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Millwood Lake Fishing Report Updated May 7, 2012

Millwood Lake Fishing and Conditions Report

07 May 2012
Submitted each Monday/Tuesday for AGFC by
www.MillwoodGuideService.com

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The Overall Picture:

As of Monday 07 May, the lake level remains slightly above normal.
There is an increased current in the river. The Largemouth Bass are
beginning to feed again after recovering from the rigors of the spawn.
Little River's oxbows over the past week have much improved water
clarity. Warmer temperatures over the past week have again increased
surface water temps.

Surface temps as of Monday 07 May are currently ranging 73ºF early to
79ºF later in the afternoon hours, depending on rain, wind, incoming
fresh water, location and time of day. Call the USACE for lake level
daily updates, Little River current, discharge release, and tail water
levels.

Lake level as of Monday 07 May, is currently is 259.7 mfsl, and
steady, which is approx 6 inches above normal. Normal consv. pool is
259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday with gates open, a total
discharge of 1577 CFS. The tailwater level as of Monday was 227.31.

Clarity and visibility as of Monday on main lake structure improved;
stained somewhat in the river; currently ranging approx 10-12 inches
in the River depending on location. The oxbow's clarity are better,
albeit, with some stain, ranging approx 22-30 inches visibility
depending on location. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically
on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds or thunderstorms.

River Run East facilities are still undergoing maintenance and
upgrades, and as such, still closed until mid-July 2012. All other
ramps and USACE parks are open. USACE recently completed updates at
White Cliffs Camp ground with addition of 6-8 more campsites, and
other facility improvements.

To volunteer for one of the cleanup dates or ramp and USACE park
information, contact Tony Porter at the Millwood Tri-Lakes Project
Office. To receive project updates, lake level information updates,
or volunteer, call the US Army Corps of Engrs toll-free information
line at 888-697-9830.

The Details:

Largemouth Bass: The best bass bite over the past week and
aggressiveness continues improving with the increase of surface
temperatures and longer daylight hours. Numerous techniques are
catching bass, including buzz baits, Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits, and
soft plastic Bass Assassin shad jerk baits and Yum Frogs are starting
to turn on. Lizards, worms and jigs around stumps, grass, dead lily
pad stems, and wood laydowns in the oxbows, away from river current
are working. Most of the Largemouth Bass are now postspawn.

Fire tiger or spot remover color spinner baits, blue or shad colored
buzz baits, or lizards in black, or green pumpkin and watermelon/red
colors, are working. Yum Wooly Bugs and Berkley Pit Bosses in
watermelon red or California colors are working also for bass. We are
also catching some 15-18" Bass on stumps in 8-10 foot depths with
these magnum or over-sized tubes and slow rolling large Booya or War
Eagle Spinnerbaits in cole slaw, firetiger, aurora, or spot remover
colors. Best colors of tubes in clearer water back in the oxbows are
smoke or watermelon-red, or green pumpkin.

For the oxbows, where the water is much clearer, pitching a Hot Peanut
Butter & Jelly, or Diablo Craw colored StrikeWorks Jigs around stumps,
laydowns, and in lily pad stems were taking 17-19" size Bass. Salty
Rat Tails, Yum Dingers, and trick worms, wacky-rigged in purple smoke,
watermelon-red, or shad smoke color are taking some nice 14-18"
Largemouth Bass and a few Kentucky Bass. Dead-sticking Bass Assassin
Shads and the trick worms on a light wire hook were catching a few
post-spawn female bass in the 4-6 pound range, worked extremely slowly
around new blooming lily pads.

Rat-L-Traps will get you bit from aggressive Largemouth and White
bass. Best Rat-L-Trap colors over the past week or so are Millwood
Magic, Sexy West, and Toledo Gold colors, for Largemouth Bass in the
15-17" length range. The key to the best reaction on the Rat-L-Trap
bite is deflecting off stumps in flats or points, of 5-6' water depth,
close to 8-12' drop offs. Bomber Crankbaits in Citrus Shad, or
Tennessee and Foxy Shad colors are catching a few Largemouths back in
the oxbows away from Little River current, where the water clarity is
much better by using the same deflection retrieves on stumps, as is
working for the Rat-L-Traps on flats and points adjacent to deeper
creek channel bends and swings. Bites happen just after the moment of
deflection on the stump or timber, with a purposed pause.

White Bass: Whites are scattered along Little River and the oxbows in
loose and broken schools, can be found trolling crankbaits and Rat-L-
Traps in the Little River and the oxbows.

Crappie: have been moving off the cypress trees and ridges where they
are finishing up their spawning activities for the last couple weeks.
Majority of these fish are now moving back out again and can be
located near planted brush piles in 8-14 feet depths on jigs and grubs
on light wire jig heads.

Longnose Gar: Very large Gar (in excess of 20-30 pounds each)
continue to be very shallow and are making fine opportunities for bow
fishermen.


Cats: remain good this week, on trot lines, yo-yos, tight lines,
along current and break lines in the outer bends of Little River.
Blues and Channel Cats continue biting best on cottonseed mill cakes
and cut bait in 12-16 feet of Little River on the outer break lines in
current or on yo-yos tied along the Little River, or hung from cypress
tree limbs in 8-10 feet depths of the oxbows.

