Phil Lilley

Vince and I fished yesterday pm. Put in at River Run. Vince fished most of the afternoon and I showed up at 5:30 and fished till dark. This was Vince's trip and he found the whites after fishing most of the afternoon so I'm not going to get in the details but there are a good number of whites and very good size above Swan Creek. Lots of trollers out and they were doing real well. Shad Raps is what we heard. We caught most of our on a suspending medium stick bait- and late I caught mine on a 1/8th oz white jig. Vince caught his limit and I ended up taking 12 home. No walleye. We didn't go down there but I'd say there should be whites down on the willow bank. I think it's marked on the BS maps here. I did see boats down there fishing which is usually a good sign. Sows weren't even close to spawning by the look of their eggs. Good size - up to 2.5 pounds and some big males too. I'd say the whites are in good shape of Bull Shoals again. Still not the same numbers as the 80's but good still.

Some people don't like to fish for bass, Bill Some people like to eat fish , Bill. And you, especially you, would be the last person to allow a fillet knife to enter the belly of a nice smalley... right? Oh yea... are we still on for our Table Rock CRAPPIE trip tomorrow?? Kidding aside... we had a COLD winter and the water under the surface is still freezing cold. Don't get in a big hurry on the crappie.

The only benefit I see is getting info out quick. Say, if there was a network of anglers who "followed" each other, you could "twitter" a fishing report as you were actually fishing from a cell phone. I think you can do this from a regular cell phone... I know you can from a Blackberry although I don't know how to yet. You can also receive them on your phone too- I think. Anyone know?

Anyone use this service? Just curious how it could help our fishing.

We do for sure. Bill guides 250 days per year. I don't guide much at all... only when I have to.

No cuttbows. The strain has some colored up rainbows with markings similar to cutts but they are not. Thanks what I've been told.

Good for you, John!

Spring is just around the corner and the biggest annual event for fly tyers in the twin lakes area is to be held this week. The Sowbug Roundup is an international fly tying show organized by the North Arkansas Fly Fishers, our local fly fishing club. It is scheduled for March 19, 20, and 21 at the Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church Family Life Center from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM each day. In these tough financial times, it is great to find an economical and family friendly event like this. Admission for all three days is only five dollars per person and children under twelve years of age are free when accompanied by an adult. When I first moved here nine years ago, I joined the North Arkansas Fly Fishers and immediately got involved as a seminar presenter and fly tier at Sowbug. When I married my wife, Lori, a couple of years later, she also got involved as a seminar presenter and casting instructor. I have been preparing for the event. Since I will be a fly tier, I gathered the tools and materials that I will need. For the past few years, I have been tying my signature fly, the green butt. It is a highly effective soft hackle for imitating the rhyancophilia caddis, our major spring caddis hatch. This year, I have decided to do something completely different, I plan on tying Dan’s turkey tail emerger. This is my brother, Dan’s, signature pattern and an effective pattern for the many midge hatches we have on both the White and Norfork Rivers. This is a fly that I fish a lot and I have had some great success with it. I mention it often in my writing and I get a lot of questions about it. I thought that the Sowbug Roundup would be a great place for me to show others how to tie it. First, I had to learn how to tie it myself. This is a fly that Dan always tied for me. Though I fished it often, I had never tied it myself. I gathered the materials and sat down with the recipe and an original that Dan had tied. I tied a few and then had Dan critique them. He gave me some constructive criticism. Then, I sat down, tweaked it a bit and cranked out a few dozen. I am definitely getting the feel of it and am now comfortable with tying them. It is my habit of tying a fly for any one interested in the pattern at Sowbug. Therefore, I go through quite a few flies during the event. I have to make sure that I have plenty of hooks. While I prefer to use a Tiemco barbless hook, my brother, Dan, thinks a barbed Dai Riki is actually a better hook for the fly. I checked all of my other materials and I noticed that the eyed peacock feathers that I use for the fly were a little long in the tooth and were starting to get brittle. I went to the fly shop and replaced them. I am also presenting a couple of seminars. My first one is When, Where and How to fish the White and Norfork Rivers. I have done this seminar several times for several fly fishing groups. I am very comfortable with it and don’t need to do much, if any, work on it. My other seminar is Fishing Dry Flies on the White and Norfork Rivers. I have only done this seminar a couple of times and I felt like it did need a little work. So I sat down at the computer and updated my outline. I called my yellow lab, Ellie, into the room and practiced it a few times with her. She thought it was great. Of course, that may have been the dog biscuits talking. Lori is getting ready also. She is presenting a seminar titled getting started. Over the years she has presented this seminar several times and is well acquainted with it. In addition to guiding, Lori does corporate training so she is very comfortable speaking to any size group. Her great love is casting. This year, like the last two, she will be conducting a ladies only class. To prepare herself, she has been honing her casting skills. Last year, we bought the lot next door and now she has a nice big wide open space to practice. In addition, she has been teaching casting every time she has had the opportunity. Now that we are ready, we have begun to anticipate sowbug. I look forward to seeing all of my friends from years past and the opportunity to meet new ones. When fly fishers and fly tiers gather, it is always an occasion. I also look forward to eating some of the great food at sowbug. This event is different from any other, because they have the church ladies catering all of the meals. All of the food is hearty, delicious and inexpensive. Nobody goes off site for lunch. My favorites are the sloppy Joes, the home made chili and the home made cookies. They have added a few new items to their repertoire this year and I am anxious to try them. Sowbug is just around the corner. I hope you are as ready for it as I am! John Berry (870) 435-2169 berrybrothers@infodash.com www.berrybrothersguides.com

