Phil Lilley

I really don't know the lower lake that well but there are coves and creeks that flow in. Points and quite a bit of wood in the water. Largemouth, yes. I don't think there's many if any K's and yes there are smallmouth but again, don't seem to be that many. Blue gill- very good. And a decent number of crappie and whites.

Wayne, Don't you think it's seasonal? Winter, the water below the dam is actually warmer than down lake. Summer, it's colder below the dam. Other times it's close to being the same. When they generate non stop and heavy, it's the same except for inlets and coves where it will be either warmer or colder depending on season. That's what makes the lower lake so puzzling to alot of anglers and why they won't fish it. Temp and current.

Psalm 127:5 Happy, blessed, and fortunate is the man whose quiver is filled with them [kids]! They will not be put to shame when they speak with their adversaries [in gatherings] at the [city's] gate.

When we fished with Kyle Kosovich on the North Fork, he used a french style method. It took some getting used to for me... He used a red color piece of leader tied about 6 feet from the fly as a mark so he could tell how much leader/tippet was in the water. Made short casts upstream in heavy flow and held the stick high, actually pulling the line/fly downstream. This is what was hard for me to do. The strike was hard and there was no question about it. Since you're pulling the fly down, there's no slack so whatever the fly hits, you feel. He used very heavily weighted bead head nymphs.

Man, Wayne... I've been telling people wrong all along. I thought BS Dam was built about the same time as Beaver. My bad!!!

They don't shock for trout on the lower end though. They go down as far as Short Creek for trout. Water gets too deep to get much below there.

Well two thoughts immediately come to mind. The sampling came from the lower end. Aren't there less trout in the lower end? Isn't the water a little warmer also? Yes it's warmer. That's why Taney is one of the best of both worlds... cold and warm water. Those numbers do look good but, I would like to see what the numbers of native fish are per acre. And how those numbers compare to other lakes? Other lakes of similar size? Those numbers just look to me to be a little funny. Numbers like that would look to rival some of the best bass lakes. I don't know just thinking out loud. I would tend to think that actually very few samples were found, as compared to lakes of similar size, but that few that were found, were of nice size. And then that makes me wonder what the age of the samples were? Were they young, large fish, meaning a fast growth rate? Or older fish with a slow growth rate? Are the growth rates the same as other lakes? Exactly. If you look back, people have mentioned for years Taney is a well kept secret. One if not the best for trophy bass. The flood of 08 did some damage but they will come back strong. I've seen bass in some of the creeks here, schools of them between 5 and 12 pounds. You heard me... 12 pounds. Pigs! I couldn't believe me eyes. This was probably 12 years ago though and haven't seen it since. They were in pre spawn and staging in fallen trees close to gravel banks. And no, they wouldn't even look at what I threw. Taney has always been known for it's big blue gill, always. I'll try to get the full report. Like I said, I didn't know they shocked on the lower end till now. I won't disagree that as written those numbers look good. Hell they look amazing but, there are also a whole host of questions to go with them to get the real picture as to the health of that lake. How many trout are there per acre of water? Per acre on the upper end? I have trout studies posted for the last 20 years here on the site. Not per acre though. MDC pretty much puts all their reports in the same format, fish collected per hour. BTW - don't Brown trout love to eat Rainbows? Oh yes. So do big bass.

Close... Powersite Table Rock Bull Shoals Beaver All but Powersite is cold water discharge.

Unfortunately or fortunately (depends on how you look at it), I decided not to go that direction. I am glad though... the guys who are TRYING to buy it have been trying to close the deal for 3 months now and the owner won't cooperate. We could be in the same frustrating place right now, which I'm glad we are NOT!!

Zach- I looked at past posts on this forum and don't see any info on the One Fly... Can you provide a link to something on it or post the details on the forum? I assumed that's Dec 19th, right?

Thank you. I really wanted to share this story on the forum but was afraid people would make it political. I trust it won't. At least from now on...

Thanks John. We gave up on a skin mount after retrieving the fish. Actually, the one taxidermist was talked to wouldn't consider doing a skin mount on a fish that big so we were already counting on having a mold made and ordering a couple of replicas.

