Millwood Lake remains under a planned, 2 foot drawdown for maintenance at the dam, and millet planting for fall migratory flight paths, according the AGFC & USACE. Millwood is slowly rising, currently 16" inches BELOW normal conservation pool at 257.9 ft-msl; and the discharge at 197 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, as of Monday is around 225 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 Paraloma Trail to main lake clear-cut.


USACE have replaced 19 missing buoy markers on Little River from Yarborough Point to Paraloma Trail, USE CAUTION where river buoys are still missing.


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


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging near 83ºF early to 91ºF 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 has been consistent over the past couple weeks. 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 5-10 inches. Little River's visibility ranges 5-10 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 have slowed over the past couple weeks with the heat. Most Bass we are finding are suspended over cover and structure behind points along Little River. The level of topwater activity has diminished over the past couple of weeks with early, cloudy mornings, being best days from dawn to around 9am. 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 once the sun gets above the trees.


Largemouth Bass, for overall surface activity is certainly better on cloudy mornings, after cooler overnight temps, and it appears a majority of the Largemouth Bass continue feeding at night. The bite slows considerably during the heat of the day with the Bass pulling out to deeper, vertical or diagonal, structure near or behind points with stumps. The best baits drawing early morning reactions, over the past few weeks, have been 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.


Over the past couple weeks, the schooling Bass have been less visible at surface, yet can still 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 have been working on early morning breaking yearling and adolescent schooling Bass. StutterSteps & Spit'n Images continue to draw good reactions from schooling Largemouths, when you can find or hear them breaking near grass, vegetation, or lily pads. Mostly, juvenile Bass, were randomly breaking for 30-60 seconds at a time, early just after dawn in the backs of several oxbows up Little River a few weeks ago. When the Bass are not surface breaking, you can still locate the large schools on your electronics. These large schools of juveniles and adolescent Largemouths, can be caught randomly using Bomber Fat Free Shads and Fat Free Frys, in Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad colors, along with jigging a Cordell hammered spoons, tail spinner Rat-L-Traps, and War Eagle Underspins with a 3-4" pearl or white grub trailer. RatLTrap MR-6 medium diving cranks in Millwood Magic, Threadfin Shad, or Louisiana Shad colors have been getting reactions over the past couple weeks, on the fringes of large schools of juvenile Black and White Bass chasing Shad in the oxbows. Several anglers hooked into a nice mixed school of Largemouth and White Bass last week trolling crankbaits and spoons in McGuire Lake and Horseshoe Lake oxbows, up Little River. Trolling medium to medium-deep, crankbaits continue to be a proven method to locate large, mixed-bag schools of Black and White Bass, this time of year in the oxbows and in Little River or Saline River for the ganged-up Bass following Shad. Once you locate a large blob or school of shad on your electronics, that is a good place to begin slow trolling crankbaits from 30-40 yards behind the boat. Most of these schooled up Bass are suspending under the Shad from 12-15 feet deep.


War Eagle Underspins, Heddon Rattling Sonar, or Heddon Gay Blade will be able to cast and reach any surface breaking Bass that may randomly appear.


Over the past several 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 6-9am 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. The War Eagle Underspins in white or Smokey Joe colors are working in the same manner, using a 3" white grub single tail trailer.


In addition, we are still vertical jigging a Cordell Gay Blade, Heddon Rattling Sonar Flash, or a RatLTrap Spin Trap when the bite slows. 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 or Tail Spin RatLTrap, we sometimes will pick up another few 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.


White Bass: Whites continue schooling up with juvenile Largemouths and Spotted Bass on shad in the oxbows at dawn, occasionally 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 Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad were catching these surface schoolers breaking on shad along with a host of topwaters in the middle of the mayhem, like chrome/black or Clear-Blue nose Cordell Crazy Shads, clear Baby Torpedoes, and Heddon Dying Flutters.


Spotted Bass/Kentuckies: For several weeks, juvenile and adolescent Kentucky Bass have been roaming and schooled up with the Largemouths and White Bass chasing Shad. Spin-tail Rat-L-Traps, Bomber Fat Free Frys, and Fat Free Shads in Citrus Shad or Tennessee Shad colors were catching some Spotted bass from 1-2 pounds over the past couple weeks, albeit randomly, in the oxbow lakes.


Crappie: Slowed with the heat and stained water over the past couple weeks.


Cats: Blues and Channel Cats have been slow, but more consistent at night, over the past couple weeks 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 few weeks since the USACE reduced current in Little River.


Bream: were biting red worms and crickets off the floating dock at Jack's Isle over the weekend with several kids having a big day.




Lake Level & River Conditions Report


****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 have replaced 19 river buoy markers from Yarborough Point to Paraloma Trail. Use EXTREME CAUTION in Little River where buoys are yet to be replaced.


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 91ºF range, depending on location.


Lake level as of Monday remains approx 16" inches BELOW normal conservation pool, at 257.9 ft-msl and slowly rising (as of Monday) with current and discharge near 197 CFS on Monday. Normal consv. pool is 259.2 feet. The tailwater level below the dam, as of Monday, approx 225 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 Little 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 5-10 inches. Little River's visibility is more stained further up river, but improving down to the main lake, the river clarity ranges 5-10 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!"





"Some Photos courtesy, Jason Sealock"
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