Leonard

Trust me.... Branson will be gone before me...LOL

A massive increase in flow last night... No I wasnt on the water, Last friday they open the gates, and it hit close to 12000 cfs... last night it hit just over 14000.Or is this another glich? Or just some heavy flow? I know we are looking at a crap load of rain this weekend.. Think they are getting ready for some heavy flow. Has anyone heard anything about this weekend? Leonard

Hey wrath.. Good to hear your coming... I'll be ready.. Bring your big box, and we will get together and do some day fishing... take a nap and hit an all nighter..LOL high water or not... we can still hook into a few bad boys Leonard.. call me and I'll tell you about a few new flies for this fall...

Bigred.. The Jig is a PMS (http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10006) tied on a 1/8oz jig head.... This has been great in high water!! I cant do a PMS in white... because I have yet to find white pine squirrel.. My understanding is the hair is to fine to bleach and just falls apart. But I have done a modification to it... Rabbit... but that is the only thing that can get it close.. ........... and yes I have a few tied with rabbit..LOL...... There was a few people on the water yesterday afternoon between 2-3pm.... I was tossing the PMS jig nd hooked a brown.... a VERY BIG BROWN!! For the ones that was there saw it... this fish would foresure went 12+lbs... he headed toward the main current and came off. how big was he, I would put a 28 to 30in on this ... he was a freaking MONSTER.. Im very surprised he didnt snap my line. He took a big leap out of the water.. and was gone.

Huh?? what?? 9"inch stick bait...LOL yes its been in the water and its like casting a brick... freaking AWESOME action.. All I can say about it is... Im going to need a bigger rod..LO Yes the van broke down.. the water pump/tenioner/an timing chain all went at the same time. I made it over to the gas station over there and called my dad.. Got everyone home safe and the is being fixed... ready to be picked up in the morning. Leonard

Holy........... How are you bud??? good to see you .... Need another jig.. got to come and get it...LOL (maybe talk you into some fishing..LOL) That was one AWESOME night!! Bad news is most all the walleyes have moved back down stream... I haven't heard of any caught in few weeks.. Im not saying one or two isnt still there, there just playing hard to get.. Welcome to OAF.. Leonard

It is my understanding that they had the gates open for a very short period of time (just a few hours)... Then shut them.. Fishing was great yesterday... even though it was around outlet 1.. Lots of fish are really stacking in there. saw some big browns in the 5-8lb range (and a rainbow pushing 7-9lbs about 25-28in)... and heard reports of a couple of 10's out and about... There was a huge male in outlet 1 just full of color... even when it was overcast in just "glowed" in the water!!

BRING IT ON!!! I guess I'll just have to catch a few more smallies and walleyes.... Leonard

Laker.. Last night the water was still just a bit over.. I cal at 12am and it was 702.?? I got down there ust after 1am.. and it wasnt at level... by 3 am it still seem maybe a .3-.5 high but it was still going down..... the hour and 45 minutes I fish caught a few nice one... the best for me last night was maybe a 17in bow (on the PMS)... I just spent a short time there walked in at outlet 1... knock a few around and walk up to the point caughting a few more... up there I was throwing toward the dam keeping the line tight as it drifted back... walk back over to 1 and was going to do a couple more cast... First cast..... BAM... set... SNAP!! my line broke becuase I got careless and didnt change my leader... Well I Changed lines.. tied on a olive/black PMS(#4)... catsed 10 time pull 4 fish out with 5 misses.. Leonard PS.... Didnt mean to hijack your report Michael... Just looked like a good place to post

Thanks Bill... Sorry for the mis-spelling.. Pm sent Leonard

Sweet.. hoppers at night.. Nice report!!! Michael.. Did you notice any big changes (or just sometime different) on the walk across and up?? seems the same just not as deep.... (or did I grow another inch or two...) Leonard

Did any one hear about these... State wide for Missouri... 1. blood alcohol level was lowered. to .08 from .10.... they figure why should it be any different then the roads... (how long did it take to figure this one out?) 2. Any emergency vessel must be giving a wide area of 100 feet when lights are on ( this will fallow with a no wake zone near the vessel also) 3. a 30 mph speed limit is in effect ( this could change alot of night tournaments at night)... this is what I heard on the radio on my way to work.. Leonard

What is a few good spinning rods for big strippers? Id like to throw a fly at them and I have a big 9' redington 8/9wt.... ( and a few flies..) But as for as hardware goes.... a good rod (and lenght) that wont break the bank... a good reel (and what would a good ratio be).... and line But I would like to keep it light enough to fish other species as well.... Hey Bill... If we can Id like to get together with you and talk one on one someday and pick your brain about stippers. show you a few flies that I think would be good for stripper (I know there good for big browns...LOL) We are think about an east coast trip... and Im looking at doing some stripper fishing. Thanks Leonard

Andy.. Ive seen a lot of wooly hackle... even though I have to get some at the fly shops sometimes... But if you want "regural" colors (whites, blacks, grizzly, moroon ect.)..... and they dont "bleed" into the fly like some of the dyed hackles check out Conranch hackles.... http://www.conranch.com/capes.html Sorry... I was right in the middle of making dinner..... its the saddles for woolies.... http://www.conranch.com/saddles.html those mature hen are AWESOME for soft hackle (you can sometime get 3-4 off one of the feathers) Leonard

The first place I go is Phils... (depending on what Im going after..LOL) then if he doesnt have it I run over to River run and Chucks... But everything (but maybe 3-4 things) Phil has been able to suppy for me. Just the othe rday I was in the and told him he was out of black marabou.. Yesterday he had it so I grab a couple of packs...

