Phil Lilley

Bill Beck, guide here on Taneycomo, called me and said he was bringing in a big rainbow. I met him and his nephew, Aaron McDonald, at the dock. He wasn't lying!! 31 inches long, 21.5 inch girth. Big female. Beautiful colors. Not a mark on her. Aaron caught her. It's in the minnow tank right now trying to revive itself. We worked with her for over an hour. She's still breathing but not staying upright. Hopefully she'll get stronger and we'll release her. Caught in the Cooper Creek area, 2-pound fluorocarbon, salmon color trout magnet. Took 45 minutes to land. Got tangled in trees twice. Lake records aren't kept officially but I think this may be one. State record is 18-1 from Roaring River. Picture - a little later today.

Any reports from today's fishing?

I'm a firm believer in current... where you find current you'll find fish. There's very little current since the flood above rebar where there used to be. It's deeper yes but no current. Less bugs, less food, less fish.

No, there's no hybrids in Table Rock Lake.

This is Phil Lilley with the Lake Taneycomo trout fishing report. Sorry about the formal introduction, but it's specifically for google iBots. We're trying to move up in searches for Taneycomo fishing reports. As far as the trout fishing on Taneycomo, it's still very, very good. And our guides are still singing the praises of Trout Magnets. And yes, here at Lilleys' Landing Resort, we finally have some in stock. A couple of weeks ago when I first reported Trout Magnets were the hot ticket on our lake, I was lovingly accused of having an overstock of the small trout lures, but the fact is we never have carried them in our shop up until this Tuesday when we received our first shipment. We're already reordering... Rick Lisek, one of our fishing guides, says pink and cotton candy are the best colors he's using, and he's fishing from Fall Creek clear down to Cooper Creek. I've also heard there's a bunch of trout down in front of the Kanakuk Family Camp below the Branson Landing and Trout Magnets and 1/50th oz jigs under an indicator are doing the trick. If you don't like throwing a jig and float, cast a Cleo or Rooster tail, especially early in the morning, and you'll do pretty good. Gold or nickel/blue are the best colors in Cleos and brown or pink in Rooster tails. Ricky swears by Trout Magnet's line - SOS. Now I'm a Tectan or Trilene man, but I'll have to try their line and let you know. They do make (and we carry) a small spool of fluorocarbon for less money than Rio, and, as always, I strongly suggest tying 36 inches of fluorocarbon onto the end of your line. Our water is very clear right now and fluorocarbon will greatly increase your catch rate. I'd use the three-ound or 6x. Again, we don't have any SOS line in our shop -- but will the first part of next week. Scotty's Trout Dock downtown carries it. The U.S. Corps of Army Engineers has been running just a little water all day the last few days. Down here at Lilleys', we can hardly tell they're running any water, but uplake you'll see the current pick up as you get closer to the dam. Most of us love this kind of generation. It's enough to keep everything moving but not so much that you can't fly fish or spin fish anywhere. When using bait, I'd shy away from drift rigs tied with 1/8th-ounce bells because they're really too heavy. I'd use smaller split shots to get the bait to the bottom, just enough to keep your bait there but not enough to grab every rock or stick that's down there. Night crawlers are catching more trout right now than Power Bait and catching bigger trout to boot. Inject them with air, even if you're drifting them in this slow current. You'll get bit faster. Fly fishing: I posted a report yesterday after I drove up and waded in above the Missouri Department of Conservation boat ramp and did rather well. Here's my report. With this water the Corps is running, the trout I had in front of me yesterday were aggressively feeding in the current, and my #16 zebra midge was what they were looking for. If you're boating it, I'd use the same set up with maybe a slightly bigger zebra and fish it deeper below the indicator. Rusty, primrose and pearl, red and black zebras have been working as well as #12 brown, olive or gray scuds. Also try a red or pink san juan worm, but make sure you're fishing it bumping on the bottom. Don't overlook the shallow side of the lake. These fish don't see a lot of pressure. I've seen bigger rainbows in less than two feet of water lately where most people are fishing in three feet or more.

I'm in. I'll help all I can.

This is Phil Lilley with a short fly fishing report for Lake Taneycomo. I drove to the dam at 2:30 pm today. Parked at the MDC ramp parking lot about 3/4 mile below Table Rock Dam and walked down the hiking path upriver to the path at the tall tower down to the lake. They were running less than 20 mw of power, between 1,000 and 2,000 cfs and the lake level was between 702 and 703 feet. They hadn't had that level very long plus they brought it up to 703.5 feet and 20 mw while I was there. I thought this water is perfect. Current wasn't that swift, I could see almost every trout in cast distance between wind gusts and they appeared to be eating. I tied on a #18 nickel head Zebra Midge, black, set the palsa indicator at 3 feet deep and commenced to target trout just off the bank. Hooking them wasn't as easy as it appeared. I moved up lake about 50 yards and worked my way back down to my entry point. I hooked 5 rainbows, all between 13 and 15 inches. The 4th fish almost ran me into my backing twice, a feat his body sized said was impossible. Then he bolted right at the time I was pulling and snapped the line. Honestly, that doesn't happen very often. I'm usually pretty careful and 6x fluorocarbon is pretty tough stuff. But he got the best of me. Got back down to where I walked in and found the best trout yet. My first drift through, the Zebra Midge was refused by all the nice rainbows sitting in a line but not by the small brown at the end. My next try was rewarded by a very nice 18 inch rainbow and my last was a larger rainbow not more than 6 feet off the bank. I had to almost stand bank in the trees to get him. Back home by 5:15. Man I'm glad I made the trip and will go again soon.

