Phil Lilley

A big rainbow has been seen the last few days above the Narrows... over 20 pounds easy is what I've heard.

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/Taneycomo-02.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="256" /> Summer can't make up its mid whether or not it's done with us or not. Hot temperatures the last couple of days with low 80's in the near future. Generation has followed the heat pretty much. When it's real hot out, they are running a bit more water in the afternoon and evenings but no more than 2 units. The last couple of mornings have been tough catching. Not a breath of wind and high sun, the trout had all but shut down until the wind starts and that differs daily. That hasn't been the case all week though. We took out a group of boys from a boys home in Arkansas Tuesday morning. Two pontoons of kids and sponsors, we headed up past Short Creek and anchored towards the shallow side of the lake above the Riverpointe boat ramp and fished with air injected night crawlers, 4-pound line and small split shots. In about a 3-hour trip, they averaged 7 trout apiece with one brown and the rest rainbows. All were released. The wind didn't pick up until about 9 a.m. but the trout bit even when it was dead still. So you never know. Ginger or olive/gold head micro jigs under a float 4 feet using 2 pound line is also a good way to catch trout early before the wind starts. Use this technique from Short Creek to Lookout Island. Once the wind starts and there's a chop on the water, a orange headed sculpin or brown marabou jig under a float 4-5 feet deep from Trout Hollow down to Lilleys' Landing on the shallow side of the lake worked very well, especially later in the afternoon into the evening. http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/23-inch-brown-2.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /> http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/23-inch-brown-3.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /> Later afternoon into the evening especially if the wind is blowing and there's some cloud cover, hoppers have been good from Lookout Island down to the Narrows against the bluff bank. I'm still doing well on a flesh or pink #8 Rainy's Hi Viz Hopper. Caught a 23-inch brown earlier in the week on one plus lots of rainbows between 14 and 19 inches long. If the water isn't running very hard and there's not a lot of wind, try a #10 black beetle or black ant in the same areas. http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/Taneycomo-01.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="306" /> http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/Taneycomo-03.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="286" /> When the water is running, work a 1/8 - 3/32-ounce marabou jig in the channel from Rebar Hole down to Fall Creek. Good colors are white, sculpin, brown/orange head, sculpin/orange/orange head, brown or purple. Here's a report from Darin on fly fishing below the dam: The fishing here on Lake Taneycomo has been getting better. The weather is cooling off a little bit and we have had some rain. The Corps of Engineers has been running the power generators usually just in the afternoon but the last couple of days they have been running them all day. http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/dry-rainbow.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="350" /> http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/pat-brown.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="276" /> http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/pat-rainbow.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="284" /> Wade fishing while the power generators is possible, you just have to find the right areas that you can safely fish and that are holding fish. My favorite spot when the generators are is the Pointe Royale access. There are two good spots to fish there. The first one is just down stream from the access path. Where the lake starts to curve there is a little bit of slack water that holds fish. They hang out right where the fast and slow water meet. Fishing this can be a little difficult with the current moving at different speeds. I always put my fly just on the slow side of the current. The second place is upstream for the access path. There is an island that has water behind it and holds fish most of the time. I fish my way up all the way to where I can’t walk on the bank anymore. Some of my biggest fish have come from back there. Both places I mainly fish the Miracle Fly about five feet under a Palsa on 5x or 6x Fluoroflex tippet. At the lower place I also fish Brad Wrights’ sculpin pattern on 3x or 4x Powerflex tippet. I fished both these the last few days and have caught fish every time I have gone out. Talked to Tim Homesley from Tim's Fly Shop at Roaring River State Park. He fished Tuesday morning wading below the dam. He said he's starting to see more larger browns move in which is pretty early. By the end of this month, normally there are good number of brown trout in the first mile of the lake.

Those are Babler's images he asked me to post for him. He should be on shortly to explain what they are.

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

Neither. The agent wasn't able to get to the guys.

Russ Stoval, owner of Hog Heaven Canoe and Campground on the Elk River, called in one of his famous river and fishing reports this morning. River levels are very low but fishing is very good. Listen to Russ's full report by clicking this link. Hog Heaven Canoe Rental and Campground

These are cell phone numbers to agents in Taney County: Quenten Fronterhouse: 417-294-5543 Buck Nofsinger: 417-546-0833 OGT Hotline: 1-800-392-1111 These are now the official contact numbers for these fellows. Plug them into your phones. Again, if you're below the dam and see a violation and it's during hatchery hours, call John at the hatchery at 417-334-4865 dial 0. Have good descriptions and information ready for the agents.

If you want to try your hand at a trout tournament, this is one of the only tournaments this summer on the lake. http://www.lilleyslanding.com/news/4th-annual-guns-hoses-fishing-tournament Should be a lot of fun.

Good deal... glad for ya!