They're spending $367,529 on the state's trout program. Not sure what percentage that is of their budget but it doesn't sounds like much. It was/is a imperiled river, Because it was/is imperiled, it's now a lake. Semantics. Not going to try to convince you... that would be way past my ability. But I will point out facts - MDC's report about the fish in the lower lake I mentioned before: We sampled the bass and bluegill populations in 2008 and 2009 in the lower end of the lake and found that approximately 50% of the largemouth bass we sampled were over 12 inches and 20% were over 15 inches. 40% of the bluegill we sampled were over 6 inches as well. I'd say that's at least alittle better than "eeking". Don't have the facts I can point at right now online but I will quote Clint Hale at our meeting a couple of weeks ago when he was asked what Taney's trout growth was per month and he said 1/2-inch. And I don't have to mention we had a fairly big brown caught a couple of weeks ago.

There are several cause I screwed it up so bad. Nothing has been deleted. They're there.

And Now... The Rest of the Story Many of you have read the story of the new state record brown trout landed by resort guest Scott Sandusky two weeks ago as he drifted rainbow PowerBait by Cooper Creek with his Arnold, MO, buddies. What we haven't disclosed until recently was our special Thanksgiving blessing of fishing for and finding the lunker a second time -- this time out of a trash truck . . . At 37 inches long, 24.75 inches in girth and weighing 28.8 pounds, Scott obviously needed to mount his prize, which was roughly a pound heavier than the previous record. We needed to make a decision what to do with his brown while the Missouri Department of Conservation processed the paperwork needed to make his fish the official new state record brown trout. Clint Hale, Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery manager, told us that the fish could not be consumed or taken to a taxidermist until the paperwork was complete which would take a few weeks. So we needed to find a freezer big enough for a 40-inch fish to lay flat, since its bulk had been wrapped in towels to secure its shape. The only one we could find was in the kitchen at the First Baptist Church here in Branson, so dad and I took the fish and placed in the freezer. Honestly, I did think about labeling it somehow to identify it as belonging to someone but . . . I trusted that no one would mess with it. That was our downfall. Dad flashed the fish off in the freezer Sunday night to some fellow church-goers, at least showing off the bulk size of the fish. The towels were frozen to the skin of the trout so he couldn't back the layers, but it was still an impressive sight. On Wednesday morning, dad drove to the church to retreive the record fish to transfer it to a freezer we had. Once the fish was frozen solid, it could be stood upright, fitting into another freezer. The trout was gone. No fish in the freezer anywhere. Jerry asked in the office, but no one know about it. Then he learned of the fish's fate. It had been thrown out into the dumpster on Monday -- only to have been picked up that very Wednesday morning by the trash truck. "I've never been so down in my life as when I saw that fish was gone," Jerry said. He began asking us all to pray for a miracle, and Carolyn, my mother, even called friends to pray. I was headed to a meeting, and resigned myself to the fact that the fish was gone for sure, but dad's tenacity paid off. He called the Alllied Waste company and found out where the truck was headed, drove to Reeds Spring and met the truck there prepared for dumpster diving. The attendants there were experienced in finding the treasures people have thrown out. (Once retrieving some tossed diamond earrings.) They dumped the contents of the truck on a concrete pad and started picking through it with a small bobcat. Mom had accompanied dad for "support" and both were holding their noses and hoping they'd find the fish in decent shape, but with every move, the bobcat did not turn up any light teal-green towels or fish remains. My mom is a woman of faith. Her relationship with the Lord is astounding, and she told dad she was hearing the Lord say it was in a pile "over there." Dad had all but given up on the search, but mom pushed for one more swipe of trash in the area God was directing her to. Then she saw the towel. She waded in and dug it out. The fish was still wrapped in the towel. A small tear in its back was the only visible damage to the fish they could see. They headed back home with the trout, praising God for His constant faithfulness and mercy -- this time exhibited in finding the fish. Scott's brown trout is once again in a freezer, but this time it's in a safer place. Trout that large are actually replicated by taxidermists and not mounted in the traditional way of using the actual fish and its skin. But when the mold is made of the actual fish and a replica cast, Scott will have the mount of a lifetime, representing his "knee-shaking" treasure of a memory: Scott and his friends, Scott Hawkins, Greg Lawson and Craig Thomas, had planned to catch some keeper rainbows to fry for dinner Friday night, then hit the trophy area for lunkers on Saturday. They drifted downstream, using rainbow-colored, paste Power Bait, bumping it on the bottom as you're supposed to. Just below Cooper Creek, Scott set his rod in the rod holder to help with another rig. Thinking he saw a bite, Scott picked his rod back up, set the hook and knew -- he had something big. But he didn't know what it was . . . a catfish? A big carp? If it was a trout, it was a really, really big trout. Then they saw it. It was a brown trout. He had his spin reel set to wind backwards, not trusting the drag. Smart guy because this fish didn't want to play. The brown surged for the far bank, spinning off so much line, so fast, that it was all Scott could do release the handle and watch his line fly off his reel. Then he stopped. Working it closer to the boat, his team of anglers started to plan their attack. One retrieved the net and the other pulled up the trolling motor -- just in time. Four-pound line doesn't last long against a prop. When most people buy a fish net, they don't expect to land a 37-inch fish, right? Scott's net could hold half this fish. It flopped in, it flopped out. Then Scott's net man, Craig, muscled up and got it in the boat. All was made official by Missouri Department of Conservation officials at the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery. Shane Bush, MDC fisheries biologist and Quenten Fronterhouse, MDC enforcement agent, both helped in this process. Clint Hale, hatchery manager, was also present.

