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

April 4, 2005
This week’s fishing report will be an abbreviated version of our normal report. Rick has been out of town and not able to do a lot of the research for the report. So we will only report what we know to be fact. Rick will be back on the water next week and we will be back to our regular report on April 11th.

The weather this week has not been bad, but we have had some cool nights, which once again has held the water temperature down during most of the week. Earlier in the week the water temperature varied between 49.5 and 51 in the lower part of the lake, 53 to 55 in mid-lake and cooler at 50 to 51 in the upper lake. Later in the week the water temperature rose to 52 to 55 in the lower part of the lake with some temperatures reported at 60 in the Theodosia Arm. Lake level is at 653.72, which is about one-half foot below normal pool.

Crappie have pulled out from most of the brush piles and are holding halfway back in the creek arms over deep water. They have been caught on jerk baits such as Lucky Craft Pointer 78’s and small crankbaits such as a Wiggle Wart. The crappie that have been caught this week have been big slab crappie, averaging 1 to 1½ pounds. 

The White Bass are pushing shad back into cuts and pockets but as yet are not frenzy feeding. With the water temperature rising, if the water temperature holds, the White Bass should be on their feed this next week. Be ready with a Pop R or a Roadrunner when you go fishing. 

The trout on the lake have become quite active this past week and are being caught on Lucky Craft Pointer 78’s and Suspending Rogues.

The largemouth bass and Kentucky Bass are swimming together and are holding on pea gravel point areas in 10 to 22 feet of water. Slow rolling a spinnerbait in shad color or using crankbaits in a green crawdad color has triggered some nice bites this week. 

The smallmouth bass are in 20 to 25 feet of water next to ledges and are reacting to a Suspending Rogue, in a purple color.

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 have been very elusive this past week. The FLW pros and co-anglers have been pre-fishing all week and have found several techniques to catch one or two, but no real pattern has evolved from their efforts. At this point hard baits such as Lucky Craft Pointer 78DD’s, Rogues, Glass Shad, Rapala X-Raps and Wally Divers are catching some. With this week’s warmer weather a pattern should emerge and the walleye should be move from their hiding places. The water temperature has reached the magic number, so we will report how they do this week during their tournament.

The FLW Outdoors Walleye Tour is here on Bull Shoals April 6th through the 9th. Monday April 4th, there will be a demonstration of Garmin Electronic products at Wilderness Trail from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A representative from Garmin and an FLW Walleye Tour Pro will be in the store to answer your questions and demonstrate how to use your electronics.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been good this past week. When there is not much generation, Berkley Power Eggs in yellow, orange and pink have done well. With generation the Little Cleo’s, and Krocodiles are the bait of choice. The fly fisherman has done well on small chrome domes, peach egg pattern and scuds. The Brown trout are being caught on Countdowns, Shad Raps and nightcrawlers.

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.

Largemouth Bass are excellent on white rocket shads, Cordell Red Fins, Bandit cranks, and red Rat-L-Traps. Many seven to nine pound size, and several nice Largemouth's between 10-12 pounds have been caught and released on Millwood in the last 2-3 weeks. Jig bite has improved, as the bass are staging next to cypress trees, in shallow flats close to deep water, and some noted on beds. Currently, we are seeing many bass on the beds, nesting males, and females, in the nearest drop of approx 2-4 feet depths. In addition, Black bass remain fair to good on Carolina rigs with Zoom lizards in green pumpkin or pumpkinseed and Fork Fries in watermelon red. Several good bass have already been caught on Bass Assassins this year. Some Largemouth Bass remain in a pre-spawn pattern with the water warming, but several beds have been found at various locations around Millwood.

Various Zoom Lizards are working currently on Millwood. Colors black and blue, scumpernong, cotton candy, pumpkinseed, and green pumpkin, all are catching nice bass. Along the river, back off the edges of the river bank to where you find stumps and timber in approx 6-9 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, around laydowns and stumps.

The larger female bass have began moving up to the beds, out of the deeper drops, however, these heavy weight fish are moving in and out of shallow flat areas several times during the day. In 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 15 full degrees compared to only 3 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 3 weeks ago, water temps ran in upper 40ºs. Over the last 2 weeks, the surface temperatures have risen to mid and upper 60º range during the heat of the day.

Crappie also continue to transition to shallow spawning areas, with some beginning to prepare beds. We noted an additional improvement in the Crappie bite just a week ago, since water began clearing, and with the increase in surface temps, the Crappie are beginning the annual spawn. Nice slab catches have been taken on live shiners and jigs in last few weeks, in 3-6 feet depths along Little River and its oxbows.

Long nose Gar have been noted cruising in shallow water areas of 1-3 feet, in the last week, several up to 8 pounds each, considering spawning activities. This is an excellent time for bow fishermen to take some nice size Gar on Millwood!!!

White Bass continue their annual spawning run up Little River, and have been caught in the last few days around mouth of Cossotot River, on points extending into Little River, bar pits, and further up toward Patterson Shoal areas. These White Bass up to 3 and 4 pounds each, are hitting Little Cleos, Rooster Tails, Chuck-N-Spins, Rocket Shads, Tiny Trap Rat-L-Traps (1/8oz), all in chrome/blue or silver/white color patterns. Excellent time to take a kid fishing for the whites, as several fishermen caught over 50 in just a few hours in the last few days, sometimes 2 whites each, at one time, on a single lure, with several more chasing the lure!

Blue Cats remain good in Little River on trot lines, & yo-yos using chicken livers. Lines set in outside river bends, seem to be the best locations, in the last few weeks.

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

A serious boating accident occurred 2 weekends ago on Millwood Lake, in Little River. There were 4 large bass tournaments on Millwood Lake, with over 400 boats estimated on the water, launched out of Yarborough Landing. Two high speed bass boats collided in a sharp turn of Little River, both at high speeds, headed toward each other. Our understanding is both drivers maneuvered to avoid the collision, but were unable to avoid it. Several guys were very seriously injured in this collision. All boaters involved were wearing PFDs. 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, and wearing your PFD is a requirement!!

For those fishing the river and below the spillway, as of Tuesday, April 5, the lake level has dropped from the last weekly. Currently, the lake is approx 1 inches below normal conservation pool, with stain improving, but still muddy in main lake areas such as Saline River inflow, Paraloma Pockets, etc., due to high winds and rain over the last few days. Areas around Cottenshed or Saline River, are muddy, and current is increased. The lake elevation is 259.11, and rising. Water clarity in the river is approx 4-6". Clarity is much worse on the main lake. Currently, clarity is around 1-3" toward the dam. Northeastern sector of the lake around Cottenshed and OK Landing remains muddy, in the Saline River. Creeks and sloughs of Little River which had begun clearing very well, are beginning to muddy with increase in current and incoming fresh rainfall, with the lake rising.

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 1-3 feet in places. Water temperatures have increased in the last week due to unseasonably warmer ambient temperatures, and range approx 59ºF early to 69ºF 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 few weeks, 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".

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.