Spotlight on Millwood Lake, Regional Fishing Reports

Head south for some fishing fun

Arkansa Wildlife Editor Millwood Lake remains a destination spot for Arkansas anglers in the late summer. Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said that as of Sunday the lake is undergoing a 2-foot drawdown by Army Corps of Engineers for boat ramp repair, shoreline work, erosion abatement, Millwood Dam inspection and repair as needed. Lake level currently 35 inches below normal pool. Millwood Lake pool elevation is 256.3 feet msl; and the discharge around 620 cfs in Little River, according to the Corps on Tuesday. The tailwater below the dam and gates as of Tuesday was around 227 feet msl and falling. Check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on the guide service’s website linked above, or at the Army Corps of Engineers website, for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels, especially during current 2-foot drawdown conditions. Millwood State Park, the Corps of Engineers Campgrounds and State Park Marina are open. See the COVID-19 related information and camping reservation requirements at www.arkansasstateparks.co m/parks/millwood-statepark. Continue to use caution in Little River navigation this week during USACE pool drawdown.

Stumps and hazards will be at or near surface pool during drawdown conditions, which are expected to run into mid-October.

Surface temps stable over the past couple weeks, ranging 85-90 degrees.

Clarity is improving in the back of the oxbows and along Little River and main lake. Clarity and visibility along Little River at 5-7 inches. Further up Little River has more stain. The oxbows’ clarity moderate stain, ranging 15-20 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, all of which is expected Thursday afternoon with the remnants of a big western stormfront.

As for fishing details:

• Largemouth bass: What a difference a week makes, from a recent 2.5-foot rise

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Photos courtesy of AGFC FISHING REPORTS (cont.)

of muddy, 10-inch rainfall to a 2-foot drop in lake pool for the Corps drawdown until mid-October.

Flow rates along Little River have been reduced now that drawdown pool elevation has been reached. Largemouth bass in Little River have pulled to creek channel dumps and points.

Early morning continues to be key for the best bite of the day in the oxbow lakes where the best water clarity exists. Soft plastic frogs, Bass Assassin Shad jerkbaits, crankbaits and Stuttersteps are still working early in the oxbows.

Best activity period remains from dawn to around 10 a.m. Juvenile largemouth have been surface- breaking on huge pods of threadfin shad early mornings in multiple locations,

near and in lily pads

for short periods. Bass Assassin Shads, Johnson Chrome Spoons with a short grub trailer, or H& H Short-Arm Spinnerbaits will work through the pads when bass move in to feed for quick cycles, chasing shad.

Best surface activity for the past few weeks has been at early daybreak for a few hours in the oxbows of McGuire, Mud, and Horseshoe lakes. Baby Torpedoes, Spitn' Images, Stuttersteps and Dying Flutters were working for a few fish early in the mornings where juvenile Bass are schooling and breaking on shad. As the sun rises, shallow square-bill cranks in Millwood Magic, Splatterback and Tennessee Shad were drawing random reactions. Bill Lewis Lures' SB-57 and Echo 1.75 crankbait square bills in Ghost Minnow, Bluegill and Sneaky Shad and MR6 Crankbaits and Rat-LTraps in Millwood Magic, Splatter Back or Ghost continue getting good responses as the largemouth transition to vertical structure after 9-10 a.m.

Target ditches with vertical drops near 12-to-14-foot structure. Points of creek dumps into Little River have been holding small schools of juveniles from 2-3 pounds. The points extending into Little River, with large stumps and pads nearby, have been holding good schools. Mann's Baby Minus-1 Cranks were taking a few subsurface bass on flats with long tapering points into the oxbows.

Texas-rigged Baby Brush Hogs, shaky heads and Salty Rat Tails have been working for a couple weeks by working randomly near cypress trees and knees from 8-12 feet deep. Best colors over the past several weeks have been watermelon candy, blue ice and June bug/blue tail.

• White bass: We finally found a few white bass willing to bite crankbaits, as schools were roaming in Horseshoe and McGuire over the past week.

• Crappie: Best bite of the day continues to be early for the past 3-4 weeks.

Minnows and jigs have had the most consistent response, with minnows having a slight edge, working along Little River in planted brush, in any clearer water sections of the oxbows and Millwood State Park, and near Okay Landing and Cottonshed areas near cypress trees from 3-5 feet deep and planted brush piles from 10-14 feet of depth.

• Catfish: Slowed when the current of Little River cut back, but were fair on trotlines along Little River this week. Cut shad or buffalo, spoiled chicken hearts and gizzards, or King's Punch Bait was working well for 3-5 pound blues and channel cats on trotlines and yoyos.

• Arkansas River — The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Bass Fishing Team reported that water temperatures are in the upper 80s to low 90s.

Visibility is 6-12 inches in most places. Black bass are biting fairly well on shadcolored medium-diving

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crankbaits and square bills while the wind is blowing.