In another part of a resonce from MDC on questions, I got this bit of info. Off subject but I'm going to follow up on this next year for sure. We sampled the bass and bluegill populations in 2008 and 2009 in the lower end of the lake and found that approximately 50% of the largemouth bass we sampled were over 12 inches and 20% were over 15 inches. 40% of the bluegill we sampled were over 6 inches as well. MDC I didn't know they sampled the lower lake.

Not at all. The presentation of the Greatest American Awards trumped Palin's talk, as far as I was concerned. It would have trumped anyone! It was very moving to see those vets and to hear their stories. This is from the CofO website - Because of the Governor’s unfailing support of her country and countrymen who serve in the military, College of the Ozarks awarded the Governor the inaugural Great American Award. The Great American Awards are given by the College to individuals whose lives reflect great credit on the mission, goals and vision of College of the Ozarks. Patriotism is one of the important goals of the College. Along with Palin, seven individuals received Great American Awards. The Governor expressed that she was honored and humbled to be among such company. One individual honored with a Great American Award is WWII Veteran John Cipolla, who served as a rifleman in the 101st Airborne Division, 501st regiment, Company C during the invasion of Normandy and of Holland, the Battle of the Bulge, Battle of Alsace and central Europe. At one point during his service, Cipolla was severely wounded and left for the dead on the battlefield. Only after he groaned while being heaved onto a death cart did fellow soldiers discover that he was still alive. During his recovery, Cipolla heard his regiment was to paratroop into Holland. Not willing to let his comrades land in enemy territory without him, Cipolla checked himself out of the hospital and hitchhiked to the airbase only to find his company already gone. Determined to follow them, he hitched a ride with British paratroopers, becoming the only American soldier to parachute in to Holland among British troops. Another Great American Honoree is WWII Veteran Alvin Henderson, who served in the 101st Airborne Division, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. Henderson had jumped into Normandy and Holland before walking into a German ambush and then captured. He spent the remainder of the war as a Prisoner of War. Stories like that of Veteran John Cipolla and Veteran Alvin Henderson flavored the evening with true patriotism, not found in a bottle, but present in the perseverance and sacrifice of those who fought for the American way. From these stories and wisdom offered by Governor Palin, attendees had an opportunity to rediscover love for their nation and cement their admiration for our servicemen and women who protect freedom.

