Phil Lilley

One misconception anglers have is that if a rainbow looks really good, colorful, has all it's fins -- it's stream born. IMO and from experience on Taneycomo, that's simply not true 99% of the time. Raceway rainbows tend to rub the bottom of the concrete floor and this keeps the lower fins from growing but not on all rainbows. Also, the rainbows from Neosho Federal Hatchery seem to always be in better shape-- their fins are hardly ever damaged. I don't know how they raise their rainbows but it must be in a way they aren't rubbing a concrete bottom. I don't know if the Current gets any rainbows from Neosho. Plus when you say wild, we you saying hatchery rainbows are spawning and having young so it's the same rainbow. The only evidence anyone can provide of stream born trout -- if you find a good number of rainbows, the same size or year class, much smaller than those that are stocked. But even then, you just never know. Recently, here at Taney, hundreds if not thousands of small 2-3 inch rainbows washed over a screen and into the lake from Shepherd of the Hill Hatchery.

What do you use there? Midges? Flow looks good for stripping flies.

by John Neporadny The North Shore arm contains some of the deepest and clearest water on the Lake of the Ozarks. This section of the lake stretches from Bagnell Dam to the mouth of the Gravois at about the six mile mark. The North Shore features five long coves on the north side that warm up quickly to produce some of the earliest bass action in the spring. The major coves on the Horseshoe Bend side warm up slower and produce better fishing later in the spring. Secondary and main lake points are the key structures to fish most of the year on this arm. The deep waters of the North Shore annually yield some of the biggest bass taken from the lake. The biggest bass are usually caught in the early spring or at night during the summer. Bruce Gier, a former guide and one of the top bass tournament competitors at the lake, has caught tons of bass on the North Shore. During the winter, Gier’s cold-water weapon is a weighted minnow bait. The owner of Gier’s Bass Pro Shops in Eldon used to rely on a deep-diving Smithwick Rattlin’ Rogue to take winter bass but his favorite lures now are the LuckyCraft suspending stickbaits (Bevy Shad 75, Pointer 78, Pointer 100 and Staysee). His favorite colors are ghost minnow or Aurora blue in clear water and Nishiki or clown (red head, gold back and white belly) for stained to murky water. He retrieves the lure with a series of twitches and long pauses that cause the stickbait to twitch and wobble like a dying shad. The tournament veteran finds bass in the pockets if the lake level is low or the fish will stack up along secondary points if water is running through the dam. Twitching the stickbaits over brush piles in the 8- to 20-foot range allows Gier to catch suspended bass. In February, North Shore bass seek the warmth of rocky banks that receive a lot of sunshine. During this time, water is being released though Bagnell Dam so ideal locations for bass include pockets near a corner where the current breaks around a secondary point. “The fish will be just out of the current around that corner of the point,” advises Gier. “You can’t see any current but the fish sure notice it.” If the fish are hugging bottom or have moved into shallow brush, Gier switches to a small brown Super Bass jig and tips it with a Zoom Critter Craw. For the most aggressive fish he tips the jig with a twin-tail plastic grub. These two patterns usually produce for Gier until the middle of April when the water temperature climbs into the 50- to 60-degree range and the bass move into the pre-spawn stage. During this time, bass move off the chunk rock banks to the pea gravel and into brush piles less than 8 feet deep. In early April, Gier catches some fish throwing a crawfish-color Storm Lures Wiggle Wart along the flat gravel banks in the coves. His favorite lure for big bass in April though is a 3/8- or 5/16-ounce brown Super Bass jig and plastic twin-tail trailer tied on 8-pound test line. He works the lure slowly along the bottom or through brush 5 to 8 feet deep in pockets of the coves or on the main lake. His favorite jig colors are green pumpkin or a brown-and-copper combination. If the water is off-colored, he opts for a black-and-blue combo. When the water temperature climbs above 55 degrees Gier starts