Phil Lilley

Hope you do well. Please report back and tell us how you all did.

Thanks ITGUY for coming on the forum and explaining the situation.

What happened to posting standings from the last couple of days? No fish were caught???

Aren't you putting in at KDock? There's a report by Babler posted just the other day. That should give you some really good info- not much has changed since then. Also, I'd read up on what's been working on Table Rock. If you mimic what you see on Table Rock, you'll do well. They are very similar. Unfortunately, we don't have any guides posting on Bull Shoals. But you might pick up someone who's fished it the last few days besides Babler.

Put in a K 7 am this morning. 18 degrees... what am I doing?!?? My depth finder wouldn't even work. Headed to snap. Caught 3 whites and one big crappie off the drop off on white jigs 1/8th oz. Later in the am caught more. 20-30 feet of water on the drop. White Jigs. On the flat the depth is 7-8 feet and the channel is 35-38 ft. Water temp 37 when we put in and 40 when we took out. Most of the whites were sows - all nice 1.5 to 2.5 pounds. Water was slick- no wind- high sun. Thought we wouldn't do any good but did. Ended up with 19 whites and 1 crappie. Nice first trip of the year.

Alot of businesses are hurting right now in the area. This is a huge boost and probably just in time after a tough winter season. Lodging, eateries, even Bass Pro on the Landing will benefit. The FLW is a group of diverse people just like any other group. You could be talking about a big church, a company, a squadron of fire fighters, employees at a Wal Mart super center. Most of the people in these groups are decent people and even some of those make mistakes. A small percentage act poorly and that reflects on the group. The only thing in this equation that you can control is... you-- how you react, how you judge, how you live your life. Give mercy and it will be returned. Think the best of all people and be wise in your dealings.

