Phil Lilley

That's what I like about you guys.... you've learned to respectively disagree and not get offended at the drop of a hat. New members who come on - they seem to get it too and follow suit. The "all about me" mentality doesn't cut it here. They get weeded out pretty quickly. But we are also a group that looks over each others flaws... and if we've really got ourselves together, we can polk fun at those flaws and laugh about it. Except Al... he's a pretty tempermental old guy Thank you to everyone! Happy December 1st!!

I've heard more people say that... that they've quit taking the KC Star because of their decisions regarding the outdoors, cutting Brent. We had gotten a notice that they weren't going to print the fishing reports after January 1... then yesterday we got another email saying they've reconsidered and are not going to cut reports. I guess they got told not to... by readers? Probably.

Lily Catherine Cummings 7-04 20 inches #7 Grandkid... hard to believe!

Over the years, Brent Frazee has been a friend to all outdoor lovers, writing mainly for the esteemed paper, the Kansas City Star. He's a great writer, a superb angler but even more, he's a good person and fun to be around. His retirement from the Star hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for the outdoors in the least. He is still writing, now at his pace. Brent drove down from his home in Park Hill, Missouri Tuesday and the plan was to go fishing Wednesday morning. But rain was in the forecast so we went to Clockers for some breakfast. Getting back to the resort, and still no rain, we decided to brave it and go. The radar showed rain from the SW coming but nothing hard. I boated to Short Creek and started there thinking we could duck in to a dock if it started. It didn't. And the fish weren't interested there. We boated on up to Fall Creek. We threw 1/16th and 3/32nd oz jigs at them in dark colors - sculpin, black, brown. They still weren't loving us too much, then the rain started. We sought shelter under one of the docks for a short time, then went back out, this time boating up past the Narrows. We tried jigs, them drifting a scud but still not much of anything. Another short rain and sitting under Fall Creek Marina's dock, then seeing the end of the weather, we boated to the dam. Again, throwing jigs, we started connecting to some rainbows. Brent was the first to hook and land a nice rainbow, about 18 inches. He wanted some photos for the article he was writing so that was our picture fish. After that, he said, "the pressure was off". But it wasn't the only 18-incher we caught. The wind picked up after the rain stopped, blowing up the lake. We had to go with a heavier jig, trying to start connected to the jig and the bite. Black/olive and black/gray was our best colors. I did try a white jig towards the end of the trip and caught a couple of rainbows. All in all, we caught about 18 rainbows and Brent did catch one smallmouth bass on a sculpin/ginger jig down just past the MDC boat ramp. Water temperature is 58 degrees and stained. They've been running the same water for a week straight now -- anywhere from a half unit to a full one, day and night. This is actually a good thing seeing the only oxygen our lake is getting is from generation and from the hatchery outlets. There's a weather change starting next week, with colder days and nights. This will help Table Rock turn over and hopefully we'll see a reprieve in our low oxygen fall event. View full article

This chart is extremely deceiving!! I just got word from Clint Hale at the hatchery that the levels coming in to the hatchery from Table Rock are still very low. He said these readings (chart) are from a different source.... not sure why the Corps is posting levels are tend to fool us. Strange. We just need cold weather before anything changes for Taneycomo.

Man, I have not been paying any attention to this. I just assumed since we've had hardly any cold weather, TR was a long way from turning. But you're right - it looks as if it has!! Great news! But now I have nothing to blame slow fishing on!

If the water is down we fish.

I should be around.

It's been a while since I've been out on the lake. Boated up to the cable below the dam about 1:30 pm - less than a unit running at 704.5 feet. Started throwing a 3/32nd oz sculpin ginger jig, 2 pound line and caught 3 decent rainbows before the island, then 3 more through Rebar and Big Hole. Lost the jig so I tied on a black/gray 1/8th oz. They liked it better. Got more bites but the same number of fish it seemed. Picked up 4 more rainbows through Trophy Run - again all rainbows 13-14 inches. Fished a brown, olive and a brown/burnt orange, orange head from Lookout down and only caught 1 rainbow. Caught another 3 rainbows from the top of the Narrows through the bottom on a black 3/32nd oz. Headed back in.

I heard you were down...