Carolina-rigging with a plastic lizard for the most aggressive fish and switches to a Centipede on a split-shot rig for lethargic bass. Best colors for these lures include green pumpkin, watermelon and pumpkinseed/chartreuse. The fish begin their spawning ritual when the water temperature reaches the 60-degree mark usually in late April and the spawn last sometimes until the second week of May. Gier usually catches these fish behind docks in the pockets of coves where he pitches jigs and plastic craws or tube baits, finesse worms and a variety of other soft plastics. “They’ll get under those cables around the docks,” says Gier. “That’s their number one spawning place—just where they can really deal you some havoc when you lay into one of those big babies.” By the end of May, North Shore bass have completed the rigors of spawning and recuperate around boat docks near the gravel banks in coves. Slowly dragging a Carolina-rigged finesse worm or plastic lizard catches some fish along the sides of docks, but Gier’s favorite tactic for these fish is sweeping a jig over the top of the fish. The technique requires pitching a jig-and-craw to the shallows, then pulling it away from the bank about 5 to 6 feet, which triggers strikes from bottom-hugging bass. “You can have a heck of a good time doing that all day long,” says Gier. Night fishing produces the biggest bass at North Shore throughout the summer. “The last two weeks of June through July is the best time to night fish on the North Shore, says Harold Stark a former BASS Federation National Championship qualifier who has fished the lake since 1978. “The fish are in a stable pattern then and once you find two or three spots that are holding fish, you can go back there and keep taking fish out of those spots.” The Eldon, MO, angler starts his evening on the water at 7 p.m. and concentrates on brush piles 15 to 25 feet deep next to the main river channel. “It helps if there is a dock around or a lot of docks where the fish can get in there and congregate,” he suggests. It’s also easier to find the brush piles in the dark if the cover is near docks with lights. His top three lures for night fishing include a plastic worm, jigs and pork frogs and spinnerbaits. He uses an 8-inch or longer plastic worm in red shad, electric blue, black and black neon hues and Texas rigs the worm with a 5/16- or 7/16-ounce bullet sinker. His other night lure choices include a blue 1/ 2-ounce jig with a blue or black number 11 pork chunk and a 1/ 2-ounce black or purple short-arm spinnerbait with a blue number 11 pork frog trailer. The tournament competitor works all three lures on 15- to 25-pound test line with bait-cast tackle. He retrieves all three lures in the same fashion by crawling the baits through the limbs of the brush piles or along the drop-offs. “August is a good time to start throwing that spinnerbait,” Stark says. “The fish see those plastic worms and jigs all the time.” Fishing can be tough in the early fall when the fish are in transition moving from deep structure to the shallows. As the water temperature cools, bass move extremely shallow and stay there throughout autumn. “The fish get so shallow on the North Shore in the clear water that they can’t swim straight up and down underneath the foam of the dock,” discloses Gier. Good spots to try in the shallows are the floating supports of dock walkways either in the main lake cuts or in the backs of coves. Topwater chuggers and Zara Spooks are good lures for fall fishing, but Gier prefers 1/ 2-ounce buzz baits and 3/8- or 1/ 2-ounce spinnerbaits with white-and-chartreuse skirts. If the water is off-colored he opts for spinnerbaits with painted blades, but switches to gold blades in clear-water conditions. For information on lodging and other facilities at the Lake of the Ozarks or to receive a free 152-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.

Had to been the rain from the weekend.

I did use the concrete ramp and had no trouble, although I don't have 4-wheel drive. Looked like they were using the long gravel flat to the left of the ramp but it seemed too soft for me to drive on. I didn't stay too long there in the bridge area because of the water temp. I thought 43 was too cold, esp after hearing it was in the high 50's not long ago. The brown color didn't bother me. Glad I went down lake. It's only a 40 minute drive over there - I may have to head over again soon.