Dangerously Low Water Levels on Table Rock Lake Ground Boats The Missouri Water Patrol takes KSPR on a tour of Table Rock Lake to us how accidents have increased as a result of unusually low water levels exposing dangerous obstacles. BRANSON, Mo. — Table Rock Lake is full of people but not water. The Army Corps of Engineers says it's dealing with "extremely unusual" conditions due to the widespread drought. http://articles.kspr.com/2012-08-10/table-rock-lake_33142609

Follow up to this post Talked to John at the hatchery. He went down and talked to the 2 guys fishing with worms yesterday at Rocking Chair. They had 12 rainbows in one stringer, using worms and all were in the slot. Eight of 12 were still alive and they were released. The other 4 were taken by John and are in route to the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield to be fed to the eagles there. The guys didn't take any fish home. So there... call the hatchery at 417-334-4865 if you see something during their hours of operation.

I think this is about the 3rd Saturday in a row they've ran water all day. Only 1/2 unit but it's enough to eliminate most of the wade fishing below the dam. Too bad... ruins a lot of anglers day if all they want to do is wade. But fishing out of a boat- this is my favorite flow. Jig fishing is great- either throwing or using a float, drifting is easy and it's not too much current to drop an anchor is you want but you have to still be careful about it. I'll go out here in a little bit and try... see what I can find. Spent the morning in the laundry... I've had enough towels and sheets for one day!

Operation Game Theft is one number - 1-800-392-1111 Branson Police 417-334-3300

With the exception of a few days, this has been one of the best "catching trout" summers we've had in years. Normally we'll have a week or more in June and/or July and for sure in August when our trout just don't want to eat. I remember some weeks where people will check in to the resort and fishing will be tough for them all week. But not this year. We've had very few complaints. Generation continues to be the same with a day or two in the week when the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers changes up things. Monday and today (Thursday) officials are running a half to one unit from midnight to midnight. Otherwise it's no generation all day until about 4 p.m. when one to two units runt until 10 p.m. Check the SPA Website for daily schedule. We've had some big trout caught this week. Kris Nelson, one of our guides, helped his client catch and release a 27-inch brown this week. It was taken on a night crawler between Fall and Short creeks. Their picture is featured as the header image for this article. I was blessed with a very large rainbow a week ago Monday while fishing with a couple of friends. None of us were looking for a lunker trout, especially as big as the one that appeared on the end of my line. She measured 29 inches long with an impressive girth, but we released her without getting a weight. In most cases, trout that size can't survive out of the lake very long. I certainly didn't want to hurt her, so she was released relatively quickly to safely swim away. I hooked her mid-channel in the lake about 500 yards above Fall Creek with a 3/32nd-ounce brown/orange marabou jig. I just named a couple of the best baits used this week -- night crawlers and jigs. That brown/orange has been a great color lately, but Ryan, our dock hand, caught "the most trout ever" the other evening, fishing the shallow side of the lake from Trout Hollow to Lilleys' Landing with a sculpin/orange with an orange head. He caught mostly rainbows with two browns mixed in. To use night crawlers, inject them with some air and let them fly. Use just enough split shot for weight to get the line out from the boat or dock. Not too much. I set the rod down and watch the tip of the rod. When you get a bite, let the fish take the worm just a bit and then set the hook. To drift with a worm, use the same technique, except for setting the rod down. Not a good idea if you plan to keep your rods and reels in the boat! Drifting Gulp eggs later in the day from Cooper Creek down through Monkey Island has been good for catching mainly stocker rainbows. I found a good school of trout up at the "bend" of the lake above Lilleys' Landing. The bend is where the docks start on the southeast side or bluff side of the lake, opposite the resort. They've been closer to the bluff bank than the other side. I caught them on an olive 1/8th-ounce jig in the evenings, but I'm sure they'll hit bait or another lure such as a Cleo or Rooster Tail. Also in the evenings, I've been fishing a jig and float from that bend down to the resort, casting a ginger or pink about six feet deep, mid lake. That little micro jig has been deadly early in the mornings when the water has been dead still in the trophy area (above Fall Creek). With no wind that glass-like water isn't the best condition to entice bites, but our trout are liking this little jig, fished under a float four- to five- feet deep on two-pound line. A close second choice is an olive/gold head micro jig, and third is a black micro jig. I've been getting away with using 6x fluorocarbon tippet, but when the sun comes out I would suggest using 7x. Fishing is best between the Narrows and Lookout along the bluff bank.

