• Millwood Lake Fishing Report - AR

    Millwood Lake Guide Service
    (870) 772-6840 http://www.millwoodguideservice.com/index.html MillwoodLakeGSvc@aol.com
  • Millwood Lake Guide Service has been featured numerous times on the popular TV show Fishing Country with Charlie Pack. We guide for Largemouth bass, White bass, Kentucky bass, and Crappie. Since 1990, Millwood Lake Guide Service has supported and worked with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and The US Army Corps of Engineers regularly, Catch and Release Foundation, Black Bass Federation and Restoration Projects

  • Millwood Lake Fishing Report - AR

    The Overall Picture:


    As of Tuesday, Millwood Lake is on a slow rise, 12" above normal pool. Millwood Lake is currently approx 12 inches above normal conservation pool, near 260.2 ft-msl; and the discharge around 21,000 CFS in Little River according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, as of Monday remains around 246 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.


    Millwood State Park and Marina are open and have reopened the State Park for campers. See the CV-19 related information, and camping reservation requirements at https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/p...ood-state-park


    Continue to use extreme caution in Little River navigation this week where logs and floaters may be present this week.


    * We noted numerous missing river markers (or NONE) along Little River from Yarborough point, down river to open lake for 2 weeks! Use extreme 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 rose this week with increased radiant heat and are ranging between 70ºF early to 80ºF 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 in the oxbows is improving. Little River stain is consistent this week, muddy in locations near Cossatot inflow and Wilton, with increase of current, and with random broken timber and debris.


    Clarity consistent in the back of the oxbows, with stain this week. Clarity & visibility along Little River at 3-5 inches. The oxbow's clarity moderate stain, ranging approx 12-20 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: Largemouth Bass improved over the past week on Millwood, many now post-spawn and recovering, upriver and in many locations. Best water clarity is in the back of oxbows but Bass are somewhat less finicky than the past few weeks, with what they are responding to. Buzzbaits, Frogs, Bass Assassin Shads, & Crazy Shads have gotten good reactions from Bass lately. Spinnerbaits improved this week near pads and grass lines, and Squarebill crankbaits, medium running Echo 1.5 crankbaits, chatterbaits, and custom painted Little John crankbaits also continued improving this week. Most Largemouths continue to recover from the spawning activities upriver in the oxbows of McGuire, Mud, and Horseshoe Lakes. In the creek channels near the golf course pockets between Millwood State Park and South Hickory, Largemouth Bass improved and were busting top water baits early. Best crankbait colors getting good responses recently are the Bluegill, Red-ear Bream, Tennessee Shad, Citrus Shad.


    Bass Assassin Shads, and soft plastic frogs were getting good responses from 4-8 feet of depth around cypress trees, flooded buck brush, bushes, where water is rising. Dead-sticking Bass Assassin Shads on a light wire hook near cover, grass, and stumps, have been catching some decent 15-18" Largemouths. Best colors of Shad Assassins over the past few weeks continue to be the Salt-N-Pepper Silver Phantom, Pumpkinseed/chartreuse, or Houdini colors. Baby Brush Hogs & 10" Power Worms were getting fair responses over the past week and best colors have been the junebug, blue fleck, chartreuse pumpkin, or solid black grape.


    Spinnerbaits in firetiger color for stained water, or Spot Remover for clear water, and Chatterbaits, continue improving this week too. Best chatterbait colors in the stained water clarity are firetiger, Chartreuse& White, or Black/blue. Best depth zones we are targeting continue to be cypress trees & knees from from 4-7 feet, with 10-15 feet depths in close proximity.


    White Bass: Whites continue to migrate back down Little River toward main lake, and have been scattered over the past few weeks. Random schools have been caught between McGuire and Cemetery Slough over the past few weeks, migrating back down river. Trolling medium to deep crankbaits and spoons along primary points extending into Little River will pick up an occasional White Bass. 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. Deep running Fat Free Shad cranks in Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad, were working along Little River. The White Bass are still being caught, randomly in the same areas as last few weeks, but the bite has become more scattered.


    Crappie: Crappie continue biting well over the past few weeks. Increased surface temps and rising lake level, continue to position Crappie shallow to spawn. Minnows and jigs have been working away from current and flow of Little River, in the clearer sections of the oxbows and Millwood State Park, Okay Landing and Cottonshed areas near cypress trees from 3-5 feet deep. The Crappie responses continue to improve and hitting small jigs in chartreuse/white, chartreuse/blue, and black. Millwood State Park continues seeing good activity in the pockets and coves near cypress trees and grass from 4-6 feet of depth. Cottonshed and Okay landing boat ramp areas continue to be good areas, giving up some nice healthy 2-3lb Crappie over the past several weeks.


    Cats: No report.


    Bream: have been biting crickets, worms, and bread, from the bank around Millwood State Park, and the floating dock at Jack's Isle, and Yarborough Landing, and in the oxbows upriver over the past couple weeks.




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




    Millwood Lake is back on a slow rise above normal pool, and is approx 12.5 inches above normal conservation pool with increased current in Little River, currently near 260.2 ft-msl; and the discharge around 21,000 CFS in Little River, on Tuesday according to the USACE. The tailwater below the dam and gates, is around 246 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.


    Millwood State Park and Marina are open and have reopened the State Park for campers. See the CV-19 related information, and camping reservation requirements at https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/p...ood-state-park




    Navigation is cautioned this week, as Little River current condition has increased discharge rates and a few logs and floaters are present 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!


    There are numerous missing Little River buoy markers (or NONE) 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 70ºF early to 80ºF 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 heavy stain to muddy. Visibility ranges approx 5-8 inches along Little River, with current, depending on location. The oxbow's clarity continue improving ranging approx 12-20 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.

    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, and know how much we appreciate your use of our services!
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