Phil Lilley

<img style="margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px;" title="John Berry" src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com/white-river/files/2011/12/John-Berry.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="250" /> Last week I had a two day guide trip with a businessman from Wisconsin. My usual habit, when guiding the same client for two days, is to fish on the White one day and then fish the Norfork the next. Of course, if the client wants to fish one river both days, we do it that way. <a href="http://www.berrybrothersguides.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com/white-river/files/2012/05/Berry-Brothers-banner-ad.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="78" /></a><!--more--> Brett and his wife, Cindy, were staying at River Ridge Inn. I picked him up at 7:30 AM the first day. It was very cold and windy (complete with lake wind advisories) and Cindy passed on the opportunity to fish with us. We decided to fish the Catch and Release section because it had recently reopened after having been closed for three months to accommodate the brown trout spawn and it had been fishing very well. They were running three generators and the flow was a bit over 6.500 cubic feet per second (cfs) which is the rough equivalent of two full generators. I launched my White River Jon boat and motored up toward the dam. We were fishing large egg patterns below pink San Juan worms with a large AAA split shot (.8 grams) and a medium sized Thingamabobber as a strike indicator. We were doing well and hooking up a good fish on just about every drift. About ten o’clock we heard the horn sound at the dam. I knew from past experience that this signals some change in water flow through the dam. Sure enough, we saw another generator come on line and the flow increased to about 11,000 cfs or the rough equivalent of three and one half generators. This is more water flow than we have experienced in some time. The increased flow did not hurt the fishing. About this time, I looked up toward the dam and noticed the gulls actively feeding on something coming through the generators. This is the classic indicator for shad coming through the dam. The increased flow had triggered it and about a hundred gulls diving into the power house out flow to key in on shad coming through confirmed it. I told Brett that we were in for a very special opportunity, fishing shad! I clipped off the San Juan worm and egg pattern. I reached into my boat fly box and pulled out one of the white marabou jigs with a bit of flash that I always carry in case I run into this situation. I quickly tied it on, bent down the barb and motored up toward the dam. Brett hooked a fat eighteen inch rainbow on the first cast. We fought, landed and released it quickly. A couple of casts later he picked up another. For the next hour and a half the action was absolutely nonstop. We were catching two or three fat sassy trout on every drift. They were all in the fifteen to eighteen inch slot. We didn’t hit a really big fish but we were happy. Brett was absolutely stoked. He had never experienced trout fishing like this and was amazed by the size, girth, deep color and fighting abilities of the trout he caught. We boated a couple of dozen fine trout in that time period. About eleven thirty, it ended as quickly as it began. The flows decreased back to around 6,500 cfs. Our first clue was that the gulls quit feeding. We stuck with the shad pattern but the action had slowed. Now we were only picking up an occasional trout. A few minutes later we noted that the flows had greatly diminished. They were now about 1,500 cfs or the rough equivalent of less than one half of a full generator. The predicted flows for the day had indicated that that generation would be cut back around eleven o’clock. I knew that I would not have enough water to drift the area and headed for the ramp where I quickly put my boat on the trailer and got it out of the river, while I could. We had received an extra hour of higher water and higher flows than predicted. On the White, water flows are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. We headed down to Rim Shoals to find some deeper water. We ate our lunch on a picnic table by the river. I launched my boat and we motored upstream. The wind was howling and it was difficult to get a good drift. The water was severely stained and full of trash. The river had been off for a few days prior to this day and the higher flows had flushed all manner of trash downstream. We picked up a couple of small fish but the going was tough. We decided to go somewhere else. Our best option was the Norfork. We trailered the boat to Quarry park and were pleased to see very few anglers there (I only saw three). I switched the fly rig over to a sowbug under a pink San Juan worm and we waded over to a good spot. The action was a bit slow but we managed to catch several nice trout to include a nice brook trout. About five o’clock Brett had caught enough trout and was ready to join his wife for dinner. On the drive back to River Ridge Inn, I worried about how I would be able to top the fishing on this day on the next day when we would fish again. The shad were not technically supposed to be coming through as it was not cold enough for a full shad kill. Someone forgot to tell the shad! John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

I have too much respect for everyone's beliefs, and the Lord God, to let this go any further. I will not let this fishing forum move into the discussion of religion. That's one of my rules... No reflection on any posts here, just where it may go if I let it.

http://newmdcgis.mdc.mo.gov/public-maps-gallery-1.4/public-maps-gallery/map.html?webmap=1fc4dee14f6747d8924612aecbb48ac5 Map Link

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-279" title="Feb 27 Montauk" src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com/montauk/files/2013/02/Feb-27-Montauk.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="275" /> Darrell Bentley gives a great pre opening day report for the new trout season at Montauk State Park. River conditions as well as number of trout stocked and what they're biting on... he gives it all. <a href="http://www.ozarkanglers.com/montauk/files/2013/02/Montauk-Feb-27.mp3"><strong>Hear his report by clicking HERE</strong></a> <a href="http://reedstrout.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com/montauk/files/2012/05/Banner-ad-800-wide.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="55" /></a>

They were BIG even that far up. Wish I could of seen them up closer.