Vince is on a fishing-spree. He's been captive to the NAIA for the last week and is enjoying several days of fishing... probably won't look at a computer for a few days if I know him.

Didn't find the whites this am. Put in at 6:30 am and headed to the area where we found them yesterday, Sara, my daughter and I. They didn't appear to be there. Shad were. Headed up and ended up at the state line where we caught a fair numbers of male whites on black/pearl swimming minnows. Fished a few places to the ramp- pulled out at 11:30 am. Eat lunch at the station west of Long Creek bridge. Drove and put in at Cricket. Hit all my crappie banks. Mark said guys have found 58-59 water so we tried close and off the banks- nothing. Wind blown banks- nothing. Up in Yocum and Long- nothing. Stickups- a few small crappie. Very slow for all. Better later in the evening but we were TIRED!

Just got back. Fished this afternoon. Not much going on yet. I fished all the spots I've caught crappie early and nothing. Water temp is approaching 60 in some places. If it rains, the white run is on. Crappie- I think it will be a couple of weeks... maybe. Just a slow day- didn't see anyone tearing them up.

A quick pic.

Bill and I hit the water at 7:30 am this morning. Put in at a resort just down from the Golf Course near Shell Knob (Bill can say where). We headed down to a flat Bill had fished years ago. When we pulled up we saw shad on the surface and fish busting them. Cool! They were whites mainly but some blacks and spots. We ran our swimming minnows threw them and caught them for about an hour. They were busting as far as we could see downstream along the flat. After it slowed, we saw some guys trolling by- they caught a couple of so we started trolling sm's and me a 1/8th oz white jig and caught some more whites. Headed upstream and fished a couple more flats. Caught a few crappie on stickups in 4-6 feet of water. Headed back down and hit a few more flats and caught a couple more crappie and whites before calling it quits about 1 pm. Ended up with 19 whites up to 3 lbs... mostly sows and 3 very nice crappie. I did catch whites on a rattletrap, a blue rebel, a hair jigs, marabou jig and swimming minnows, black/pearl, blue/pearl and white. Best was the black/pearl swimming minnow by far. Bill used a dark smoke with silver glitter 4-inch minnow and did well. Sorry- no temp. I didn't have a gage on my boat.

