Bass fishing is the most popular type of recreational angling activity in America. For anglers, the names of some of the most iconic bass lakes are etched in their minds and on their bucket lists. However, not every great bass lake has such name recognition on a national scale. One example is Millwood Lake, which is tucked near the Texas border in southwest Arkansas. Although it may not be a household name in every corner of the country, Millwood Lake is not only considered one of the best bass lakes in the nation, it has yielded catches of truly epic proportions.
Millwood Lake, an artificial reservoir created in 1966 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has long demonstrated the potential to produce big bass, as evidenced by a 16-pound, 2-ounce specimen taken from the lake in 1979. That fish was actually caught in a commercial fisherman’s net, so it didn’t qualify as a record. However, it shows what is possible on this reservoir. A more recent example is a 13.43-pound largemouth caught by a teenager during a high school fishing tournament in the spring of 2025. Catches such as that, as well as the sheer quantity of quality fish, is what landed Millwood Lake on Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes in America.
Even with such a prolific past, some believe the best is yet to come for Millwood Lake. That optimism is largely based around the aggressive stocking of Florida strain bass by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, as well as the fact Millwood has proven to be the state’s top performing bass tournament venue in recent years.
Fishing on Millwood Lake
Covering 29,000 acres, Millwood is about three-fourths the size of Lake Ouachita, Arkansas’ largest lake. However, it is still among the largest lakes in the Natural State, meaning there is plenty of water for fishermen to explore. Of equal, if not greater, importance to bass fishermen, about 20,000 acres of the lake is filled with submerged timber. Through much of the year, these flooded stumps, logs, and trees are the main structures near which bass will be found, although during the summer there are also areas filled with aquatic vegetation such as lily pads. There are also a number of sloughs and oxbows connected to the lake that will hold bass during the winter months…