Phil Lilley

Whole site is down.

?? Are you just heading off an attack? Thanks for posting the pic- great catch!

Haven't been out much- sorry about the lack of reporting. But conditions haven't changed much in weeks and fishing (catching) hasn't either. Everyday is different though... some days are good biting days and some aren't. Yesterday was not a good biting day. Josh, my son-in-law, and I got out for a couple of hours and fished only the trophy area. Saw Brett and Chuck out and if I read them correctly they were having a real tough time. We did too. I didn't boat a trout and Josh caught 4 rainbows drifting a peach egg fly. Jigs- they were hitting short, very short. We did see gulls diving on something right below the dam, well above the cable. We boated up there to see if we could see what they were diving on. I told Josh, that was the FIRST time I'd ever ran my boat above the cable. Sure, I'd run up a couple of boat lengths at times, then start fishing at the cable but never had the boat up close to the dam. We did not go inside the wing- it made me nervous to be that close. But we saw nothing in the water. But they had to be diving after something. Right at the cable is where we got our short bites on white jigs. Nothing at all below. Today- different story. White jigs were hot from the cable downstream maybe 300 yards. Slow from there down to the KOA. A few of the rainbows had big bellies - I call them shad bellies. I believe we've had some shad but very few. Most are not making it to the cable and none past the first island. Sculpin jig - all 1/8th oz - worked good in the whole area. Note- yesterday, 4 units almost full tilt. Today, 2 units. Much easier to get a jig down and feel the bites. No wind today either. I did see Brett and Chuck catching fish today too. Tomorrow... same generation schedule as today - 2 units all day. But wind and colder. Will be tough.

Interesting to note: sound a motor makes underwater. Fish hear that all the time. Going to experiment with the trolling motor next time. It'll be really good when the water is slower, shallower and high sun.

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Tim- when you say "shad" do you mean live shad, shad you pick out of the water or lures that imitate shad? Are you seeing any shad in the water and how far down are they getting before being eaten? I think we've had some shad on Taney but very few. They aren't getting much past out cable below the dam.

Had to post this fish on our front page... great catch!

We have 6 tables reserved total. 3 tables for almost full of guys who are fishing the Team Tournament on Saturday, 2/27. 1 table for OAF people, so far. I can always add a table or bleed over into the 5th table- the resort table where my dad, Megan and friends will sit. That table probably won't fill up. We have plenty of room left for anyone who wants to come, even if you find out the day-of that you can come, we'll fit you in.

Branson area residents and visitors will have the opportunity to spend an evening with several FLW fishing pros in Branson. The dinner event is called “Meet The Pros” and will be held in the Life Center of First Baptist Church in Branson on Friday, February 26th at 6:00 pm. This event will take place prior to the FLW Tour on Table Rock Lake scheduled for March 3-6th , 2010.

I don't know what that is but I doubt it.

2 units today, 2 less than yesterday at least. Yesterday the trout didn't bite very well... I think it will be better today. Hopefully the front will move through later in the day Sunday. I have a guide tomorrow.

Now we have 5. Sam has joined the group as well as Denny's (denjac) son.

Got Don House, Joe and Denjac so far. Ozarkanglers will have a booth- come by and say hi if you're there. Still have lots of rooms at our tables!!

I'm buying 2 tables of 8 each (that's 16 total) for the first 16 OAF'ers who say they for sure want to go. Send me a PM to confirm your seat. I'll post when all seats are filled. Phil Branson, MO- Branson area residents and visitors will have the opportunity to spend an evening with several FLW fishing pros in Branson. The dinner event is called “Meet The Pros” and will be held in the Life Center of First Baptist Church in Branson on Friday, February 26th at 6:00 pm. This event will take place prior to the FLW Tour on Table Rock Lake scheduled for March 3-6th , 2010. The event will feature fishing tips and life stories from five pro fishermen which include: Jay Yelas, Mark Rose, Scott Martin, Clarke Wendlandt and Glenn Chappelear. Numerous door prizes will be given away. Jay Yelas has fished 201 events with 141 money finishes and ranks 6th in all-time money winnings. Yelas has 52 top 10 finishes. He currently is ranked 17th place on the FLW Tour. Mark Rose is a 9-year pro. He has had one tournament win with 17 top 10 finishes. Scott Martin was the youngest pro-angler in history to win an FLW Tour Event. He has been a Top 10 tournament winner seventeen times. Clark Wendlandt is a 17-year professional fisherman. He has had 31 top ten finishes and over $1,000,000 in career earnings. He was the 2008 FLW Tour Angler of the Year and has had 31 top ten finishes. Glenn Chappelear is a professional fisherman and inspirational speaker. He is the founder of Sportsmen's Outreach. Glen speaks at sportsmen banquets and participates in at least 11 professional tournaments each year. “This will be one event outdoor enthusiasts will not want to miss. We are extremely fortunate to have these men here for the banquet and the FLW tournament,” said Grant Woods, one of the event organizers. “Due to the popularity of this event we have expanded the number of people who can attend by moving the dinner to the Life Center.” Outdoor enthusiast will also find outdoor booths added to the event this year showcasing products and services geared to the outdoorsmen. Any fishing or outdoors related business can still get booth space for the event. Due to the limited seating, reservations are required and should be made as soon as possible. The dinner will cost only $8.00 for adults. Tables of 8 can be purchased for $60.00. Reservations can be made by calling 417-334-7437

