Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Two Stranded On Lake Millwood

What started as a routine fishing trip turned into an ordeal for two Prescott men recently.

W.C. Woods, 75, and Johnny Reyenga, 69, wound up spending 10 hours hanging on to their capsized boat at Millwood, Friday, July 18. They were found at midnight after an extensive search.

Their day began by taking off from the Okay Landing for a relaxing day of fishing. However, shortly after they left the weather began getting bad.

As the winds rose, the two decided to try and get back to the landing. But, the wind got worse and their boat overturned.

Reyenga was able to help Woods get on the bottom of the boat, where the two stayed for the next 10 hours, waiting for someone to come along and rescue them.

As time passed, family members got concerned because the two hadn't returned home. Some members of their families went to the landing and found the boat trailer still there, but no sign of Woods or Reyenga.

A search party was formed with three boats and rescue personnel from Howard, Little River and Nevada counties involved.

At midnight, Virgil Hellums, with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, along with Billy Hockaday and Billy Kuykendall, both of the Howard County Sheriff's Office, found the missing men.

The two were about three-fourths of a mile from the landing where their day had begun.