at the dam. Water temps have stablized 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. Watch for sudden gate changes and debris, which will increase with current in Little River.


    For more information on Millwood Lake levels, contract work, and maintenance, 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. Bass schooling activities have picked up again this week in Millwood.


    Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging near 58ºF early to 67ºF 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 the river current and 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 5-6 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 5-8 inches with heavy to moderate stain, depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 12-20 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: Over the past few weeks, we continue to find Bass randomly surface feeding in Little River and its oxbows, 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 increased 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 picked up again this week at the surface, and continue randomly feeding in the creeks over 8-15 feet of depth. Surface feeding activity levels have increased again, for random schooling fish, and catches of 50-75 Bass per day have been common. Best baits drawing reactions over the past week continue to be Bomber Fat Free Shads in Tennessee Shad, Bass Assassin Shads, H&H Spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, Rat-L-Traps, and SpinTraps in chrome/blue and shad patterns like Millwood Magic, Sexy Bone Nova, Blueback Herring, or Liv-N Chrome in, or near pads, and creek channels with vegetation. H&H Spinners or Rocket Shads are drawing reactions from Kentucky Bass and White Bass along points extending into Little River and the oxbows. The Bass Assassin Shads continue working near the vegetation and in between lily pads. The surface breaking fish have increased again with the surface temps stable in the mid 60ºs over the past week, near mid day and afternoon. 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 Largemouth and White Bass, from 2 to 4 pounds in size.


    Fast and hot action with frequent hits can be found by medium depth-running (5' to 9' deep) Rat-L-Traps, Fat Free Shad crankbaits, chatterbaits, Rocket Shads, or SpinTraps, continue to draw a few random reaction by deflecting and banging/deflecting them off stumps, from 2-7 feet deep in creek channels and points. The bass from 2-3 pounds are aggressively responding to crankbaits in shad colors. Best color of cranks in the oxbows, like the Fat Free Shads and SpinTraps, for the past couple weeks or so have been the Millwood Magic, chrome/blue, and most any shad patterns like the Tennessee Shad or Citrus 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 medium running crankbaits in shad, and ghost colors, and Fat Free Shads, Fat Free Guppys, and Fat Free Frys in Tennessee 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.

    Casting Cordell hammered, jigging spoons are still working with many Kentucky (Spotted) and White Bass and schools of Largemouths in Little River's oxbows, behind points and creek channels. Schools of Kentuckies and Largemouths feeding on shad, will hit casting 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: Large size schools of White Bass continue schooling and surface breaking on shad in the oxbows, and roaming Little River. These aggressive White Bass are following the shad schools in Little River and the oxbows, and continue hitting hard on Fat Free Shads, Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Hammered Spoons with red/white bucktails, and Rocket Shads. An afternoon in these schools can yield 30-60 fish per day.


    Crappie: improved in and over planted brush out of the current, and behind long, extending points in Little River, by vertically jigging tubes, minnows, or Cordell paddle tail grubs in smoke colors.

    Cats: biting well on Yo-Yo's and trot lines in Mud Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and McGuire Lake up Little River. Chicken hearts, livers, gizzards, and cut shad continue working well over the weekend, and first half of this week.



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

    Millwood Lake is slowly falling with recent gate flow at the Millwood Dam, and currently elevation is 5" above normal conservation pool, falling with increased current of Little River is around 2350 CFS. 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 58ºF early to 67ºF 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 5" inches above normal conservation pool, at 259.6 ft-msl falling, with current and discharge near 2350 CFS as of Monday. Normal consv. pool is 259.2 feet. The tailwater level as of Monday, approx 237 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 5-6 inches. Little River's visibility is muddy up river, but improving further down to the main lake, the river clarity ranges 5-8 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 12-20 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 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!










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