}> Lake Level & River Conditions Report
"Some photos courtesy Jason Sealock"







Mike Siefert
Owner/Operator since 1992
Millwood Lake Guide Service
Shop: (870) 772-6840
Mobile: (903) 277-3401
email:MillwoodLakeGSVC@aol.com
 

Visit us on the web for the most current Millwood Lake fishing 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, and Arkansas.com.
 

 

    

  The Ten Pounder
  The photo I sent you yesterday of that 10 pound bass, was caught on a Bass Assassin Shad Assassin soft plastic jerk bait. The client and I were fishing on Millwood Lake upriver between Mud Lake oxbow and McGuire Lake oxbow in a small slough immediately off of Little River. Per your request, here is the story:

Starting at daybreak, a slight cool front had passed through the area the night before, and a light fog had developed over the lake. Water temperatures ranged in the low to mid-80º range. The morning started out quite well with numerous bass above the 16" minimum length requirement for a "keeper" size bass. By 9:00 we had already boated between 8-10 keepers, and many "dinks" below the 16" minimum length; all on the Bass Assassin Shad jerk baits and buzz baits which I build for my own, and client's use. The bite had just practically "shut down" in the area we had begun fishing in, around 9-9:15am. I decided to make a move further up river.

We idled out of the location above, on the river, and ran approximately 20 minutes at full throttle up Little River. We shut down and idled into another slough within 50 yards of the river to began our plan B assault. Trolling motor humming, we graciously greeted a man and wife Crappie fishing in the area and quietly eased passed them as to not disturb their Crappie hole. The man in the boat asked me, "Did you throw by that rock over there?". I responded, "No sir, but I have certainly caught some good bass back in here over the years, we are just trying to get out of your way."

About 20 minutes later, around 10am, all hell broke loose. We were fishing the Bass Assassin Shads around coontail moss, hydrilla, and lily pads, when I felt the boat rock to one side. I turned around to see what was up, and Gary Moore, the client from east Texas was setting the hook hard. Looking at his medium heavy rod, it was doubled over. I immediately looked at his line where it entered the water, and drag was singing off his reel to the tune of "Mr Big headed for 30 feet deep" of the river. Gary shouts, "GET THE NET!" and in an instant, I was on my hands and knees with the net in one hand, and my other hand on the trolling motor turning the nose of the boat toward the fish. The bass ran into a wad of lily pad stems and swirled round and round. Gary says, "I cant feel him!" I said "lighten up on him just a hair". When he did, the fish pulled him further into the pad stems. I began immediately to pull lily pad tops back to find the fish. All I could see was the 4" thick back and tail of this monster bass with his head and face rooting downward in the lily pad stems. As I pulled the pads apart, the fish made a run back to the river again. Gary says, "He's loose, he's running!" I said you best tighten that drag, or he is gona wrap you up on a stump out on the edge of the river in 15-20 feet and we will never see him!" As he tightened his drag, he turned the fish again, and i could see a huge flash as the pig rolled on her side, turning back down into the lily pad stems again. I said, "Dang she is huge, looks like the side of a BARN! This fish is well over 8 pounds, and maybe bigger!"

As she rooted in the lily pad stems again, I grabbed my pliers off my belt, and began lifting the pad tops and cutting them and throwing them to the side. Gary says, "you look like a weedeater down there!" I said whatever it takes! As I pulled the last pad top back I could see the back and tail of the monster again.
I lunged at her with the net and missed, she was deeper than I had thought. I made one last swoop of the net with the handle fully extended out to 6 feet and when we looked as I brought up the net, she was in it. Not only was she IN the net, she took up the ENTIRE net!

By this time, the old man and woman crappie fishin were just intently watching all the commotion going on 40 yards away. When we got her in the boat, we both yelled out WOW WHAT A HOG! I said, Gary this fish is well over 8 or 9 pounds, she maybe over 10. Taking her out of the net, Gary commented "man you could put a softball in her mouth!" He was holding the fish with both hands like a pair of vice grips, as I worked the Owner hook out of the cartlidge in roof of her mouth. Gary says "look at her gullet! You could put a hot dog down her throat its so big!"

We got the digital scales out and weighed her, the digital read out flashed in pounds and ounces 9 lb 14-15 ounces, back and forth. I said shes as close to 10 pounds as you are going to get. We put her in the livewell to calm her down, put "Please Release Me" in the livewell, and ran the aerator continually for about 45 minutes. A collegue guide of mine comes flying down the river about 30 minutes later and I flagged him down. We get his digital scales out, and reading in pounds and tenths of pounds, it flashed 9.9-10.0-10.1. So there was no doubt. Gary had landed the 10 pound bass he had came after for so many years. Gary has been coming to Millwood Lake fishing with me and my guides for over 7 years, and he finally caught the hawg he had so desparately pursued. We snapped a few more photos of the pig, took her measurements, said our fond farewells, and turned her loose to fight again. The woman crappie fishin' says, "lookie there, they are turning that big fish loose!" The huge bass blasted off to the side of the boat, in the lake with a vengence, throwing a mighty shower of water in our face with her tail, as if to say "Thank you for letting me go", as we said, "Thank YOU for the pictures, and truly the fight of a lifetime!
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