Phil Lilley

While the water was off for a few hours today, the midges came out to play! Not sure if I've ever seen this many hatch at one time. Mostly very small, light in color. Trout targeted them for a couple of hours and then left them alone. Most did not fly off the surface of the water. <p> <object width="500" 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="500" height="405"></embed></object> <p> Video should be ready for viewing shortly.

The only complaint I heard was they ran 4 units each morning making fishing tough till they shut it down to one unit in the afternoon. Gulp eggs caught alot of rainbows while other threw rapalas and caught good rainbows and a few browns. We've been sending alot of people downstream to the gold mine area and I guess it was alittle crowded down there but the Johnson group did well yesterday throwing jigs along the bluff bank while others fishing the shallow side with bait didn't do as well. Up in the trophy area, pink jigs under a float did well in the afternoons. John Johnson said they caught alot of good quality rainbows up there. It was nice to get a break in the weather. Looks like back to winter this week though.

Got this from Bink's Guide service. Said he caught it on a spoon - released. Caught others on stick baits. Other good reports of stripers being caught on Norfork too... dying shad everywhere.

Got it done in imovie but have to upgrade to 09 to add chapter markers.

Did it in imovie. Took a while but it's 140 minutes of audio and 248 pics. I'll format it and use something else to add chapters I think. It going to be a huge file but the project itself is going to be special. Mark and Joe are natives- it's priceless to hear them describe the old photos.

Glad we got you on the forum. Look forward to educating you on our fishing and our language. Just don't pick up some of our Ozarkian slang

Forgot to say- I need it for a Mac.

http://ozarkanglers.com/podcast/branson-photos This is what I did in GarageBand. If you have a couple of hours, it's really interesting. Just wish you could see the images in their entirety.

I have a series of old images and an audio file of a couple of guys describing what's in the photos. I want to create a program with the audio and images running at the same time. Make sense? I tried powerpoint- way too much work and the file would be huge. It's 2 hours, 45 minutes of audio and 248 images. Garageband - Podcast. The images are all cropped too small... great otherwise. I completed the whole project only to scrap it. Suggestions? Thanks

This was the first fishable Saturday of the year so you can blame the weather I bet. The lake here was full of anglers- very full. Needless to say, Saturday's are bad for me. Wish I could have been there just to meet some of the guys from St Louis.

Bill and I fished where he's describing a couple of months ago and caught alot of rainbows. I've floated from 160 Hwy to F several times. It's only a 1.5 - 2 mile float. I got to thinking, if you had a whole day you could walk it, or I should say wade it. There are some great runs in that section. You'd have to have another person and 2 vehicles or if you feel adventuresome, hitch hike back. Check out google earth and look at this stretch to get a better idea.

What structure were you targeting? Bluff side or flat side? We would have gotten down that far if we didn't have boat trouble.

It's been awhile since my last report, mainly because very little has changed in the past few weeks. Generation is still at two units 24/7 ------ BUT------ checking out tomorrow's estimated flow on the Southwest Power Administration's site, there should be no generation tonight and fluctuating levels tomorrow from 1 to 2 units. That gives us a break from the two full-unit pattern we've been seeing and means we may see even less generation this weekend. Both Table Rock and Beaver lakes are down to power pool levels, as well as Bull Shoals, with little rain in the foreseeable future. So, my fishing report is full of guesses. I know what has happened up to now, but with the change in generation, all I can do is guess . . . but they are good guesses. Jigs are a surety regardless of what happens with the water. I boated down to the Gold Mine today after Guide Bill Babler fished it yesterday and did well. That's where a lot of anglers have been going to catch nicer rainbows -- just ask many of the top finishers from the R.A.W. and Masters Trout Tournaments. Bill caught some of the nicest rainbows he's caught outside the trophy area in a long time, he said -- fat 15- to 18- inchers and good fighters. He caught them fishing 3/32nd-ounce sculpin-colored jigs along the bluff bank -- and even caught a few nice largemouths, too. The water was moving very slowly, and he had some wind. I had no wind today but caught rainbows, too, but no bass. My rainbows were stocker size except for one nice 15-inch rainbow. I didn't try it, but I bet the trout would have taken a jig under a float six to seven-feet deep. I had several followers to the boat. I did try the next transition bank downstream on the opposite side across from the mouth of Bull Creek and caught a few, mainly in the middle of the lake though, not on the bank. The fish were taking it on the drop. Some anglers are faring well throwing cleos in this area and also trolling jigs and medium crank baits. I did see others drifting power bait and catching rainbows today. I stopped at the Landing on the way back up lake and caught rainbows below Shorty Small's dock and then below the Fish House. I actually caught fish everyplace I tried -- all on either 1/8th or 3/32nd ounce sculpin-colored jigs. Tried a white with no luck. Fishermen are catching rainbows off our dock and out in front of our place drifting Powerbait Gulp eggs - white/pink or white/orange. I'm sure the trout will hit a jig, as well. Nightcrawlers with a pinch of orange plastic worm used from Fall Creek to Short Creek are producing some nice rainbows. As the current slows, anglers will need less weight. Use a split shot instead of a bell weight. Try a jig and float with the water slow or turned off, but best where the lake surface is choppy. In Trophy Trout Release Area, the trout have seen a few shad but not many. I think the shad have drifted as far down as the first island below the dam and that's all. You can get a lot of hits on a white jig from the cable to the first island and then it's tough. An olive or sculpin-colored jig will get you hits from the cable clear down to Fall Creek. Drifting egg flies on the bottom have netted some bites, and that should get better since many males are milking right now. There should be females dropping eggs for the next few weeks. Also try #12 or #14 gray scuds and san juan worms.

