We are finally about to get a break from this heat, albeit brief, in sw Arkansas. Millwood Lake remains undergoing a planned, 2 foot drawdown for maintenance at the dam, and millet planting for fall migratory flight paths, according the USACE. Millwood is currently 24" inches BELOW normal conservation pool and falling at 257.3 ft-msl; and the discharge was reduced to 172 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, as of Monday is around 224 ft-msl. 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, especially during drawdown conditions.


Be advised USACE is currently conducting a 2' drawdown for Millwood Lake began last month through September 2019!


**Use extreme caution navigating on Millwood Lake during affected drawdown conditions when stumps, timber and debris will be at or near surface pool, and river buoys are missing.**
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 NUMEROUS RIVER BUOYS are MISSING along Little River from Yarborough to main lake clear-cut.


USACE are working to replacing all the missing buoy markers on Little River from Yarborough Point to the clear cut/open water!

NO-WAKE ZONES are in effect at White Cliffs Campground on Little River.


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging near 83ºF early to 88ºF range later under full sun, depending on location. Continue to use caution in navigation on Little River and Millwood watching for stumps, random broken, or floating timber while the planned, two foot drawdown remains in effect.


Clarity and visibility worsened over the past week with high wind & thunderstorms. The main lake and lower sections of Little River are better than upriver near standing timber. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility is moderate stain, ranging approx 5-8 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 3-6 inches with heavy to moderate stain, depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 25-30 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 Trey Shelton 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 about drawdown conditions, Millwood Lake project work, or to report/inquire regarding safety or navigation hazards directly to the US Army Corps of Engineers Tri Lakes Project Office at Millwood.

The Details:


Largemouth Bass: Largemouths continue in their typical, full blown summer patterns. Not a lot of changes over the past week. The best level of topwater activity continues to be early mornings with cloud cover, best from dawn to around 9-10am. Once the the sun climbs and begins surface penetration, the surface temp will climb several degrees, and the Largemouth Bass continue retreating to the first and second drops out of the flats and deeper sections of the creeks or the river behind primary and secondary points out of river current.


Largemouth Bass, the topwater bite over the past few weeks, seems to be best for overall surface activity just after daylight, especially cloud cover days, and it appears to us, the Largemouth Bass are night feeding. Some mornings when we arrive at dawn, we can hear Bass breaking shallow before we ever get to them and it;s apparent we are arriving at the tail end of their cooler surface temp, overnight, feeding binges. The bite slows considerably during the heat of the day with the Bass pulling out to deeper, vertical, structure. The best baits drawing early morning reactions, over the past few weeks, have been BuzzBaits, plastic Frogs, and chrome Johnson Spoons in Lily Pads. This method has been working for several months, and a cloudy morning we are getting the best reactions using a gold spoon with a 3-4" tail thumping Bang Die Dapper swimbait on the single hook. If the sun is bright on cloudless mornings, we simply change from gold Johnson spoon to a chrome version with the same Bang Die Dapper trailer. At daylight, throw the spoon and trailer as far back in the pads near creek channels and work it out to the creek over the tops of the lily pads. This presentation has drawn some ferocious topwater explosions lately in the pads from 1-3 pound Largemouth Bass cruising shallow just before daylight and meandering their way back to the creeks as the sun rises and heats up the surface temps.


Schooling Bass can be found randomly, in the oxbows like Horseshoe and Mud Lake and McGuire Lake, most being adolescents and juveniles. Heddon Dying Flutters, Baby Torpedoes, or Cordell Crazy Shads continue working on early morning breaking yearling and adolescent schooling Bass. Soft plastic frogs are still drawing random reactions in the pads as well. Hot Firecracker or Hot Mouse colored BuzzBaits are still randomly working at dawn. StutterSteps & Spit'n Images continue to draw random reactions from Largemouths, near grass, vegetation, or lily pads. Numerous anglers have been chasing the random, schooling yearling Bass and Whites, near daybreak in the oxbows over the past few weeks. These mostly, juvenile Bass, are randomly breaking for 30-60 seconds at a time, early just after dawn in the backs of several oxbows up Little River. We have been catching those schooling yearling Largemouths and Whites with Bomber Fat Free Shads and Fat Free Guppys in Citrus Shad, along with a Cordell hammered spoons, clear Baby Torpedoes, tail spinner Rat-L-Traps, and Cordell Crazy Shads in chrome/black, Clear/Blue Nose or Moon-Eyed Shad colors.


