Phil Lilley

Why not fish both. Looks like you're going to be here a while.

and the fishing... ? Should have been very good.

by Patti Hummert Reeling and Healing will be having a retreat September 27-29 at Rockbridge. This is open for any women over the age of 18 who is a survivor of any type of cancer. I have a couple spots still open. If you know of any someone who would be interested, please have them get in touch with me or go to Fishon.org and register. It is an incredible 2 1/2 day retreat and they learn to fly fish! (No experience or equipment needed, all will be provided) http://www.ozarkanglers.com/blog/2013/08/31/reeling-healing-midwest-programs-that-heal/ http://fishon.org

They said the pics of the boat were in front of Gastons but it looks like they have the fish at Wildcat Shoals takeout.

https://www.facebook.com/paul.bobby.12/posts/560194657373290 Found it. Posted on John Wilson's forum.

Got this email this morning. No real verification on who, what, when... anyone know anything about it? Caught and released on the White River. That's about all the email said.

Beaver.

Looking for a Canon (or made for Canon) wide angle lens. Mine dropped and went pop. It was a 18-55mm but would consider something comparable. If you have one laying around drawing dust, drop me a PM.

On Taneycomo, I'd go back in the coves and fish under the overhanging trees and close to downed trees. Docks if you can find them. Very lower lake, bluff banks. Poppers are the best I've heard.

May be because MDC thinks that if they put anything out, the current would move them to deep water or something? I don't know. There is structure - down trees and lodge bluffs.

I'd try them. Along the bluff bank under trees. They might even like them under a float. Never try them... but worth the try for sure.

They've stocked a ton of rainbows late last week. A lot of them are down at Monkey Island and can be caught with spoons, trout magnets and power bait.

Keep all the sub 12 inch rainbows up below the dam you want, within the code of course. The rules are designed for people to keep those 11.9 inch rainbows so that the upper end isn't over populated, which at times I think it is. As far as keeping them over 20-inches, we all have our opinions. I know some like to smoke a big trout once in a while. Again, the rules are there for a reason... I hate to see big trout killed but I'm not going to stare or glare or yell at anyone who takes one out. I do advise ppl here that if they want to mount one, it's much better to have a replica made and release your trophy. Replicas look so much better and last forever, if they're done right of course.

The water was off all morning this morning. I'd say good chance you'll see down water over the holiday.

Welcome!

Hard to say. Very hard...

Generation patterns have changed drastically since my last fishing report. Table Rock Lake's levels have dropped back to "safe" levels and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has reduced the water flow in the last few days. The flood gates were shut down last week and most days with only two units usually running. This has allowed for easier fishing for most, even fishing off most docks. There's been several stocking boat sightings in the last few days, too, meaning more rainbows have been stocked. I'm sure Missouri Department of Conservation and Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery folk are readying the lake for the holiday weekend around the corner. Our annual Guns and Hoses benefit trout tournament was a success. Just short of $4,000 was raised for the benevolence fund for Branson police and firemen families. Exactly $1,000 was raised in the raffles, money going to a young policemen's daughter with leukemia. We weighed some heavy rainbows. It took over nine pounds to win in a field of 24 teams. Tom Burckhardt and Bill Freise won first place with 9.32 pounds, and Tom caught the biggest trout, a 2.32-pound rainbow. John Hittler and Frank Dietl weighed in 9.02 pounds, good enough for second place, and Mike Riffel and Greg Multisch took third with 8.78 pounds. All these fish were caught on marabou jigs. When the flood gates were opened last week, lots and lots of shad came over the top from Table Rock, and our trout ate very well. Since they were shut, the water has cooled back down to 48 degrees, and the trout are now looking for small, silver shad. Back in 2011, after the flood gates were shut down, we still saw schools of shad swimming in the eddies of Lake Taneycomo, at least in the first five miles of the lake. Although I have not seen any yet, I'm sure we still have shad up here and our trout are gorging on them. I fished Monday with a couple of friends, Brian Wright and Joe Cermele. Joe threw a big streamer while Brian and I worked our marabou jigs. The morning definitely was the best time, and the trout liked our white jigs. Joe's efforts garnered lots of looks and follows but not many strikes. They trout we caught were larger than normal, fatter than normal and very colorful. We also caught quite a few medium-sized brown trout in various areas. I cast a hopper at the banks for part of the day Tuesday but didn't get one rise. However, Steve Brigman said he caught four really nice trout on a hopper yesterday, mainly on the bank on the south side of the lake from the cable down to the first island. The hopper bite just hasn't taken off for me yet on Taney this summer. While the gates were opened last week, our guides reported finding higher than normal numbers of freshwater shrimp in the bellies of their rainbows, caught below Fall Creek. Some started bottom drifting #10 gray or brown scuds on drift rigs from Fall Creek to Trout Hollow, staying on the shallow, flat side of the lake, and not the bluff side. Anglers are also faring well drifting a cerise-colored San Juan worm in tandem under the scud. I took some friends fishing late Sunday afternoon. We drifted either from Fall Creek to Trout Hollow or from the River Pointe Estates boat ramp to Trout Hollow and stayed middle/shallow side. We used one white PowerBait Gulp egg over a half a night crawler, and they caught about 20 rainbows and two small browns in less than two hours. It was an effective way to drift bait since the Gulp egg floated the worm off the bottom. Two gentlemen who stayed at the resort from Tuesday until Friday last week told me they caught and released 185 trout. They even had a clicker/counter to keep exact count. Their secret? They drifted from the dam down to Fall Creek using a 1/8th-ounce Kastmaster spoon. They reported having the fishing trip of a lifetime even though they have been enjoying Taneycomo for years! Today, it appears generation will be geared down with less than one unit during morning hours building to two units by mid-afternoon. That's a very good pattern, if it holds. But I expect the water will be shut down down altogether at least sometime during the day on the weekends. If we don't get any rain between now and next weekend, we should see quite a bit of down water on Labor Day weekend.

