fly2fish

Thanks Thom, I will have the laptop with me so I can give any (good) reports or anything of size. If my eyes can adjust to it, I might fish during the day some. F2F

I have found between 3500cfs to 6000cfs is best. I was told it took 3500cfs to get them to come upriver and anything over 6000csf they could get over the low water dam. I am not sure how long it takes for the water to reach there but the fish have to come from farther down river to get to the low water dam. I would make sure that it has been running several hours before hitting it. If it has been running all night then early in the morning is best. F2F

I will be up from Sat. 3-14 thru 3-21, fishing most every night. May fish Crane on a weekday later in the week. I know Leonard will say it is going to rain all week now. It only rained hard twice last year when I was there (March & April) all the other times it was nice, except the night Ike blew through. F2F

I am staying there March 14-21. Hope not in one that close to the construction. F2F

Man those last 2 look like females ready to drop (eggs) or males ready to pop (shad filled). F2F

They have shut it down at least the last 7 nights in a row about midnight til 4 am. If it is a dark night start with dark colors black, olive, brown etc. if it is light (moonlit or cloudy) where you can see without your light use lighter colors, natural rabbit, grays, white. Only turn your light on if you are changing flies, landing a fish or to see what is bumping into your leg. F2F

Careful throwing rocks in the dark it could be the newlyweds Duckydoty and DDs"MC taking a break from fishing, or beaver magnet Leonard encountering another killer beaver or even me missing another strike(makes me cry like a girl sometimes).

Just saw some large chunks of ice falling from the trees on the webcam, by the size of splashes they were making LOOK OUT may cause a real headache.

You might want to tie some PMS's on a 1/16 or 1/8 oz. jig head just in case the water is up and running. Also a tip for walking in the fog, carry your headlight down by your waist until you get where your going then put it back on your head, you can see farther and little more clearer than with it on your head. Henry

Click on lilleystacklestore link on the top of the page and then select Leonard Keeney from the list on the left. The one I used I tied myself though. F2F

I have not been fishing in about 2 months now and the fever finally overcame the cold temps, so Saturday I was in Branson and debated whether to go Saturday night or not. Finally talked myself into it, I could rig and suit up before I left the room and not waste any time outside. First thing it was going to be pretty much a one fly night so I had to pick carefully because I wasn't going to switch after my hands got cold. I narrowed it down to the pine squirrel, PMS, big egg or Leonards hibinator, I went with the olive hibinator. Left the hotel about 10:15pm and hit the water at 10:30. 22deg.. No one else in either parking lot, started down below the gauntlet and had the first fish on the 3rd cast it turned out to be the biggest in length of the night at 21 inches. The trick was not to find which strip the fish liked best but the one to reduce icing up the guides. I found that if you stripped to fast the guides would ice up and if you went to slow or stopped to long the line froze to the guides. You had to find just the right retrieve so the line froze before it reached the guides. The fish didn't seem to care because they hammered it on the dead drift. If your guides ice up dip your rod before you cast that way most of the water is shaken off and air dried before you begin your retrieve. The only time I felt the cold was when I caught 3 fish on 3 straight casts because it didn't give my fingers time to warm up. After catching a fish I would cast and just let it drift without stripping to let my hands warm up, I had the fingerless gloves with the mitten covers. Caught around 20 in an hour and a half but only 3 really stood out, the first one and 2 big hooked jawed males that went about 18-19 inches but out weighed the 21 incher. Sorry it was to cold to take any pics when you are by yourself. I think the fish were cold out of the water and wanted back in where it was warm. F2F

I think Leonard organized a clean up day on Hickory back in March of 2007. I believe the city even provided lunch.

Nice fish, but how come Michael's eyes are red and the fish's aren't? Maybe it was after the special coffee. F2F

I wonder how many would still buy a lifetime license.

Maybe you should stop backing into the parking spaces Sorry couldn't resist that one.

That is a small number of people fishing any day when the water is off. On a usual weekend try double or tripling the number of fishermen in that one area. I have seen more than that at night during October (last year not this year). HC

I have been shot with rock salt when I was a kid and it did not teach us a lesson. Back in my hometown there was an old man that everyone called Doodie Balls, at first we would see him in his old truck and ride up on our bikes and yell D...B.... and take off and he would chase us in his truck. One day we found out where he lived and some of the braver ones in our group decided to run up and knock on the door and yell you know what and run and jump on our bikes and take off. Well that is when we learned he had a shotgun and began shooting at us. We thought we had had it until we realized it was rock salt and only stung when hit at a distance. So then it was game on for sure. He started carrying it in his truck and one day I guess he saw us riding up and had it ready because has soon as we passed his truck and no sooner yelled DB he started firing, let me tell you when you get penetrated by piece of rock salt it not only stings it burns to, talk about pouring salt on the wound. Did it stop us, no, but it did make us more cautious and we kept a further distance, but it was still a game for us and probably him too. HC

Don't forget about the bald eagles taking trout too, and they are all exempt from the length limit in the trophy area. I wonder if the trout follow the herons around like they do fishermen. HC

I think it is beyond that, that is a bull bison. HC

Probably would, I would tie a scud to the end of the chain. HC

\ Most were caught up from outlet 1 on white jigs (bright moon both nights). Since they are eating scuds during the day and there is a lot of moss on the bottom, they are bound to be getting moss along with the scuds. At night they were taking the jigs just sitting on the bottom also, just letting it bump, bump, bump, stop, hit. I think this has been a really good year for fishing, at least it has been more exciting than just your norm when 99.9% of the fish you catch are going to be trout, this year you don't know what you have until you see it. It was nice catching the walleyes, smallmouth, kentuckies, googleeye, crappie, white bass, meanmouths, and some caught gar, spoonbill, and catfish. The people that did not come this year because of the constant high water missed out on some good fishing if they had been willing to put down the flyrod for a while and use the spinning rod. HC

Thursday night I fished with a buddy from work and his step dad and a friend of mine that was in town for a conference at the Chataeu on the Lake, I caught 2 rainbows just over 17" and both were fat and stocky, fought well. One when I released it just laid there upside down but when I touched it, it took off like a shot. Friday night fished with Leonard, after his dad and aunt left, we went to outlet 1 and caught several more up to 18" all looked healthy and needed little to no reviving. HC

Welcome Engr5. Duck Creek my old stomping (fishing) grounds. We had a dock and cabin down in the same cove Dick Lane's is in now, across from what used to be Hardings Harbor. Now I frequent Taneycomo at least twice a month. Grand has changed a lot since my days down there 60's-80's. Henry

I have found in the old Wal-Mart in Branson floats that have a black plug in them that can be taken out and the glow stick inserted, you have to put a couple wraps of scotch tape around the stick to make it fit tight. The neat thing about this floats in the side has a split in it so they can be put on and taken off without having to take your flies off. The Branson store is the only one that I have found these in. It is easier than drilling them out. I use the Beacon refills in green or yellow. HC

Jeff, great report and pictures, now we know why you were trading CD's for flys. I would rather take a trip like that than probably an Alaska trip with bigger fish. I was out there in July but didn't get to fish as much as I wanted. Now I know how to do it, go out a week ahead before the wife gets there! Henry