The Overall Picture:

As of Monday, 12 Sept, the lake drawdown and shoreline work has been completed. Millwood is approx 6 inches below normal conservation pool, on a slow rise. There is reduced current of Little River with the gates releasing around 160 CFS as of Monday. Water temps slightly dropped over the past week. Navigation is cautious for Little River as of Monday while lake is returning to normal pool elevation.

Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging approx 79ºF early, to 88ºF late, depending on location. Bass remain good from 2-3 pounds on Bass Assassin Shads, spoons, buzzers, and frogs at dawn. Lake level as of Monday, is currently is 258.7 ft-msl, with decreased river current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was approx 160 CFS. Continue to use caution during navigation on Little River and Millwood, watching for stumps, timber, and limbs at or near surface during below normal pool conditions. Tailwater level dropped slightly as of Monday at 224.5 ft-msl.

Clarity and visibility is consistent over last couple weeks, most areas on main lake and Little River due low water conditions. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 8-12 inches. Cottonshed and northeast section of the lake remain stained. Little River's visibility ranges 8-10 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 10-15 inches depth of visibility depending on location. Little River above McGuire oxbow is stained 3-6", some areas have better clarity. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, rain, or thunderstorms.

The Details:

Largemouth Bass: Bass remain in good feeding mode over the past few week's drop in surface temps, and are best from 2 to 3 pounds on topwaters early and late out of the current and Little River. Most bass are aggressive at dawn around lily pad stands, and shallow vegetation, where you can find the clearest water away from current in backs of the creeks, flats, and oxbows. Buzz baits in Bleeding Bream, white, and black are working well. Rico Pops, Bass Assassin Shads, Johnson Chrome spoons, and soft plastic frogs are all a good top water choice, early. Working top waters around pads and vegetation across flats adjacent to deeper sections of the creek channels continue drawing good reactions at dawn. Good bites continue on the spoons using a white or smoke colored 2" or 3" fat, curly tail grub trailer, or june bug colored plastic frogs and Bass Assassin Shads.

Best colors of Bass Assassin Shads over the past couple weeks have been Silver Phantom, Salt & Pepper, and Houdini colors in the current water clarity and conditions. Rat-L-Traps in Ghost and Millwood Magic colors, 1.75 Echo crankbaits in Millwood Magic and Gold colors continue working in creek mouths, dumping into Little River. Citrus Shad colored Bomber deeper diving crankbaits continue to be best reaction colors in the oxbows over the past several weeks by Largemouths and White Bass alike. Berkley 10" worms in Blue Fleck, Watermelon Candy, and June Bug-Red, or Red Bug continue working along Little River in 6-10 feet of depth, and also around creek mouths dumping into Little River.

White Bass: Whites/hybrids continue roaming Little River and the oxbows, and are hitting the Citrus or Chartreuse Shad colored crankbaits in the back of the oxbows. Over the past few weeks week, with the heavy cloud cover, the Whites were again surface breaking on shad in back of Horseshoe and McGuire oxbows. Those fish were hitting small, Ken Pop's, Pop-R's, & Chug Bugs with a rear feather tail hook, and Little Cleos, Rocket Shads, jigging spoons, and Rooster Tails in red/white or chartreuse/white, and chrome Rat-L-Traps.

Crappie: Continued to bite well, over the past week on Blakemore Roadrunners, and vertical jigging Southern Pro Little Hustler tubes in planted brush piles from 10-15 feet of depth.

Cats: Nice Channel cats and Blues, were back on the prowl this week and fair to good, up to 7 or 8 pounds each, on trot lines using chicken gizzards, livers, or hearts and cut bait.

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

Surface temps as of Monday, are ranging 79ºF early to 88ºF range, depending on location.

USACE work and drawdown has ended, and Millwood Lake level as of Monday is approximately 6 inches below normal pool at 258.7 ft-msl, and slowly rising to normal pool elevation with decreased river current. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate was around 160 CFS on Monday. The tailwater level as of Monday, is 224.5 ft-msl. Navigation cautious for Millwood during low water conditions. Drawdown ended last Friday, 02 Sept. Use extreme caution for stumps and timber at or near surface of Little River during low elevation.

Clarity and visibility is consistent over last couple weeks, most areas on main lake and Little River. As of Monday on main lake structure away from current, clarity & visibility ranges approx 8-12 inches. Cottonshed and northeast section of the lake remains stained. Little River's visibility ranges 8-10 inches depending on location and current. The oxbow's clarity currently ranging approx 10-15 inches depth of visibility depending on location as of Monday. Little River above McGuire oxbow is clear in areas with stain in others. 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 Tony Porter 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. 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.


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....

'Til next week, wear your life jacket & we'll see you on the lake........