Spotlight on Millwood Lake

High waters have the fish biting this winter

By Jim Harris

Arkansas Wildlife Editor

As of Saturday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 259.98 feet msl (normal pool: 259.20 feet msl).

Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said that as of Sunday, Millwood Lake was a foot above normal conservation pool and falling; the oxbows' water clarity was stained, with Little River muddy. Millwood Lake pool elevation was 260.2 feet msl with gate discharge at the dam around 7,700 cfs in Little River, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. The tailwater below the dam and gates was around 239 feet msl and rising with discharge. Check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on the guide service’s website linked above, or the Army Corps of Engineers website, for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels. Use caution in navigation along Little River with high discharge rates and scattered, wide debris fields in heavy flow condi-

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tions. Surface temps dropped again over the last week, ranging 44-48 degrees. Clarity reduced over the past few days in the oxbow lakes along Little River. Current along Little River decreased, and river clarity was ranging 5-10 inches visibility depending on location. Clarity and visibility of oxbows along Little River was at 12-18 inches depending on location. Further up Little River has more heavier stain conditions. Clarity and visibility can change dramatically on Millwood in just a few hours with high winds, gate discharge, rain or thunderstorms.

Millwood State Park is opened for campers but Millwood State Park Marina is closed for its annual winter shutdown through the end of February. The Millwood State Park Office is open and can be reached at 870-898-2800 for additional information.

USACE is in process of evaluation and replacing Little River buoy markers that have been shifted or moved from recent high flow conditions.

Be aware of missing/broken telephone pole lane markers at upper end of Little Gas Line Cutoff boat lane!

• Largemouth bass: Bass have been hit and miss over the past week. Warmer days with blue skies have been best near vertical structure and deeper drops with 6-9 feet deep flats in close range. Over the past couple weeks, Bass were fair on swim jigs with thumpertail trailers, Chatterbaits, jigs, and heavy thumping 1Knocker Rat-L-Traps. Most Bass we are finding continue randomly roaming shallow on full sun and bright skies into the 6-10 foot depths of flats adjacent to deeper drops into 9-15 feet depth ranges. The largemouths have continued randomly turning on during the heat of the day, better on bright, sunny, clear days when water temps will rise a few degrees in mid-day. Squarebill crankbaits, Chatterbaits and Spinnerbaits will randomly connect with the shallow roaming Bass. MR-6, Echo 1.75, and Little John cranks, have been getting fair responses over the past week.

Anywhere a creek channel runs into the deeper creek bends or vertical structure and drops into the oxbows, where stumps and creek mouths drop, have held some decent sized bass over the past week.

The best bite continues during the heat of the day from noon-3 p.m.

Rat-L-Traps, MR-6 or SB-57 medium -iving cranks in Millwood Magic, Sunburst Shad, Red Shad or Red Chrome and Craw colors continue getting best reactions over the past several weeks, and anglers should be patient this time of year. McGuire Lake and Horseshoe Lake oxbows up Little River had the clearest water conditions. Majority of these roaming, mid-day bass are suspended near vertical structure for many hours of the day, and turn on like a light switch for a few hours under the warmest 2-3 hours of daylight, from 5-9 feet depth with 12-18 feet of depth nearby.

Swim jigs with a Bang Die Dapper, and vertical jigging Cordell or Kastmaster Spoons, are finding vertical suspended bass from 10-15 feet on ledges or deep creek, outside bends, with stumps present.

• White bass: Whites were found roaming Little River at creek junctions and dumps into the river late last week.

Chartreuse Shad, Tennessee Shad and Citrus Shad were picking off a few decent white bass, and vertical-jigging spoons caught several in the backwash behind points along Little River between Jack's Isle and Horseshoe Oxbow.

• Crappie: They scattered with all the river current last week, but the reduction in current this week should help them return to planted brush along Little River this week.

• Catfish: Channel cats and blues in Little River continue to bite well on trotlines, and in the oxbows on limblines, using Punch Bait and chicken livers/hearts.