I'm buying 2 tables of 8 each (that's 16 total) for the first 16 OAF'ers who say they for sure want to go. Send me a PM to confirm your seat. I'll post when all seats are filled. Phil Branson, MO- Branson area residents and visitors will have the opportunity to spend an evening with several FLW fishing pros in Branson. The dinner event is called “Meet The Pros” and will be held in the Life Center of First Baptist Church in Branson on Friday, February 26th at 6:00 pm. This event will take place prior to the FLW Tour on Table Rock Lake scheduled for March 3-6th , 2010. The event will feature fishing tips and life stories from five pro fishermen which include: Jay Yelas, Mark Rose, Scott Martin, Clarke Wendlandt and Glenn Chappelear. Numerous door prizes will be given away. Jay Yelas has fished 201 events with 141 money finishes and ranks 6th in all-time money winnings. Yelas has 52 top 10 finishes. He currently is ranked 17th place on the FLW Tour. Mark Rose is a 9-year pro. He has had one tournament win with 17 top 10 finishes. Scott Martin was the youngest pro-angler in history to win an FLW Tour Event. He has been a Top 10 tournament winner seventeen times. Clark Wendlandt is a 17-year professional fisherman. He has had 31 top ten finishes and over $1,000,000 in career earnings. He was the 2008 FLW Tour Angler of the Year and has had 31 top ten finishes. Glenn Chappelear is a professional fisherman and inspirational speaker. He is the founder of Sportsmen's Outreach. Glen speaks at sportsmen banquets and participates in at least 11 professional tournaments each year. “This will be one event outdoor enthusiasts will not want to miss. We are extremely fortunate to have these men here for the banquet and the FLW tournament,” said Grant Woods, one of the event organizers. “Due to the popularity of this event we have expanded the number of people who can attend by moving the dinner to the Life Center.” Outdoor enthusiast will also find outdoor booths added to the event this year showcasing products and services geared to the outdoorsmen. Any fishing or outdoors related business can still get booth space for the event. Due to the limited seating, reservations are required and should be made as soon as possible. The dinner will cost only $8.00 for adults. Tables of 8 can be purchased for $60.00. Reservations can be made by calling 417-334-7437

Saw a couple of RV's pulling wrapped bass boats coming into town yesterday. Thought it might be FLW boys coming to play. Bill- any white bass action reported up in Kings River- like last year?

It appears to be off by the looks of the water in front on my place. Phone-man isn't answering. I thought they might do this- lakes are down and warmer weather in the forecast. We might see no water this weekend- at least part of the day(s).

Need to send some up to Vancouver. They need some snow for the winter olympics.

Can't say. Have to wait closer to the weekend.

K- you can see the board and weights. Pretty amazing how many limits over 8 pounds. Lots of rainbow males milking and sows dropping eggs. Most were caught down- from the Landing, as far down as Powersite.

I'll let you see what the weights were. I'll report more later. My grandson just hit town!

In years past, our trout fishing- quality of trout caught- usually diminishes as the weeks go by but not this year. I go by trout tournaments. Boswell, the first of January, weighs in the heaviest bags (limits). Then the Masters, last of January, the RAW and then Team, the last of February. The RAW, a private tournament, held it's 21st annual contest today. Most are from the St Louis area. RAW stands for Roger's Adventure Weekend. John and Ray Rogers, brothers, started weekend get-a-ways, hunting and fishing with friends. One of their weekends was a winter trout fishing excursion on Lake Taneycomo. Today, it's the only excursion that has survived the ages. You have to be invited by a RAW person to fish it. No guides or professional fisherman are allowed to fish it. As you can understand, many of the original RAW guys are getting up in years. Most started their trips at middle age. Many have retired, some have passed on. But new generations are carrying on in their place. John and Ray still make the trip - John from St Louis and Ray from Colorado. Back to fishing. The guys weighed in some great bags today. 45 teams headed out at 8 am, back to the dock at 3 pm. Eight trout weighed in by two-man teams. 2.46 lb rainbow won big trout I'm doing this by memory - will get you real weights tomorrow. About 10.3 took first. Wes Knopfel and his partner took first. Wes, a first place finisher in 1992, is one of the original RAW member. Second place was just under 10 pounds - Gerry Dwiggins and Bruce Wucher, top finishers in 2009. Third place was 9+ pounds. More in a minute. I got to change computers.

Colts 41 Saints 34

Welcome, Brent. Thanks

Wendell is a good friend. He's a very good fly fisherman who has spent, as you say, thousands of hours below the dam- he's part of the old guard. He went to the Pere Marquette with me way back in the late 80's - one of my first few years of fishing in Michigan. I'm sure you heard alot of stories and all of them 99% true. Gotta leave alittle for memory loss- he's getting old (my age).