Jeremy Hunt It would be simple to assume that pretty much all of the fish on the White River, Norfork Tailwater and Lake Taneycomo fight the same way –especially with respect to the rainbows. The fact of the matter is that once a trout is stocked, they must immediately adapt to prevailing flow conditions. If the water is high during induction, the fish experience a “baptism by fire” because they must immediately find a spot out of the current where they will not become prey for a resident lunker. During lower water conditions, freshly stocked trout have more time to adapt to their new surroundings. The fish that survive the first few weeks of river life are true products of their environment, and they will begin to display unique characteristics based on the stretch of river they inhabit. For years, I have been observing the behaviors of both rainbow and brown trout, and there is definitely a difference in how fish fight from one spot to another. The areas with lighter flows, adequate in-stream structure and really good habitat are where the trout seem to be lazier overall, even though they may be bigger. If a fish is forced to fight strong current the majority of the time, they will inevitably be lean and strong. In general, the trout of the White, Norfork and Lake Taneycomo each act differently after they are hooked, and this is a direct reflection of the circumstances the fish encounters throughout their life. The White River Out of the three Ozark tailwaters that I frequently fish, the trout on the White are by far the strongest. Even though there is really good habitat in certain areas, every fish in the river is exposed heavy flows at some point or another. A few of the browns and rainbows that get really big are quite fat, but in general, the trout on the White River are muscular and sleek specimens. Browns and rainbows each have their own battle strategies. ‘Bows will give you everything right away, but they do not have near the stamina or brute power of a brown. Both species are capable of long runs and spectacular aerial displays. The resident fish that live in the catch and release area below Bull Shoals Dam are both fat and strong. There is not a lot of structure in this zone, but the sheer volume of food more than makes up for this shortcoming. The trout that spend their time in the “Top Pool” (the first ¼ mile below the dam) are even stronger fighters than their counterparts below the shoal. The rainbows on the entire White tend to run straight away after feeling the hook, as opposed to running upstream or downstream. Even a 12-incher will give you a run for your money on this river. If the water remains low for long periods of time, White River trout will lose some of their longevity with respect to how long they will fight hard, but their initial reaction is always intense. The browns up and down the river go absolutely wild when they are hooked, but after their initial fury, they dig in for the long haul. There are very few places in the world where the trout fight as hard as they do on the White. The Norfork Tailwater It is hard to imagine just how much diverse water can be found on the short, 4.8-mile long Norfork Tailwater, unless you get the chance to see it for yourself. If there was a video game where anglers could design their own trout stream, my version would probably resemble the Norfork during low water every time. The reason that the Norfork is so ‘perfect’ is also why the fish here tend to fight relatively weakly. There is so much food easily accessible that the trout do not have to expend much energy to feed, and there are plenty of ledges that provide hydraulic-relief for thousands of fish. The trout on the Norfork are the epitome of lazy. I would never want to give the impression that the fish on the Norfork lack enthusiasm. Rather, they just do not have the muscle to fight for really long periods or to make frequent, dramatic runs. Of course, the trout on the Norfork are bigger, on average, than what is found on other Ozark trout fisheries, so anglers are still often treated to a battle. Do not expect really long runs here, and the browns on the Norfork really like to pull towards the bottom of the river. Because of strong current and a lack of structure, the “Top Pool” below Norfork Dam is where the strongest fish are found. Upper Lake Taneycomo The water directly below Table Rock Dam is flat and fairly plain. Even though there are not a lot of big rocks and submerged trees in this section, there are plenty of eddies along both banks where the trout can feed with minimal effort during high water. There is plenty of food to be found on upper Taneycomo, so the fish here get very fat in a short amount of time. Because of the unique dynamics at play on Lake Taneycomo, the rainbows in the upper end are extremely spirited fighters. A 14-incher can take five minutes to land and an 18-incher is capable of getting into the backing on the first run. Unlike on the White, where the ‘bows tend to take off across the current, the fish on Taneycomo like to fly upstream and downstream. This adds an exciting element to an already thrilling encounter. The browns fight hard here, as well, but the energy of the rainbows is remarkable. I would be remiss if I did not mention how important it is to fight and land every trout hooked as quickly as possible. Each time you turn a big fish successfully reduces the fight time significantly. There truly is an art to efficiently battling large trout. Anglers who fish the White River, Norfork Tailwater and Lake Taneycomo will be treated to very strong fish with plenty of attitude, but each fishery’s trout act a little differently when they are hooked. Even though the majority of fish caught will be hatchery rainbows, the extreme conditions of these waterways quickly turns these “truck” trout into worthy adversaries –a stocker will act wild within weeks of being introduced. This can be quite the surprise for those expecting little resistance from these fish.