By the way, Duane and MonaChari were the ones on the dock that saw them on the river. They knew for sure it was her but I had to make sure.

This past summer, I was at my cabin on the Naknek River in SW Alaska, enjoying some salmon fishing and "the great outdoors". My cabin is located at the upper reaches of the Naknek, just as the river flows out of Naknek Lake, and about 15 river miles or more from the town of King Salmon. We had been to town, driving by the airport we say what we thought was the govenor's plane, Sara Palin. Her husband, Todd, is a commercial fisherman out of Naknek and fishes Bristol Bay. It was close to the end of their season. One afternoon, I was at the cabin after a morning of sockeye fishing. We see and hear boats and planes all day but I heard a different sound coming from the river... sounded like jet skies! Sure enough, two bright yellow jet skies buzzed by the camp, heading up river toward the lake. The couple wore wet suits and helmets but still, I could make out who I thought they were - Todd and Sara. Some guys on the dock, who were closer to them, said they thought it was the Palins. After a while, down they came, back by camp and towards town. Sara Palin, on her nationwide book tour, stopped a couple of nights ago and spoke at the College of the Ozarks here in Branson. A dinner before the event and a reception following was offered for a ticket price of $250. The money raised would go to the school in support of student trips overseas to WWII battlegrounds including Normandy and Battle of the Bulge with WWII veterans who fought those battles. C of O in partnership with The Greatest Generation Foundation make this happen 3 times annually. Back to my story... we attended the dinner, program and reception and got to have our picture taken with Sara. This was my chance to ask her, for sure, was that her and Todd we saw this summer on the river. We were ushered through very quickly and asked not to dottle. But I needed to dottle!! Our time came to be presented and se stood and they took their pics. I had debated how was the best way to ask the question in the fewest words and still, maybe, she might understand what I was talking about. So I asked, "Were you and Todd jet skiing on the Naknek River in July?" She misunderstood my question at first but I repeated Naknek River and see replied, as I was carted off, really- pulled away, "yes... we were racing!" I got my answer. Pretty cool I thought. I know alot of people would like 30 seconds of her undivided time and it would have been nice to have but she had had a very long and daunting day and I will add, she did extremely well with all that we saw. Still energetic as she left the reception. Here's a link to info on C of O's involvement with vets - http://www.cofo.edu/PR110509.asp

K- got a reply from Clint Hale, hatchery manager. Trout Stamps. I got it really, really wrong. In 2008 the price was $1.376 per trout raised. This represents the average per fish and not per pound. Historically, the trout program has been self sustaining due to the income from daily tags and yearly trout fishing permits. Recently, this has not been the case. The total income from tags and permits in 2008 totaled $1,851,803.38. The total expenditure to produce trout in 2008 totaled $2,219,332.97. Trout and money from Feds vs State- Everything Shepherd stocks is paid by MDC. 700,000 trout and 10,000 brown trout are stocked annually into Taneycomo. Shepherd stocks 475,000 rainbows and 10,000 browns and Neosho stocks 225,000 annually. The largest portion of the commitment comes from Shepherd and is MDC funded. Taneycomo is labeled as an imperiled stream. That is the reason for the trout hatchery being built and federal mitigation when the warm water stream was eliminated by the dam.

If gross taxable sales were $100,000, then MDC gets .25% as their share. That amount would be $250. If it was 1,000,000, it would be $2,500. Sorry for the confusion.

This only goes to show there are all kinds of people, anglers with different opinions and we all have our favorite fishing holes with our favorite fish and we get to fish for these fish in a free country. And they're pretty good fishing holes too! Praise God for that!

But that's not my annual taxable income. It's the total sales tax we paid for the last 12 months. I got it right the second time. Thanks.

There are 12-14 resorts on 22.5 miles of Taneycomo. And they aren't building anymore. Actually they are tearing them down. More than half the rooms are gone since 2000.

Figures from the chamber are: Lake Taneycomo $15m Table Rock $52m Did some quick figuring/guessing - I bet resort and marina revenue only make up less than 50% of $15m. Guides, less than 2%.