Phil Lilley

They are going to run Taney at this flow, level until Table Rock is down to 920 feet

No- it very clear. It's alot clearer than it was in the high water of 08.

It's high but not much higher than 4 units would be normally. We were using jigs- white. Heard they did well from the bank below the dam yesterday on white jigs but there's not many palces where you can fish from the bank right now. Outlets were busy (1 and 2). Boat ramp is a possibility. Steve Dicky said they caught them real good from Lookout down yesterday on big san juans- bright colors. Pink. Chartreuse. FL Red. Big rainbows too. Steve pulled in an 80 pound spoonbill that came thru the gates. It was floating.

Needlenose. It's back was broken from going thru the gates.

Got out after 6 today. Darin and I boated to the dam in hopes to find all kinds of fish hitting white. We weren't disappointed. It was fast as I thought it would be but the rainbows were big, as expected, and we caught more than just trout. Small mouth, gar and white bass. The whites and sm were in the eddies and on the edges while the rainbows were anywhere. Fish kept hitting the surface on something. Saw some big gar along the banks in the brush. Saw some BIG fish in one pocket- not sure what they were but thought they were browns- over 10 pounds. Not carp, may be walleye. Damage- yes it's not good. Trees are damaged way more than in 08. Lots of bank erosion. Here are some pics. We did pick up Jeremy Rasnick. He was throwing a short crank bait and he did catch some fish too.

Gezzz! Thanks for posting.

Go fishing boys.

No- it's trashed. Building a new one.

<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3hcuGJ5bWvw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I have one left, yes.

Knox Presby from OP, KS. Men's retreat. Those that fished said they had one of their best fishing trips ever... an incredible statement that surprised even me! Yea- they jamb all day Saturday... services morning and evening. Been coming here since 1983.

Even though bass will be in different stages of spawning during May on the Lake of the Ozarks, one pattern remains consistent throughout the month. Harold Stark, a tournament competitor from Eldon, Mo., can catch bass in three stages of the spawn (pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn) all at one time by flipping jigs behind boat docks on the lower end of the lake. Since the water temperature runs from 59 degrees at the beginning of the month to 75 degrees by the end of May, the flipping pattern produces best because the fish will stay behind the docks the entire month. Stark prefers fishing from the dam area to the 35-mile marker of the Osage arm since this area contains more boat docks. "There are also so many bigger coves in that area and they all have more cuts to fish." The ideal locations to try are behind docks in small indentations or cuts in the banks of bigger coves. The cuts should have a bank consisting of both pea gravel and chunk rock. "Cuts that sit in closer to the main part of the cove (near deep water) are best," says Stark. This pattern produces best in stained water with the lake level at or above normal stage. The higher the lake level, the move cover available for bass behind the docks, Stark says. He usually finds fish 2 to 5 feet deep near any available cover. The most appealing docks to bass contain the most junk in the rear section of the floating structure. "You're fishing the ramps, the cables and any brush that might be behind the dock then,"Stark says. Even the cables dangling in the water will hold fish during this time. When Stark finds an ideal dock, he works it deliberately and thoroughly. He skips past the front end and sides of the dock and concentrates his efforts behind the cables. "If you think a fish is in a spot, flip to it more than once," Stark advises, "Generally though at that time of year, when you flip in and that fish is there, it usually bites right away." When he finishes behind one side, he will move around the dock and work the other backside. His favorite lure to flip is a 5/16- to 9/16-ounce Stanley jig with a plastic chunk. He prefers a brown jig with a black and red chunk. He also always adds a fish attractant, such as Fish Formula, to his jig-and-chunk combo. Stark uses 14- to 25-pound test line, depending on the water clarity. In clear water, he selects lighter line and switches to the heavier monofilament in darker water. Flipping works better than pitching in this situation. "You want to get in there just as quiet as you can," Stark says. "You can pitch it, but if you pitch too far back and you hook one, then you have to get him out from behind those cables. If you're too far away the you're not going to get him out." After flipping his lure to a target, Stark quickly retrieves the jig. "Put it in there, jig it a couple of times, then move it on out." He says the fish are aggressive enough during that time of year that they will usually hit the lure on the initial fall. The flipping pattern produces best under bright skies when the fish hold tighter to the cover behind the docks. During cloud cover the bass will roam all over the back of the dock. Stark says the fish will hit more aggressively but you just have to scatter your flips to more areas behind the dock. While flipping behind docks produces bigger fish, keeper-size bass will fall for tube baits thrown on a 1/16-ounce jighead with spinning tackle. Another successful pattern for getting a limit in a hurry is to throw a buzz bait. Stark suggests keeping your boat parallel to the bank and the trolling motor constantly running while you work the buzz bait along the whole bank of a cove. An effective pre- and post-spawn pattern during this time is throwing a Carolina-rigged plastic lizard along pea-gravel secondary points and channel banks in coves. 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.

For those interested - speed of the current at full tilt the other day was 6.8 mph in front of our place.

49 yesterday. This is much better than 40 before the flood.

http://www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil/WCDS/Reports/Data/Tabrock.htm http://www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil/WCDS/Reports/Data/Beaver.htm Looks like the lakes inched up over night but not enough for additional releases, at least that's my guess. 7:30 am and no text from our county commissioner.

http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/news&info/news/2011/037-11.html I texted our county commissioner and asked him about the alert. He said they are considering up to 40,000 cfs release but it won't happen until morning- may be as early as 6 am. They are running 20,000 right now. In 2008, they ran 48,000 so it would be just under that mark. Fun times!

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/egusFdZBCr8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6omvAsBe0Lg?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b9Joq6Ul3b0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/x2c_uFb6Uro?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6XJXvRj0dnE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-aOKjmHmvRs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MjKJieHO_sc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/feeB6FIzCEM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mrC_Rq8zt6A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7iVrsMizmIA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Dz4F3TFP28c?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Yfa64zz4RWk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8yFwpdZbW9s?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6tmKgVuAdtM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3mbuUr3PnXk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/d1kkRYvNdek?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VbWibSIeEFs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ebay- saw 14 feathers, different colors, 12 inches long (no other real description) bid was up to $22.50. For 14 feathers. Search "saddle feathers hair extensions" on ebay and see what you find. Heard of some saddles going for up to $200. If you have some feathers you want to part with, I'd consider ebay and make a little money while the fade lasts.

<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7EYFgx0EM0w?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aOORe7sHT7c?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Jimmy, Chis and I floated the lake yesterday to survey the damage. This video is from a gopro mounted on Chris's kayak. I didn't tell him to wipe the lens one in a while.

We've had awesome help. L&H Dock has been on the job from the beginning, planning on what to do.

There hasn't been any boats on the lake. We kayaked it yesterday. Water patrol has been on the lake some. But the lake is now open for boating. To put a no wake limit in effect would mean no boating at all. I doubt if that happens. The damage as far as I can tell was stone, block retaining wall constructed a few year ago with a pool inclosed in the wall. No homes are sliding in-yet. Never know.

I saw a water patrol boat go up earlier this afternoon. Wonder if that was what he was going up for. The multi-story condo at Fall Creek behind their dock looked like they were in a heap of trouble. I didn't go down that side of the lake but Chris did with the gopro. It's not real clear but the bank is washed away real bad there. I'm sure they had to evacuate it. I can see this happening. This soil along the lake is sandy silt down to bedrock well below the lake's bottom. I'll check it out in the am- planning on going out and try the fishing at the dam.

It did great. Not so good for the bank behind it.