As of Monday, 18 March, Millwood Lake pool is almost about to stabilize and begin falling again, from recent thunderstorms and USACE gate adjustments at the dam. Currently, lake elevation is now approx 22" above normal pool. USACE made gate changes at the dam on Monday and are releasing around 17,000 CFS on Tuesday. Millwood lake is above normal conservation pool on Monday at 261 ft-msl. The tailwater below the dam is also back on the rise, and as of Monday, with USACE gates release at the dam, and is around 243ft-msl. Water temps rose 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 cautious, and floating logs and debris are still very visible 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 3-5 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 and THERE ARE MANY MISSING RIVER BUOYS ALONG LITTLE RIVER FROM YARBOROUGH POINT TO PARALOMA TRAIL!!*** USE EXTREME CAUTION IN NAVIGATION ALONG LITTLE RIVER UNTIL USACE HAS HAD TIME TO REPLACE THE MISSING BUOYS AND POLE MARKERS!!

NO-WAKE ZONES are in effect at White Cliffs Campground on Little River, and marked with No-Wake buoys. USACE are working with contractors to replace missing river buoys as soon as possible.


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging near 57ºF early to 62ºF range later under full sun, depending on location. Continue to use caution in navigation on Little River and Millwood this week, watching for random, broken, or floating timber with the current conditions of river flow in Little River. Navigation conditions are cautioned, with the current & discharge.


Clarity and visibility conditions are beginning to improve in flats and creeks away from Little River current, over the past week. Navigation is considered very cautious or hazardous along Little River with the current discharge around 17,000CFS. Some debris remains present in Little River current, use caution. Further up river finds highest turbidity rates. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility is moderate stain, ranging approx 5-8 inches. Little River is improving and visibility ranges 5-6 inches with heavy stained conditions, depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity slightly improved with most recent lake level stabilizing, but stain is obvious in the mouths of the oxbows. Currently, oxbow clarity ranges approx 15-30 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: The bite for bass over the past few days, continues to be a slow but steady improvement, and still best during the mid day hours in the oxbows and pockets, away from strong river current. Good reactions are getting bit with Bass Assassin Shads, Bang XX FAT JOBS, Yum Dingers or Bad Mamas, large bulky Hogs, War Eagle Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and Lizards are all getting good responses. The bite frequency and patterns improved with increased surface temps this week. The best locations over the past few weeks have been in the back of the oxbows and pockets along main lake, where water conditions and clarity are best. Best bite continues during afternoon's warmest periods of the day, from 12 to 4 pm, along flats adjacent to wide creek wings, away from Little River muddy current, where stumps and fresh lily pad shoots are blooming, being prime locations. We are seeing very good Bass reactions with Bass Assassin Shads, War Eagle Spinnerbaits in grass, and Rat-L-Traps in the creeks between 8-10 feet of depth. The best crankbaits drawing reactions over the past few weeks were Squarebill Cranks in craw patterns, and Bandit Cranks in brown/orange Crawfish patterns. Rat-L-Traps and Echo 1.75's in shad patterns like Millwood Magic, red chrome, Toledo Gold, and Echo 1.75's in Rayburn Red Craw, or Ghost Minnow continue working near mid-day warmer periods, in back of the feeder creeks dumping into the oxbows away from muddy Little River current flows where water clarity is much better than close to Little River current. Bulky, fat tube jigs like magnum, fat 4" Gizzits, Brush Hogs, and Real Deal Custom Tackle Jigs continue taking a few chunky, Largemouths on trees from 3-8 feet deep, and on stumps, from 6-10 feet deep. Cotton Candy, Pumpkinseed/chartreuse, chartreuse pumpkin, and Blackberry colors continue to be good colors for soft plastic brush hogs or lizards from solitary Bass. A slow moving, Real Deal Custom Tackle jig in Texas Craw, Black/blue, Amber/chartreuse, or June Bug, with black craw trailer continue getting a few good reaction bites near stumps, from 7-8 feet of depth in outer bends of creeks and ditches with cypress trees. Bass Assassin Shads are getting great reactions in the oxbows in 2-5' depth of water in fresh hydrilla, coontail grass, deertounge grass, and new lily pad growth.


