Phil Lilley

They are allowed. Safe? Good question. Your profile in a tube is very small. Big boats, fog ... I fear for the kayakers out there, honestly. You would have to use good judgement and stay in places where you wouldn't get run over.

Anyone driving over or fishing the Spring today? Wondering if it muddied up after yesterday's rain.

What's with the caps?? Looks like a settings issue but... there's no settings for that.

As much water as they're running today (not sure if it will continue), but drifting down- from Monkey through the Landing- might be your best bet. Just depends on generation and that's a day to day thing.

...the big ones were hungry. Drifted from the dam to Short Creek this evening with Coy Howry. White 1/8th ounce jigs against the bluff banks. Didn't catch many but all were nice. Coy's browns measured 19 and 17. I had several rainbows go 17 inches.

Last week, our area received quite a bit of rain, bringing up Table Rock Lake's levels above 917 feet prompting the US Army Corp of Engineers to run 2 to 3 units all this past week through Lake Taneycomo. With our water temperatures hovering around 42 degrees, this made trout fishing really tough, especially for people fishing off docks. This morning, we were greeted with a surprise--no generation. Lake levels have dropped to the point the Corp is comfortable with Table Rock's lake levels and they've cut back on releasing water for the time being. Generation patterns will be re established in the coming days. If I had to guess, they'll run some water in the afternoons and evening. leaving the water off in the mornings. One thing that this generation has done this spring has boosted our trout's growth, big time! Constant generation grows bugs. More bugs grow big trout. That's about as simple as I can make it. Our freshwater shrimp's population has exploded this year, and it's showing by the fish growth rates we're seeing. A couple of weeks ago I reported having a stellar guide trip, taking a couple of guys up in the trophy area and catching numerous rainbows in the 17 inch range. Big and fat, these trout were in the first mile of the lake and were taking white jigs during generation. They're still up there. Last evening, I took my daughter Megan up for a little evening fishing. We boated to the dam about 7 p.m. with 3 units running hard. No fog made the trip enjoyable although it was still chilly. When the water temperatures are in the low 40's, it could be 100 degrees 15 feet above the lake's surface but in the 40's on and lake. We took sweatshirts but the cold air cut right through. But it was worth it! It was the first time I had Megan out on the lake in a couple of years. She's always been my little fisherman. Last night she showed she hadn't forgotten how to set a hook! I had tied on 1/8th ounce white jigs on our spin cast rigs, 4 pound line, and was ready when we arrived at the cable below the dam. Megan's first couple of hookups were quick-released. She needed a little practice. But her persistance paid off, fighting and landing a nice 16 inch, fat rainbow. We only drifted past the first island, picking up and heading back to the cable. On the next drift, she hooked into something pretty big--I knew by the action of her rod. It wasn't until it came within sight that Megan got real excited and exclaimed, "Oh dad, oh dad"!! I slipped into the net and thought this one might be over 20 inches. I was a half-inch short in my estimate. Back up to the dam, I changed out our jigs for s different color. Sculpin/ginger and sculpin/orange was my pick. We both boated nice rainbows all the way down to the MDC boat ramp, most were well over 15 inches. Megan caught the last fish, a pretty rainbow I had to get a pic of. With the water off this morning, Kelly Stammer, a good friend from Parsons, Kansas took his wife and friends out this morning in our 20-foot jon boat for some trout fishing. We visited about the water situation, that it had been running all week and this morning to our surprise, it was off. He tied on Trout Magnets, jigs and spoons on their lines and left the dock headed up lake. I headed to the laundry room for a day of folding linen! It wasn't 45 minutes I got a text from Kelly and an image of a beautiful brown Riley Bond had caught on a silver Super Duper spoon, fishing close to Short Creek. Back a few months ago, I wrote about all the 16-17 inch browns anglers we were catching. Well, now it seems like these browns have put on an inch or two. Now we're seeing quite a few 180-19 inch browns being caught and released. That's, again, the result of our food supply being in great shape. With the water now being off at least part of the day, air injected night crawlers are going to be hot, especially in the upper bait area from Short to Fall Creek. Tip it with a marshmallow or a white Gulp egg if you don't have a way to float the worm. Our water is very clear to 4-pound line is a must, 2-pound line is better., when the water is off and you're still fishing. Jig and float or a Trout Magnet (pink, pink/white) under a float should be good too. Drop a Zebra Midge under the main lure about 18 inches for more strikes. This works above or below Fall Creek. Above Fall Creek when the water is off, they're eating scuds and midges. Number 16 and 18 red, rusty, black, green, ugly and P&P Zebras and #10 - #14 gray, brown or olive scuds. Work the scuds on the bottom and the Zebras under a float 12 to 36 inches deep. Use 6x fluorocarbon for tippet. On bright, still days use 7x. When the water starts, drift night crawlers or Gulp eggs on the bottom from Fall Creek down to the Landing. You'll find quite a few stocked rainbows from Cooper Creek down lake. Pink Trout Magnets under a float 6 feet deep drifted on the bluff banks. Throw small to medium stick baits against the bluff banks for brown trout. Above Fall Creek, of course white jigs from the dam down to Trophy Run and brown, black, sculpin, ginger and olive jigs working the banks all the way to Lilleys' Landing. Here are some pictures sent in by Steve Dickey of last week's guide trips: And a nice 22-inch rainbow from a client of Captain Rick Lisek.

