Phil Lilley

ok- they relented. Quenten Fronterhouse and Mike Adams from Branson.

I got this emailed to me... the party, whom I can't mention any names, didn't give me permission (yet) to post their pic. But you know, they sent it to me so it's mine- right? Anyhow, I'll reveal the faces and names only when they say it's ok. They may not have had a OK fishing lisc... you never know about these characters. They caught them in the vicinity of hwy 10 bridge on 1/8th oz white and white/black rooster tails.

Well last week my neighbor and I decided to try something different and fish up on Lake Taneycomo for a few days, and despite everything seemingly against us, we managed to have some productive time on the water. We are both fly fishing guides on the White River and Norfork in Arkansas, and we enjoy using some techniques at Taneycomo that do not work as well down here (this time of year, especially). Anyway, we finally got on the water in the afternoon on March 22nd. The weather was cold and nasty all morning, but the sun peeked through right when we started wading. We met up with a friend by the dam, and the fishing for all of us was good from the start. We were using #14 and #16 scuds and getting a bite on virtually every cast. The fish were decent size, with many hard fighters in the 13 to 16 inch range. When the breeze died late in the afternoon, I did well on a tandem midge pupa combo, while the scud was still working on my friend. On this day we just wanted to catch some fish just in case the weather made fishing too uncomfortable over the next few days. The next morning was indeed chilly, but knowing there was no hurry, we didn't get on the water until 10:30am. It was just my neighbor and I, and he started with some cracklebacks and I used scuds and midge pupa patterns. We were near the boat ramp. I started out catching some nice fish (and some dinks) with my nymphs, and when the sun came out it really got good. The dry fly presentation was working alright for my neighbor, but nothing crazy. Around lunchtime we were sitting in the boat and I enjoyed seeing him start getting rises in 6-inches of water. So to get away from the "normal" nymphing we do day in and day out, I fished a small crackleback on the surface all afternoon. We both caught countless fish (which seemed to run bigger on the surface) and missed many more. Sometimes the wind was too strong to get the fish to rise, but for the most part conditions were perfect. Unfortunately the winds and cold temps would not elude us so we decided to come home Friday instead of fishing. It had been a fun trip for all of us, and we know we can jet back up when the weather looks better. Still, it was nice to see some nicer fish on upper Taneycomo, although it does seem like the numbers of trophy fish is down from what we could see. But the crowds were fairly light and like always on upper Taneycomo, we didn't have to move much to stay on hoards of fish. Gabe Cross http://arkansastrophytrout.com

Where is this? Is there a website with info?

Put in at River Run at 7 a.m. No one at the ramp- concerning. It was cold and foggy so I guess the die-hards slept in (smart!). We headed downstream to one of my best crappie holes at Barker and started throwing swimming minnows- no bites. We proceeded down, stopping at several spots, fished up in Beaver up to the first bend, fished up in Cedar Creek about 200 yards before catching our first crappie. It was our last (keeper). We fished back towards Beaver on the bluff around a log in the water and caught 5 more short crappie. Also threw blue rebels in various places for whites- nothing. Lots of boats came out in the am at Beaver and at River Run. Didn't see any fish caught and no one said they were doing any good. I don't have a temp gage (sorry). Water is great color and should warm up quickly as it gets warmer this and next week. Swan Creek Looking upstream from Barker Hole Looking downstream from River Run Ramp

Thanks for the report... we're alittle short of LOZ traffic but hopefully this will change soon.

Oh... that's good stuff! I will mention it for sure. If he didn't- you must have. What do you have to say for yourself!

Fishing-wise... would be nice to have the smallmouth back on the old White River. Flood-wise... would not be nice to see our countryside flooded every few year. The dams do serve a valuable service. It has its pro and cons.

Call Beaver Creek Marina and ask them. I'd love to see them do it but they'll have to get on it quick. 417-546-5121

Very illegal.

Depends on the depth of water. Set it 12 inches off the bottom.

If you're using a spin cast rod and reel you can use flies!! Just alittle readjustment needs to happen. First, I'd use 2 lb line. It's easier to handle the lighter rig. Using a small float, throw some beadhead nymphs - copper johns, zebra midge, small jigs in earth colors like brown, black, olive, sculpin. Or throw a jig straight- no float- 1/32nd oz - and work it up and let it drop in the deeper holes. If you get good at working a jig, you're set for life! All types of fish can't resist a jig. Hope this helps!! When you do to the parks, and this report helps you catch more fish, please share the forum with others.