Trout regulations adopted on Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters as part of revised management plans LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission accepted five changes to trout fishing regulations proposed for the Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters at a special meeting via teleconference today at the AGFC Headquarters in Little Rock. The proposals are part of ongoing revisions to the formal trout management plans for the two tailwaters. During the last year, biologists have collected creel surveys, biological samples and mail-in surveys as well as held public focus group meetings to determine the best course of action for the trout fishery to meet the desires and expectations of the public. The regulations were presented to the Commission in October, and have been open to public comment for the last 30 days. The following regulations were passed for trout fishing on the two tailwaters: 1) The daily limit on all trout species combined is five, but only one of those fish may be 14 inches or larger. 2) The daily limit on cutthroat has been reduced to one, and the minimum length for that species is now 24 inches. 3) The daily limit on brook trout has been reduced to one. 4) When using natural (corn, worms, sculpin) or scented bait (PowerBait) on the Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters, anglers may only use a single hooking point. 5) The Monkey Island Catch-and-Release Area on Bull Shoals Tailwater has been removed. An additional regulation to extend the Rim Shoals Catch-and-Release Area approximately 2 miles downstream was removed from the proposals before the vote, essentially declining the proposal. Commissioner Ken Reeves of Harrison said he received a petition since last Wednesday’s Commission meeting with 133 signatures opposed to the extension of the catch-and-release area. He also felt that the catch-and-release area would be an undue restriction to increase the size of trout in the tailwater, when the proposal to restrict an angler from taking more than one trout over 14 inches was already being passed for that effect. “I’m very hesitant to restrict the public’s right to enjoy the White River,” Reeves said. “We spend a lot of money to stock trout and it’s for everyone.” Reeves also had concerns that the restrictions would remove the ability of private property owners to take their children or grandchildren to the banks of the river, catch some trout and eat them, thus possibly damaging the heritage of fishing and the property value of the landowners bordering the proposed catch-and-release expansion. According to creel surveys conducted on the Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters, 71 percent of trout angling taking place is catch-and-release. “In a sense, the entire tailwater already is 71 percent catch-and-release,” Reeves said. Reeves also spoke up about the “outstanding job” on the part of the AGFC Trout Program Coordinator Christy Graham and the public in coming together to create the proposals presented to the Commission. “It really bothered me not to go with her recommendation,” Reeves said of the Rim Shoals Catch-and-Release Area proposal. “But I think she’s done a fantastic job, above and beyond the call of duty.” The Commission also approved a temporary commercial fishing season on Old River Lake in Pulaski County to run from Dec. 1, 2017, to Feb. 28, 2018. Commercial anglers must receive a permit from the local fisheries biologist to participate. The goal of the season is to reduce the abundant rough fish in the lake, such as buffalo and gar, to reduce competition for space and resources with sport fish populations in the lake.

I've started this response 4 times now... I'm speechless. Wrench has been a vital part of this forum from almost the beginning. Sure, I've had to slap his wrist a few times but he's not the only one. I'd say he's #5 on the slap list a and most of the slapping came early in the forum's history. Slapping may not the right word... flicking would fit better. I did chuckle reading this... it is amazing to hear how people perceive others on social media - without meeting them face to face. Hopefully that will happen... soon. Wrench - I'm officially blowing the cloud of excommunication from over you. You are a free man! And I'll send you some stickers... as soon as I find your business card.

I just got my eyes opened to a whole new world of fishing...

This is the slowest time of year for us here on the forum... not much fishing going on. Waiting on colder water - it won't be long. You might go back and look at some of the posts from a year ago - even 2. Fall patterns don't change much. You'll catch on quick. Stockton is a pretty fertile lake. Please come back and share some info for the next newbie that comes along! Thanks Oh and yes... anglers don't like naming "spots". General areas are good enough. Depth is key, especially on Stockton.

https://ozarkflyfisherjournal.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/only-1-over-14-but-no-c-r-extension/

Nice!!

Yes - just have to watch it through the Narrows.

There has not been much change in regards to generation patterns lately. The dam has been running a little water each day, but it's anyone's guess what time that water will run. The lake level has reached up to 705 feet, one unit, once or maybe twice a day, in the morning and/or in the evening and running for less than an hour each time. We call this "fish water." From now until January is the slowest time of year as far as fishing pressure with the exception of the holidays -- the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our guides are either off hunting or home catching up on "honey-do's," but either way, we don't have their usual wealth of information on fishing tips. Guide Steve Dickey has been fishing the Berkley pink Powerworm in the Short Creek area, the bend above Lilleys' Landing and down on the Cooper Creek flat. This is the time of year that our trout are looking for midges and small insects on the surface, falling with the leaves from the trees. I've mentioned this before in a report -- that there's usually a line of leaves and "stuff" on the surface on the lake, piled up by wind and boat traffic. That's where you'll find trout congregated, midging the surface of the lake taking bugs. And that's where we target trout using flies and jigs under a float. They'll eat small flies such as zebra midges and thread midges under a float 12 to 36 inches under a small float, either using a fly rod or a spinning rod. I'd use two-pound line because the flies are so small. They'll also take small micro jigs under a float, set about 24 to 48 inches down. Zebra midges are working in red or black, P&P or rusty in sizes #14 to #18. For thread midges in shallow water (12-inches deep along the edges) use the colors red, green and brown in sizes #18 to #22. Two-pound line (6x) is okay, but for the smaller thread midges you may have to go to 7x tippet. Dark jigs continue to be the go-to favorites, either fishing them under a float or throwing them straight. Black, black/olive, sculpin, brown, olive have been best. The Berkley's pink Powerworm is doing okay early, but it's been hit and miss with it. Duane Doty mentioned on One Cast the other day that on a guide trip they had to "go find" a school of rainbows, catching them on the pink worm. He found them on the flats from about a fourth mile below Fall Creek down to the private boat ramp. As far as the hot color for Powerbait, it's lately been yellow or chartreuse. View full article

What a fun weekend. Thanks for sharing!

Very nice to see you back!