I don't know if Cooper Creek does tent camping. They used to.

Yes. No problem boating - just stay in the middle of the lake going up. Fishing this evening was ok. Didn't catch a bunch but they were nice ones. Nice brown caught at the cable today- 21 inch brown - white jig. Released. A big rainbow hooked and lost down around the bridges- 4 pounds or so. Lost at the boat. On a jig of some color... Just a beautiful day to be out, for sure. And the Cards won... Look at the brown belly on this brown... and the contrasting white under the gills. Very unique and pretty. Didn't enhance the colors either- sun brought the colors out. Terrible way to photograph rainbows but wanted to get them back in the water as quick as possible. These were 4 of 8 rainbows caught this evening... they'd go 6 pounds together. All caught below Fall Creek on the bluff on white jigs.

Spill gates were shut down this morning and generation cut from 3 units to 2. The lake here at Lilleys' Landing is much lower and incredibly slower. Off color which is surprising since it was gin clear before the spill gates were opened. Rick Lisek just came off a double guide trip. He said they really bit early, drifting from Fall Creek down using Gulp eggs. Stayed in the middle of the lake. Then this afternoon, he drifted the same area using a #14 light colored scud, an egg fly and/or a cerise San Juan worm. He said they were on the flats- from the mouth of Fall Creek to the end of the FC dock, in front of the yellow sign on the Hollister side of the lake and from the Riverpointe Estates dock down to Trout Hollow, staying on the shallow side of the lake. Anywhere there was flat gravel, those rainbows wanted those flies. Said they had 80 trout this afternoon. He used both power bait and flies on a drift rig, no float. I'm going out and trying a few things and will report back.

According to SPA's online schedule, generation drops to 100 mw at 8 am tomorrow which I assume the gates will be shut down sometime tonight or at 8 am. Water temp will go back to 48ish and no more shad. But the trout will still be looking for them for, I bet, the next month. I fished for 90 minutes late afternoon today. Tried some small crank baits with only a few follows. Even white jigs were slow. They just weren't hungry. I did catch one rainbow in some back water on a jig and it was a toad. I bet 19 inches and thick. I tried to take a pic but my nice Canon camera would not cooperate. Wanted to take it with the flash and the way I was holding it (leaning over and trying to take a side pic of it), my hand was covering the flash. I was afraid I was going to drop it in the lake so... back went the fish and no pic. Sorry. Need to take the Optio Camera next time!! Guides reported a good morning this morning. Bill Babler's group caught some real nice rainbows from Fall to Short Creek on night crawlers.

We slid it back in the lake... I knew they were out of season PLUS I don't eat them.

I know we have them in here- just don't see them up here. But this one came through the gates and there's been more reported since. Other stories of big fish seen this week swimming around too - not trout. May be walleye, gar, spoonbill or... ?? Who knows.

I have but no luck yet. Will try again today.