Great report Michael. This reminds me last year I was out with Zach O. We were walking on the south bank, when we thought we saw the ground move.. we look down and it wasnt a big like that one (maybe about 5-6in) I told someone about it (dont remember who).... they kinda laugh at it and said it was BS.. the water was to cold for crawdad up in that area.. I believe it was about this time of year too.. Leonard..

Your right... they have some good quality materials... but this is what Ive been finding in more then just one shop... 1... the brown is a full skin..... 2... Nice long skin... but hardly any hide.. maybe a dozen or so strips..... then the is number 3...... Very short skin... it has some fullness... but NO lenght...

I know there are a lot of tiers out there.... But has anyone noticed a decline in the quality of some of their products... Pine squirrel for one.. I have noticed some really short skins. The cardboard they put it on is usually full and really good looking skins.. Here lately I have seen a few skins that are about a third of the size they should be. I seen a couple skins that had very few strips on them... I use a lot of pine squirrels... I think this year alone I used over 20-25 skins and most shops sells them for over $16-17 each. Some of the ones I have seen recently are missing about 2 (maybe 2 1/2) inches from the skin.... they may have been the younger squirrels.. I know that squirrels loose fur and regrow it.. time of year..size of the squirrels (young and mature)... Not to run the skin thing in the ground.. but I also got strip packages (in the past) that looked like someone had used a skin and throw the left over pieces in a bag (strip that could even lay across a size 12 hook)... Before I started buying the skins you would get 3-5 strips (most was about 6inches long Pines aren't the only thing Ive been noticing... threads... some of the 6/0 and the 3/0 just doesnt seem as strong as it use to be.. the longer marabou plumes.. yes They have some thick stem... but some of them are just to thick. peacock herl... maybe I'm just not wrapping it right,.... Ive been getting a lot of "breakage" from them.. I thought It may have been too old.. went and got a new one... same thing.. went to a light thread.. then tried to wrap it around the thread... I guess if I sat down and really thought about it I could come up with a few more items.. Yes this is just a bit of a vent... Has anyone else noticed this on some of the other things.. Leonard

Mo... GREAT REPORT!! sounds like you all had a blast last night.... (wished I could have been there!!) Leonard

Z... Whats ups bud.. Good to see you... Welcome to OAF...... Leonard. (aka... Night Angler) PS... It was good chatting with you the other night.

Welcome to Ozark Anglers Taz.. we've cross paths on a few other website.. Good to see you over here.. Leonard.. (By the way... PM sent)..

LOL... Last night had to be the best night I ever had on a chili pepper... I may have to start using that alittle more..

I cant believe nobody guessed... here you go... the "HOT" fly last night was the... Tony Spezio Chili Pepper...

you would think they would shut the water long enough to pull it out... At least the fish has a place to hide to get out of the current. I think it would be interesting to be there when they did pull it out.. How many fish do you think would be it .. once they do shut the water down. Leonard

DANO.... This one is for you... I was on my across the dam around 9:45... and KOOBLAM.... the sky lite up like the 4th of July.... Chateau was shooting off firework.. it was a very nice light show to start the night off.. I entered the water with 4 units going a friend of mine was there.. we talk and started fishing.. I started with the PMS (because that what I finished with the night before..LOL) first cast a hook-up w/a LDR... second cast another hook-up.. missed next cast finally a solid hook and a little brown to start the night. I moved more up into the outlet for a longer cast out.. second cast landed a 19-20in bow.. end up catching 4 more fish.. After a few short strike I changed over to a pine squirrel.. got 2 in about 20 minutes... so I changed again.. this time going to a Barrs Bouface... Man this fly is going to knock'um dead.. ended up catching 10 within about 30 minutes.. and they just shut off on it.. after a few more flies.. I was ready to give it up for the night.. and then the water started to drop... well here it comes!! Dano... You might enjoy this part.. Its getting ready to heat up here... well the water dropped pretty quick.. where I could get to the main water... Standing there back to the dam.. casted .. I had no tension on the line.. so I casted again.. and again.. no tension.. well I started to watch my line and it was drift up toward the dam. So I turned and faced the dam. First cast.... landed a 18in bow... next cast.. another 18incher.. I hit 4 fish in a row.. 17 to 18inches... (yes these were all back to back fish).. I had found the fly of the night. even with what Im guessing as 2 units going. The was barely any current. I could not get any good drifts fish out in the middle. But when I saw the fish break water and cast in that area.. I would have a fish on.. I ended up catching close to maybe 40-45 now for the good part..... PICTURES.. and here is a sweet 22in... Can anybody guess the fly in the bows mouth???? As soon as I landed this one my knot came undone...