Power Fishing

Texas Rig Fishing on Lake Millwood

Lake Millwood · Arkansas · South Central

Lake Millwood is a sprawling 29,000-acre reservoir on the Little River known for its excellent largemouth and smallmouth bass populations. The lake features extensive creek systems, timber structure, and shallow flats that create ideal bass habitat throughout the year. Its size and varied structure make it a top choice for both tournament anglers and recreational bass fishermen seeking consistent catches.

A bullet sinker slides freely on the line ahead of a wide-gap hook with a weedless-rigged soft plastic. The rig is completely snag-resistant, making it the go-to choice for grass, timber, and heavy cover. Works with virtually any soft plastic — worms, craws, creatures, lizards.

Texas Rig Setup for Lake Millwood

Rod7'–7'3" medium-heavy casting rod, fast action
Reel7.1:1 or faster baitcaster
Line15–20 lb fluorocarbon or 30–50 lb braid in heavy cover
Weight3/16–1/2 oz tungsten bullet weight (peg it in heavy cover)
Hook3/0–5/0 EWG wide gap hook sized to plastic

Seasonal Tactics on Lake Millwood

spring

Lake: Spring brings aggressive largemouth bass to the creek channels and shallow flats as water temperatures rise, with spawning bass providing excellent sight-fishing opportunities around wood and vegetation.

Texas Rig: Slow drag through spawning flats and around beds. Lizards and creature baits in crawfish colors.

summer

Lake: Summer bass move deeper into creek channels and around submerged timber, requiring anglers to focus on morning and evening topwater action along the main lake structure and channel ledges.

Texas Rig: Pitch into shade — docks, mats, and laydowns. Pegged weight for matted grass punching.

fall

Lake: Fall cooling water temperatures push bass toward main lake points and creek intersections, with excellent schooling action and responsive strikes on crankbaits and swimbaits throughout October and November.

Texas Rig: Cover water quickly on points and along weed lines. Faster retrieve with a reaction element.

winter

Lake: Winter patterns concentrate bass around the deepest creek channels and channel ledges, where slower presentations like jigging and dragging around 30-40 foot depths produce consistent results.

Texas Rig: Slow drag on deep structure, 15–30 feet. Finesse Texas rig with 1/4 oz and 6" worm.

Best Conditions

Heavy cover — grass, timber, laydowns, docks; murky to stained water; any season; pre-spawn and post-spawn periods

Pro Tip

Peg the weight with a rubber toothpick when fishing grass. A sliding weight catches weeds; a pegged weight punches through clean.

More Techniques for Lake Millwood

Crankbait (Shallow) on Lake MillwoodJig (Casting & Pitching) on Lake MillwoodTopwater Popper on Lake MillwoodSwimbait on Lake MillwoodAll Lake Millwood Info →

Ready to fish Lake Millwood?

Ask Hank about current conditions, water temp, and exactly what to throw today.

Ask Hank →