The Overall Picture:


As of Monday, Millwood Lake is approaching normal conservation pool. Millwood continues falling; just slightly above normal conservation pool, near 259.3 ft-msl; and the discharge around 3,000 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, as of Monday is around 228 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 floaters may be settling out this week.


25 more river buoys have been replaced marking Little River from mile marker 2 through mile 9, use caution where river current may have moved or damaged river buoys.


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


Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging between 50ºF early to 60ºF range later under full sun, depending on location. Continue to use caution in navigation on Little River and Millwood watching for random broken, or floating timber in Little River are in effect. Clarity continues improving in the oxbows with the river receding. Little River is moderate stain & current, and with random broken timber and debris.


Clarity improved drastically in the oxbows with falling conditions in Little River over the past week, and clarity & visibility is moderate stain, visibility ranging approx 5-10 inches in many locations. The oxbow's clarity continues improving, 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 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: With Millwood Lake approaching normal pool, reduced current in Little River, and drastically improved clarity up river, Largemouth Bass males continue roaming in areas of 6-9 feet depth creeks, ridges, and bedding flats on warm afternoons, near vertical structure. Heavy 3/4oz One-knocker Rat-L-Traps, Brazalo Chatterbaits, and Spinnerbaits have been working over the past few weeks, and Echo 1.75, and Bill Lewis SB-57 MDJ crankbaits are getting decent responses over the past couple weeks from these active roaming Bass. 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, best responses from the heat of the afternoon, best from 11am-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 present. The best responses from Bass we are seeing is the Red Chrome, Toledo Gold, Ozark Craw, and Red Rayburn Craw. Baby Brush Hogs & lizards have been taking some decent 15-18" male Largemouth Bass roaming flats in the clearer water sections of the Oxbows, away from River Current. With the water temps continuing into the mid 50's the males are active and females continue staging. 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. A few bed making activities are being currently observed now. Red Slough and South Hickory golf course pockets are warming up as well. We got several good reactions from 2-3lb males over the past week or so, throwing an old school, H&H Spinnerbait in yellow/white and black/white around cypress tree knees using a trailer hook for short strikers. An occasional prespawn female Largemouth will randomly hit if you're in the zone.


Best reaction colors throwing Chatterbaits and Spinnerbaits we were seeing lately have been the Millwood Mayhem Bream, Spot Remover, or Arkansas River Shad. Best depth zones we are targeting are cypress tree knees from from 6-10 feet, with 12-15 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, moving in shallow 3-5' deep bedding areas, not staying on the flats for very long, and were spooky. The larger females are staging further out depth zones, near points and drops where broken timber and stumps are present. 6"- 8" Lizards in black neon, blackberry, California 420, and watermelon magic have been picking up some cruising Bass near stumps, on drops into 10' structure.


Trick worms, trick sticks, and twitch worms in watermelon candy, black/blue, blue ice, and blue/purple ice, were working late last week in 5-8' depths on cypress trees. Bass Assassin Shads in Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom, or Pumpkinseed, by dead-sticking on stumps and cypress knees using a extremely-light wire hook, caught a few nice male and female Bass roaming in and out of flats to and from the creek channels. Several nice-size prespawn female Largemouth were hitting jigs using Tx Craw, Millwood Mayhem Bream, and Black/blue, using a black frog plastic trailer, upriver, over the last week.


White Bass: As we have been telling everyone for several weeks, the Whites have been staging along Little River and mouths of the the oxbows and creek dumps, in preparation for a spawning run, upriver. Well it's ON, (see photo) and we are catching some of the largest White Bass I have ever seen caught on Millwood, many numbers exceeding 3-3.25 pounds each. 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 9-16 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 their spawning run along Little River, stacked up near primary or secondary points, from 10-15 feet deep were most reliable locations. Deep running Fat Free Shad cranks in Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad, H&H Spinnerbaits, and red/white Rooster-Tails were also picking up a few Whites over the past week. With the increase of warm water temps we are seeing in the mid-50's, the White Bass continue running up Little River for a spawn up between US Highway 71 Bridge and Patterson Shoals for annual migration, with the water temps in the mid- 50ºF range. White Bass were found again over the past couple week between McGuire Lake and US highway 71 along Little River where points intersect with creek mouths dumping into the river, although the water was very stained, but improved and had current. The White Bass Spawning Run is about to be on full bore.


Spotted Bass/Kentuckies: No Report.

Crappie: Improved over the past week with the improved clarity and conditions in the oxbows. Minnows and jigs were working near standing timber and creek channels in the clearer sections of the oxbows and golf course pockets, 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 remain good on Punch Bait and cut baits, over the last week on trot lines from 8-14 feet of depth in current.






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




Millwood Lake is now approx just barely above normal conservation pool with current in Little River, currently near 259.3 ft-msl; and the discharge around 3,000 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, as of Monday is around 228 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 improved this week, as Little River current condition has reduced discharge rates and a few logs and floaters are settling out in the river flow current conditions.


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 damaged or moved by current, river buoys on open water!


The USACE has replaced Little River buoy markers from mile marker 2 through 9, use caution where buoys maybe moved or missing due to river current.


Surface temps as of Monday, ranging in the 50ºF early to 60ºF late in the day, depending on location.


USE CAUTION in navigation in random locations where logs and debris maybe 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 continues improving with reduced flow rates. As of Monday visibility ranges approx 5-10 inches along Little River, with current, depending on location. The oxbow's clarity continue improving 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. 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,