Catfish No Report

Crappie No Report

Stripers No Report

Largemouth Bass No Report

White Bass No Report

Summer is fast approaching with this past week being hot and dry. Lake level this week is 653.39, almost one foot down from normal pool, but within inches of last week’s level. Very little generation has occurred this past week. Lake temperature throughout most of the lake is between 79 and 80 degrees with conversion layers at several depths, 4 feet, 10 feet and 18 feet. Lake clarity ranges from 14 feet to 20 feet throughout the lake. All game fish are biting fairly well with the crappie being the best. 

Crappie are in the brush piles and around boat docks 8 to 12 feet deep. Slip bobbers with crappie minnows are working the best over the brush piles. Bobby Garland’s Swimming Minnow in Blue Thunder and tube jigs (red/chartreuse) are also working well. 

White Bass are hit and miss. Be sure to have a top water tied on such as a Pop R or a Roadrunner so you are ready when they come to the surface to feed. 

The White Bass caught this week have been of good size. 

Catfish are biting extremely well in 12 to 15 feet of water. Their favorite bait this past week has been leeches and nightcrawlers.

Largemouth bass are active in the mornings on top water baits such as buzz baits, Zara Spook Jrs, and Flukes in the backs of the creeks and pockets. Docks, blow downs and secondary points or watersheds are holding the largemouth during the day. Spider Jigs, and tube baits are triggering the largemouth during the daylight hours. Best colors in the tube baits have been the Cinnamon/purple, dark melon pepper with red and purple flake and the medium Apple seed. 

Smallmouth bass have been a little slower this week but are still holding off the deep side of pea rock points throughout the lake. They are moving up onto the points to feed in the mornings and late afternoon. Tube baits in cinnamon purple and apple seed colors are working well. Mojo rigs with centipedes or finesse worms in Watermelon Candy or Pumpkinseed are also catching some nice smallies. Kentucky bass are still deep with the bright sun this week. There is some top water feeding just before sundown and just before the sun gets over the bluffs. Fish Carolina rigs in 30 to 35 feet of water with centipedes around chunk rock points and channel swings.

Walleye slowed down a bit this past week but are still in 18 to 20 feet of water, with a few roaming about in 8 to 10 feet. Casting a Glass Shad or Shad Rap up to the bank early in the morning or using leeches on a split shot and hook are the techniques of choice. Later in the morning switch to bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers on spinner rigs.

LAKE RATING: Crappie (very good); Bass (good); Walleye (good). Overall rating – Good Plus.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been a little slower than usual as generation again has been low. The Berkley Power Egg bite has been good in yellow, white and pink, or Berkley Nuggets in Rainbow or Orange. With generation the Buoyant Spoons, and Rooster Tails are the bait of choice. The fly fishermen did well on Olive Woolly Bugger, tungsten bead head midges, sow bugs and San Juan woems. The Brown trout are being caught on Flat Fish, Suspending Rogues 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.

}><(((º> Millwood Lake Fishing Report 6/6/05 <º)))><{

Water temps 75º-85º ; approx 2 inches above normal, & falling.

Largemouth Bass remain good on Buzz Baits in white & bubble gum skirt colors or bleeding white with a little chartreuse for color in the normal Millwood stain water. White Jigs with pearl or milky white grub trailers are taking good keepers in the river ledge wash outs, or outside river bends where stumps range from 8-10 feet depths along Little River. In addition, Black bass remain good on Carolina rigged Zoom lizards in pumpkinseed/chart tail, or watermelon red, and Bass Assassin Shads, along Little River. Early and late in the day, bass are still feeding and chasing shad near top water. Zara Spook Jrs, Zara Puppies, and Spit'N Image Jrs, in shad patterns, along with white Rat-L-Traps are catching these bass. During heat of the day, the heavier 1oz size Rat-L-Traps in gold or white or various shad patterns fished deep drops and cuts of Little River, along with medium runner Bandit crankbaits or Excalibur Fat Free Shads are taking various larger bass.

Spotted (Kentuckys) and White Bass remain fair to good, hitting the smaller 1/4oz Rat-L-Traps in white, or white and chartreuse rocket shads, Little Georges and Rooster Tail spinners.

Crappie have transitioned back to deeper water. Crappie fishermen report fair to good catches over brush piles between 9-12 feet depths. Few catches in shallow water around cypress trees in last couple weeks between 4-6 feet deep on jigs and shiners, but the fish in those locations are smaller.

Bream remain in spawn mode, and are fair on crickets and red worms.

Spotted Gar and very large Carp remain in shallow water areas of 1-3 feet, in back of oxbows of Little River in the last week and around Jack's Isle's connection to Little River. Several huge gar and carp, up to 10 or 20 pounds each, have been noted extremely shallow, and are spawning. This is an excellent time for bow fishermen to take some nice size Gar and Carp OUT of Millwood!!!

Blue (Channel) Catfish are fair to good, up to 9 lbs each, on Yo-Yos are still taking good blue catfish at night, underneath cypress trees in sloughs adjacent to Little River, Horseshoe Lake and in Mud Lake oxbow areas, in 7-12 feet depths using cut shiners, spoiled chicken livers, and cut shad.

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

Thank you to the US Army Corps of Engineers and AG&FC personnel who are currently in process of evaluating the increase and spread of various vegetation species on Little River and Millwood Lake. A recommendation & report is pending, on potential control measures which would be the most physical effective manner of the vegetation growth explosion in all the creeks, oxbows, Little River and the main lake; as well as which methods could be the most cost effective to maintain.

Use EXTREME caution 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 Saturday, June 4 the lake level has fallen approx 2" from last week. Currently, the lake is approx 2 inches above normal conservation pool and falling. Current is slightly increased in Little River due to increased discharge at the dam. The lake elevation is 259.33. Release at the dam is 1965CFS with 5 gates open at 1 foot each. Water clarity in the river is approx 10-15". Clarity on the main lake approx 6-9". North eastern sector of the lake around OK Landing, Shaw Branch and Mine Creek has moderate, but improving stain. Saline River clarity improving to 6-7". Creeks and sloughs of Little River are beginning to clear.

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 4-6 feet in places. Water temperatures have increased in the last 2 weeks due to warmer ambient temperatures, and range approx 75ºF early to 85ºF later in the day, depending on area of the lake, wind, and sunlight penetrations.

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 in the navigability 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.

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! Use caution in low light conditions, wear your Life Preserver and SUNSCREEN! If you are suddenly thrown from your boat, or knocked unconscious, your life preserver can potentially be your only hope to survive, so PUT IT ON!