As of Monday, 29 April, closed the gates back to around 1800CFS due to inspection further down Red River. The Red River is still rising, and is beginning to back up Little River to the Millwood Dam. With gates closed back, Millwood Lake pool is still rising from thunderstorms over past couple weeks and more torrential downpours are expected mid week with extended expectations of 3-6" more rainfall. Currently, lake elevation is now approx 15" above normal pool and rising. USACE made gate changes at the dam on Monday and are releasing around 1,800 CFS, which could change by mid-week. Millwood lake's pool level is above normal conservation pool on Monday at 260.5 ft-msl. The tailwater below the dam is also rising, and as of Monday, with USACE gates release at the dam, and is around 239 ft-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 normal this week, and little bits of debris are still 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 69ºF early to 75ºF 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, have stained up again from recent thunderstorms and high wind. Navigation is considered cautious along Little River with the discharge. 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 3-5 inches. Little River is improving and visibility ranges 2-5 inches, slight 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 20-25 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 continues in various stages of the spawn for Largemouth Bass over the past few weeks. Mid morning activity is improving, and best bite has begun to shift to earlier times and during the 10-2 hours, in the oxbows and pockets, away from river current. Largemouth Bass are in various stages of spawn lake wide. Most have begun recovering, post-spawn, and are wrapping up their annual spawn. There are a few areas around the lake where Largemouth Bass remain in the spawning mode. Excellent reactions continue with chatterbaits, trick worms, spinnerbaits, plastic frogs, Bass Assassin Shads, and swim baits. The bite frequency and patterns improved again 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. The further away from Little River muddy current, seems to find the best Largemouth activity. Anywhere you can see stumps, fresh lily pad shoots, or new grass are blooming, being prime locations. We continue to see very good Bass reactions with Bass Assassin Shads, and frogs in pads on the flats, and in the creeks between 5-7 feet of depth this week also. Millwood State Park yielded up another fat, pres-pawn, Largemouth over the past week in the 10 pound class.


Bulky, fat tube jigs like magnum, fat 4" Gizzits, Shad Assassins, Brush Hogs, and Real Deal Custom Tackle Jigs are still working and taking a few chunky, Largemouths on trees from 3-8 feet deep, and on stumps, from 6-8 feet deep. Pumpkinseed & green pumpkin, Blackberry, Panhandle Moon, and Salt'N Pepper Silver Phantom colors continue to be good colors for soft plastic brush hogs or lizards from solitary Bass. Real Deal Custom Tackle jigs in Texas Craw, Black/blue, or black/blue/purple, with black craw trailer continue getting a few good reaction bites near stumps, from 4-6 feet of depth in outer bends of creeks and ditches with cypress trees. Bang XX Fat Jobs continue to draw great reactions in the oxbows in 2-5' depth of water in fresh hydrilla, coontail grass, deertounge grass, and new lily pad growth. We have switched from a weightless Tx rig on the trick worms and Fat Jobs to a wacky-style presentation. These are seeming to draw a better reaction now that the water continues warming up into the lower to mid 70º range.


War Eagle Spinnerbaits, or Brazalo Custom Chatterbaits, in Spot Remover, Hot Bream, or Hot Dirty Shad 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. Brazalo Chatterbaits in Firetiger, Chartreuse/orange Bream, and Hot Dirty Shad colors with a beaver or Bang Boss Shiner swim bait trailer are catching solid, random, Bass from 4-5 pounds.


White Bass: The White Bass are beginning to wrap up their annual spawning runs up the Little River to Patterson Shoals headwaters above highway 71 bridge. Catches of 50-70 White Bass in a few hours, have been typical over the past couple weeks at all the feeder creeks and dumps over extending points in Little River. Roostertails, Rocket Shads, Cordell Redfins, Bomber Crankbaits, Rat-L-Traps, H&H Spinnerbaits, and Little Georges, have all been whacking the White Bass pretty good.


Crappie: were really starting to turn on before all the muddy water and thunderstorms hit Millwood last week. A few good slabs are still hitting if you can find them. Seems like they are beginning to scatter with all the recent rainfall and lake pool rising with stain and muddy current in Little River last week.

Cats: No report since they closed the gates back this week and slowed the current down.



Lake Level & River Conditions Report


Millwood Lake and Little River conditions worsened from recent storms, and now the lake is back on the rise above normal, at approx 15 inches above normal pool. Little River Navigation Conditions are cautious. USE CAUTION: 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 worse over last week, with river debris present. Currently the lake elevation is approx 15 inches above normal pool. Lake Elevation continues to rise, with increased current of Little River is around 1,800 CFS as of Monday. Exercise caution during navigation on Millwood Lake along Little River with the changing release rates and river flow conditions, as some debris is 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 69ºF early to 75ºF range, depending on location and time of day. Navigation is cautious with some debris fields present in 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 260.5 ft-msl and slowly rising. The tailwater level is rising with gate release at the dam around 1800CFS, near 239 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 worsened over the past couple days with recent high winds and thunderstorms. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 4-8 inches. Little River's visibility is stained up river, the river clarity ranges 3-5 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 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 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!"







"Some Photos courtesy, Jason Sealock"
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