Catfish No Report

Crappie No Report

Stripers No Report

Largemouth Bass No Report

White Bass No Report

WALLEYE SEMINAR WITH ERIC OLSON (FLW WALLEYE TOURING PRO)
Tuesday December 6th - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Lunch included)
$15.00 per person (no need to prepay but pre-registration is a must)
Location to be announced later (depends on number of people wishing to attend)
E-mail (wtrail@bullshoals.net) or call 870-445-2703 to make your reservation ASAP

This is fall right? Or is it spring or maybe we are still in summer – maybe next week it might be winter. What a strange year weather wise. The fish are all confused and so are most of the anglers. Lake temperature is now at 64 degrees and as far as the turnover is concerned it is still a work in progress. With the exceptionally warm weather this upcoming week who knows what will happen. Lake level is at 646.26, 8 feet below normal pool and the water clarity is at 14 feet in the lower and mid-lake areas and 18 feet in the Lead Hill and upper lake areas. 

Crappie were spotty throughout the week with the best bite occurring in the late afternoon hours around the crappie cribs. Live bait is working the best fished on a red or chartreuse jig head.

Largemouth, Smallmouth and Kentucky bass are all scattered due to the weather and the lake turnover conditions. On windy days work wind blown points with Wiggle Wars and Spinner baits. Check pockets and cuts for shad that are pushed in and when you find the shad drop a spoon or fish a finesse worm on a jig head or a drop shot rig for Kentuckys. Dragging a football jig around secondary points is a good way of finding a smallies or two, you might also fish a Carolina rig with a brush hog or lizard in green pumpkin or watermelon color. As far as the largemouth are concerned try buzz baits in the mornings, spinner baits and crankbaits on wind blown banks and jigs along secondary points or transition banks in 20 to 35 feet.

As you have noticed the report is not real specific this week but sometimes we have situations take place in our water system that disrupts the patterns of the game fish and the lake is in one of those periods. Hopefully by next week things will settle down and there will be good news to report.

Walleye are also spotty but a few were caught during the week in 34 to 46 feet of water on entrance banks in the creeks and main lake pockets. Lead core line pulled at 2 mph with Hot’N Tots and Glass shad works the best. A few walleye were also caught on spoons in 40 feet of water off points in the mid-lake area. Silver and white Bink’s spoons were the key.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white and Sunrise. With generation the Buoyant Spoons, Little Cleo’s, and Rooster Tails are the bait of choice. The fly fishermen did well on olive Woolly Bugger, olive scud, Zebra Midges and Serendipity flies. The Brown trout are being caught on, Flat Fish, 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.

Water temps: 67º - 72º ; 0.5 inches above normal, & Discharge = 171CFS.

Largemouth (Black) Bass up to 7 pounds remain good on 1/4 to 3/4oz Rat-L-Traps in white; chrome/blue, Zoom Horney Toads, Southern Pro Fat butt tubes, buzz baits, and War Eagle spinner baits in spot remover color in Little River. Yearling bass are excellent and bass up to 3 lbs each, are schooling up Little River. Baby Torpedoes, Johnson spoons, Rat-L-Traps and Dying Flutters are catching the schoolers from surface to 6 feet deep the last few weeks. 5" Bass Assassin Shads and the Johnson spoons with white grub trailers, are taking good size bass in the pads. Our best bass are coming adjacent to the River in the edges of pads and grass on the soft plastic Bass Assassins or Horney Toads.

White bass are still randomly schooling in Little River below Hwy 71 bridge along Little River where the creeks dump, and are hitting 1/4 to 1/2 oz Rat-L-Traps in chrome, rocket shads, Little George's and Rooster Tails. Rip the Rat-L-Traps and Rocket Shads all around the edges of the bait schools you see on the depth finder.

Kentuckys (Spotted Bass) are good up to 2-1/2 pounds and occasionally schooling with the white bass or yearling black bass, along the river on the smaller spinner baits, live shiners, and rocket shads around creek dumps into Little River.

Crappie are fair to good, 8-12 feet deep along Little River in front of Mud Lake, in Hurricane Creek, and McGuire Lake. Best on jigs, and shiners, in contact with planted brush piles and tops. The best bite is the mid-mornings.

Channel Cats are biting very good, on cut shad and dog food, along Little River on trot lines 12-18 feet deep, and under cypress trees on yo-yos using live shiners and blood bait, 8-9 feet deep.

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

Water clarity improved, in Little River and is approx 10-15". Clarity on the main lake improved as well, approx 8-12". North eastern sector of the lake around OK Landing, is heavy stain. Saline River clarity heavy stain.

The upriver oxbows away from any 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 week and range approx 67ºF early to 72ºF later in the day, depending on area of the lake and wind and sun.

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!!

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.