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

March 7, 2005
The day time temperatures this week have been wonderfully warm, however the night time temperatures have still been on the cool side. With this scenario the lake temperatures have not warmed up, and in fact have cooled down to 45 degrees in parts of the lake. The rest of the lake is still 47 to 49 degrees with the warmer water on the northern banks in the northern pockets and the northern and western sides of the coves. This week’s lake level is at 653.65, which is ½ foot below normal pool. Lake clarity remains around 15 to 16 feet with a green colored stain.

Crappie continue to suspend over the top of the crappie cribs or brush piles holding between 12 and 18 feet deep. Crappie minnows on a small slip bobber and Bobby Garland’s Swimming Minnows have worked well. Some white bass are still showing up from time to time in the back of the northern creeks. They are feeding on shad that can be found in 30+ feet of water. Best baits are ¼ oz. Road Runners and ½ oz. spoons.

Largemouth bass are still roaming northern banks and points but they are staying close to deep water. Crankbaits and slow rolling spinnerbaits are still the baits of choice this past week. Spider Jigs and Football jigs around transition banks and the ends of channel swings have worked well on the staging largemouth. Smallmouth bass are holding in 18 to 30+ feet of water off long pea gravel points and large boulder rock banks. Throw Wiggle Warts (V37 and V38), Bandits, Lucky Craft Pointer 78DD and Bevy Shad or suspending rogues at this time for the some smallmouth action. The shallower fish can be caught be on tube baits in watermelon, green pumpkin and cinnamon/purple. 

Kentucky bass are moving with the shad into the pockets and coves off the main lake and cuts in the creek arms. They are still over deep water and spoons are still the #1 way to catch a few. Spend some time graphing and you will find them.

Lake Rating: Because there has not been a whole lot of movement this week, the lake rating is still fair to good.

Just a handful of spots are available for the amateur/co-angler side of the PWT. It is recommended now if you want to fish this tournament to fax your entry form to PWT Headquarters. Entry blanks are available at Wilderness Trail and Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock. The PWT tournament will be May 11 through the 13th. The PWT will once again operate from Bull Shoals Boat Dock and the weigh ins will be held every day at the dock. The weigh ins are very exciting and should not be missed.

Walleye are still in 32 to 44 feet of water with a few moving up to check out spawning areas, they are still holding off points and flats this week. Reef Runners and Glass Shad are the best lures pulled on lead core line. The water temperature is holding the walleye outside their spawning areas, and because the water temperature has not warmed enough they have not moved in as yet. Some of the shallower walleye can now be caught on crawler harnesses with bright blades.

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. There are still a few spots left for Pros and Co-anglers. You can pick up more information and entry forms at R&H Marine in Bull Shoals and at Wilderness Trail.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been very good this past week. When there is not much generation, Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white and orange have done well. With generation white chrome domes, the Buoyant spoon, Little Cleo’s, and Super Dupers are the bait of choice. The fly fisherman has done well on olive Woolly Bugger, white chrome domes, white minnow baits and San Juan worms. The Brown trout are being caught on suspending rogues, Shad Raps and Rogues.

}><(((º> Millwood Lake Fishing Report 3/07/05 <º)))><{

Millwood Lake Guide Service reports water temps 49º-58º ; approx 6.5 inches above normal pool, falling, improved clarity and reduced current. Release rate at dam as of Monday: 2 gates open at 1 foot, and 1 gate open 1/2 foot, release = 1,007 CFS.

