Catfish are slow some are being caught oh live in the hickory creek area

Crappie are bighting minnows and jigs tipped with minnows 20 to 30 feet deep

Stripers ARE VERY GOOD RIGHT NOW in prairie creek 10 to 40 feet deep on live shiners and spoons there are a good number up in war eagle creek from 5 to 15 feet deep on live shiners also try free lines and balloons and in prairie creek on balloons and down lines

Largemouth Bass are bighting good with spinner baits and jigs from point 8 to war eagle

White Bass No Report

WALLEYE SEMINAR
MARCH 5th and 6th
General Seminar on Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Lunch included)
GPS Seminar on Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
This is being held at the I.E.. in Bull Shoals
$25.00 for Saturday Seminar, $15.00 for Sunday Seminar - Sign up for both and the cost is $30.00 total
Must register to attend - Seating is limited to 200
If you are interested in this seminar call 870-445-2703 to receive a registration form

February 14, 2005
We had a mixed bag of weather this week, some days were sunny and some days were rainy with day time temperatures in the mid 50’s. Lake level is still ½ foot above normal pool, 654.63 is this week’s level. The lake temperature is in the upper 40’s (47 to 48 degrees), which is surprisingly a few degrees warmer than last week. Lake clarity is holding at around 16 feet, except around the dam area where the clarity is almost 20 feet. Bass, walleye and crappie all made a move this week, from their deep winter haunts to main lake and creek arm points. The bite even picked up a little in the mornings and late afternoons. Crappie are staging close to deep water on the points of coves and pockets that have good brush piles and crappie cribs. They are holding just off the bottom in 35 to 38 feet of water. Best baits are crappie minnows on colored jig heads and Bobby Garland split tails in shad colors.

Largemouth bass are now roaming the northern exposure points and a few can be triggered with Wiggle Warts (V37 and V38) and Bandit crankbaits. The best points have some waves pushing up on them and some big rocks. Shad are starting to show up in the back of the creeks and there are some largemouth bass following them. Fish suspending rogues, Lucky Crafts or small crankbaits like Bill Norman’s Baby N around the shad. 

Smallmouth bass have also made a move to the points but they are holding on chunk rock and pea rock points on the main lake and in the creek arms. Northern banks and points are the best to fish with jerk baits, crankbaits and Spider or Booyah jigs. They are up on the points in 16 to 20 feet of water one day and on the drop offs in 35 to 45 feet the next day, so you need to locate them before you can catch them. Kentucky bass are still traveling with the shad and the shad are moving toward the pockets and coves on the main lake and in the creek arms. Here again the northern side of the creeks and main lake are the spots to check. Drop spoons through the shad or a grub on a drop shot rig, which will trigger a few strikes.

Lake Rating: It is early in the season to see movement of all the game fish and the bite has started to pick up so will rate the lake fair for this week.

Walleye are now in the creeks and on the drop offs of main lake flats. They are still in deep water (40 to 50 feet) but they are closer than they were last week. Ball jigs with shiners and spoons are still the best bet on catching a few. Long liners pulling lead core line are starting to catch a few with Reef Runners and Rapala Glass Shad although the walleye are not chasing food yet.

The FLW Outdoors Walleye Tour will be coming to Bull Shoals April 6th through the 9th. This will be their first walleye event on Bull Shoals and are expecting a full field of 150 boats. Co-anglers will be paired with the pros for this tournament. You can pick up more information and entry forms at R&H Marine in Bull Shoals and at Wilderness Trail.

}><(((º> Millwood Lake Fishing Report 2/21/05 <º)))><{

Millwood Lake Guide Service reports water temps 45º-53º ; approx 5 inches above normal pool, falling, reduced stain and river current. Release rate at dam as of Monday: 13 gates open at 1 foot, and release = 5,081 CFS.

Largemouth bass remain very good on red or orange Rat-L-Traps, Bill Norman crankbaits and Bagley crankbaits. Several different red or orange patterns of Rat-L-Traps are currently working, and working very well on Millwood. Red with gold back is a good choice, as is orange/brown craw, and on sunny days, red chrome or electric red. Fish the Rat-L-Traps slowly and deliberately on points in Little River around stumps in 7-12 feet depth drop-offs. Black/blue or Texas craw color jigs with black Uncle Josh 11A pork trailers 9 to 14 feet deep on stumps along Little River are still working. Black bass remain fair to good on Carolina rigs with Zoom lizards in green pumpkin or pumpkinseed with chart tail. 10" power worms in red shad, june bug or blue fleck are also taking keepers along the river.

Brush Hogs and War Eagle white & chart spinner baits worked slowly approx 9-14 feet deep, are catching decent size bass on stumps along the edges of the river, and on points in 8-10 feet depths in the same areas where the red Rat-L-Traps are working. Along the river, back off the edges of the river bank to where you find stumps and timber in approx 8-15 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 and brush hogs in the past few weeks seem to be black/red flake, pumpkinseed/chart tail, or sour grape or blackberry.

Heavy, 5/8 oz to 3/4 oz War Eagle Spinnerbaits in spot remover or white/chart 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. The majority of the bass patterns remain very constant this time of year, however, be advised the last couple weeks with daytime highs in the upper 70º range, have maintained the higher water temperature almost 10 full degrees compared to only 2 weeks ago, and the bass are relating to the warmer water by becoming much more aggressive, and moving up to more shallow areas, chasing baitfish.

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 continues to improve since water began clearing and lake falling over the last few weeks, back to normal pool and increase in surface temps. Nice slab catches have been taken on live shiners and jigs in last few days, in 12-15 feet depths along Little River and in Horseshoe Lake above Jack's Isle on Little River.

Blue Cats remain good in Little River on trot lines, using shiners, prepared dough baits and cut shad, in current. Lines set approx 12-17 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, February 21, the lake level is falling again and is approx 5 inches above normal conservation pool, and is moderate stain, muddy in main lake areas, and current is reduced. The lake elevation is 259.62, and falling, with 5,078CFS being released at the dam. All 13 gates are open this week. Water clarity in the river, has improved last week, to approx 7". Clarity is somewhat worse on the main lake and is around 4-5" toward the dam. Northeastern sector of the lake around Cottenshed and OK Landing remains extremely muddy with muddy water in the Saline River. Creeks and sloughs of Little River have begun clearing now with the lake falling.

The upriver oxbows such as McGuire, Horseshoe, Mud Lake, Cemetery Slough, etc, away from the current in Little River still have much better water visibility, estimated at approx 3+ feet in places. Water temperatures have increased in the last week due to unseasonably warmer ambient temperatures, and range approx 45ºF early to 53ºF later in the day, depending on area of the lake, wind and sunlight penetrations.

Be advised the US Army Corps of Engineers recently replaced many of the missing river buoys in Little River, although there are still some stretches along the river that are still being worked on. We have seen several of the buoys washed up onto the south bank, between Pugh Slough and Jack's Isle, along south Hickory Creek, and several washed through the Hole-in-the-Wall (east of Snake Creek) cut and are up on the bank. Also noted several river marker buoys on the bank around Jack's Isle Marina in the last couple days.