Money is for moving roads and Corp facilities up (elevation) to allow for the 5 feet rise. Plus there's some maintenance issues at the dam(s) to allow low flow.

Don't think there's a best- at least quickest. 76 is probably ok. 86 is too. 86 is alittle straighter.

If you're done and leaving the water you don't have to leave any identifiable parts. If you're on the water and still fishing with fish in tow, you have to leave head or skin. If it's under 12 inches- keep 'em! That is if you're going to eat them. There shouldn't be anyone that would have a problem with that... if he does, he has the problem!

2008 rains affect 2009 trout stocking Stocking will be down 10 percent in most waters. JEFFERSON CITY–The effects of last year’s record rainfall continue to be felt a year later, with an announcement that the Missouri Department of Conservation will reduce trout stocking. 2008 was the wettest year in Missouri history, with nearly 6 feet of precipitation falling during the year in some areas and more than 12 inches of rain falling in less than 24 hours in others. Conservation Department Hatchery Systems Manager James Civiello said these torrential rains affected trout hatchery operations in several ways. The most significant impact came from the forced release of massive amounts of water from Table Rock Dam in Taney County. Prior to 2008, the most rapid release ever witnessed there was 31,000 cubic feet per second. Last year, the dam let as much as 47,500 cfs pass through turbines and flood gates. “Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery sits right below Table Rock Dam,” said Civiello. “The enormous volume of water pouring into Table Rock Lake forced the Corps of Engineers into record releases in June, and that created less-than-ideal water conditions for trout in our facility.” Civiello said the temperature of water flowing from Table Rock Lake through the hatchery reached 65 degrees at times. This is too warm to spawn trout eggs and keep hatched fish healthy. Water quality became an issue, too. As a result, the hatchery lost more than 30,000 pounds of fish to disease and parasites, compared to the normal annual loss of approximately 7,000 pounds. Most of these were 3- to 6-inch fish that otherwise would have gone to other hatcheries. In most years, Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery produces approximately 1.3 million trout for stocking and smaller fish for transfer to other hatcheries, where they are reared to stocking size. Last year the number fell to 1.1 million. Meanwhile, other hatcheries were experiencing rain-related problems, too. Bennett Spring Hatchery near Lebanon and Maramec Spring Hatchery near St. James both lost fish to floods that compromised water quality and washed fish out of rearing areas. To compensate for losses, hatchery managers “pushed” small fish, feeding them more to hurry their growth to the average stocking size of 12 inches. While this helped keep last year’s stocking near target levels, it amounted to borrowing fish from 2009. The hatchery system no longer has enough fish in the pipeline to keep up with this year’s stocking goals. Consequently, the Conservation Department plans to reduce stocking at Missouri’s four trout parks and most other waters by 10 percent. This includes trout management areas and Lake Taneycomo. Statewide, the cutbacks will result in stocking 180,000 fewer trout this year than expected. “We stuck with the traditional stocking level for opening day at the trout parks,” said Civiello. “Since then, however, we have been stocking about two fish per anticipated angler instead of the usual 2.25 per angler. We should be able to sustain that level of stocking 12-inch fish for the rest of the year.” One exception to the reduction is the trout stocking program at Fort Leonard Wood. Another is the winter trout fishing program at urban lakes, for which the Conservation Department buys fish from other hatcheries. Civiello said he hopes to return to normal stocking levels in 2010. He said the agency will continue to monitor hatchery inventories, trout tag sales and other factors and make adjustments to minimize the effect on stocking. -Jim Low-

AJ Pratt and crew shocked last Wednesday night. Here's what AJ emailed me about their findings. We went out on Wednesday night and collected all the fish we needed (50 females and 150 males). The hatchery staff have the eggs from about half of the females and the remaining females should be ready to give up their eggs within the next day or two. Wednesday and Thursday will be the critical period, since some eggs will always go bad following the fertilization process. So at this time we should not have to go back for any more fish, but will re-evaluate later in the week. It is good thing to get this process completed in one evening. We were lucky that Table Rock was generating, since that always improves our catch. Overall, the population looks good. We saw good numbers of legal size fish as well as a few large fish. The largest was over 29" with an approximate weight of 12+ pounds. As of last Thursday, only a handful of females were flowing eggs, indicating we were in the early stages of the spawn.