These aggressively feeding Bass are pushing shad to the surface just after daylight, and surface breaking for 15 seconds to a minute at random, various intervals. You have to be on point and location when they begin pushing shad to the surface, or you miss it. Great baits to throw at these schooling Bass are the Bomber Fat Free Guppy, or Fat Free Fry, Rat-L-Trap, Cordell Hammered CC Spoon with a bucktail, Spit'n Image, Clear Baby Torpedo, Heddon Dying Flutter or Cordell Crazy Shad in Chrome/Black Back all these will get a fast reaction from these juvenile surface breakers. In addition, a Cordell Red Fin, Boy Howdy, Super Spot, or Gay Blade will be able to cast and reach these fast surface breaking Bass very easily. We keep a Cordell CC Spoon rigged up and ready, on a 6'6" MH CastAway casting rod, for when the melee begins unexpectedly, and maybe anywhere from 30-50 yards out from the boat. A Clear Heddon Baby Torpedo, Spit'n Image, and Chrome/Black Cordell Crazy Shad we have found are the best surface breaking baits to hit the school with, but many times, the school is just out of casting range with those surface lures, the exception being the Heddon Spit'n Image since it's body is more aerodynamically designed and will cast further distances to the school of surface breakers. We expect this trend to continue well into the fall and become quite more frequent in nature, as the photoperiod is reduced, and cold fronts begin arriving by September. There are days right now, where 2 anglers can catch 25-30 surface schooling breaking fish, Largemouths and White Bass both together, in just 15-20 minutes if one is prepared with a rod rigged up and on standby, on deck, and anglers are on constant watch and listening for the action to fire up just after dawn.


Over the past couple weeks, we continue to find 1-3 pound Largemouth Bass and 1-2 pound Spots, with a few White Bass in the mix, schooled up and hitting jigging spoons in Little River behind primary points, on the fringes of current from 8-10am and the bite shuts off almost like a light switch. We are vertical jigging chrome, and hammered Cordell, or Kastmaster, and Johnson 1/2-3/4oz jigging spoons in chrome/blue, chrome/chartreuse, or solid chrome. The Bass seem to prefer the jigging spoon, behind points and just out of the slow river current, where stumps are in 8-12 feet of depth on backside of the points.


Some days they prefer a bucktail and some days without a bucktail. The preference or presence of a bucktail or not, seems to be entirely random in nature, we haven't figured out why some days a bucktail works better and other days an absence of bucktail seems to draw a better quality Largemouth. In addition, we are vertical jigging a Cordell Gay Blade, Heddon Rattling Sonar Flash or just a plain Sonar Flash if the Bass become lethargic. Seems like lately, the rattling blade baits will wake them up if the bite tapers off and by changing from a jigging spoon to a Rattling Sonar Flash, we sometimes will pick up another 8-10 bites in the same location with the same schools of mixed up Largemouth, Spots, and Whites. We assume that all 3 Bass species are feeding on the same school of threadfin shad, and were working in harmony to keep them corralled behind the point, and out of the current of Little River, making it easier on the entire school to feed without chasing the shad very far.

Bulky 10"-12" worms are still working later in the morning, and picking up a few random reactions from Largemouth Bass in creek channels, creek mouths dumping into oxbows, and points. Yum 10" Ribbon Tails, 10" Power worms, and Ole Monster 10"-12" worms in Black/blue, Plum, Cranberry, or Blue Fleck colors have been drawing random reactions from lethargic, Largemouths along steeper ledges, and near stumps and cypress trees in creek channels and near creek mouth junctions, points, and intersecting feeder creeks dumping into the oxbows, for several weeks. Real Deal Custom Tackle jigs in black/blue, Texas Craw, or PB&J are catching a few random 2-3 pound Bass near cypress trees and knees early, as these fish are dropping out into 9-12 feet of depth as the sun rises higher in the sky mid-day.