Thanks for posting

That's funny.

I was commenting of the topic in general. Not specifically any one post. I understand anyone's frustration with the Corp and SPA.

Actually it's Southwest Power Administration that calls the shots when it comes to power generation. The Corp steps in when it's a flood situation. I'm sure they work together in the middle of it all... I for one would not like to have their job. It's a no-win position.

http://www.in-fisherman.com/2014/06/11/midwest-finesse-fishing-may-2014/

No eyes . . . fooey!

Bump

Just throwing it out there... For not much cash, you can sponsor a forum and get quite a bit of exposure for the rest of this year. Drop me a PM if interested. Banner ad appears on main index board and individual forums when visited, linked to your site. ALSO! I still have some decals if anyone wants me to mail one out to you. They're FREE!

They've stated to run 2 units at Table Rock Dam so I guess they don't want more than 917 ft in TR. Running 24 hours a day right now.

So far- 2 days of drizzle instead of the big rain they thought. I like drizzle!

by John Neporadny Branson, Mo.—Missouri high school anglers made history by competing in the Bass Pro Shops Open Championship of High School Fishing June 7-8 at Table Rock Lake. The event was the first tournament ever held for high school teams signed up with the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) bass fishing program. The tournament drew 103 student anglers from 12 high schools that were paired up with volunteer boat captains each day. Republic won the tournament with 47 points and collected the top prize of $5,000 in scholarship money. A tiebreaker was used to determine second and third place since both Ozark and Branson finished with 31 points. Ozark broke the tie since one of its two-man teams had the heaviest single-day weight and claimed the second-place prize of $3,000 in scholarship money. Branson settled for third place and won $2,000 in scholarship money. Each two-man team fished for points for their schools based on the team’s total weight each day. The top 15 finishers of the two-man teams each day were awarded points for their schools to determine the overall school champion. The tournament also awarded trophies to the top 3 finishers in the team competition. Cody Huff and Colten Levan of Ava High School earned the first-place trophy with a two-day weight of 22.54 pounds. Brandon Durr and Colton Mease of Republic took second with 22.10 and Dillon Statler and Nick Snelson of Reeds Spring High placed third with 21.59. The Big Bass plaque was presented to Ozark High’s Cameron Smith and Austin Thrap who weighed in a 5.48-pound largemouth bass. Some of the student anglers had tournament experience but this was the first time they had fished in a high school event. “It is a great program,” said Cody Huff of Ava High. “It is just a lot of fun to get everybody out and let the high school kids fish. It is nice to be able to represent our hometown like this.” His Ava High School teammate Colten Levan also had fun fishing for his school. “I absolutely love it,” he said. Republic High anglers Brandon Durr and Hunter Gill have competed in various adult circuits and relished the chance to fish in this event. “This is a little different because everybody is our age and we are fishing as several teams for our school,” Durr said. “All in all I liked it and it was a lot of fun.” “This was really fun fishing with same-age kids and we had a lot of boats,” Gill said. “I just liked it because it was all kids my age so I could actually see where I was in tournaments for my age group.” Adult volunteers drove the 57 boats used to take the students fishing each day. One of the boat captains, Russ McBurney, has spent the last three months taking the Hillcrest High School anglers to various lakes and teaching them how to run a trolling motor, net fish and tie knots. “We just make time to spend with the kids,” McBurney said. “They are the next generation so we’ve got to get them focused on what the future is going to be. It was just a wonderful time to be with them.” A large crowd of family and friends flocked to the weigh-in to see the students with their catches. “I think it is amazing,” Romona Scoggins said about the high school bass fishing program. “My son (Tre) has enjoyed it. In the last three months he has gone from not knowing anything about fishing to knowing quite a bit. He just got a truck and now he wants a boat. This is really an awesome thing for the young kids to get involved in a new sport.” The tournament was a proud moment for Republic High School Coach Jim Huson, who organized the event and was instrumental in starting the MSHSAA bass fishing program. “My heart swells when I see all these kids out here from these different schools,” Huson said. “This is a great start for us that we have had as a vision since 2008. Ultimately I don’t know how it could have been more successful for us for our first year. “ Central Pro-Am Association handled the tournament registration and conducted the daily takeoffs and weigh-ins. This event was also special to the tournament’s emcee, Mike Webb, Central Pro-Am president, who has been running tournaments for 20 years. “None of them are as important to my wife and me as this one just because of the kids being involved. I think this will double in size by next year. This is the future of the sport and I see these people are going to be boaters one of these days and they are going to turn around and do the same thing we are doing now to hopefully keep this ball rolling.” The Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau also sponsored the high school tournament. “We see the event as a great opportunity to support the students and the program,” said Terra Alphonso, assistant director of sports and convention sales for the chamber. “The (tournament) has been well organized. I am impressed with the care for the fish and the safety of the participants.” For all of the results of the high school championship, go to http://www.webboutdoors.com/mo-high-school-championship.

