Hybrid and white bass are schooling early in the afternoons around Davis Creek, Piney Point, Cove creek and anywhere they can push shad tight to the banks. The best lures to use are CC Spoons and top-water lures. 

Catfishing is good on throw lines and jugs baited with blood bait. 

Walleye are biting well on minnows fished on Lindy rigs.

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) per team

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 DEADLINE FOR ENTRY IS OCTOBER 8TH

The weathermen were right for once, we had a cold front blow in and temperatures dropped into the 40’s for a few nights. We are supposed to have temperatures in the 80’s during the day and mid-60’s at night for the next week until Thursday when another cold front will be here, which should stabilize the lake temperature, which will pick up the bite. Lake temperature starts at 74.5 in the morning, warming to 77.8 by mid-day. Lake level is about the same as last week but we still need some rain. This week the level is 647.50, 6 ¾ feet below normal pool. With the surface cool down the thermocline moved up to 32 feet. 

Crappie are moving from the brush piles toward the points and back again, so you have to locate them. Crappie minnows are working the best fished on a slip bobber. Swimming Minnows and tubes are also worth fishing on 1/16 oz jig heads with a slow retrieve.

The bass are in transition as the fall weather patterns continue to change the condition of the lake, therefore finding an area that is holding a school of bass is almost impossible. Largemouth bass can be found on the banks in the back of the creeks and main lake coves in the morning. Best technique is to throw Zara Spook Jrs., Chug Bugs or buzz baits until the sun is up shining on the water. During the day the largemouth are moving out to structure in the 30 to 32 foot range. Carolina rigs and football jigs are the best baits to fish at that depth. 

Smallmouth bass must know that normally the full moon of October is usually the last crawdad hatch of the year because they have moved up on the points and banks in the last week. Small crankbaits and top water Pop R’s or Chug Bugs will trigger the aggressive smallies in the mornings. After the sun is up fish Spider Jigs, tubes or finesse worms and meatheads on a Mojo rig. 

Kentucky bass are very hard to zone in on now that the shad are on the move into the pockets and back of the creeks. Look for frenzy feeding throughout the day and throw Pop R’s, Spit’N Images, Lucky Craft Pointers and even spoons into the feeding area. Throughout the day fish secondary points in the main lake pockets with tubes, grubs and Mojo rigged finesse baits.

Walleye are still in the thermocline zone but they will move toward the banks as the lake cools. Vertically fishing spoons is still working well in the 30 to 38 foot range around points and the outside of feeding flats. Long liners are trolling small baits on lead core line and having great success with Glass Shad, Purple Trout Hot’N Tots, Purple Shad Raps and Bill Norman Deep Little N’s in colors 000, 149 and 153.

LAKE RATING: We are moving into fall fishing and as the fronts come through the fish will make changes. Until the lake and weather stabilize the bite will be spotty. – Rating is fair.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white or Nuggets in orange and chartreuse. With generation the Buoyant Spoons, Rooster Tails and Little Cleo's are the bait of choice. The fly fishermen did well on olive Woolly Bugger, olive scuds and sow bugs. The Brown trout are being caught on Jointed Countdowns, nightcrawlers and Rogues.

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  <º)))><{

Largemouth bass are good, and 2-3 pound bass remain schooling up river. The best energetic feeding periods and schooling activities are mid-day in and around Hurricane Creek, Mud Lake, White Cliffs and Cemetery Slough areas. The rise in lake level from the recent rains, and cooler temperatures have the bass in a feeding frenzy. White Heddon Dying Flutters, clear Baby or Tiny Torpedoes, buzz baits and Johnson spoons, all are catching the scholars on top water in the last few days. Zoom Horney Toads in watermelon-red, Turbo Shads, or Bass Assassin Shads in gizzard shad or baby bass colors, and the Johnson spoons are taking good size bass in the pads and vegetation. Gold spoons seem to be working better on hazy or cloudy days, where the chrome or silver are working better on bright sunny days. Working these in the pad edges along Little River is the best technique with the soft plastic top waters and spoons. Berkley 10" Power Worms in blue fleck colors and Zoom Brush Hogs in watermelon red, are taking keeper length bass along the river where stumps are present. Southern Pro fat butt gizit are taking fish along cypress tree wads and knees. The crankbaits bite continues to improve on stumps in Little River. Best colors from the past week working best, are the Norman DLN or the Cordell Big O, in mouse gray with orange belly, shad patterns, and the brown back craw with orange belly. Our best crankbaits bite continues to be by positioning the boat downstream from the stumps and standing timber, and throwing up current, (into the current coming down river) swimming the crank down stream to the stump, slowing or stopping at the tree or stump, then deflecting off the stump, and stop again. This is normally when the bite is occurring, at the slow or stop moment right at the stump or tree, as it swims around or is deflected off the target. Southern Pro fat butt gizit are working along the river as well on stumps in the grass. Best colors are black neon, smoke with chartreuse tail or pumpkinseed. Water is stained this week, so put a rattle in it.

Crappie remain best early in the mornings, although the Crappie bite is shifting. Best this week on white colored grubs or jigs, 10 to 14 feet deep, in contact with planted brush piles and tops. The best bite has shifted to later in the morning.

Channel (Blue) Catfish bite is good, using live shiners, or cut bait, on yo-yos under cypress trees in the oxbow lakes 6-8 feet deep, and on trot lines in Little River set at 12-15 feet depth in the current. The best yo-yo bite remains at night on live shiners, in 6-9 feet depths under cypress tree overhangs.

White bass are still randomly schooling in Little River in close proximity to the black bass, and are hitting 1/4 to 1/2 oz Rat-L-Traps in chrome, white, or chrome/chartreuse colors. Both species are following the huge schools of shad in the river. In addition, white Chuck-N-Spins, white Rocket Shads and red beetle spins are working well around these scholars. Good areas this week continue to be in Little River around White Cliffs, McGuire Lake, and AR Highway 71 landing. 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 6-10 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, October 2, the lake level is approx 3 inches above normal conservation pool due to recent rains from Hurricane Rita. Current is increased in Little River due to change discharge at the dam at 1,170CFS. The lake elevation is 259.46.

Water clarity in the river is reduced at approx 8" and is expected to worsen if additional water is added from runoff this week. Clarity on the main lake approx 5-6". North eastern sector of the lake around OK Landing, is muddy. Saline River clarity muddy due to runoff from recent rains over the weekend.

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 2 feet in places. Water temperatures have decreased in the last week and range approx 74ºF early to 81ºF 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!!