March 2009 Newsletter from the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery Conservation Center We wish you all a very happy St. Patrick’s Day Contents [1] Bouquet for Branson – March 21st [2] Hunter Education Class March 30, 31, & April 2nd [3] Vulture Venture – Thank You! [4] New Steps at the Hatchery [5] Ask a Naturalist “When will the mushrooms come up and where do we look for them?” Making Reservations: Because the Hatchery is open 7 days a week, you may call any day from 9am to 5pm. This includes Saturday and Sunday. We ask that reservations be made by phone, not by email. 1. A Bouquet for Branson March 21 (Saturday) 10am – 2pm Using native plants in your landscape is the easiest way to create a beautiful garden that requires little watering or maintenance. The result of using native wildflowers in your garden is an increase in birds, butterflies, and more time to enjoy nature. Come to the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery on Saturday, March 21st to learn more about putting plants in the proper location. There will be a brief presentation at 10:00 am about using native plants in landscaping. After the presentation, Mervin Wallace from the Missouri Wildflower Nursery will have potted plants available to purchase. No reservations are required; however, the FREE presentation starts at 10:00 am. For more information or directions call (417) 334-4865 ext 0. 2. Hunter Education Class being offered 3 Evening Sessions (March 30, 31, & April 2nd) 6:00 – 9:30pm all three nights Hunter Ed logo-orangeMust attend all three sessions to pass the class Class will be held at the Dewey Short Visitor Center Ages 11 and up [Ages 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult] RESERVATIONS REQUIRED Here is your chance to take the Hunter Education Safety class before this spring’s Turkey Season. This class is required for anyone born after January 1967 who wants to purchase a turkey or deer hunting tag. The class will cover a variety of hunting safety aspects including proper handling of firearms, types of ammunition, archery & muzzleloading, identifying your game, hunter ethics, and more. Upon completing the class, which includes a short exam, participants will get a temporary certification card which can be shown when purchasing a turkey tag. For more information or reservations call (417) 334-4865 ext 0. 3. Vulture Venture – THANK YOU! A big THANK YOU to everyone who took part in our 13th Annual Vulture Venture event on February 21st. With 304 people attending this 6 hour event, it was one of our largest Vulture Ventures every. As always, Socrates, from the Wonders of Wildlife Museum was the ‘star’ of the show. The winner of the free print by Betty Grace was a family from Cameron MO. They drove 500 miles round trip to take part in our event. We hope that you get to join us again in February of 2010 for our 14th Annual Event. 4. New Steps Visitors to the Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center and parked in the bus parking lot had been walking partially on the grass and partially on railroad tie steps created by an Eagle Scout. That situation is now gone. With the help of our MDC Design & Development staff, a new two-tiered set of steps was installed. While the steps are completely open for use, there will be a set of hand rails that will be installed at a later date. As you walk the steps, don’t be surprised to see that a few animals left their mark behind in the cement. Morels 5. Ask a Naturalist “When will the mushrooms be up and where do we look for them?” Christy from Hollister asks, “My dad and I want to go mushroom hunting. When will the mushrooms be up and where do we look for them?” Christy, you and your dad are in luck in that we still have a couple of weeks before prime mushroom hunting. The mushrooms that most people are wanting to find are Morel Mushrooms. They are identified by being a flesh color, having a hollow stalk, and the outside looks like coral or a ‘brain’. They are some of the bet eating around. When will they popping up? Generally, the end of March and the first of April are when the first morels come up out of the ground. The best indicator is when we have had 3 nights above 50 degrees or warmer. The key factor is NOT the air temperature, but the soil temperature. Having warm nights maintains the warmth that was generated by the sun during the day. Where do you find them? There is usually no one good spot. Sadly, most mushroom hunters don’t share their ‘honey hole’. The best advice would be to find a wooded area that has some light leaf litter, is well drained and on a southern exposure. Some people claim that they find mushrooms near elm or ash trees. Those trees are good indicators of potential mushroom habitat. Mushroom Hunting Tips - Never go mushroom hunting alone. - Never eat a mushroom if you don’t know what it is. Get a free brochure from the Hatchery or go in the internet to find photos of morel mushrooms. - During Spring Turkey Season (April 20 – May 10; Youth Season April 4-5) wear something bright orange or neon colored. - Get permission to be on property that is not yours. We allow mushroom hunting at the Hatchery, but some MDC facilities and State Parks do not. Always ask at the office. - Walk in small circles. Sometimes morels are hidden by leaves or plants. Walking in a circle may give you a better chance of finding these elusive mushrooms. - Collect your mushrooms in a mesh bag. This allows the spores (microscopic seeds) to drop to the ground as you walk and re-seed the area for next year. Carrying mushrooms in a plastic bag may cause them to spoil. - Cut off the root portion of the mushroom before cooking. There is nothing wrong with the root, it just has lots of soil on it and it may taste bad. - Cut the morel open to expose the inside and soak in salt water for at least 30 minutes. This will kill any insects that live inside the mushroom. Several books and internet sites have recipes for cooking morel mushrooms. Choose one you like. - If you have never eaten morel mushrooms, eat only a few at a time. While morel mushrooms are one of the safest mushrooms to consume, you do not want to overwhelm your digestive system. The same thing can happen if you eat too many sweets at one time…you get sick. If you have any questions about morels or other mushrooms, please contact the Fish Hatchery. If you have a question that you would like to have a Naturalist answer, send your question to John.Miller@mdc.mo.gov . We would love to answer it for you and share this information with other readers in our ‘Ask A Naturalist’ spot. We hope that you have enjoyed this issue of the Shepherd of the Hills newsletter. Have a great rest of your winter and keep learning about the forest, fish, and wildlife resources around us. Cheers! John Miller Naturalist Program Supervisor Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center 483 Hatchery Road Branson MO 65616 (417) 334 4865 ext 0 John.Miller@mdc.mo.gov

