**USE EXTREME CAUTION IN RIVER NAVIGATION THIS WEEK DUE TO RECENT THUNDERSTORMS, TWO FOOT MUDDY RISE, AND BROKEN TIMBER ALONG LITTLE RIVER. WIDE DEBRIS FIELDS ARE MAKING NAVIGATION HAZARDOUS IN SOME AREAS ALONG LITTLE RIVER. BE VIGILANT, WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKETS AND KILL SWITCH IF NAVIGATION IS ATTEMPTED DURING CURRENT DISCHARGE & HIGH RELEASE RATES AT THE DAM.

As of Monday, 05 November, Millwood Lake is on a slow steady pool reduction and falling, after a recent and rapid 2 foot muddy rise, with recent rain and gate changes at the dam by the USACE. Millwood lake is approx 16" inches above normal conservation pool on Monday at 260.6 ft-msl; and the discharge was increased to over 17,600 CFS for Little River, according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam is also rising, as of Monday is now approx 245.9 ft-msl, with USACE gates release at the dam. Water temps have stabilized 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. Navigation is hazardous with wide debris fields of broken timber, logs, trees, limbs, and broken vegetation mats concealing logs. Use extreme caution in navigation this week.

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 65ºF range later under full sun, depending on location. Continue to use extreme caution in navigation on Little River and Millwood this week, watching for random, broken, or floating timber with the increase of discharge at the dam and the current conditions of river flow in Little River. Be advised there are large debris fields and broken timber, logs, limbs, and trees caught in the current river flow making navigation hazardous.

Clarity and visibility have drastically worsened over the past week with the river current and lake pool, and navigation is noted hazardous in places along Little River. Further up river finds highest turbidity rates. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility is moderate stain, ranging approx 1-3 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 2-3 inches with heavy stain to muddy conditions, 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: Conditions worsened over the past few days with the increase in thunderstorms, rain, rising surface pool, and high wind. The bite for bass all but turned off for a few days until the lake stabilizes from recent muddy 2' rise and current along Little River. Prior to the fast, muddy, 2 foot rise and increase in debris along Little River's fast current and discharge, over the the past few weeks, we were finding 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 was increased over the past couple weeks with the cooler surface temperatures along Little River and the oxbows. Large schools of Largemouths, Kentuckies (Spots), and White Bass were roaming and following the huge shad schools along Little River. Best locations over the past few weeks were for 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 couple weeks. Bass have begun following these shad schools into numerous creek channels and ditches, feeding activity had picked up at the surface, and were randomly feeding in the creeks over 8-15 feet of depth. Surface feeding activity levels had increased again, for random schooling fish, and catches of 50-75 Bass per day were common prior to recent muddy conditions. Best baits drawing reactions over the past few weeks were 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 had increased again with the surface temps stable in the mid 60ºs, 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. We expect the bite to return upon stabilization of the lake level after this recent 2 feet muddy rise is returned to normal conditions.

White Bass: Large size schools of White Bass were also schooling and surface breaking on shad in the oxbows, and roaming Little River prior to the recent muddy deluge of rain and thunderstorms. These aggressive White Bass were following the same schools of shad along Little River and the oxbows as the Largemouth, and were hitting hard on Fat Free Shads, Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Hammered Spoons with red/white bucktails, and Rocket Shads. An afternoon in these schools was giving up 30-60 fish per day prior to the recent change in lake conditions. We expect that bite to also return later this week or next, as soon as the USACE is able to return lake pool to normal conditions by early next week.

Crappie: No report since the recent muddy 2' rise of lake from recent thunderstorms this week.

Cats: were 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 late last week.


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

**USE EXTREME CAUTION IN RIVER NAVIGATION THIS WEEK DUE TO RECENT THUNDERSTORMS, TWO FOOT MUDDY RISE, AND BROKEN TIMBER ALONG LITTLE RIVER. WIDE DEBRIS FIELDS ARE MAKING NAVIGATION HAZARDOUS IN SOME AREAS ALONG LITTLE RIVER. BE VIGILANT, WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKETS AND KILL SWITCH IF NAVIGATION IS ATTEMPTED DURING CURRENT DISCHARGE & HIGH RELEASE RATES AT THE DAM.

Millwood Lake and Little River conditions are termed HAZARDOUS this week, and lake is slowly falling with recent gate flow at the Millwood Dam, and currently elevation is 16" above normal conservation pool, falling with increased current of Little River is around 17,600 CFS. Use extreme caution during navigation on Millwood Lake with the increase of current and discharge at the dam. Broken timber, limbs, logs, and wide debris fields are being noted in Little River from recent 2 feet of muddy lake pool rise from thunderstorms recently late last week. Use extreme caution during navigation along Little River with current 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 58ºF early to 65ºF range, depending on location and time of day.

Lake level as of Monday approx 16 inches above normal conservation pool, at 260.6 ft-msl falling, with heavy current and discharge near 17,600 CFS as of Monday. Normal consv. pool is 259.2 feet. The tailwater level as of Monday, approx 246 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 another 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 worsened over the past week from heavy thunderstorms, high wind, and muddy current up river. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 1-3 inches. Little River's visibility is muddy up river, the river clarity ranges 1-3 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!