Ed Note: New regulations for Largemouth Bass have gone into effect as of January 1, 2012. See AGFC Website or recent regulation handbook for details (creel increased to six/person/day, no length restrictions).


Millwood Lake Fishing and Conditions Report
06 February 2012
Submitted each Monday/Tuesday for AGFC by
www.MillwoodGuideService.com

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The Overall Picture:

Use extreme caution in navigation during high discharge rates at the dam. Trees, logs, vegetation, and debris continue coming down river in the high volume discharge rate of over 12,000 CFS.

As of Monday 06 Feb, the lake level remains above normal conservation pool and is continuing to slowly recede through the week. Current and muddy water remains, and has the Largemouth Bass scattered, but bites can be had throughout the afternoon. The Bass for the past several weeks, 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 temperatures over the past week have dropped surface water temps.

Surface temps dropped over the past week, & as of Monday 06 Feb are currently ranging 45ºF early to 48ºF 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 06 Feb, is currently is 259.58 mfsl, and falling, which is now approx 5 inches above normal. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was increased with 13 gates open at 2 feet, for a total discharge of 12,862 CFS. The tailwater level as of Monday, dropped over the past week, and is currently 237.76 mfsl and is falling.

Clarity and visibility as of Monday on main lake remained muddy and heavy stain in the river and main lake structure; currently ranging approx 1-2 inches in the River depending on location. The oxbow's clarity are better, albeit, with somewhat heavy stain, ranging approx 10-12 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. Paraloma Park is closed for the winter. 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 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.

New regulations for Largemouth Bass have gone into effect as of January 1, 2012. See AGFC Website or recent regulation handbook for details (creel increased to six/person/day, no length restrictions).

The Details:

Largemouth Bass: The best bass bite over the past week, has been pitching jigs, worms, tubes, spinnerbaits, and soft plastics to stumps, grass, dead lily pad stems, 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 muddy water and current. The lake level has began receding over the past week from all the recent rain in western Arkansas and se Oklahoma.

The 2-5 pound sized Largemouths over the past week have pulled back out to slightly deeper drops in creek channel swings, and the river. Where the high temperatures a week ago, we saw male bass visiting bedding areas on these warmer days, was somewhat premature. Over the past few days, none of those males were seen in those shallow flat spawning areas, and have pulled back out to the drops and deeper sections of the creek and intersections with Little River where the temperatures are more suitable and stable.

The best bet over the past week continues to be on Gene Larew Hog Craws in black, or black & blue colors. Yum Wooly Bugs, or creature baits like Zoom Brush Hogs, Texas rigged, in Black-Blue, and Blackberry, were also catching some 15-18" Bass on stumps in 8-10 foot depths. Magnum Tubes are also working around stumps, Cypress trees and knees. Best colors of tubes in clearest water are smoke/black/red flake, black/blue tail, or purple smoke. Best color tube in stained to muddy water conditions are the black/red flake (black neon), or pumpkinseed/chartreuse tail. War Eagle Spinner baits in Aurora, Hot Mouse, or Cole Slaw colors in the clearest water you can find are working well, while slow rolling around any remaining vegetation and lily pad stems.

Brown/Pumpkinseed/chartreuse, Hot PB&J, or Diablo Craw colored StrikeWorks Jigs worked around stumps, laydowns, and in lily pad stems were taking 17-19" size Bass. Salty Rat Tails, Yum Dingers, and Senko-style worms in purple smoke fleck, watermelon/red, or green pumpkin, are taking some nice 14-18" Largemouth Bass and a few Kentucky Bass.

Rat-L-Traps in Toledo Gold, White Zombie, or Red Shad continue catching some Largemouth Bass in the 16-18" length range. The key to the Rat-L-Trap bite is slowing down the retrieve to a crawl and deflecting off stumps in flats of 5-6' water depth, close to 8-12' drop offs. Bomber Crankbaits in Tennessee Shad or citrus shad, or white colors are catching a few Largemouths back in the oxbows away from muddy current, where the water clarity is much better.

White Bass: The White Bass have gone deep in the river channel, and all but 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. These schooling fish were hitting Rat-L-Traps and Bomber crankbaits up Little River.

Crappie: No Report. Still very scattered, muddy water, high current volume, and warmer water temps over the past week have spread out the Crappies horizontally.


Cats: remain very good to excellent this week also, 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 best on cut shad & chicken livers, in 12-16 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)))><{

Use extreme caution in navigation during high discharge rates at the dam. Trees, logs, vegetation, and debris continue coming down river in the high volume discharge rate of over 12,000 CFS.

Surface temps constant over the past week, as of Monday 06 Feb are currently ranging 45ºF early to 48ºF 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 06 Feb, is currently is 259.58 mfsl and rising, now approx 5" above normal. Normal consv. pool is 259.20 feet. Discharge rate as of Monday was 13 gates open at 2 feet, for an decrease in total discharge to 12,862 CFS. The tailwater level as of Monday receded and was at 237.76 mfsl.

Clarity and visibility as of Monday on main lake remains muddy and heavy stain with high current volume and is currently ranging approx 1-2 inches in the River depending on location. The oxbow's clarity are better away from current, albeit, with somewhat heavy stain, ranging approx 10-12 inches visibility depending on location. Water temps are stable lake-wide, due to recent warmer daytime highs. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds or thunderstorms.

River Run East is still undergoing maintenance, repairs, and upgrades; and as such, still closed for use until mid July 2012. Paraloma Park is closed for winter. All other USACE ramps and parks are open. USACE recently completed upgrades and improvements to White Cliffs camping area, with the addition of another 6-8 campsites and other facility improvements.

As of Jan 01, 2012 AGFC regulations for Largemouth Bass have changed. See AGFC website, or official regulation handbook for details (creel increased to six/person/day, no length restrictions).


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 12 inchers 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.

Come see what all the excitement's about!



Thanks for your interest in
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

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