Excellent!

Travis- come down to the dock and say hello. I should be down here all day.

Floods gates won't hurt us as far as water temp. TR's surface temp is still below normal levels and the water below the surface is even cooler. The water that comes over the top of the dam is several feet below the surface. While the thought of flood gates NOW makes me nervous... I actually love to see it in moderation as far as fishing goes. It means shad and great fishing for the upper part of our lake.

We got over an inch yesterday... Branson's measure bucket must be under an awning downtown.

Jack, no. Didn't see him. Tommy Armour III? Yes. Tom Kite- yes. Tom Watson- no, he was busy signing pin flags. Paul grew up with Watson- both from KC.

Just got an email forwarded to me from the Corp. They're saying the weather service is forecasting 5 inches of rain in the White River watershed in the next 7 days. But they state this forecast is a "moving target" and may change. They say if it does happen Table Rock will go to 920 feet. All this is very speculative.

Just got an email forwarded to me from the Corp. They're saying the weather service is forecasting 5 inches of rain in the White River watershed in the next 7 days. But they state this forecast is a "moving target" and may change. They say if it does happen Table Rock will go to 920 feet. Anything above 920 might mean a couple of flood gates at Table Rock. All this is very speculative.

By John Neporadny Jr. “Dock shooting” is one of the most effective tactics for catching Lake of the Ozarks crappies tucked up in the shady areas of docks. A local guide who shoots for crappie at the lake is Terry Blankenship. He had to learn the technique in order to compete with the shooters on his home waters of Lake of the Ozarks since the lake contains thousands of docks. The technique can pay big dividends for those who learn how to become expert marksmen since the tactic reaches fish that are inaccessible for anglers with 10- or 11-foot dipping poles. “The tendency of crappies is that they like to get under the darkest areas of those docks,” says Blankenship. “A lot of times whenever you shoot a jig way back into those dark areas a lot of your better fish are the first ones that will bite and they will bite really quickly in 2 to 4 foot of water.” Blankenship’s favorite skipping lure is also a large plastic projective, a 3-inch Bobby Garland Slab Slayer attached to a 1/16-ounce Bobby Garland Mo’ Glo jighead. He believes the 1/16-ounce jighead is the ideal size for skipping, since a 1/32-ounce head is too light to propel the lure and a 1/8-ounce model tends to plow into the water and dives too fast. The local guide skips his lures with 6-pound test Vicious Panfish HiVis Yellow line that allows him to detect any line movement indicating a bite when the lure falls in the dark spaces of the dock. “One of the key things is to get a line that doesn’t coil up real bad,” says Blankenship, who soaks his spool with line conditioner before a tournament. A good lure launcher is another key to effective dock shooting. When he was a kid, Blankenship learned he could sling persimmons farther on a longer hickory stick, so he relies on the same principle today with his shooting rod. He uses a 7-foot Cabela’s XMLTi medium-action spinning rod that has plenty of flexibility for loading up the line like a bowstring yet is stout enough to allow Blankenship to control his shot in close quarters. Relying on Humminbird 997 and 998 side imaging units have made it easier for Blankenship to find the best docks among the thousands to choose from on Lake of the Ozarks. “For crappie fishing that side imaging is one of the greatest tools I have ever seen for locating fish,” the local angler says. “If there is a row of 10 docks if I take my time and check those docks out, I can minimize my time greatly by finding the one dock with fish on it instead of having to fish all 10. I can go about anywhere on the lake and feel like I can catch fish, whereas before I felt like I had to work a little harder at it.” His side imaging units have taught Blankenship that the looks of a dock above water can be deceiving compared to what’s happening below the surface. Most anglers target the dock wells and walkways where they suspect brush piles are hidden, but Blankenship notices more crappies under the swim platform and large deck areas of docks. “Those are the ones that the fish really seem to school under more than just the 4-foot walkways,” he says. When scanning a uniform row of docks, Blankenship sets his unit’s side imaging range at 40 feet to show the most detail on his screen. With his unit fine-tuned, Blankenship can discern the difference between crappies and baitfish on his graph. “Crappies basically show up as a bunch of little specks,” says Blankenship. “The difference between crappies and shad is the shad seem to be more of a cloud on the screen whereas crappies tend to be more of a bunch of specks.” Blankenship originally suspected the specks were gizzard shad when he first started using the side imaging unit, but he soon learned the images were crappies when he would shoot his jig into the targeted area and kept catching fish. For information on lodging and other facilities at the Lake of the Ozarks or to receive a free vacation guide, call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-FUN-LAKE or visit the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitors Bureau web site at funlake.com.