Crappie fair using hot-n-tot's or night fishing under lights along the bluffs 

Stripers are deep using umbrella rigs and deep cranks and live shad

Largemouth Bass fair using topwater baits 

White Bass good at night under a light 

WALLEYE- The walleye bite is on. The night crawler with a split shot or crawler harness in 15 to 25 feet of water is one of the best patterns. They are using shallow running stick baits- mostly rogues- in various depths depending on what type of structure you are fishing. The best colors are chartreuse, yellow, bluegill, perch or purple. They are also catching lots of walleye trolling deep diving crank baits and deep diving stick baits during the day. The walleye are shallow during the early morning and afternoon. They are deeper in the day so deeper diving baits are necessary.

WHITE BASS- not much reported except under lights at night with minnows in 20 to 35 feet of water.

CRAPPIE- same thing as the white bass.

CATFISH- The catfish are doing well on jug lines, trot lines and limb lines. We have seen several good catches and stringers. Most of the fish are in shallow water and being caught on the same bait- perch, dead shad, liver, stink bait, etc..

White River- Fishing has been good. All of our guides are reporting good catches and activity. Same baits as always- worms, salmon eggs, power bait, night crawlers, corn, for live bait. Rapalas, spoons, spinners for artificial.

TILL NEXT TIME- MAY YOUR FISHING LINE BE TIGHT AND YOUR FISHING ROD BE BENT!
 

July 5, 2004
Wet weather with a few storms and 2" of rain kept chasing us off the lake throughout the week. Lake level is 662.80, which is 8 ½ feet above normal pool. Generation has been running around the clock. As the lake gets closer to pool level hopefully normal generation will take place the rest of the summer. Lake temperature this week is around 80 to 82 degrees and a thermo cline has started to develop between 32 and 34 feet of water.

Every once in a while a story comes along that we like to pass on. When the PWT was here last week a family was out on the lake and hit a rock pile, breaking the transom off their pontoon boat and left the engine hanging in the water. Pro Walleye angler Marty Glorvigan was out on the water practicing and saw that the family had a problem. Marty stopped fishing and towed the family 2 ½ miles back to the landing. Thanks, Marty, for showing us what "Pro Anglers" are all about.

Largemouth bass are becoming hard to find during the day as they are sliding off the banks into deeper water. Best technique to use is a Carolina rig with a lizard, brush hog, trick worm or Sink-O. 

Smallmouth bass are active in the early mornings and turning on again around 6 p.m. Deeper water off the side of points are holding most of the smallies. Use tube baits, Spider Jigs and hula grubs for best results. 

Kentucky bass are scattered. You can find Kentucky’s under balls of shad out on the main lake and in the creek arms. Drop shot with a weenie worm down under the shad and use top water baits when they are pushing shad to the top. There are also roaming Kentuckys along the cliff walls and chunk rock channel swing banks. Tube baits, Spider Jigs and Mojo rigs with finesse worms or centipedes will work well. With the thermo cline starting to develop around 32 feet you need to back off the bank and keep your boat in about 38 feet of water for best results.

Walleye have slowed down a little this week, which is normal when they move deeper into the thermo cline. Once the walleye reposition themselves, the bite will pick up. Crawler harnesses with a bottom bouncer is still working in 30 to 32 feet of water off points and flats. Long lining with lead core line has picked up pulling Reef Runners, Wally Divers, and Hot’N Tots for suspending walleye. Vertical spooning is just around the corner. Keep checking for walleye on the bottom under the thermo cline.

NIGHT TIME UPDATE: The bite starts to pick up around 9 p.m. and goes until about midnight on bass and walleye on secondary and main lake points. Best baits are suspending rogues and live night crawlers for the walleye and slow rolling a single blade spinnerbaits, jig and pig, or Gene Larew salt craws for the bass.

Trout fishing on the White River has been good on Power Bait in yellow, pink and purple if you can find an area without too much current. Buoyant Spoons, Rooster Tails, Super Dupers and Little Cleo’s have been working when the generation is on. The fly fishermen have had a hard time because of the generation but are doing well on olive Woolly Buggers, peach egg patterns, soft hackles matching the hatch and San Juan worms. Browns are being caught on Suspending Rogues, Countdowns, Rebel Floating Minnows and nightcrawlers.

}><(((º> Millwood Lake Fishing Report 7/5/04 <º)))><{

Millwood Lake Guide Service reports water temps 77º-83º, lake is 5 inches above normal, stained, & falling.

Largemouth bass, in the 2 to 5 pound class, are fair to good on black buzz baits; small crank baits, Hawg Assassins, and 5 inch Bass Assassin Shads in chartreuse-pepper shad, new penny, and watermelon or baby bass colors. Shallow running crankbaits in shad patterns, and Rat-L-Traps in gold, have been catching good bass in the last couple weeks. Top water soft plastic Rats in black or pearl belly, are still catching decent bass in the lily pads, coontail moss and hydrilla along the river.  

Hog Assassins in black/red flake, watermelon/chart tail, or black and blue are still producing keeper size bass on base of cypress trees, and around stumps in shallow water. Southern Pro Fatbutt Gitzits in black/blue or pumpkinseed, and 10 inch power worms in blue fleck or black are still catching good fish up river out of the current.

Visibility and clarity is currently improving and approximately 3-4 inches on the main lake or the Little River. Little River's clarity is improving daily. The upriver oxbows such as McGuire, Horseshoe, Mud Lake, Clear Lake etc, still have much better water clarity estimated approximately 3-6 feet visibility in places. Current in Little River has decreased this week, with the discharge reduction at the dam at 14,958 CFS. The current in Little River has diminished with the reduction in gate discharge. Debris in Little River has began settling out, and is improving daily.

Channel Cats are biting chicken blood bait, and cut shad in the river channel, on trot lines.

Crappie No report 

White bass were trying to school up, hitting chrome/black Rat-L-Traps, Pencil Poppers or Pop-R's in chrome or white, or Cordell Crazy shads in chrome/black, in Horseshoe Lake oxbow, up Little River, in the last 3 days. The schooling activities were extremely random and not lasting more than a few minutes at a time.

}><(((º> Lake Fishing Conditions Report<º)))><{

Currently for those people fishing below the spillway, as of Monday, July 5, the USCE reports a decrease in the gate change from discharge last week, and is approx 14,958 CFS at the dam. There are currently all gates open today, Monday 7/5/04. 

The lake level has fallen this week due to discharge at the dam, however a record was set for total June rainfall this past week, and another 1.5 inches soaked already swollen Millwood Lake. Current in Little River is substantially reduced this week, and approximately 5 inches above normal elevation, at 259.57 feet and falling. The flow at the dam, and the current in the river, is greatly reduced this week. Water clarity in the river, is currently improving, with the decrease in current, visibility approximately 3-5 inches.

*Note: High, muddy water last week, has moved some of the river buoys out of the channel and onto the banks, or have disappeared altogether. Several river buoys are missing between mile marker 3 and Jack's Isle in Little River. Water temperatures have cooled again, from last week, with all the cool rain and cloud cover, and range approx 76ºF early to 82ºF later in the day, depending on area of the lake, wind and sunlight penetrations. 

Use EXTREME caution while navigating Little River in low light conditions, and SLOW DOWN! Careful watch for floaters and debris in Little River's current is a requirement. The river is improving in clarity and slower current, and the vegetation and debris floating in the river this week is reduced. Don't forget, be safe, 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!