Winter is hanging on . . . actually it seems like it just arrived! Snow, well some sleet and thunder showers here, but no snow yet! But colder temperatures and a bit breezy makes tough fishing conditions. But trout don't mind. They like it! Trout fishing has steadily improved as winter goes by. What I consider to be our "trout opening" was the first weekend in January when our Boswell group came and fished. No one was impressed with the number or size of our trout that weekend but since we've seen better rainbows caught and more of them. But we aren't seeing as many good rainbows (15 to 18 inch) as we did in 2012. Why? Not sure. But it is what it is. This last weekend, we hosted our last winter trout tournament. At the weigh in, we saw quite a few nice pound to pound-and-a-half rainbows brought in and weighed. Most of these were males, sporting dark colors and a hooked lower jaw. Our Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery does stock male rainbows, and this is the time of year our rainbows spawn, so it's normal to see them, just not quite this big. Most of the trout caught in the tournament were caught on jigs. I talked to quite a few participants and they were throwing earth-colored 1/16th to 1/8th-ounce jigs straight, without a float. The largest rainbow was caught on a white jig and he caught it early in the day down by the railroad bridge. A hot area where they found good rainbows was between Short Creek down through the docks to where the old Sun Valley dock used to be and fishing the dock side of the lake. Colors: ginger, olive, olive/sculpin, tri-olive, sculpin/ginger, black and white. Capt. Bill Babler had a great trip on Monday, fishing primarily with night crawlers, with one unit running, drifting from Fall Creek past Short Creek. His clients caught rainbows and a few browns regularly for their six-hour guide trip. When the water is running, you don't need to inject air in the worms. A gentleman last week found crappie down at the Landing. He fished a minnow under a float and drifted in 10 to 15 feet of water. He said he caught some nice crappie and a few bass, too, along with trout. I went down there yesterday and ended up trolling a 1/16th oz head with a purple swimming minnow and caught one nice crappie, missed two more and caught three rainbows. It was windy and cold! I tried to stay within 50 feet of the Landing wall. Fly fishing below the dam has been very good. Scuds and sow bugs worked on the bottom, #12 to #20's in tans, olive and grays. On the flats, use a #16 rusty, P&amp;P or ugly zebra midge under a palsa float 6 to 24 inches deep, depending on the depth of water. I drove up to the dam this morning and fished from the bank just above the MDC boat ramp for an hour. It was cold and windy, but I caught several very nice rainbows on a #16 rusty midge under a palsa six inches deep. They were midging even in the heavy chop. The Rebar area has produced some great rainbows this past couple of weeks. The veterans here have been using a tandem rig that includes a scud and soft hackle tied about 24 inches apart. Use the soft hackle below the scud. Also try a San Juan worm or a Mega worm in the fast water. When fishing the chute at Rebar, don't pass over the fast, shallow looking water towards the end of the chute. This is holding some very nice trout. If there is a chop on the surface, as there was this morning, strip and swing a soft hackle. Use lime green, red, black or pearl colors in size #14 to #18's. In the trophy area above Fall Creek, jig-and-float is working very well. Most of us use two-pound Vanish which is a fluorocarbon line. It disappears in the water better than regular mono filament. We're setting the float four- to six-feet deep, depending on the depth of water we're fishing and using small marabou and micro jigs. Marabou jigs: 1/125th to 1/64th-ounce in brown/orange head, sculpin/orange head (best), ginger, sculpin, olive, black and white. Micro: Half micros olive/orange head, ginger, gray/chrome head. If the water is running, use a full micro, pink/chrome head. Jig-and-float also works well below Fall Creek, anywhere in the main lake. You might set the depth of the jig a little deeper. Also use a Miracle fly under an indicator. This is a egg pattern developed by Jeremy Hunt. The best colors have been Oregon cheese and peach.

I take Paypal now...

