The water is extremely clear and low

Bass fishing has been good at night on spinner baits with large Colorado blades and large, dark-colored soft plastics fished in 15 feet of water.

Walleye are biting well on nightcrawlers fished over the flats in 35 to 40 feet of water.

White bass and hybrids are schooling in deep water throughout the day.

Catfish No Report

Crappie No Report

Stripers No Report

Largemouth Bass No Report

White Bass No Report

ANGLER'S EDGE 3RD ANNUAL TEAM BASS TOURNAMENT

OCTOBER 15-16, 2005

Entry Fee $200.00 plus $20.00 Big Bass (100% payback - optional)

Each team will receive 2 Free Falcon Rods and a Free Buffet Dinner at Mario's

Entry forms can be picked up at Wilderness Trail - Entry fees can be paid at Wilderness Trail also

For more Information call us at 870-445-2703

It is still warm during the day but the nights are dropping into the 60’s, which makes the morning fishing very comfortable. Lake level continues to drop, generation has been consistent round the clock with the heat in Texas and Oklahoma. The pool is at 648.17 this week, 6 feet below normal pool. As the lake level goes down so does the thermocline, which has stabilized at 34 feet. Lake temperature is around 81 degrees in the morning, heating to 84 degrees by mid-day and we really need some rain. 

Crappie continue moving to back to the brush piles and around docks with structure. Live crappie minnows are the best bait fished on a plain hook and split shot. Fish 26 to 30 feet of water in the morning and 30 to 35 feet of water throughout the day. 

Catfish were active this week on jugs with a 12 foot drop line. The entrance of the pockets in the creek arms seem to be producing numbers of catfish. Chicken liver, Magic Bait and frozen shad have been the best bait.

Largemouth bass can still be found up on the banks in the morning on buzz baits, Zara Spooks and Spit’N Image baits, most of the strikes are reaction strikes, so make sure you cover a lot of water. Secondary points and main lake points are holding largemouth in deeper water (30 to 35 feet). Best baits under these conditions are Spider Jigs, football jigs, Carolina rigs with brush hogs or trick worms and spoons fished vertically. 

Smallmouth bass are holding out in the thermocline until mid-afternoon, then they are moving up on points in shallow water, not sure what that is all about. Spider Jigs, tubes and Mojo rigs with finesse worms or lizards have been working the best. Drop shot rigs with 4" drop shot worms or Swimming Minnows will trigger a few smallies that are suspended off the points. 

Kentucky bass have been pushing shad to the surface throughout the day. Almost any top water lure will trigger some strikes during the frenzy feeding. Searching for schools of shad in the creeks and around the ends of the main lake channel swings is still the key for catching some nice Kentuckys. When you work a school, drop a ¾ to 1 oz spoon (white, blue/silver or silver) down through the shad, the Kentuckys are under the school of shad.

Walleye slowed down a bit this last week, at least the larger walleye; the 16 to 17" fish are still very active. With the thermocline now in the 34 to 36 foot range long liners are only getting bit if they are pulling lead core to get the baits down to the walleye. Hot baits are Reef Runners (blue/silver, trout and gray ghost colors), Hot’N Tot (fire tiger and purple passion) and Bill Norman’s DD14’s in 000 and 133 (shad) colors. Vertical spooning is also working well on the walleye that are hugging the bottom. Best colors are blue/silver, white and gray/orange belly).

LAKE RATING: The rating continues to be fair as the lake continues to fall and the bite is "iffy".

Fishing for trout on the White River has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and Nuggets in orange. With generation the Buoyant Spoons, Blue Fox and Little Cleo's are the bait of choice. The fly fishermen did well on olive Woolly Bugger, soft hackles, Zebra Midge and olive scuds and sow bugs. The Brown trout are being caught on Countdowns, 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 9/12/05 <º)))><{

Largemouth bass are good, 2-4 pounds each, & most energetic feeding periods remain early morning and late evening. Cordell Crazy Shads in chrome/black, Baby Torpedoes in leopard frog or bullfrog colors, stick prop baits like the Heddon Dying Flutter, and dual wing buzz baits w/ firecracker skirt colors, are taking early morning keepers. Zoom Horney Toads in black, Turbo Shads, or Bass Assassin Shads in Crystal Shad or Tennessee Shad colors are catching bass in the pad edges along Little River. Baby Brush Hogs and lizards in kudzu and camouflage or June bug colors, are working along grass and vegetation lines. Jig bite continues to improve, using Texas Craw color, black and blue, or pumpkin-watermelon-rind colors, with Hog Craw trailers in pumpkinseed or black. Most consistent bites remain on bases of cypress trees and knees, in approximately 7-10 feet depths . Berkley 10" Power Worms in June bug or tequila sunrise colors are taking keeper length bass along the river stair-step washouts where laydowns or stumps are present.

Crappie remain best early in the mornings, on white or smoke colored grubs early, 8 to 13 feet deep in contact with planted brush piles and tops. The best bite remains 7am to 10am, and very few Crappie fishermen out after 9-10am.

Channel (Blue) Catfish bite has improved, on cut shad, on yo-yos under cypress trees in Mud Lake and McGuire Lake, and trot lines in Little River set at 15-20 feet depths. The best yo-yo bite remains at night on live shiners, in 9-14 feet depths.

White bass are schooling in Little River and are hitting 1/4 to 1/2 oz Rat-L-Traps in chrome/blue, white, or chrome/chartreuse colors. In addition, Chuck-n-Spins, Rocket Shads and beetle spins are working well around these schoolers. Good areas this week have been in Little River around Hurricane Creek, Mud Lake, and in Horseshoe Lake. Once you find those schools of shad, the Whites are just below or adjacent to, the school on your graph. Throw Rat-L-Traps or Rocket Shads all around the edges of those bait schools, and count down to approx 10-15 feet depth and yo-yo back through the school at various depths until you connect with the White Bass.

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

For those fishing the river and below the spillway, as of Monday, September 12, the lake level is approx 0.5 inches above normal conservation pool. Current is decreased in Little River due to change discharge at the dam. The lake elevation is 259.24.

Release at the dam is approx 155CFS with 1 gate open at 0.3 feet. Open gate is number 1. Water clarity in the river is approx 15-20". Clarity on the main lake approx 15+". North eastern sector of the lake around OK Landing, improving stain. Saline River clarity improving.

The upriver oxbows such as McGuire, Horseshoe, Mud Lake, Cemetery Slough, etc, away from any current in Little River, still have much better water visibility, estimated at approx 3-5 feet in places. Water temperatures have decreased in the last week and range approx 80ºF early to 86ºF later in the day, depending on area of the lake and wind.

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!!