Elk River May 31.wav

A slow moving boat does more damage to the environment (erosion) and creates more of a hazard than a fast moving boat- most of the time. Regulating speed isn't the answer, nor limiting horsepower. Taneycomo is a very unique body of water. Narrow channels and no current at times then wide channel and fast current at the other end of the spectrum. You can't address both conditions by making one general rule. You're left with common sense boating and there lies the problem... the lack of common sense in a small portion of the population. Gezzz... I'm getting way to far down this road... I need to go fishing.

by John Neporadny Jr. Catfish at the Lake of the Ozarks are an obliging sort. They will eat just about anything you put on a hook and can be taken with a variety of methods throughout the summer. The three most popular species to catch at the lake are channel, blue (or white cats as the local anglers call them) and flathead catfish. The lake has a reputation for yielding big blue cats each year and has also produced the state record flathead catfish, a 66-pounder caught by Howard Brownfield in 1987. Greg Stoner, the Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries management biologist for the Lake of the Ozarks, notes there are several 4- to 5-pound flatheads in the lake. Every year the lake produces a few 40- and 50-pound flatheads, Stoner says. Channel cats run much smaller. "If you catch a 10-to 12-pound channel cat, then that's a big one," Stoner says. While some areas produce better at certain times of the year, the catch rates for catfish on all arms are about the same, according to Stoner. The upper Osage arm (above the 60-mile mark) is one of the best areas to catch catfish on the Lake of the Ozarks. The area is attractive to catfish because the lake narrows and has more riverine qualities, including a stronger current which blue catfish favor. "If they are releasing water out of Truman Dam, that flow will attract not only catfish but a lot of other gamefish as well," Stoner notes. The Niangua arm and other lower lake areas seem to attract more channel catfish. "Channel cats seem to be more of a calm-water fish. whereas blue cats relate a little more to current," Stoner says. Flatheads are scattered throughout the lake. Catfish can be taken during the early summer, especially during the pre- and post-spawn periods on medium-diving crankbaits and spinnerbaits when they are up on the pea-gravel flats or in the logjams of shallow coves. During most of the summer though, catfish prefer the real thing over artificial lures. Anglers fishing a tight line with a rod and reel can catch numerous catfish at the lake. You should use 14- to 20-pound test line with a 3/0 short-shank hook to catch channels and blues. Use as little a weight as possible, and in some cases you're better off not using any weight at all. The best places to fish tight-line are from the shallows to a creek bank drop-off or along a rocky bank during the day. In the evening, try the shallows where catfish will usually be feeding. "Catfish seem to feed better during the low-light hours, but I have caught them all day and I know other people who catch them all day long," says Stoner. Some anglers also do well fishing at night during the summer. The most productive bait for tight-lining is shad from the lake. Shiners are second best, while a mixture of cheese and blood baits also work well. Other popular rod-and-reel methods at the lake are fishing from a dock and drift fishing from a boat. Fishing off a dock with a tight line accounts for most of the catfish taken during the hotter summer months, but drift fishing is gaining in popularity. Anglers catch plenty of channel and blue catfish by heading for the back of a creek and tight-lining while their boats drift out toward the main channel. Other productive areas to drift include main lake bluffs and flats where the fish will be anywhere from 15 to 60 feet deep. Cut shad works best for drifting, but if shad are unavailable, you can still catch plenty of cats on minnows, creek chubs or cut perch. Use a number 6 gold hook and pinch on a buckshot-size sinker about 1 foot above the hook. Drifting with about 75 to 100 yards of line out allows the sinker to bounce along the bottom, causing the shad to flutter around--an irresistible sight to catfish. Stoner says one of the most effective ways to catch catfish on this method is to drift along a flat toward a channel drop. As the bait bounces along the bottom, it drops off into the channel, which is usually where a strike occurs. To catch the biggest fish, some anglers prefer using trotlines. You should use a braided line with 4/0 to 6/0 stainless steel offset hooks. The depth to set a trotline usually depends on the oxygen level at the various depths, but most of the time, the lines are set anywhere from 4 to 15 feet deep. Blue and channel catfish eat practically anything alive or dead, so the same baits that produce for rod-and-reel fishermen will also work on trotlines. However, a flathead prefers a live bait, so goldfish are best to stick on trotlines for these cats. Other less frequently practiced methods for catching catfish at the lake include jug fishing and limb-lining. Jug fishing requires a 2- or 3-foot lead line and the same bait and tackle as rod-and-reel or trotline anglers use. Some anglers anchor their jugs while others free-float them, starting in the back of a cove and letting them drift out to the main channel. Limb-lining usually produces best in the spring and fall, but some fish can be caught during the summer on this method. You should use a 9-inch, 120-pound test line and 4/0 hook baited with goldfish or shiners. A goldfish set on a limbline a few inches under the surface is an excellent way to catch flatheads. The best locations on the lake to set limblines are rock eddies and straight rock wall banks. The best months to catch channel and blue catfish at the lake are from June to August. These fish become more active in hot water and are usually late spawners, sometimes spawning into late summer. The best seasons to catch flatheads are early spring and fall. If the bass and crappie fail to cooperate for you as the water temperature rises, you'll find the catfish on Lake of the Ozarks will bite just about whatever you put on a hook this summer. For information on lodging and other facilities at the Lake of the Ozarks or to receive a free 162-page 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.