Generation and water temperature are always the first items I talk about in my fishing reports. Why? Because everything revolves around them. How you can fish, where and with what. I don’t talk about temperature as much as generation—it’s usually not an issue, but right now I feel it is. Table Rock Dam has been running two units 24/7 for more than a week in an effort to get Table Rock to power pool—915.0 feet. I emphasize the “.0” because at the moment it’s at .3. I’ve been told by a little bird that when it reaches .0 the dam operators will back off on generation. That may mean periods of zero or at least less generation in the coming days. Water temps have held around 39, which is really cold for this time of year. Trout don’t mind the cold — really their warm water friends don’t either. They will feed but be slower about it. The bite may be softer, not as hard as it would be in 45-degree water. So presentation should also be a tad slower to get more bites. Just think “slow motion.” That’s what you’d be in if you were cold —moving a little slower. But just as with bass or crappie fishing, if we see a rise in water temps, we’ll see a rise in motion, action and feeding. Suppose generation slows and lake temps rise into the 50’s. If water temperatures rise a little, I bet you’ll see our trout respond with a feeding frenzy. Well, even if they don’t, at least you’re on the lake on a nice warm day! I can’t say for sure whether we have had shad come through Table Rock Dam this week. Shad are dying like crazy on Table Rock due to the cold-water temps. It stands to reason that we should see some shad, but to tell the truth, I haven’t been out to investigate in more than a week nor heard any reports of sightings. At least one team fishing in Saturday’s tournament did well with white jigs and spinners between Fall Creek to Short Creek. Two teams fished up in the trophy area and reported catching a number of nice rainbows in the 17-18-inch range. One team said they were drifting with egg flies and san juan worms. Our tournament Saturday was for artificial only with no baits allowed. Most anglers used jigs while others cast spoons, spinners and crank baits. The $800 prize for the largest, legal brown trout went unclaimed for the fourth year in a row. I’m sure there were man anglers jerking rouges and rapalas for that one big brown, but there were no takers. Many guys I talked to reported using two-pound fluorocarbon line, putting their jigs right on the bottom to get bit. Their thinking was that the fluorocarbon got them to the bottom easier and the two-pound line let them feel the light bite better. It was sunny Saturday, but most areas on the lake were windy. Other teams said they fished around the docks, just as they might fish for bass around structures. The tighter they stayed towards the docks, the better bites they had. Lots of males and sows were weighed in, and most, if not all. were milking or dropping eggs. The stretch of time these rainbows spawn is awfully long, it seems. We were catching milking males way back in early January. Minnows and night crawlers are still catching the better rainbows verses the baits (Gulp and paste), but either type of bait will yield you a limit in short time. Be sure to adjust your weight when drifting. If the water slows down, lessen the weight or you’ll be hanging up all the time. Now IF we see some down water and you have the chance to wade below the dam, bring your wooly buggers, cracklebacks and soft hackles. The wind is blowing most days, and it’s supposed to be warmer soon. Midge hatches should be off the chart, and as the water warms, rainbows should be cruising the flats looking for something moving on the surface … oh, let’s hope so!!

http://tggf.us/ Worth checking out - watch the videos.

Note: There are 24 College of the Ozarks students with these 12 vets, part of the Greatest Generation Foundation. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,587784,00.html FOXNews.com WWII Veterans Stuck in Okinawa, Looking for Help to Get to Iwo Jima Tuesday , March 02, 2010 By Joshua Rhett Miller A group of 12 World War II Marines ranging in age from 85 to 97 is stuck on the island of Okinawa, waging what could be their final fight to return to Iwo Jima to commemorate the 65th anniversary of their greatest victory. The veterans group, the Greatest Generation Foundation, asked the military to help them get to Iwo Jima after a charter plane company that had volunteered to take them to the battle site canceled two weeks ago, Stars & Stripes reported. But their request, according to U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Marine Maj. Bradley Gordon, had not been approved or denied as of late Tuesday — less than 24 hours before a memorial ceremony was set to begin. “As of this moment, no one has denied anything,” Gordon told FoxNews.com. “I did not say that it was denied, I said it could be denied.” PACOM officials in Hawaii and Japan were trying to arrange a military flight for the group if their request was approved, but the aircraft they had designated for the trip “broke,” Gordon said. He referred FoxNews.com to Department of Defense officials for further comment. "The Marine Corps is exploring all options in order to provide military airlift support for the Greatest Generation Foundation in their attempt to visit Iwo Jima for the 65th Commemoration," Maj. Maureen Schumann, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told FoxNews.com. The Denver-based nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring U.S. and allied war veterans has two prominent names — George W. Bush and Barack Obama — at the top of its endorsement board. It brought the 12 veterans from the U.S. to Japan last weekend in hopes that the military would provide travel accommodations. “[The veterans] are very emotional,” Timothy Davis, president of the Greatest Generation Foundation told Stars & Stripes. “They know the dream of going back to Iwo Jima is not going to take shape … We’re going to fight this. I have to do what I can to get these boys back to Iwo Jima.” One veteran was reportedly hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms after arriving in Okinawa, but he was released Sunday. Another veteran reportedly suffering from an infection was hospitalized Tuesday. “Reality is kicking in,” Davis told Stars & Stripes. “Come the 70th anniversary [of Iwo Jima] most of them are going to be dead. If we allow these veterans to go to their graves with these stories, then shame on us.” Iwo Jima was the site of some of the fiercest fighting in the World War II campaign against Japan. U.S. troops captured the island in March of 1945 after more than a month of fighting. Roughly 6,900 U.S. Marines and 20,000 Japanese soldiers died in the battle.