War Eagle Spinnerbaits in Smokey Shad, Spot Remover, and Hot Mouse colors are still working from last week, and getting good reactions in the oxbows fished slow from 6-8 feet of depth. If the water clarity is stained and dirty, we are switching over to a Fire Tiger color in the dirtier water. Chatterbaits in Firetiger, Chartreuse/orange Bream, and Dirty Blue-Dog colors with a beaver or Bang Boss Shiner swim bait trailer are catching solid, random, Bass from 4-5 pounds.


White Bass: A few White Bass were caught on Little Georges, Cleos, Rooster Tails, Rocket Shads, and Rat-L-Traps up Little River between McGuire Oxbow and entrance to Cemetery Slough over the past week. The White Bass are evidently still on the move upriver, and staging in preparation for their annual spawning runs up the Little River to headwaters above highway 71 bridge.


Crappie: continue improving in the oxbows, clearest water you can find being the most activity areas, and are hitting minnows and jigs from 2-6 feet of depth around cypress trees. Best colors of jigs over the past couple weeks or so have been white/chartreuse, red/white, or blue/chartreuse.

Cats: Blues and Channel Cats continue biting well on trot lines and yo-yo's set in the current of Little River, and in back of the Oxbow Lakes where current from Little River is bleeding through, set from 12-18 feet deep. Yo-Yos set from cypress trees over 8-12 feet deep in back of Mud and Horseshoe Lake are still catching some nice 3-5 lb cats. Punch bait, chicken livers and gizzards, & homemade dough-balls have been working for cats over the last several weeks on the Yo-Yos and trot lines.



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


Millwood Lake and Little River conditions have increased current from recent storms, and now the lake is almost 2' above normal, beginning to stabilize, and falling condition. Little River Navigation Conditions are still very cautious due to debris in high release current rates. There are numerous missing river marker buoys from Yarborough point to Paraloma Trail. Several more missing along Little River from Paraloma to the clear cut on main lake. Clarity along the river is about the same from last week, with river debris still present. Currently the lake elevation is approx 22 inches above normal pool. Lake Elevation is beginning to drop, with increased current of Little River is around 17,000 CFS as of Tuesday. Exercise increased caution during navigation on Millwood Lake along Little River with the changing release rates and river flow conditions, as some debris and logs are present in current flow and discharge rates. Always use caution during navigation along Little River with current, or high flow conditions. Expect to see normal pool possibly by next week with no additional rainfall.

**** Be Advised, there are at least 3-5 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! THERE ARE NUMEROUS MISSING RIVER BUOYS FROM YARBOROUGH TO PARALOMA TRAIL ALONG LITTLE RIVER! USE EXTREME CAUTION IN NAVIGATION WITH DEBRIS SCATTERED ALONG LITTLE RIVER AND MISSING RIVER BUOY MARKERS!!! USE EXTREME CAUTION IN NAVIGATION ALONG LITTLE RIVER UNTIL THE USACE HAS HAD SUFFICIENT TIME TO REPLACE MISSING RIVER BUOYS AND POLE MARKERS!!


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging in the 57ºF early to 62ºF range, depending on location and time of day. Navigation is cautious with wide debris fields present in heavy current flow. USACE are working to replace missing buoys as soon as possible.

Normal consv. pool is 259.2 ft-msl. Monday's pool elevation is 261 ft-msl and slowly dropping. The tailwater level is also rising with gate release at the dam, near 241 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. Watch for increased current and debris in Little River.

Clarity and visibility slightly improved over the past couple days. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 5-8 inches. Little River's visibility is stained up river, the river clarity ranges 5-6 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 15-30 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!





'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!!


29+ 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!