Seriously? There's an area posted on TR- no outboard motors?? Or am I missing something.

That's really a great idea. I've seen and caught some big rainbows right in Hollister on Turkey Creek in years past during the winter. I'm sure they're up in every creek that runs into Taney. Short Creek would be a good creek if you could find access- and it's right up Brett's street. I think Lonkm was talking about Bee Creek on Bull Shoals.

OK- were you on Taneycomo or Bull Shoals? They each have a Bee Creek.

They didn't have any authority to tell you to move it. They don't own the lot, the Landing does. What, a cop is going to write you a ticket? Tow your rig? I doubt it. Someone ought to send FLW an email and let them know their trash is being displayed on a forum- word's getting out. Very poor. Bad for business.

Bee Creek? You mean the open, lake area just inside the creek? The creek itself isn't big enough for a boat. I'm not surprised. Probably lots of trout up in any of the feeder creeks right now. I've know there's lots of rainbows up in Turkey- always is this time of year. I've heard Coon Creek is fishing fairly good- has all winter. And Bull Creek- I catch rainbows up in Bull as far as Walnut Shade in May. It's a great trout stream really... What would be a great float trip right now is floating from Highway 160 to F and fish for rainbows exclusively. I bet there's hatches of all kinds in Bull Creek. You'd be surprised. I think it would be a wonderful idea for a person to sell wading fly trips in any of our area feeder streams on Taney in the winter.

I LOL big time! Thanks for the reports guys. Should be a good week on the Rock this week.