Millwood Lake Fishing and Conditions Report
05 December 2011
Submitted each Monday/Tuesday for AGFC by
www.MillwoodGuideService.com

"""<º)))><{""" Fishing & Species Report """}><(((º>"""

The Overall Picture:

As of Monday 05 Dec, the lake level dropped mid to late last week, and is now rising from all the recent rains in SE Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Current and muddy water have the Largemouth Bass scattered, but a few good bites can be had from mid morning through mid-afternoon. The Bass for the past week, have shifted to breaks behind points downstream of increased muddy incoming water and current. White bass, Kentucky bass, have scattered on Little River and her oxbows over the past week. Cooler night time low temperatures continue to bunch the Crappie tighter and closer in brush piles, but have moved to clearer water locations, out of current and muddy water.

Surface temps dropped again over the past week, as of Monday 05 Dec are currently ranging 49ºF early to 54ºF 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 05 Dec, is currently is 256.81 mfsl, and rapidly rising, is now 28" below normal due drawdown, recent thunderstorms, and rain. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. The USACE total discharge hot line number is now working again and the discharge rate as of Monday was all 13 gates open at 2.5 feet, for a total discharge of 9,530 CFS. The tailwater level as of Monday, down at 233.93 mfsl and expected to rise as soon as the recent rain early this week hits the main lake.

Use extreme caution during navigation. There is a tremendous amount of current with debris in Little River due to the incoming muddy water and increase in release rate at the dam. Clarity and visibility as of Monday on main lake is poor and muddy; visibility was reduced from increased current, incoming rain, thunderstorms and wind over the past weekend, currently ranging approx 0-2 inches in the River depending on location. The oxbow's clarity are better, with heavy stain, ranging approx 10-18 inches visibility depending on location. Water temps are dropping lake-wide, due to recent back to back cold fronts. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds or thunderstorms.

Currently, as of Monday 05 Dec, the final of three, successive, four-foot drawdowns are in progress, and USACE recently announced the scheduled drawdown to run through mid December 2011. These four-foot drawdowns over the past 3 years have been deemed a huge success by fishermen and residents of the lake by helping eliminating unwanted vegetation and drying lake-bed to increase storage capacity of the lake during normal pool levels. USACE recently completed updates at White Cliffs Camp ground with addition of 6-8 more campsites, and other facility improvements.

Use extreme caution during drawdown conditions, as stumps and other hazards are nearing pool surface, many cut-offs, boat lanes and trails through timbered sections of main lake are extremely shallow and unnavigable during drawdown conditions. To volunteer for one of the cleanup dates or ramp and USACE park information, contact Brooke Kervin at the Millwood Tri-Lakes Project Office. To receive 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 last week, has been pitching soft plastics to stumps, grass, lily pads, and wood laydowns behind points and cuts of the river, in the swirling eddies where current break lines are being used by the Bass with all the incoming rising muddy water and current. The lake rose over 15 inches last week due mostly to rain in se Oklahoma and western Arkansas, then dropped with increase of current and release rate at the dam, in the past few days, and is now on the rise again with the recent rains this week.

The keeper sized Largemouths are fair; from around 2.5 and up to around 5 pounds each, best bet this week are Gene Larew Hog Craws and Lake Fork Super Tubes in black, or black/blue and June Bug. Pumpkinseed/chartreuse StrikeWorks Jigs worked around stumps, laydowns, and in lily pad stems were taking keeper size Bass. 5" Ringworms in black with Fire Tail are taking some nice 15-19" Largemouth Bass.

War Eagle Spinnerbaits are beginning to get a few good reactions in the dead / dying lily pad stems. The best colors working this week are Cole Slaw, or white and chartreuse. If you are able to find clearer water in the oxbows, Rat-L-Traps in Red Shad, Toledo Gold, or Smokey Joe were taking some juvenile Largemouth Bass in the 13-15" range.
White Bass and Kentuckys: disappeared with the recent influx of muddy water and increased current. Hurricane Creek, Horseshoe oxbow lake, and White Cliffs areas, for the past several weeks have been very good locations for finding these loosely packed schools of White Bass and have produced very large numbers of schooling Whites and Kentucky Bass. These schooling fish were hitting Rat-L-Traps and Bomber crankbaits up Little River, running shad & occasionally surface breaking during the day. Snake Creek still has a few Kentucky Bass bunched up out of the muddy current and were hitting 4" mini-lizards in chartreuse pumpkin color.