Use dark-colored shaky heads, jigs and soft plastics around offshore brushpiles and woody cover when it’s calm. Keep an eye out for schooling activity; many times it's white bass or hybrid striped bass, but black bass are schooling with them on the shallow sandbars offshore. Smallto- medium-sized lipless crankbaits are very effective when you find a school, as are soft plastic jerkbaits and small topwaters while they're at the surface. There are not many large fish in these schools, but you can catch several quickly if you can get to them before they move.

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— John Duncan of yoyoguideservice. com at Iron Mountain Marina said, “Welcome to Arkansas. It is summer and we know it. Water temperatures are in the high 80s.

Great for water sports but tough on fishing. What activity there is on the surface is spotty and they just are not staying up long. So, it’s the same old story.

Chase the surfacing ones with topwaters, then cranks or spoons. Some are fishing vertically with spoons on points and drop-offs, too.

“The lake is still lower and it is showing on the fishing. Bass are in the summer slow, for sure. Some of the black bass action is taking place with the whites on the surface. You can even catch some decent ones if you are in the right school.

“Wow, are these crappie finicky now?! They are deep as they can get above the thermocline in brushpiles and standing timber suspended. You have standing timber in all the pockets on the right leaving iron mountian headed to brushy. There are also timber at Arlie Moore and Lennox Marcus areas. Trolling jigs or cranks is slow, also.

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— Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that currently the water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 66 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace.

The remnants of Hurricane Laura will track through the area this week and a flash flood watch has been issued for late Thursday afternoon through Friday evening. High winds and rainfall amounts from 4-7 inches are expected. Severe weather is also a possibility and residents are cautioned to stay tuned to local weather updates as this system remains dangerous.

Entergy will open floodgates and schedule high generation flows to rid area lakes of floodwaters. This process could take several weeks depending on actual rainfall totals. No one should attempt to navigate the Carpenter Dam tailrace for any reason during this time. Muddy water and dangerous flows will be the norm until the flooding has subsided and Lake Catherine returned to normal summertime pool.

Anyone visiting the park area is urged to follow guidelines of mask wearing and social distancing as the pandemic remains a real threat to public health.

• Lake Dardanelle — Jason Baumgartner, park aquarist at Lake Dardanelle State Park (479-890-7495), said the area returned to seasonal hot and humid conditions last week. There was no significant rain in the area either. The National Weather Service forecast discussion expects near to below normal temperatures through the work week with a return to normal over the weekend. A trough in the jet stream has set the area up for a drier northwesterly flow, which will drop the humidity and make temperatures comfortable with highs in the mid-80s and morning lows in the low 60s. Things will shift some by the weekend and warmer, more seasonal conditions will return.

— Greeson Marine, hometown dealer of the Arkansas-born-and-bred Xpress all-welded aluminum fishing boats in Hot Springs, reports lake levels at normal pool and temps in the low to mid-80s in most areas with exception of the river channel. Bass have been doing pretty well lately around deep boat docks and slips and also steeper drop-offs. The drop-shot rig and the Ned rig have been doing nicely by working them slowly over areas and slightly shaking the bait.

Something noticed in the last few weeks is that bass are super active and have had really large bellies full of baitfish. This means anglers should adapt colors to shad patterns at times and maybe consider replacing the drop-shot worm in green pumpkin with a fluke and change green pumpkin jigs to white swim jigs.

Fishing is only going to get better here over the next few months, and it has been excellent overall this year. Make sure you get your crankbaits, spinnerbaits and spoons tuned up and hooks sharpened, folks.

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— Andrews Bait Shop and More (479-272-4025) says the clarity is good and clear. Surface temperature as of Tuesday early afternoon was 89-90 degrees.

Water level remains at normal level. Bream remain excellent. They are not on the beds now, but anglers are catching lots of bream using redworms or crickets. Crappie reports are good.

Best baits are jigs such as pink-headed Road Runners in black and chartreuse or purple colors. Also, Little Arkies crappie crankbaits in pink and yellow colors were reportedly working well. Black bass are good.

Anglers are using topwater baits, gold and white War Eagle Spinnerbaits, Zoom 10-inch red shad worms, buzzbaits and Whopper Ploppers. Catfish have been caught on crankbaits fished 8 feet deep.

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— Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out of state) reports that black bass are still slow to fair. Big Texasrigged worms and jighead worms continue to work best. Try red bug, plum or blood line colors. Walleye are still good. Spoons and bottom bouncers with small spinners tipped with a crawler are working best.

Stripers are fair to good.

These fish are being caught on live bait on the east part of the lake. Bream are good with crickets or worms in 15-25 feet of water.

Crappie are slow. Try a small jig or minnow near brush in 15-25 feet of water. Catfish are fair and being caught with trotlines and jugs. Cut bait and live bait are working best.

Water temperature has been ranging 80-85 degrees and the clarity is clear. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-622-7717, or Chris Darby, 870-867-7822) for more information.