Conditions basically. I want someone from one of the shops to give us information to post on the forum/site. Weaver's site has a lot of info. Wanted to call and talk to / record and post the voice report. I've emailed a couple of people. Waiting for responses. Thanks

Tim Homesley graciously called in and left a very informative river report for Roaring River, this just 2 days before opening of trout season at Missouri Trout Parks. Hear his report by clicking HERE (WAV) . . . or HERE (mp3)

I'm about 90% sure these were big white pelicans. They were really wanting to land on the lake. I was at the boat ramp and there were people at the gauntlet-- no one between us so there was plenty of water there but they just didn't want to commit. I've seen them on Bull Shoals before but never here.

Who would I talk to to get a good forecast for opening day at Bennett? Someone who has a shop there close to the park who would know conditions, esp after the snow they just had.

Water levels are running at 400 cfs and water clarity is poor. We received about 1.5 inches of rain on Monday night and it did make the Warm Fork of the Spring River mud up. The Warm Fork runs into the Spring River just below dam 1. It usually clears up quickly and the river should be fine by this weekend. We have had plenty of rain lately and the river is back up to normal levels. The river has been very low over the last several months and now that it is back up, I just want to remind everyone wading the Spring River to carry a wading staff and be careful out there. A fast current and slick rocks can make for a wet experience. Sunny days have been a little tuffer lately and on overcast days the trout seem to go on a feeding frenzy. Guppies, snails, and two tone woollies have been doing great. Hot pink and red trout magnets are working great also. With water levels at 400 cfs a little more weight may need to be added and mend the fire out of it..... Tightlines and good luck, Mark Crawford 417-280-0927 mark@springriverfliesandguides.com www.springriverfliesandguides.com

Anyone have any experience with covering a slick boat deck (a Grizzly)? I don't want to do carpet or vinyl. This is a metal bottom boat. Rhino Lining? I'm afraid it would be slick too.

Ask the same question when it looks like they're getting good. There are some spots on upper Bull Shoals I've done good - depends of water levels there. Taneycomo may be a place too, believe it or not. Of course you have a better shot at white bass when they're running from the bank. They'll be info on the forum at that time too.

They're resting...

Here's a pic of the striper.

You're pretty much limited to the dam to Lookout. By boat, you can wade the Narrows and the bar below that almost to Fall Creek.

Not as good. You can go back and see results either on the forum or on Ozarkangler.com

http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x273850532/Much-work-takes-place-to-get-250-000-trout-needed-at-Roaring-River

Good day, good tournament. 32 teams. Mike Riffel and Jeff Timms took first with 7.58 pounds (8 trout). Bob Dwiggins and Bill Freise 2nd with 7.46. Gerry Dwiggins and Bruce Wucher 3rd with 7.08 and Tom Burckhardt and Fran Biermann 4th with 7.06 pounds. All 4 top teams fished marabou jigs from Short Creek to the end of the docks down, south side and 90% of the time threw a straight jig, no float. Jig colors were olive, sculpin, a tri-color olive jig, sculpin, brown and combinations of sculpin, ginger, orange and olive. It seemed like a lot of teams brought in one good rainbow (about a pound) but had nothing to go with it (smaller rainbows). Most of the nicer rainbows were males in spawning colors. The big rainbows of the day was caught by Gary Hirsch of St Louis. He caught his trophy, another male, 20 inch rainbow, at the city ramp next to Scotty's on a while 1/8th oz jig first thing in the morning. His partner, Tony Boswell, was sick with the flu back at the resort. He never got out to fish so Gary could only weigh in 4 trout. No one fished above Fall Creek in the tournament. Should have photos up on the resort site shortly.

Only sanctioned bass tournaments are allowed to legally cull fish and sanctioned tournaments are all catch and release with penalties for dead fish. My public tournaments are catch and release, no deductions for dead fish (except the natural deduction - a dead fish weighs less than a live fish). I know of only one time where anglers were ticketed for replacing fish on a stringer during a tournament - that was a long time ago, prior to 1997 and new regs. There were guys who had boated to the dam, got out, were wading and fishing with bait. They were culling and were ticketed. Participants cull at their own risk.

Yes. Legally, once you have 4 trout in your livewell or stringer, you can't keep any more. Can't cull (release and keep another). You can keep fishing. Catch and release trout or catch, keep or release other species of fish.

http://www.northarkansasflyfisher.org/sowbug_roundup.html

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/jig-fishing/ I cover jig and float fishing in this article. Babler is also a good source. After reading this, ask any questions you have.