Largemouth bass remain very good on various red or orange Rat-L-Traps. A 10lb-8oz Largemouth Bass was caught, photographed and released within the last week on Millwood, and many seven to nine pounders have been caught and released in the last 2 weeks. Not quite considered pre-spawn conditions, but perhaps pre-pre-spawn would be a better term. Red Rat-L-Traps with black craw marks and the bleeding brown/orange craw, continue working very well and on sunny days, red chrome or electric red seems to be a better choice. Cloudy days, use the suncraw or red shad color patterns. Fish the Rat-L-Traps slowly and deliberately on points in Little River around stumps in 5-9 feet depth drop-offs. The lipped, Divin-Rat-L-Traps in orange craw and various craw-colored crankbaits are still taking good keeper bass on points in Little River. Jig bite has subsided in the last few weeks, as the bass are beginning to roam around and move in and out of shallow areas close to deep water, beginning to spread out horizontally, rather than vertically, as the surface temperatures continue climbing. In addition, Black bass remain fair to good on Carolina rigs with Zoom lizards in green pumpkin or pumpkinseed with chart tail or Bass Assassin Shads. 10-12" power worms in red shad, june bug, or blue fleck continue taking keepers along the river drop offs.

Brush Hogs and lizards in black and blue, blackberry, and castaic choice colors, 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. Crankbaits and Rat-L-Traps are working equally in these same areas. Fish are beginning to transition from winter haunts (depths greater than 10 feet) to spring time pre-spawn positions around the lake, and in the river.

Lately, we have been fishing a heavy, 5/8 oz to 3/4 oz War Eagle Spinnerbait in white/chart or fire tiger color patterns along the river edges on scattered stumps in 8-10 feet depth areas with some success, but later in the day, once the sun is up and has warmed the top 2 feet of the water column. We have found once the water warms up later in the day, the bite becomes much more aggressive and pronounced. We changed out the spinner bait's factory blade configurations, and are using a large # 7 thumping Colorado blade on the rear hanger, in gold, to attract their attention on sunny days or muddy water. The larger blade configuration puts out much more "thump" in the stained water, and the bass seem to be relating to the additional vibration from the large Colorado, rather than the factory willow blade configurations. 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. Over the last 2 weeks, with daytime highs in the upper 60º and lower 70º range, this has allowed the surface temps to rise up to 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. Just 2 weeks ago, water temps ranged from low 40ºs to upper 40ºs. Over the last 2 weeks, the surface temperatures have risen to lower to mid 50º range.

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 also continue to transition to shallow spawning areas. We noted an improvement in the Crappie bite several weeks ago, since water began clearing and lake falling, back to normal pool, and with the increase in surface temps, the fish are stacking horizontally rather than vertical. Nice slab catches have been taken on live shiners and jigs in last few days, in 12-15 feet planted brush piles depths along Little River.

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

For those fishing the river and below the spillway, as of Monday, March 7, the lake level has dropped over the last week approx 5 inches, and is continuing dropping again and currently is approx 6.5 inches above normal conservation pool, with improved stain, muddy in main lake areas, and close to Cottenshed or Saline River, current is reduced. The lake elevation is 259.75, and falling, with 1,007CFS being released at the dam. 3 gates are open this week. Open gates are gate numbers 1, 7, & 13. Water clarity in the river is approx 8-10". Clarity is somewhat worse on the main lake and around Saline inflow. Currently, clarity is around 5-7" 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 49ºF early to 58ºF later in the day, depending on area of the lake, wind and sunlight penetrations.

Per conversations with the USA Corps of Engineers over the past week, the US Army Corps of Engineers operating Millwood Lake completed installing 22 buoys on Little River between mile marker #1 (open water) and #16 (White Cliffs) effective March 2. Additionally, USACE installed were 16 buoys between Jack's Isle and White Cliffs and 6 from Paraloma Trail to open water. Thursday and Friday plan to GIS the Little River channel buoys, remove old buoys from the river bank and those that have drifted into sloughs, bushes, etc.... per email from the Millwood USACE office, and through the USACE work on Millwood, it is very obvious & evident, that "We are committed to improving water safety for the boating public".

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 USACE is working to get any missing buoys replaced as soon as possible, and are working on the navigation daily. Millwood Guide Service and all the Millwood anglers, would like to take this opportunity to thank the US Army Corps of Engineers for their dedication to continual improvement and maintenance of Millwood Lake, continually fighting mother nature and the rising and falling level due to influx of run off from area lakes and rivers, and rain.