The wind was blowing this afternoon. It has been so calm all summer that when there's a breeze, you take note... and head to the lake. Ryan and I did just that about 4 this afternoon. The Corp kicked on a half unit before 3 so it had been running a while when we got to the Rebar area below the dam. We both threw a hopper till be got down to Trophy Run. Ryan picked up one small rainbow just up from the ramp. Had to call the hatchery on a couple of guys fishing at the Rocking Chair hole using worms. They even show us their stringer - full of large rainbows. Over limit, using bait and keeping fish in the slot. Man I hate to see that many nice rainbows taken out of the lake below the dam. I asked him if he knew the fishing rules, he said no. I told him briefly what they were and they were in violation. He baited his hook and the other guy reeled another one in. John at the hatchery said he would go and ask them to release their illegal fish... and call the agent if he needed to. I texted the agent but got no reply. ANYHOW!! We drifted down lake with little success. We both gave in and started throwing jigs. Ryan was doing real well using a sculpin/orange with an orange head 3/32nd ounce marabou jig. He could see the trout come up and chase the jig till they took it. As we neared the Narrows and what I planned on being the end of our excursion, a trout came up and snarfed what looked to be a hopper off the surface above a submerged log. Ryan still had a hopper on his fly rod. I'd tied a micro jig on mine so I told him to grab his as I worked back up to the spot using the trolling motor. He casted twice above the log but the current was pulling the hopper through the area too fast. Normally you only get a couple of chances at getting the presentation right on these fish, then they get spooked and won't take. I wanted to show Ryan how to cast so that the hopper would fall flat with slack and mend so that the hopper would drift freely over the targeted area. It worked. The brown's head and most of his back came out of the water as he inhaled the hopper. I set the hook and exclaimed to Ryan this should have been his fish... dang it! But he really didn't mind. He said several times his presentation wasn't right. Video shows the landing, pictures show the fish and more video shows the release. Good afternoon... I'm wondering if the next 6 weeks will only get better with browns moving up into the trophy area to spawn this fall. Hummmm....

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/kyle-taneycomo.jpg" alt="" width="210" height="155" /> Micheal Kyle fished with his dad Stuby this morning from 3 am till mid morning and called in a report after he got off the water. To listen to his full report which includes fishing a mouse pattern click MP3 or WAV for download.

Delete some posts... I don't want a new member thinking we're meanies here.

How can I make it better?

Thanks... Dan Sears has had a big part almost from the beginning, although he hasn't been on the site much lately. I know he still checks in occasionally. Brian Wise and Brian Sloss has been around along time too, as well as my best fishing buddy Bill Babler. As for the counter... through the years of changing servers and formats, the counter has been moved, dropped, canceled and even lost. Its accuracy is questionable but I have to say on the low side. Since the new OA site was created, the counter has not been counting that side of the site so those page hits have not been counted. The site and forum is a blessing is a lot of ways to me and I trust to others. Met many new friends through it and learned a lot about fishing in places I hope to go and fish. It wouldn't be what it is without you guys...

My wife and I have canoed and kayaked Missouri waterways since we moved here from the flatlands of Kansas in 2004. We’ve found each stream and river has a personality of its own — some offer an energetic, wet romp; others a gentle, contemplative ride. Right now they’re all taking it slow and easy, thanks to Mother Nature’s decision to turn off the rain spigot. http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120809/LIFE06/308090043/missouri-float-trips-current-river-guide

Floating and fishing on the Current River have become synonymous with summer for my family and the Palermos, a family we’ve known since we lived in Kansas and our youngest sons — fast pals — were 7 years old. Together we’ve stayed in Montauk State Park and done the same float — Cedar Grove to Akers through Jadwin Canoe Rental — every summer starting in 2002, a couple years after we moved to Springfield. For many years because of summer soccer training, we went the first weekend of August. Eventually we shifted our weekends to June or, like this year, early July. .http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120809/LIFE06/308090045/missouri-river-traditions

Egg on face... Tim is correct in his post below. Let's try thin one - CASSVILLE, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation and The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will host the second Kids Fishing Day of 2012 on Saturday, Aug. 18, at Roaring River State Park. Fishing starts at 7 a.m. and will continue until 8 p.m. The park is located on Missouri Highway112 about seven miles south of Cassville. http://www.joplinglo...-set-for-Aug-18

Camdenton, Mo. — “What on earth – it’s a stupid walleye”, my bass tournament partner exclaimed, reeling in his fish, “and it bit a spinnerbait!” This incident happened during a tournament 36 years ago on Lake Shelbyville in central Illinois. It seemed an inconsequential accident at the time. However, walleye were native to the Kaskaskia River system so encounters like this occurred in both the river and the lake. The unusual part was how hard the fish attacked a spinnerbait with chrome-colored Colorado blades. http://www.lakenewsonline.com/newsnow/x1437143393/Walleye-on-spinnerbaits-you-re-kidding

Table Rock Lake is more than 50 years old.When the lake was created, much of the Ozark forest was flooded, and the trees and brush provided cover for the lake’s fish populations. But after 50 years, most of that fish habitat has disappeared. http://www.news-lead...ks-fish-habitat

I miss Michigan and those rivers.... stopped going there after going to AK for the first time. Started fishing the PM in 1985. The brown stained water in the last photo makes me homesick for the Pere Marquette. Thanks for posting such a wonderful report!!