Bumping this up... still have room for more. We have quite a few of our Table Rock guides attending this with us along with alot of guys who are fishing the Team Tournament on the 27th here on Taney. Almost have 5 tables full... will add more tables if we need to.

Water here on Taney - 39. It's about the same everywhere.

Talked to a friend who knows his stuff. Said they were in Shoal Creek yesterday on some early crappie spots and said the water was 36 degrees. Caught 20 with 8 keepers in 20-25 feet of water but wasn't put to their par. Water has to warm up into the low 40's to be better. Will slow the whites down too. By this time last year, they were really getting on the whites up in these creeks but the water is much colder this year.

He was asking about a Stratos on the drive back I believe.

<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> <p> Here's alittle "almost live" demonstration on how to work a stick bait. I noticed Beck worked his alittle different than Babler did.

Bill (Babler), Bill (Beck) and I put in at 6:30 this morning to the tune of 15 degrees at the ramp. Why were we doing this again? Ran to the rock pile below the dam (Powersite) and Babler's first cast with his stick bait he hooked a walleye. I didn't even have a jig on... Beck was trying to free his bait from his rod. Not sure if the trolling motor was in the water. Babler caught the first and only hungry walleye off that pile of rocks. The old first cast fish curse bit us. Babler did catch another black bass on the dam side of the pile. Couple of other swipes. Nothing on a jig or swimming minnow. We were surprised, even though skies were clear and no wind. We were there early enough. We fished the west bank down to the swing - no bites. Couple of guys on the bank said they were there before dawn and they had one walleye. Boated down below Barker and - again - first cast, both Bill's caught a bass a piece. Nothing else on that bank. Beck noticed hydrolic fluid leaking from Babler's steering housing. Upon closer observation, it was dripping pretty good and if we'd run out the boat's steering would have locked up so we headed in. 9:00 am. <p> <object width="500" 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="500" height="405"></embed></object> <p> Video should be online shortly.

Two Formats - http://ozarkanglers.com/podcast/babler2-16-10.WMA http://ozarkanglers.com/podcast/babler2-16-10.mp3

Two Formats - http://ozarkanglers.com/podcast/babler2-16-10.WMA http://ozarkanglers.com/podcast/babler2-16-10.mp3

Al Crise passed away last night. Al was known for many things but what I will cherish is the trip Marsha and I took to his small ranch in Texas a couple of years ago to be apart of his fly casting school. Spending a couple of days with Al was a blessing. He taught me about casting but more than that he taught me about teaching and sharing from the heart. He gave us all pebbles. He said they were picked up at various places he had fished in his life, places that were special to him. He wanted to share a piece of those memories, experiences with us, almost like sharing a piece of himself. Since then, I've picked up pebbles and thought of Al, then shared them with others the same way he did. A couple of weeks ago, I sent Al a few pebbles I'd picked up in Alaska, from my favorite places up there. Al will be missed but what he taught us remains and will be passed on... part of his legacy.

I gave out 98 door prize tickets. How can one person talk for 110 minutes on one bait? Thanks for coming out. Look forward to doing more of these talks.

I'm working on it. It'll be tomorrow.

Yes it is.