Crappie No Report

Stripers No Report

Largemouth Bass No Report 

White Bass No Report

Largemouth bass can be found in the back of some pockets in the creeks but it is not a pattern, it is just one here and one there.  Use Suspending Rogues or Lucky Craft Pointer 78’s in the back of the pockets.  Deep water at the entrance of the cuts and pockets are where most of the largemouth are holding.  Vertical jigging spoons is your best bet in triggering a few.  Smallmouth bass are really scattered and most of them are out over open water, not up against the banks or on the bottom.  Jigs and tubes are real “iffy” at this time, drop shot with finesse worms and other drop shot baits is your best bet.  Kentucky Bass are also hard to find.  They are traveling with the shad, which takes a lot of graphing to locate them.  Check main lake channel swing ends and the middle of main lake cuts and in the creek arms check the pockets on the north side.  When you locate a school, drop spoons down to them or use a Stingray grub on a light 3/16 oz. jig head.

Walleye are also very hard to pattern or even locate.  We know that there are walleye down in the flooded forest but with the high water the forest tops are about 60 to 64 feet deep and catching a walleye that deep will kill them bringing them to surface.  So, you should key on walleye that are on the deep sides of feeding flats or points in 45 to 55 feet of water.  Best baits are spoons or ball jigs with shiners.

The PWT returns May 11 through the 13th.  120 pros and 120 amateurs will see first-hand what a great walleye fishery exists on Bull Shoals.  The PWT will once again operate from Bull Shoals Boat Dock.  The amateurs fish each day of the three day tournament with a different pro for the maximum learning experience.  Entry blanks are available at Wilderness Trail and Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock.  The action from the Bull Shoals tournament last year will be shown on the Outdoor Channel the week of Feb. 7th with shows on Monday at 7 p.m., Tuesday at 7 a.m., Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. and Thursday at 11 p.m.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been good all winter.  Right now there are a few shad coming through the dam so the White Chrome Domes, White jigs, and white Rooster Tails have been a good bait.  When there is not much generation, Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white have done well.  With generation in addition to the Rooster Tails, the Buoyant spoon, Super Dupers and Little Cleo’s are the bait of choice.  With a fair amount of generation the fly fishing has been limited but when able the olive Woolly Bugger, sow bugs and scuds have done well.  The Brown trout are spawning and most are in the seasonal catch and release, but those that have fished for browns further down the river have done well on Countdowns, Shad Raps and Rogues.

Remember to keep only what you can eat and release the rest for another day.  Rick Culver of Wilderness Trail does the research for this report and the writing of this report.  For more information call Rick or Sue Culver at Wilderness Trail at 870-445-2703

}><(((º> Millwood Lake Fishing Report 2/01/05 <º)))><{

Millwood Lake Guide Service reports water temps 43º-49º ; approx 7.5 inches above normal pool, falling, moderate stain, reduced river current. Release rate at dam as of Monday: all 13 gates open at 1 foot, and release = 5,100 CFS.

Largemouth bass are fair to good on black/blue and pumpkin/orange jigs with pork trailers 6 to 9 feet deep on cypress trees. Black bass are very good on Carolina rigs with Zoom lizards and baby brush hogs. 10" power worms in red shad are working, along Little River. Hammered CC Spoons with white/red bucktails or Rat-L-Trap Jigging-Traps with tail spinners, jigged in 11-14 feet depths of Little River are locating some nice bass north of Outlaw Trail boat run in the river. High wind and cold fronts have kept a lot of fishermen off the main lake and seeking shelter from the wind in coves and creek channels along and dumping into Little River.

Tubes, gitzits and 3/4 oz spinner baits with #7 Colorado blades, are catching decent size bass on stumps along the edges of the river, on points in 8-10 feet depths and in backs of creeks on base of cypress trees on sunny or warmer days. Along the river, back off the edges of the river bank to where you find stumps and timber in approx 8-12 feet depths or drag a Carolina rig across the points dumping into the river. Carolina rigs in these areas of the river seem to be working better in the last week. Best colors for tubes or brush hogs in the past few weeks seem to be black/red flake, smoke/chart tail, or blackberry or chartreuse pepper.

Heavy, 5/8 oz or 3/4 oz War Eagle Spinnerbaits in spot remover color patterns in the remaining vegetation & dead lily pads are taking fair keepers on shallow flats close to the river and deeper water on sunny days. Tip: use a large # 7 thumping Colorado blade in gold to attract their attention on sunny days or muddy water. The larger bass remain slightly deeper in the creeks, and closer to the deeper haunts of the river drops at the creek mouths or points, dumping into Little River. Heavy 3/4 to 1oz size Rat-L-Traps in diamond dust colors, fished in creek mouths and across deep points, between Hurricane Creek and Jack's Isle along Little River are working when fished very slow and methodical along remaining grass lines or stumps and laydowns.

**Tip: put a rattle on your jigs or inside tubes in this muddy water, it draws their listening ear to investigate the noise. Also use a garlic or anise fish scent to mask your human scent, and the fish will hold the bait longer, or swim with it. We sometimes put a small piece of sponge saturated in fish attractant into the tube behind the rattle to hold it inside, and to ooze a scent trail, and to mask human scent.

Average 2-3 pound sized bass remain fair to good, during the heat of the day, on 1/2 and 3/4 oz sized Rat-L-Traps in red chrome, gold Tennessee shad, or bleeding gold shiner. Shallow to medium diving red, brown, orange crankbaits like the Bandit brown back/orange belly craw patterns, deflecting off stumps, continue working on points and creek channels .

This time of year can be feast or famine for large bass. One day the ambient temperature will be 25º and freezing your line guides on your rod and the wind blowing 30mph and muddies up the entire lake. Few bites. Next day sun is out and high is near 65º, water clearing and shallow areas warming, cant get a hook in the water quick enough, and good, decent bass bites on every pitch with a tube or 10" power worm. Sharp hooks in soft plastic or crankbaits, are a must for those slow and deliberate (few) bites! Also, slowing the crankbait retrieve to a mere crawl seems to have the best results in this colder water climate.

Sharpen those hooks, get out there & deliberately slow down the retrieve, purposely deflect cranks off stumps, and HANG ON! This time of year can also yield the trophy Largemouth of a lifetime, full of roe and just waiting on warmer temperatures to move shallow!

Crappie bite has improved since water began clearing and lake falling last week back toward normal pool. Nice slab catches were reported good on live shiners over planted brush piles in 15-19 feet depths along Little River and in Horseshoe Lake above Jack's Isle on Little River.

Blue Catfish are good in Little River on trot lines, on chicken hearts/livers, large earthworms, shiners and cut shad, in current. Lines set approx 14-16 feet deep just up off the bottom, seem to be best locations in last few days.

}><(((º> Millwood Lake & River Conditions Report <º)))><{


For those fishing the river and below the spillway, as of Monday, January 31, with recent 2 foot rise, and increase from incoming water, the lake level began falling again to almost 7 inches above normal conservation pool, and is moderate stain, muddy in areas, and current is reduced. The lake elevation is 259.82, and falling, with 5,100CFS being released at the dam. As of Monday, all 13 gates are open this week, at 1 foot each. Water clarity in the river, has improved last week, to approx 6-7". Clarity is somewhat worse on the main lake due to increase in heavy current and is around 3-5", due to high winds and current toward the dam. Northeastern sector of the lake around Cottenshed and OK Landing remains extremely muddy with increased current and muddy water in the Saline River. Creeks and sloughs of Little River have begun clearing now with the lake falling.