Blue bird day with lots of wind in some areas. Fishing decent in the am but tough in the pm. That's what I heard from the first teams who came in but stories changed and more anglers weighed in. It's amazing how stories change on the same water in the same day. Some had tough days while others did well. Trout were caught from the mouth of Fall Creek all the way down to the Landing. Not much caught lower than the Landing this time. Bill's account of the condition of trout down lake seems to be accurate. White jigs and spinners made a comeback. Still don't think we've had much shad at all but we could miss it. The trout sure won't. Saw lots of males again and females dropping eggs. Weights are still up there showing there are still alot of good rainbows around to be caught. I'll post the pics from the day including the final results. Jerry and JD Dudley 1st place Will Skucins and Adam Bennett 2nd Place Gerry Dwiggins and Tom Burckhardt 3rd Place Jeff Cross and Tony Weldele 4th Place

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Where does the term, "Nancy Boys" come from? There is a guide on the Naknek in AK who's name is Nancy and we always called her guides (all guys) Nancy Boys. I thought it was an original term but evidently not.

Got mine... great book!

Yea we did years ago. It helps.

We have these issues when the water temp is this cold. I remember years back when the temp drops below 40 the trout seem to slow down or at least that's what we blamed it on. 38 is pretty cold!

Actually I shot this for a guy at Field and Stream who wanted some ideas for a boat handling tip article. Thought I'd post it for grins.

2/24/10 I thought I'd show the safe and proper way to pull your boat into a boat stall with water running (current). Very easy. The one thing that we see that's dangerous is a second person STANDING UP in the front of the boat, meaning to catch the dock post and help guide the boat into the stall only to bolt into the water when the boat's side hits the dock before he can get his hand on the supports. We've seen this happen quite a few times and see alot of near misses. <p> <object width="660" height="405"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="405"></embed></object>

My bad. I thought the comment was way out of character for smallie but thought may be there was something behind the scenes going on. Re reading it, it was clearly tongue and cheek. Sometimes, I don't read so good! I apologize.

Post of the day! I love how you see things, oneshot!

Funny how people will use terms on a computer but would never use them face to face. I can see offering your opinion about posting too many times but to go as far as calling it spam, calling another person a retard and taking any kind of offense to any of this is unconscionable. The forum is made up of all kinds of people with all kinds of views. The bigger it grows in membership, the more diverse it becomes. I don't share the same view of some that think the forum has become advertising but that opinion in itself is ok because it's part of the diversity. Some of you guys actually bump into each other down here at Taney... I would rethink how you use your words and especially how you label and treat each other here. Fishing is fun... but people and relationships are far more important.

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brush piles - cut up trees and bushes tied together and placed in the water, anchored or secured in some way in various places, different depths of water in a lake to attract and house small bugs which attract small fish which attract larger fish, thus making it desirable to fish around. wind-blown points - Points are bank or land jetting out into the water, dropping off in elevation on the point and off the sides. Bait fish, again, are attracted to points especially where wood structure (trees and bushes) are present. Wind blown simply means the side where the wind is blowing into or towards. Schools of bait fish are pushed by the wind to shallow banks and game fish feed on these banks cause it's easy to catch bait fish in shallower water than deep. the bluff walls transition into chunk rock - These are going to take a little more research to find good explanations, including images. the chunk rock transitions into pea sized gravel - ditto docks - Floating structures on water that house boats or dock houses.

Sounds like... spring? Who cares!! Fish are biting NOW!!! Cool!