I've been hearing about these crappie and got the hankering to catch some. Bull Shoals or Table Rock... break in the rain... not much wind... headed to Bridgeport. Water stained= 12 inches of visibility and 43 degrees. Not good. Called Babler and he said Chris T was catching whites down the arm. I had never boated much below the bridge so I was alittle intimidated heading down. He described the area - 8 miles down. You know some of the big coves look alot like the main lake but I didn't lake any wrong turns. I found the spot finally but I couldn't locate the whites. Water there was 52 and good color. So I went back to what I came for- crappie. Headed back up towards the bridge, only went a couple of miles and saw a dock sitting on a bluff bank. It was in 60 feet of water- tossed a white 1/8th oz jig in the stall and hooked something- a crappie. They were about 6-10 feet deep. Caught about 20- kept 12. Didn't have anything to measure fish with so I made sure they were well over 10 inches. Not many under 10 I don't think. Great evening- beautiful clouds and sunset. The bluffs are gorgeous. Accidently left the camera in the truck.

Thanks, Matt, for thinking of OAF and posting your pictures. I don't think anyone can take a bad picture on the NFOW. What a wonderful place!!

Offering discounts and announcing a sale on fishing (and hunting) stuff on a fishing forum helps everyone, IMO. That's why I think it's perfectly fine to allow someone to post things like this on a fishing forum. Hope you have a great day of sales and I'm sure those who buy stuff will be blessed too.

http://www.naotoaoki.com I've been Noata's "friend" on facebook for a couple of years and have talked to him about his fishing in Canada. He just posted his photography site - pretty sweet for sure. Enjoy.

No problem. Hope you get a bunch of OAF people there tomorrow!

cnr- yea... I get restless every 3 or 4 years. I'd like to expand the site--I already have alot of new material I'm holding for a new site. Winter time is a good time for me to work on it. I am working with a local outfit on ideas but I'm not locked it yet. Taking my time- want to do this right. Thanks

ditto

Yes- I know some people that do, especially using flies.

I think this has run it's course. Bill, thanks for trying to do the right thing. I think when You can't be thin-skinned on any forum. They are as impersonal as the screen names we use. I should require everyone to use their REAL names and post a photo of themselves to see who we're really talking to - real people. Anyhow- have a good holiday!

Oh yea... I got to hand feed a Manatee.

It’s Thanksgiving -- a wonderful time to reflect on our lives and acknowledge that we are blessed with wealth, family and friends, as well as the ability to show our appreciation and love to our neighbors. In the Ozarks, we are blessed with great fishing opportunities everywhere we look. Lake Taneycomo is a perfect example. Although it’s not a free flowing stream teaming with wild trout, it offers anglers, novice and experienced alike, the chance to catch rainbow and brown trout fairly easily. I, for one, am thankful for what this fishery offers. In saying all that, generation has been a little crazy lately. Most days, it’s running any where from 25 to 90 megawatts, which translates to from one half-unit to almost two full units, and this flow changes hourly all during the day. Our guides usually gripe about this flow pattern, but the alternative is worse. Most say when no water is running, the main lake (from boats, not wading below the dam) is very slow, especially if there’s no wind. With these conditions, let me plug our new drift rigs. I came up with the idea of using removable split shot instead of a bell weight on our rigs. A small knot is tied where the bell weight usually is, and the shot is pinched on the line next to the knot. The knot keeps the shot from sliding off the end of the line. When the flow of the lake picks up or slows down, simply replace the shot with the right-sized weight to fit the flow. Plus if the shot catches something on the bottom of the lake, it’s more apt to pull off the line and not break the whole rig off. I got a hot tip today that the Missouri Department of Conservation has stocked some very nice rainbows down by Monkey Island, and they are biting on Gulp Eggs in white/pink or white/orange. Make sure to put the bait on the bottom and keep it there while drifting. Even with two units running, there will not be a lot of current that far down lake. But you will have to contend with wind if it’s blowing. Anglers are catching rainbows drifting from Fall Creek down past our place (Lilleys’ Landing) on night crawlers, but they aren’t as big as the ones being caught down lake. Above Fall Creek, we’re still doing very, very well drifting scuds, egg flies and San Juan worms on the bottom with a spin outfit or a fly rod—using a float and fishing the proper depth. I’ve been using a BB split shot to get the flies to the bottom and also using an oversize float to keep the shot from hanging on the gravel bottom. Monday afternoon I drifted a #12 gray scud and a #14 red San Juan, 18 inches apart, pinching the BB split shot 18 inches about the first fly and fishing it 14-feet deep under a large indicator. I did very well catching quite a few rainbows up to 15 inches. They’re still fighting exceptionally hard for this time of year. PS - got out this evening and made a couple drifts from the dam down throwing a 1/8th oz sculpin/peach jig. Got lots of bites but had a hard time setting the hook. Had them hooked for a couple of seconds and then gone. I blamed it on using 2 lb line so I switched to 4 lb and did better. The 2 lb seemed to stretch more than the 4 lb and I could really set it hard with the 4 lb. I landed about a dozen rainbows on 2 drifts from the day to KOA and one on down to Fall Creek. I tried drifting a scud from Lookout down a ways and only caught one. They liked the jig.