Crappie: remain scattered with the increase of current and muddy water. Crappie seemed to have moved to clearer water in backs of the oxbows on deep cypress trees. Crappie were near planted brush piles along Little River between 12-14 feet deep but have moved out of the current and muddy water in search of clarity and depth. These Crappie were biting good on jigging tiny hair jigs and also hitting minnows, in the clearest water you can locate best from around 10am till early afternoon. Additionally, Southern Pro Crappie tubes, small Rocket Shads, and Blakemore Roadrunners were working over the past several weeks. Cordell smoke grubs on light lead head jigs, Blakemore Roadrunners, and Chuck'NSpins continue working, by vertical jigging in 15-16 feet depths brush piles and along old creek channels and ditches.

Cats: remain good on trot lines, yo-yos, tight lines, along current and break lines in the outer bends of Little River with the increase in current. Blues and Channel Cats were biting Catfish Charlie, cut shad, & chicken livers, in 15-20 feet of Little River on the outer break lines in current or on minnows and cut shad on the yo-yos tied along the Little River, in 10-15 feet depths.

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

Surface temps dropped over the past week, as of Monday 05 Dec are currently ranging 49ºF early to 54ºF 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 05 Dec, is currently is 256.81 mfsl, and rapidly rising, is now 28" below normal due to drawdown conditions & recent thunderstorms and rain. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. The USACE total discharge hot line number is now working again and the discharge rate as of Monday was all 13 gates open at 2.5 feet, for a total discharge of 9,530 CFS. The tailwater level as of Monday was at 233.93 but should rise again this week as soon as the recent rains from this week reach the main lake.

Use extreme caution during navigation. There is a tremendous amount of debris in Little River due to the incoming muddy water and increase in release rate at the dam. Clarity and visibility as of Monday on main lake is poor and muddy; visibility was reduced from increased current, incoming rain, thunderstorms and wind over the past weekend, currently ranging approx 0-2 inches in the River depending on location. The oxbow's clarity are better, with heavy stain, ranging approx 10-18 inches visibility depending on location. Water temps are dropping lake-wide, due to recent back to back cold fronts. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds or thunderstorms.

Use extreme caution during drawdown conditions, as stumps and other hazards are nearing pool surface, many cut-offs, boat lanes and trails through timbered sections of main lake are extremely shallow and unnavigable during drawdown conditions. To volunteer for one of the cleanup dates or ramp and USACE park information, contact Brooke Kervin at the Millwood Tri-Lakes Project Office. To receive updates or volunteer, call the US Army Corps of Engrs toll-free information line at 888-697-9830.
The Millwood Lake / USACE Four Foot Drawdown is in progress. Use extreme caution during navigation while drawdown is in effect!! Millwood Lake USACE project office recently announced the 4-foot drawdown on Millwood currently in progress will be ended in mid-December 2011, rather than running through February, 2012. This is in part due to allowing sufficient time to elapse to capture enough rainfall to raise the lake 2 feet above normal pool (261.9 vs normal elevation of 259.2) and flush out the floating grass mats and excess vegetation killed during the drawdown, prior to the annual fish spawning cycles which normally begin in late February to Mid-March. This is anticipated to allow enough time to flush out the decaying vegetation and return the lake to normal elevation of 259.2 prior to the spawn.

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!!

Don't forget, be courteous, and respect the other guy's right to use the lake too. Release those big bass to spawn and fight again, and take home those little 16"ers to fry up! Use caution in low light conditions, and wear your flotation device! If you are suddenly thrown from your boat, or knocked unconscious, your life preserver can potentially be your only hope to survive.

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.

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Millwood Lake Guide Service ~ Arkansas' Best Bass Fishing!


Mike Siefert
Owner/Operator
www.MillwoodGuideService.com
P.O.Box 4957
Texarkana, AR/TX/USA 75505-4957

""""""""GOFISH""""<º)))><{{"""""""""""

21+ years in the professional guide business on Millwood Lake, since 1990!