Early birds seeing action on bass at Millwood Lake

Summer fishing still good at popular Southwest Arkansas locale

Arkansas Wildlife Editor Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said that as of Friday the lake is stable and near normal level. The discharge is around 170 cfs in Little River, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

The tailwater below the dam and gates as of Monday remained extremely low, around 225 feet msl and falling with low-level discharge. Check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on the guide service’s website linked above, or the Corps of Engineers website, for updated gate release changes and inflow rates.

Millwood State Park and Marina are open.

Surface temps are stable this week ranging 85-90 degrees. Clarity in the oxbows is improved. Little River normal stain this week with few random broken timber. As for fishing details:

• Largemouth bass: They have been in their typical summer habits and haunts for last few weeks. Early morning continues to be key for the best bite of the day. Cypress trees / knees near lily pads on shallow flats are drawing top water blow ups early, using soft plastic frogs, Crankbaits, and Stuttersteps in the oxbows. Best activity period remains from dawn to around 10 a.m. Juvenile largemouth are breaking on threadfin shad early mornings in multiple locations, near & in Lily pads for short duration 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 into the pads to feed for quick cycles, chasing and busting shad in the pads.

Over the past couple weeks, most Largemouths continue most active feeding at night and at early daybreak for a few hours, in the oxbows of McGuire, Mud, and Horseshoe Lakes. Baby Torpedoes, Spitn' Images, Stuttersteps and Dying Flutters early in the mornings around standing cypress trees and knees where grass and pads are in close proximity are working for a few fish at daylight. Later 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 MR-6 Crankbaits and Rat-L-Traps in Millwood Magic, SplatterBack or Ghost continue getting good responses over the past couple weeks, as the sun rises and the largemouths transition to vertical structure after 9-10 a.m. Target ditches with vertical drops near 3- to 6-feet deep flats that transition into 12to 14-feet structure. Creek channels dumping into Little River have been holding small schools of juvenile Largemouths from

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Photos courtesy of AGFC LAKE MILLWOOD (cont.)

2-3 pounds. The points extending into Little River, with large stumps and pads nearby are holding Bass. A few random Bass can still be found well into the creek channel, as long as adequate depth and a fast escape route is close to the points extending into the river.

“Several mornings over the past few weeks we have been catching schooling juvenile 2-3 pound largemouth bass in Mud and Horseshoe oxbows up Little River,” Mike said.

SpinTraps in chrome/blue, Rat-L-Traps in Splatter Back or Millwood Magic, Custom painted Little John cranks, and square bills are catching these surface breakers during the shad busting frenzy. Several schools were surface breaking on threadfin Shad, simultaneously over the past few mornings. Clear Baby Torpedoes, Chrome/black Dying Flutters, and Spooks were also catching these schooling juvenile Bass this week at the surface between 6-10 am. Millwood State Park was yielding some nice, healthy 3-5 pound Largemouth over the past weekend.

Texas-rigged Senkos, trick worms, and Salty Rat Tails have been working for a couple weeks, by working randomly near cypress trees and knees Largemouth Bass from 812 feet deep. Best colors over the past several weeks have been the watermelon candy, Blue Ice, and June bug/blue tail.

• White bass: Nothing consistent yet. They are hid out deep!

• Crappie: Best bite continues to be early for the past 3-4 weeks. Minnows and jigs have been the most consistent response with minnows having a slight edge, working away from current and flow of Little River, 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 8-10 feet of depth. Millwood State Park continues seeing good activity in the pockets and coves near cypress trees and grass from 6-12 feet of depth. River Crappie have not been nearly as consistent as the Oxbows or main lake early. See attached photos from Oxbows and main lake.

• Catfish: Have slowed over the past couple weeks, on tight lines in Little River with reduction of current along Little River.

Cut shad or buffalo, Gold fish (Gold Fish available at Millwood State Park Marina), spoiled chicken hearts and gizzards, or Punch baits were working well for 2-4 pound Blues and Channel cats were randomly taking a few but were slow.

• Bream: Report of good Bream activity at Millwood State Park and off the floating dock at Jack's Isle this week! Slab Mason Bream and Bluegill were hitting red worms, crickets, and Catalpa worms. Good activity for kids to catch a mess of fine eating bluegills.