The colder days last week and weekend were tough on anglers and fishing it seems... lots of slow reports Saturday and Sunday with a few acceptions (there are always acceptions). One was a email report from Pete - Hello Phil; Just wanted to say thank you for the advice you gave me Saturday about where and what to fish with when I stopped in your shop. I went up Sunday armed with the brown and orange head jigs you told me to buy and man I had a ball. I caught approxiamately 100 fish with a half dozen between 15 and 17 inches with my best being an 18 and 1/2 beauty. Thanks again and the next time I get down you can count on me coming by for more jigs and advice. Sincerely, Pete LaBoube He was using 1/125th oz marabou jigs we sell in the shop. They've been a hot fly up below the dam. Sitting here watching boats on the water, I just saw a pontoon full of people trolling past the resort, hooking 2 rainbows in front of the docks. It looks like they were using small spoons. Lots of midge action since it has warmed up the last couple of days. Zebra midge #16 red or black under an indicator with either a spin or fly rod should be excellent all week fishing them from 12 to 48 inches deep. Use 2 lb line for the best action. I'm heading out to fish with John Johnson this afternoon- probably boating up past Fall Creek to fly fish the flats. Will add to the report later today. Bait fishing- very seldom changes. Power eggs in a combination of white and another color (pink, orange, yellow) using 4 lb line with a split shot best. Night crawlers injected with air and floated off the bottom 12 inches. Minnows fish on the bottom- better chance to catch a brown trout. In from fishing- John and I drove to the dam and tried fishing jigs. Water was very shallow below #2 - too much so for us. We did catch a couple of small rainbows but headed down to deeper water at the boat ramp. There we found glass surface and little action. John caught a couple. We headed back to the resort and my boat. Boated up above Fall Creek and just above the narrows. Was alittle chop on the water and fishing was good. John threw hwi fly rod and a zebra midge and I threw a 1/32nd oz sculpin jig with an orange head. They tore up the jig and hit the zebra pretty well. But when the chop was gone, so were the bites. We caught alot of rainbow, most were 10-12 inches but some were up to 14 inches (pic). Rainbows midging all over at dusk.

Try the docks on the east side of Indian Points. i've heard there are trees sung around some of them. Bass- use the same techniques mentioned in the reports by House and SKMO.

http://ozarkanglers.com/bsmaps/bsmap1.htm Bull Shoals Maps are linked at the top of the BS forum.

I'm not an authority on white bass on Table Rock by any means but I wanted to start a topic that will start to cover the ins and outs of white bass fishing on Table Rock in April. Typically, white bass spawn in feeder creeks, rivers, points and coves but most anglers focus their attention on the creeks and rivers because they are easier to target. Water temperature plays a key part in when and where they spawn. Watching weather patterns including warm days, warm windy days and rainfall is crucial to knowing when they make their move. Rainfall usually brings water water into the system. It also adds colored water. Colored water warms much faster than clear water (very important to know). And I believe fresh, warm water triggers spawning whites more than anything else. Rivers- James, Flat, White, Roaring, Kings, Long are all major feeder arms. Best times to catch whites- early morning and late evening. They tend to move during low light times. Night time is even good. Pre-season - locate whites using lures you can cover alot of water with. Rebels, rapalas, sluggos, grubs, swimming minnows. When you find one you'll usually find two or more. They will move in and out of the creeks/rivers. If there are deeper holes int he river, below shallower gravel areas, that where they will stage, hold. Otherwise, they'll be in the mouths waiting to run. Males typically will be the ones that will move up and down the river. Females will move but not as far and not as often. Spawn - this is the easy time to catch whites... sometimes. I find when they are in the spawning areas, which are shallow gravel with moving water preferablly, they will bite. Live minnows are the best bait, drifted down to them from above using light line and a split shot. Fly fishing using small clousers and other streamers are also good. But be aware if it's fairly clear water and a bright sunny day, they won't be as cooperative to bite. Int he peak of spawn, whites will rise to the surface and tail, making a circle as they spawn. I've been told 2 males will push a female up between them and eject their sperm and eggs at the same time while they do this 'dance'. Post-spawn - Whites will stay in these rivers and creeks for alot longer than you think. I've caught them in the creeks way into June before. The idea is they stay in the creeks as long as there are minnows there to eat. Rebels and small sluggos are my favorite lure during these times.