Gun to the head? May have had something to do with it....

Should complain to the management... enough complaints and they may back off their customers. It's got to be turning off customers. I'm actually surprised Mr. Morris would allow it.

Is there any waters in Missouri where jet skies are banned?

fixed

Question: Were they selling vacations at Big Cedar for Bass Pro or the regular time shares Branson is known for? Big Cedar has been selling and pushing time shares for a few years now. I'd be very surprised if they let someone else, a competitor time share company, come on to their property and sell their time shares when BP is in that business.

I'm not anything close to a walleye angler except I like to catch them - know very little about how to do it BUT I would suggest driving down to and fish the Tucker Hollow area. It's not that much further from where you live vs driving to K Dock.

Bill and I put in at Baxter 5:15 am in hopes to catch a couple of limits of whites for a fish fry I have coming up on Father's Day. Upon getting to the ramp and seeing the wind on the water, our anticipation was dampened. Boated to the hot spot and was greeted by white caps. No white bass surfacing in this-- for sure! So we threw some topwater and caught a few fish and then sought more calmer water. Went back close to the Baxter ramp and found shelter from the SW wind. We threw a shad crank bait on a good smallmouth bank, according to Bill, and it was! He put another "client" on fish. I landed this 4.1 pound brownie. She was very dark and distinguish looking. Very heavy, dense body. Caught another couple short bass and called it a day... and it wasn't even 7 am. We'll try again when the wind dies down. Thanks, Bill!

Interesting is right. The security I've set up to register - people have to answer fish questions. Easy questions but you have to have some knowledge of fishing. So these aren't bots registering but English speaking people. So I does bug me when one gets in and posts. I was suspicious of the screen name but... I haven't had a spammer get in since I changed the system. He'll be gone in a minute. I'll edit the post and take the link out. He'll be forever remembered by his post that'll never make him any money, nor will it ever be deleted. Here's his email if anyone wants to do anything with it - vera_sacrifice@yahoo.com

Duane I believe has made his way to Alaska by now. He's basking in their 40 degree weather. They have jet skies up there... I saw Sara Palin and her husband on jet skies several years ago on the Naknek River- bussed by our cabins. Duane and Mona saw them too. But they're the only jet skies I've seen up there.

Just found this thread... DANG!! I wanted to start renting jet skies... I guess Babler won't come around if I do

Anglers, if you want to go "catching" instead of "fishing", go to Table Rock Lake with crickets or night crawlers in hand, put you boat in about anywhere on the lake and head to the first main or better yet secondary point and find 16 to 20 feet of water and drop your line to the bottom. That's about all the instructions I have for ya. I put in at State Park this evening around 5 pm and headed across the lake, hoping for less boat traffic and some shade. I didn't find either. But we did find big blue gill off a secondary, gravel point in 16 feet of water. The boat, though, chased us from our spot. Just too many making that run from the Indians to Long Creek and visa versa. So we headed towards Moonshine and a secondary point I'd always done well on and yes, they were there too. We ended up catching almost 30 to-big-for-your-hand gills, all coming from the bottom in 16 to 19 feet of water on small pieces of night crawlers. Caught one goggleye and several bass. I was expecting at least one or two catfish but none tonight. Some of the gills still had eggs and so did the gog.

I know there's a huge lodge/guide/fly shop contingent down there on the White... a lot more than here on Taneycomo. Not sure if someone could mount a campaign through FFF or TU to bring this to the Corp attention (like they don't know). The Corp office there seems to be a lot less affected by public opinion than here on Table Rock.

At Taneycomo, the Corp installed a second horn about 1/2 mile down from the dam. It helps. It wouldn't cost the Corp much to string a wire, install a pole and mount a horn or horns downstream of the dam at Bull. BTW- they installed the second horn AFTER someone drown. PPL said he or others around him couldn't hear the horn due to wind.

Mitch- How do you enter? Just say so on this thread? Have to enter before entries are submitted? And the big question: How do you know when the fish in the pic was caught?