Phil Lilley

Jim and I have been researching Dolly Varden and Artic Char... this is a late season Dolly or Char caught in Margot Creek last year. Jim has always thought they were Dollys but we think it could be a Char instead. Anyone know for sure? This is one late in the season (August) but not in spawning colors yet.

Link - http://www.ozarkflyfishers.org/pages/newsl.../nl_y07m03.html

It'll take a while for these to load but they are well worth it! http://ozarkanglers.com/alaska2006/new/images.html We still have room if you want to go!!

Actually I'm going thru eprocessingnetwork.com. We're looking into why they haven't secured the site. As for the speed, my providers are moving quickly towards solving the problem, now that I've brought it up again and pointed out the increase in useage. Thanks

All the whites were males. 22 in all with 3 crappie- one sow. It was full of nymphs. I bet we had 2 gogs that were 10 inches. We do catch gogs that size around the Branson Belle- those banks are full of them in May and June.

I drove in on Blunk Rd so I assumed I was at Blunks. I know of another private ramp on down a couple of miles that I took out of last summer when we canoed it. The whites- I'm sure we caught all males, although we saw them circling so there were sows in the area. We caught 2-3 2-plus males as we drifted out late, 2-3 pounders at the eddie and the rest were small- much smaller than I'd ever usually keep but that's all anyone was catching PLUS I'd rather keep a mess of small jacks that a few big sows. We did the best throwing a white 1/32nd oz jig with a 3/0 split pinched 12 inches above the jig, 4 lb line. Chartreuse did ok too but white was best. Caught a ton of small blue gill too.

Sold one... pulling off 6 more motors this week. Eight total. Drop me an email if you're at all interested.

Put in at Blunk about 12:30. Water clarity about 10 inches. Headed up to McCords and beached the boat. Put on waders and comensed to cast. I caught one small male on a white 1/80th oz jig. Some guys on the bank had a dozen small males. Headed around the corner (faster water) and saw a guy in the eddie below the riffle on the far bank catch a bunch of small whites and kept every one. We thought wow- those are small males to keep- some not more than 6 inches. He kept 2 walleye too. I didn't see them but James said he didn't think they were every big. We goofed around and didn't catch much else. Boated back downstream looking and fishing. We weren't too familiar with that area. Went back up and the guy in the eddie was gone so we slipped in. We decided to keep the spot till dark and wait till the big whites moved up at dusk. Never happened. We caught small males, 2 big crappie and quite a few goggleye. Drifted out. As we drifted back down, we saw several whites circle on the surface, starting to spawn. We ended up catching the largest whites on purple swimming minnows as we drifted back to the ramp. I think we kept about 25 whites. Not many people out really. I river boat (Shawnee) with 3 fly fishers and about 6 other boats with a half dz bank fishers is all. Didn't take water temp... my live well pump isn't even working. Broke one trailer lite pulling out and the tip of my favorite Falcon rod. But it was a great day. I think with the forecast and warm temps, these whites will be spawning for the next week or two- but it has started for sure. Question- can you keep goggleye in the river? Are they considered part of the bass family that's closed to taking in most Missouri rivers, including the James (I assume). We didn't keep any. I have enough fish to clean!! Tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Hi Dan.

It's "James" now! Jamie sounds too much like a "kid".

Image is up.

"condo people" made me think of some guests of ours who have a place on LoZ. They're 2 brothers who have a dock. They said they sunk big steel rings about 5 ft in diameter down in the middle of the stall and hung brush from the rim. That's so that boaters can't fish the middle, where they drop their line straight down the ring and pull out crappie most of the year. They are great guys but they do like their crappie for themselves. If I had a dock in a warmwater lake, I may do something similar.

There were a TON of people in town over the weekend. Even last night when we boated by the fountain at the Landing, the area was full of people watching the water show. Lots of spring break people. SDC broke all kinds of records Saturday and Sunday. Not usually this bad this early.

No- they've been in there for almost 3 weeks, well before the water started last week. They schooled in there right after they were stocked I bet and never left.

When fishing the other day near some of the places I find morrells, I thought, "Is it too early to think about morrells???" Well??? So I thought I'd post and pin this topic. As soon as you find any mushrooms in your neck of the woods, please post so others will start looking. I think it'd be cool and educational if you also posted conditions you find them in (after a rain, warm evening) and where like by a sycamore or oak. Thanks!

Right now we're planning on going to the James Tuesday morning. Want to put in a Blunks at daylight and head up. But will consider reports between now and then. If they are further upstream, we'll put in further up and fish the riffles above Galena.

It's in downtown- same side of the lake just past the Landing.

Boated to Roark in search for some whites. Got there about 7 pm. The wind was blowing against the east bank and we caught 6 quick whites including a 3.38 lb sow caught by James Johnson (pic). Jim Johnson, his dad, caught a couple smaller whites and a crappie or two. Wind slacked off and so did the fishing. I caught the black at the mouth just before we headed out. It weighed 3.26 lbs. The black was released and I would have released the big sow but it didn't do well in the live well on the way back. All fish were caught on a smoke swimming minnow. Still lots of trout in the creek, even though they were hammered hard over the weekend.

Do you fillet or eat them whole? My grounds/dock man eats them whole- says they taste better... but he's a Cajun.

I hesitated to report this cause there's those who I know fish these areas on the forum and have not done well... the walleye I've heard from several sources so I thought I'd report that. I guess you have to take all reports with a grain of sand, including mine. Just hope they're somewhat accurate... hopeful at least.

Wapsi gets $1.80 per 10 wholesale! I'd jump on it guys.

I guess I'll have to report for Jeremy R. He and Shawn went this am and fished till 11 ? and fished the same area. I think he said they had 14 but it was 2 here and 2 there. Lots and lots of boats. Fish were caught off the bank again- same pattern and the evening before for us.

I knew it. My guest thought it was just a few miles south of here and I said I bet it was in Arkansas. We had smoke like this a year ago when they were burning off bush but that fire got out of hand if I remember right.

Depends where the take line is.

Just talked to a friend who teaches in Forsyth. He has great ears and hears what's going on at the Pothole, Swan and Beaver. I wish I'd been talking to him all winter. Walleye- he said they did very well on walleye when the water was running fishing from the wing wall on the Forsyth side in Jan and Feb. He said a 19-pounder was caught (2nd time I'd heard that story). Lots of 22-24 inches caught. Nothing in Swan Creek yet. Beaver- big sows were being caught at the Maiden Hole in the evenings 2 weeks ago. Water is very clear and they are only hitting at low light. Small one being caught right now but the big whites should be getting back up any day. I rain would bring them up big time. I trust this guy otherwise I wouldn't have bothered posting. Hope to turn him on to the forum- he'd be a good source.