White Bass: Whites continue schooling up with juvenile Largemouths and Spotted Bass on shad in the oxbows at dawn, and surface breaking on shad and bait in Horseshoe and McGuire Lakes in the oxbows up Little River where water clarity is best. Hammered Cordell Spoons with red/white bucktails, Chrome/black or chrome/blue, and Millwood Magic colored Rat-L-Traps, Spin Traps, and Bomber Fat Free Guppy cranks in Citrus Shad were catching these surface schoolers breaking on shad along with a host of topwater in the middle of the mayhem, like chrome/black or Clear-Blue nose Cordell Crazy Shads, clear Baby Torpedoes, Cordell hammered spoons, and Heddon Dying Flutters.


Crappie: have slowed this week, but planted brush piles along Little River, in ditches and ridges where stumps and standing timber, remain holding Black and White Crappie. Minnows have been seeing the best bite over the past few weeks with an occasional Largemouth or White Bass stealing it. Seems like the size tapered off this past week, with best Slab around 2 pounds, best from daylight to around 10-11am when the bite almost shuts off like a light switch. Most of the Crappie have been holding from 4-9 feet of depth around Cypress trees where deeper drops are nearby. From daylight til around 8-9am, one can catch some slabs using minnows around the deeper side of the Cypress tree. Once the sun starts heating the 3-5 feet depth range, the Crappie are retreating to standing timber or planted brush piles, nearby in 10-17 feet of depth, and the bite slows considerably.


Cats: Blues and Channel Cats improved late last week and several folks we spoke to at dawn were having good action at night, using chicken gizzards and livers, hot dogs, and punch bait with fair to good catches of Cats from 2 to 4 pounds. Yo-yo's best activity was in the back of the oxbows, hung from Cypress tree limbs and timber from 8-12 feet deep. Trot Lines in Little River have not done as well lately, over the past week since the USACE reduced current in Little River.


Bream: No report this week.




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




****Be Advised, there is currently a planned, 2' DRAWDOWN NOW IN EFFECT on Millwood Lake by USACE. Stumps, debris, and timber are nearing surface pool. USE EXTREME CAUTION in navigation***.


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 NUMBERS of MISSING RIVER BUOYS ARE STILL ABSENT FROM YARBOROUGH TO TO THE CLEARCUT ON OPEN WATER!


USACE ARE WORKING TO REPLACE ALL MISSING RIVER BUOYS ON LITTLE RIVER.


Be advised planned drawdown for Millwood Lake is now in effect. Use caution navigating on Millwood Lake during affected drawdown conditions when stumps, timber and debris are now near surface pool!!


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging in the 83ºF early to 88ºF range, depending on location.


Lake level as of Monday remains approx 24" inches BELOW normal conservation pool, at 257.3 ft-msl and falling (as of Monday) with current and discharge near 172 CFS on Monday. Normal consv. pool is 259.2 feet. The tailwater level below the dam, as of Monday, approx 224 ft-msl. Wear your life jacket and kill switch and watch for obstructions, floaters, broken limbs, logs, and debris along Little River during navigation. NO-WAKE ZONES are 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.

Clarity and visibility moderate stain, but muddy further up river. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 5-8 inches. Little River's visibility is more stained further up river, but improving down to the main lake, the river clarity ranges 3-5 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 25-30 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.

Be sure to note, NO WAKE ZONE in affect on Little River at White Cliffs Campground, being enforced by AGFC.


To volunteer for one of the cleanup dates or ramp and USACE park information, contact Trey Shelton 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's best bassin' getaway! Watch our videos on Youtube and FaceBook by searching keywords: Millwood Lake Guide Service!!


Over 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!