Catfish No Report

Crappie No Report

Stripers No Report

Largemouth Bass No Report

White Bass No Report

Well, are you ready for the Holidays? If not, the weather we have had this past week and the weather we are going to have next week should remind you that they are not too far off. Night time and daytime temperatures have been cooling the lake off rapidly. With the cool temperatures not a whole lot of fishing has gone on this past week, but those that have gone out have caught fish. Lake temperatures range from 50 to 54 degrees, depending on what part of the lake you are fishing. The oxygen levels and temperatures are still about the same down to 80 feet. Lake level this week is 646.38, almost 8 feet below normal pool. With Beaver and Table Rock being very low, our lake level is not going to change without precipitation. 

White Bass are showing up from time to time back in the pockets and cuts. They are spotty but if you have a small (1/2 oz.) spoon in silver or white tied on and you happen upon them, you can catch some nice Whites in the 1 to 3 pound range. 

Crappie are holding tight to the brush piles in about 25 to 30 feet of water. The best baits are crappie minnows and Bink’s crappie spoons. You will need to work in the brush pile very methodically, there is more of a reaction bite than a hunger bite.

Largemouth bass are either suspended in 15 to 25 feet of water or up on the banks, from the main lake points to the back of the cuts and pockets. Small Crankbaits or Spinner baits are your best bet in the pockets where the wind is blowing into. 

Smallmouth bass are still looking for crawdads and are in the 25 to 35 foot range on channel swing ends or points, anywhere there are large rocks that are holding crawdads and affording the smallies ambush areas. Best baits are Crankbaits and Spider Jigs or football jigs. Slow rolling a Spinner bait will also get you a bite or two, especially if there are some shad in the area. 

Kentucky Bass are also looking for crawdads but also are still with shad with the best bite still under the shad with spoons or a drop shot rig. Check the cuts and pockets off the main lake for concentrations of Kentuckys or look for a flooded tree stand..

Walleye are still with the shad. If you can find the bait fish, you will find walleye. Bottom bouncing with a leech or a crawler harness caught some walleye this past week in the 2 to 4 pound range. The walleye have not started to stack up against the banks yet. They will be found in 20 to 50 feet of water. Trolling with a Deep Little Ripper in shad colors with or without lead core will get you a bite, again in 20 to 50 feet of water.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white. With generation the Buoyant Spoons, Colorado Spoons in gold, and Little Cleo’s in gold are the bait of choice. The fly fishermen did well on olive Woolly Bugger, olive scud and unreal eggs in peach and white. The Brown trout are being caught on Rogues, nightcrawlers and Countdowns.

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: 54º - 60º ; normal level, & Discharge = 172CFS.

Largemouth (Black) Bass from 3 to 5 pounds, good on War Eagle spinner baits in smoke-mouse or firecracker colors, along dying lily pad stems in Little River. Norman DLN and Cordell Big O cranks and 1/2 oz Rat-L-Traps in white or chrome, and various shad patterns are taking nice black bass and Kentuckys around 2 pounds. The slightly deeper running crankbaits are taking a few of the larger bass. Bass Assassin Shads are still taking some fair keeper size 3-3.5 pound black bass, in the dying lily pad stems and hydrilla and in pockets in backs of creeks. We have noticed the water temps are much warmer further up Little River than the main lake body. Up to 6 and 7 degrees warmer water can be found up river as compared to the main lake. Carolina rig bite is picking up in the last few days, and the jig bite is beginning to improve.

White bass are still randomly schooling, in Little River above and below Hwy 71 bridge in Little River where the creek mouths dump in, and continue hitting Rat-L-Traps in chrome, Rocket Shads in white, Little Cleo's and Rooster Tails. These are catching the whites where you see baitfish flicking the surface of the river in huge schools. Work these baitfish schools and all around the edges of the bait schools you see on the surface or depth finder.

Kentuckys (Spotted Bass) are good, along the river on the Rocket Shads, twitch worms, and small Rat-L-Traps, around creek mouths and where they dump into Little River. Kentuckies remain stacked up in the mouths of Snake Creek, Hurricane Creek early this week.

Crappie are fair to good, and have moved to slightly deeper drop-offs in Little River, from last couple weeks. The Crappie are suspended approx 11-13 feet deep along Little River. Best on jigs, in contact with planted brush piles and tops. The best bite is mid-morning.

Channel Cats are fair on cut shad, chicken hearts, hot dogs, and shiners, approx 12-14 feet deep on trotlines and yo-yos.

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

Water clarity improved again from last week, in Little River and is approx 15". Clarity on the main lake is also slight improvement at approx 12-14". North eastern sector of the lake around Cottonseed, remains stained. Discharge at the dam is 172CFS with one gate open 0.4 feet. Cossatot and Little River current is slow. Several river marker buoys are missing or out of place due to recent high wind. Use caution in low light navigations.

The upriver oxbows on 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 54ºF early to 65ºF 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.