I'm planning on being in town. Let me know what I can do.

Thanks guys. I might just get him going in a good direction with a camera body and let him take care of a lens. I know there's a wide range of cameras, lens and $$$ to spend. I'm sure we're looking for middle ground.

At Rockview Lodge, they had tons of fruit bearing trees including cashew trees. The fruit produced a nice juice plus the nuts. Now we know why cashews are so expensive! <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGk20tfRvrA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGk20tfRvrA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGk20tfRvrA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object> This is an interview with our native Guyanese guide, Milner, talking about the Harpy Eagle. <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol_3lKO6owE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol_3lKO6owE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol_3lKO6owE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object> Other videos of the 5-month old bird we watched for a couple of days. <object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTLMo2ymDuo?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTLMo2ymDuo?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTLMo2ymDuo?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object> <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsmYnVt-m6Y?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsmYnVt-m6Y?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsmYnVt-m6Y?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object> <object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv7ZiZ5xeK0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv7ZiZ5xeK0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv7ZiZ5xeK0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object>

Here are a couple of links to about 300 images from our Guyana trip. I think everyone can access the facebook pages... if not, let me know. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=342974&id=503474464&l=e69f2cc687 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=342995&id=503474464&l=cf658c2cb7

As far as fishing reports... I should have one up in a couple of days. This is a slow time and not many ppl fishing- at least the ones who write reports. Not sure what Babler's been doing lately.

Humm... not sure exactly what you mean. Zero units is no generation and one unit is about 3 feet of water, or less if they're running less than one. Have to refer to the water level. As far as depth, again I'm confused by the question. You can still fish with one unit pretty easily. Depth depends on how far you wade out in the water. No generation- most places won't be over your butt, depending how far your butt is off the ground.

Thanks Thom. We had 4 spotting scopes in the group counting one of the clients and 3 guides. We used our cameras to take pics through the scopes and it worked fine. I used my Optio to even take video. Barry has a decent scope but doesn't like to take pics through it. He uses a camera now- I just wanted to get him an upgrade. I will look into the adapter though. That's a route I may take next time.

Hey guys. My bro-in-law is an avid birder and I want to get him a good, light weight camera this Christmas. On our trip to Guyana, the zoom feature seemed to be important since we couldn't get real close to the birds. One of the guides had a Canon 20x zoom but said they came out with a 30x zoom recently. Sounds like that might to what a birder needs. Want to spend about $500, more or less. Thanks!

Didn't get to go fishing... unseasonal rains muddied up the road too much and ppl were getting stuck. We didn't want to miss our plane yesterday to Georgetown so we went birding instead. After we flew to Georgetown, we headed to a river outside of town. Six of us jumped in a 16 ft wooden boat with a driver and guide and headed out to find the Hoatzin (pronounced Watson). Cool river, not too wide and stained a dark brown but not muddy, thick vegetation along the edges with lots of birds and Haller monkeys. Guide said there were piranha were there. Saw fish rising... wanted my fly rod!! Next time. Got up this am at 2 (midnight central) after a few hours sleep. Marsha and I stayed in the same room, same bed that then President Carter stayed in back in the late 70's - Cara Lodge. Drove an hour to the airport, made our connections and now we're back in the good ol' USA. Lots of other stories to tell, pics and vids to load. Will take a few days to get around so... be back in the Ozarks tomorrow. the Hoatzin