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 45ºF early to 50ºF 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 not changed much, 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 with the recent thunderstorms, rain, rising surface pool, and high wind, remain about the same as last week, but the Bass and Crappie bites are beginning to recover. The bite for bass all but turned off for a few days last week from recent muddy 2' rise and current along Little River. Recently we have found Bass in the clearer areas of the back of the oxbows, willing to randomly feed again, and crankbaits are the best response we have been observing. The surface breaking Largemouth Bass, Kentucky Bass, and a few White Bass have all but disappeared, but the schools of Largemouths, Kentuckies (Spots), and White Bass continue to follow shad schools. Best locations over the past few weeks were for these schools located at mouths of creeks and sloughs dumping into the back of the oxbows on points, ranging from 10-12 feet deep with dead lily pad stems and stumps. Shad are beginning to congregate in the creek channels with the reduction in surface temperatures over the past week. Bass continue following these shad schools into numerous creek channels and ditches, and were randomly hitting crankbaits and Rat-L-Traps in the creeks between 10-12-14 feet of depth. Surface feeding activity levels have diminished with current conditions. The best cranksbaits drawing reactions over the past few weeks were Bomber Fat Free Shads in Tennessee Shad and Citrus Shad, or white. Rat-L-Traps and SpinTraps in chrome/blue and shad patterns like Millwood Magic, Sexy Bone Nova, Blueback Herring, or Liv-N Chrome are still drawing random reactions in creek channels with any cypress trees, standing timber, and stumps. Brush Hogs were taking a few random, chunky, 3-4 pound Largemouths in depths of the creek channels from 7-9 feet deep on stumps, and on secondary points with stumps from 5-9 feet deep. Grasshopper, Blackberry, and Green Pumpkin or Red Shad colors seemed to draw fair reactions from solitary Bass not chasing shad. See attached photo recently from one of our clients with a nice Millwood Chunk Bass in muddy conditions.
White Bass: Large size schools of White Bass were also following shad in the oxbows, and roaming Little River after the rain and thunderstorms. These White Bass are following the same schools of shad along Little River and the oxbows as the Largemouth, and were back to randomly hitting Fat Free Shads, Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Hammered Spoons with red/white bucktails, and Rocket Shads.
Crappie: Improved after the recent muddy 2' rise of lake from recent thunderstorms last week, and were beginning to stack vertically over brush and tops near standing timber as long as the brush and timber are out of muddy current of the river. Blakemore Roadrunners in white and chartreuse were taking some slabs later in the day last week.
Cats: continue biting well on Yo-Yo's and trot lines in Mud Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and McGuire Lake up Little River. Chicken gizzards or livers, punch bait, and any cut baits were working well over the weekend, and late last week.
}><(((º> Lake Level & River Conditions Report <º)))><{
**CONTINUE TO 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.**
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 14" above normal conservation pool, falling with increased current of Little River is around 12,000 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 45ºF early to 52ºF range, depending on location and time of day.
Lake level as of Monday approx 14 inches above normal conservation pool, at 260.5 ft-msl falling, with heavy current and discharge near 12,000 CFS as of Monday. Normal consv. pool is 259.2 feet. The tailwater level as of Monday, approx 242 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!
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