The Overall Picture:

As of Monday, Millwood Lake is up and down again, from recent thunderstorms. Millwood as of today is dropping again; approx 7 inches above normal conservation pool, near 259.8 ft-msl; and the discharge around 16,000 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, as of Monday is around 243 ft-msl with discharge. Be sure and check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on our website helpful link 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 high flow river conditions.

Continue to use extreme caution in Little River navigation this week where logs and debris fields are present in the high river flow current conditions this week.

Navigation: USE CAUTION where river buoys are still missing.

25 more river buoys are in process to complete marking Little River from mile marker 2 through mile 9.

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

Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging near 45ºF early to 50ºF 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 in Little River are in effect. Clarity continues improving in the oxbows with the river receding. Little River is heavy stain, moderate current, and with random broken timber and debris.

Stain increased again with recent thunderstorms and wind, increased current in Little River over the past few days, and Monday clarity & visibility is heavy stain, ranging approx 3-5 inches, still muddy in many locations. The oxbow's clarity continues improving, ranging approx 10-20 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 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: Millwood Lake level continues fluctuation with the rise and fall due to recent thunderstorms in the region. The Largemouth Bass males continue to roam 5-8 feet depth creeks and bedding flats on warm afternoons, near vertical structure with the lake again on the fall. Rat-L-Traps, Chatterbaits, and Brazalo Spinnerbaits have been working over the past couple weeks, and MR-6, Echo 1.75, and SB-57 MDJ crankbaits were getting decent responses over the past couple weeks. Anywhere a creek channel is close by to the deeper creek bends or vertical structure and drops into the oxbows, where stumps and creek mouths drop, have held some decent sized bass over the past several weeks and they were moving shallow on afternoons. The best responses from Largemouth Bass continue to be during the heat of the afternoon, best from 12pm-3pm. The Largemouths were much more reliable in the oxbows of McGuire and Horseshoe Lakes where the water clarity was drastically better, water temps were warmer, and calm/no river current were present. The crankbaits, getting best responses were the Red Chrome, Toledo Gold, Ozark Craw, and Red Rayburn Craw, along with Baby Brush Hogs were taking some decent 14-17" male Largemouth Bass roaming flats in the clearer water sections of the Oxbows where clarity was best away from River Current. We noted upwards of 55º water temps 2 weeks ago, and now have dropped back into the upper 40's. Where you find shallow 5-8 foot depth flats with stumps can find a few decent 2-3lb male Bass roaming on warm afternoons, if near to a quick creek bend drop into 8-12 feet structure.

Best reaction colors throwing Chatterbaits and Spinnerbaits we were seeing lately have been the Millwood Mayhem Bream, Spot Remover, or Arkansas River Shad. The majority of Bass continue suspending near vertical structure for many hours of the day, and turn on like a light switch for a few hours under the warmest 2-3 hours of daylight, from 5-9 feet depth with 12-48 feet of depth nearby. We have been seeing the male Bass roaming the flats through the dead lily pad stems from 2-4 pounds each searching bedding areas, but not committing to stay in the flats for very long periods. The larger females are staging on points and drops where stumps are present. 6"-8" Lizards in black neon, june bug, California 420, and watermelon magic have been picking up some staging Bass near stumps, on drops into structure. Trick worms in watermelon candy, black/blue, and watermelon red were working late last week in 5-8' depths on cypress trees. Bass Assassin Shads, deadsticking on stumps and cypress knees, with a light wire hook, caught a few nice male Bass roaming in and out of flats to and from the creek channels.

White Bass: For several weeks, the Whites have been roaming and staging up Little River and mouths of the the oxbows, in preparation for a spawning run, along creek mouths in junctions with the river. Heavy thumping 3/4 and 1 oz Rat-L-Traps in Millwood Magic, chrome, or Splatterback colors, cranked very slow and deep behind primary or secondary points caught some decent, 2-3lb Whites over the 2-3 past weeks from 12-16 feet deep. A chrome 3/4oz Cordell hammered spoon with a red/white hair bucktail vertical jigging behind primary points near the bottom where stumps were located on the backside of points, were connecting with a few nice sized 2-3 pound Whites over the past several weeks. Swimming jigs with a heavy thumping tail swimbait trailer picked up a few White Bass in 10-14 feet swimming and dropping the bait.

