Catfish No Report

Crappie No Report

Stripers No Report

Largemouth Bass No Report

White Bass No Report

TUESDAY NIGHT OPEN TOURNAMENTS

SPONSORED BY R & H MARINE

$25.00 PER TEAM WITH $5.00 GOING TO BIG BASS POT

Rules and information available at R & H Marine and Wilderness Trail

June 27, 2005

Well, summer is here and it is warm and dry. Temperatures have been running between the low 90’s during the day and the mid to low 70’s at night. The bite on the lake has fallen off some, which is normal for the summer especially when the lake temperature reaches the mid-80’s like it now at 85.6 degrees. The lake clarity is around 15 feet and the thermocline is steady at 36 feet. Lake level is at 652.99, pretty much the same as last week. The catfish bite has picked up throughout the night. Bank fisherman, jug fishermen and trot line fishermen are all having success using chicken liver, Magic Bait and nightcrawlers. The best bite is from 9 p.m. until midnight. Crappie are biting under floating lights at night and early in the mornings on the crappie cribs and in the pole trees along the bluff walls. Crappie minnows are the key bait this time of year, fished on a crappie jig or colored jig head.

Largemouth bass remain active in the early mornings on Zara Spooks or buzz baits. They are not located anywhere specific, just get on the trolling motor and cover ground. Once the sun is up, back off the banks and move to secondary points with Carolina rigs. Best baits have been brush hogs, lizards, trick worms and centipedes. 

Smallmouth bass are spending the days around or under ledges and large chunk rock. The key to catching a few is to fish slow – real slow – and the smallies will react to Spider Jigs, tubes, Mojo rigged centipedes or finesse worms and beaver tail or regular grubs. Some smallies are pushing shad to the top in the early mornings, so have a Spit’N Image or Pop R tied on just in case. 

Kentucky bass are foraging somewhat on crawdads along channel swings but the majority of Kentuckys are still traveling with the shad, which makes it difficult to pinpoint where they are going to be. Either work the creeks and main lake cuts with your electronics looking or schools of shad or fish main lake points and creek arm secondary points with Mad Man craws, Spider Jigs, grubs or centipedes. Here again, keep your eyes open for Kentuckys pushing shad to the top, frenzy feeding throughout the day.

Walleye are still inside 30 feet of water. Points and ledge rock banks are holding numbers of walleye and the bite is coming in 15 to 28 feet of water. Leeches have still been hot fished on a leech harness or split shot rig, nightcrawlers are also working well. Long liners are having good luck with Glass Shad, Deep Little N’s and Reef Runners on suspending walleye over deeper water.

NIGHT TIME UPDATE: Bass are feeding along bluff walls, chunk rock banks and points. Best baits are pig and jigs, 8 to 10" worms and tubes. Walleye are feeding on sunfish or crawdads on points; best baits are X-Raps or Suspending Rogues.

LAKE RATING: It is summer, the bite has slowed, the rating is Fair.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been good this past week. The Berkley Power Egg bite has been good in yellow and white or Belgium red worms. With generation the Buoyant Spoons, Rooster Tails and Super Dupers are the bait of choice. The fly fishermen did well on Olive Woolly Bugger, tungsten bead head midges, sow bugs and scuds. The Brown trout are being caught on Suspending Rogues, Flat Fish 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 6/27/05 <º)))><{

Water temps 87º-92º ; approx 1 inch above normal, & steady.

Largemouth Bass to 4-5 pounds each, are excellent on Bass Assassin Shads and Zoom horney toads, around lily pads and vegetation, and baby minus one crankbaits in baby bass or spring bream color along the edges of Little River. Gitzits and tubes in green pumpkin/red or black and blue are taking good keepers in the river cut outs and creek mouths dumping into Little River where stumps are located in 9-12 feet depth, or outside river bends where stumps range from 8-10 feet depths around current. Early and late in the day, bass are still feeding and chasing shad near top water. This is where the baby torpedoes and also white Rat-L-Traps are working best. During heat of the day, the heavier 1oz size Rat-L-Traps in shad pattern or white, the Carolina rigs, along with medium runner Bandit crankbaits or Excalibur Fat Free Shads are taking various larger bass. Pull out away from those shallow bank areas to fish the river drops and the hydrilla in 8-9 feet deep. Within the last few days, 2-3 pound Largemouth's were schooling in upriver oxbows such as Mud and Horseshoe Lakes, from 11am - 1pm. These schooling fish were hitting Bass Assassin Shads, Zoom Horney Toads, white Rat-L-Traps, and clear baby torpedoes.

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, and Rooster Tail spinners in chrome/red or white/red colors.

Crappie fishermen report fair catches over brush piles between 15-18 feet depths using shiners.

 Channel (Blue) Catfish No report for this week.

}><(((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 Monday, June 27 the lake level has slightly fallen and is approximately 1 inch above normal conservation pool. Current is slightly decreased in Little River due to change discharge at the dam. The lake elevation is 259.35. Release at the dam is 387CFS with only 1 gate open at 1 foot. Water clarity in the river is improved and at approx 15-20". Clarity on the main lake approx 15". North eastern sector of the lake around OK Landing, Shaw Branch and Mine Creek has moderate, but improving stain. Saline River clarity improving to 12".

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 7-9 feet in places. Water temperatures have increased in the last 2 weeks due to warmer ambient temperatures, and range approx 87ºF early to 93ºF 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!