Most of the White Bass continue staging along Little River, stacked up on points, from 12-15 feet deep were most reliable locations. Deep running Fat Free Guppy cranks in Tennessee Shad and Citrus Shad were picking up a few Whites this week. With the unseasonably warm water temps we are seeing, the White Bass are roaming Little River in preparation for a final blast run up to US Highway 71 and Patterson Shoals for annual spawning in a few weeks if nothing changes, and water temps stay in the 50ºF range. White Bass were found again over the past couple weeks between White Cliffs Campground and the entrance to McGuire Lake along Little River where points intersect with creek mouths dumping into the river, although the water was very muddy and had tons of current. If these water temperatures stay in the mid 50's again for another week, the White Bass Spawning Run is about to be ON.

Spotted Bass/Kentuckies: No Report.

Crappie: Improved over the past week with the improved clarity and conditions in the oxbows. A Crappie Tournament over the weekend produced some really nice slabs from 2-3 pounds each. Minnows and jigs were working near standing timber in the clearer sections of the oxbows, from 8-12 feet deep.

Cats: continue biting consistent over the past few weeks with the increased current along Little River. Channel Cats and Blues have been good on Punch Bait and homemade cheese dough over the last week on trot lines from 9-12 feet of depth in current.



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


Millwood Lake is now approx 7" above normal conservation pool with heavy current in Little River due to recent thunderstorms, currently near 259.8 ft-msl; and the discharge around 16,000 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, as of Monday is around 243 ft-msl. Be sure and check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on our website helpful link 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 high current release rates at the Millwood Dam.

Navigation is cautioned this week again, as Little River current condition has high discharge rates and use caution in Little River navigation where logs and debris fields are present in the high river flow current conditions, watching for broken timber, random limbs and floaters.

USE 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!

Use caution in Little River where buoys are yet to be replaced.

Surface temps as of Monday, ranging in the 45ºF early to 50ºF late in the day, depending on location.

USE EXTREME CAUTION in navigation with logs and debris present. Wear your life jacket and kill switch and watch for obstructions, floaters, broken limbs, logs, and debris along Little River.

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

Clarity and visibility in Little River is muddy with high flow rates. As of Monday visibility ranges approx 3-5 inches along Little River, with current, depending on location. The oxbow's clarity continue improving ranging approx 10-20 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. The oxbows are better near the back away from Little River current, and Little River with high discharge rates and current is muddy. Use extreme caution navigating Little River.

Be sure to note, NO WAKE ZONE marked and in affect on Little River at White Cliffs Campground, is 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 AGFC Florida Bass Stocking Program photos, 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!!



Our goal is simple, to help you and yours make rewarding fishing experience memories to last a lifetime and increase your knowledge of the vast resource known simply to locals as, "The Jungle" we call Millwood Lake.

Our commitment is simple, whatever it takes to make our goal a reality. If we are able to coach and mentor folks with techniques and experience we have gained in fishing here for over 40 years, to help them be better fishermen long after their time spent with us has passed, then we have succeeded.

Thanks again and we look forward to working to help you on Millwood Lake!

Of course, email or call anytime,




'Get The Net.............

Mike Siefert
Owner/Operator
https://www.MillwoodGuideService.com

Millwood Lake Guide Service
P.O. Box 4957
Texarkana, USA 75505-4957
Shop: 870-772-6840

"Your fun we take seriously, so you don't have to!"

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"Some Photos courtesy, Jason Sealock"
Thanks for your interest in
Millwood Lake Guide Service ~ Arkansas' Best Bass Fishing!

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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!!

Over 30 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!