These trout eat trout guts mainly. That's why there are so many here. We have seen big browns under there and I would think they would catch one or two chubs but why bother when you get a chunk of meat handed to you without any work? There's a couple of shaddows holding back- they look very big.

I just changed the position of the camera under the dock. It's not pointing upstream, under the dock, instead of downstream and pointing out from underneath the dock. The light is different- the trout close to the camera are brighter- and there is 3-4 rainbows that are huge that stay under the dock. You'll see 2 of them- about 4-5 pounds and one well over 10 pounds. They are very shy. But I got them if them come back!

Yes.

The White River below Bull Shoals and the Norfork River below Lake Norfork will get more minimum flow starting in August. To allow the extra flow, the Corp will readjust the way they manage the lakes above, adding I think 4-6 feet of water to the management pool. How this affects the levels is a good question. In times of drought like we are in now, it probably would mean the level would be lower by a bit but not as much as you'd think. Just like now, thru this winter because the lake levels are so low, they just aren't running water when they could/should be for power. It's a water management decision. The extra water that will be released will have to be added into the equation of managing the resourse. I honestly don't think it will alter levels to the point of being noticed. BUT if the lakes get high or if the go to low levels again, there will be those who will blame it on minimum flow- mark my words. Missouri and minimum flow- they are going to wait and see how it works in Arkansas. Give it 4-6 years.

Frame this comment!!! Put it with all the negative comments about the rude waders/boaters. It offsets them all. Thanks for the report.

Creek Chubs. Lots of them.

It's very possible bass on lower Taney are feeding on trout but there is a huge supply of shad down there too but I'm not sure if they do... I'm sure there's big browns down there and they would definately feed on trout. So throwing a rainbow lure could get you a big brown or big bass. They both live in basically the same environments.

I guess those who don't fish for crappie often have a hard time visualizing where and how to catch them. There are books and videos on the subject but it's good to hear from the common angler too. I'll pin this topic since the season will be upon us soon and I know there's going to be many questions posted on the board about the subject. This topic should keep the common question from being asked, "Where are they and how do I catch them?" Here's my 2-cents. I've been a crappie-fisherperson-wannabe for along time. I couldn't seem to be in the right place, using the right lure, at the right time to catch crappie. I didn't have a 'feel' for it. I envied the retire guy who patiently fished everyday and was on them, caught them. But I think I have a handle on it. Here's what I found. Spawning Banks - I have found them on any bank that has a 30 to 40 degree angled bank on the main lake or in coves/fingers. It's best when you find these banks close to deeper water. Long, shallow banks are not good, neither are steep, bluff banks UNLESS these is a ledge with a log or tree on that ledge. Transition banks are good, especially where the bank just starts to flatten out and you find small rocks and even some pea gravel. I like to see at least a little pea gravel in the large rocks on the bank. I've also found that drainage cuts in a bluff bank will hold crappie, especially if there is driftwood in these cuts. Prespawn (March, first of April) - crappie have already started to group up but they tend to move around. They suspend out off spawning banks or out toward the main lake, not necessarily back in the coves yet. They could be in 20-30 feet of water but suspended anywhere from 2 to 12 feet deep. That makes them difficult to locate and patience is needed to find and catch them. They will make "false runs" to the banks when the water warms early. You'll find mostly males making this run, but not always. Spawn (mid to late April) - Crappie will be surprisingly close to the edge of the bank during spawn... sometimes 12 inches. Not all crappie will spawn at the same time so you will find them on the bank- and off the bank 10-15 feet. Concentrate on the banks I described as spawning banks and keep moving if you can't locate them. Move quick to cover alot of ground. You will find them, especially on Table Rock during this time. TR has had some of the best crappie populations the last 3 years. Postspawn (May) - this is an area I'm not as familiar with. I'll let someone with more experience cover it. Fishing for them - I love to use my fly rod and a jig-n-float, especially during spawn. But to locate them I would use a swimming bait- grub or swimming minnow. Bill Babler - Spoke to Bill Anderson this morning. Bill was our lake biologist for a long time. He is now the cordinator of our warm water hatcheries. Most of the crappie we are catching are coming from a couple of good back to back spawn years. A keeper is basicly a 4 to 5 year old fish. What I could determine in speaking to Bill is the number of shorts should well outnumber the keepers for a viable population, as at legal length, with the fishing prussure we have, the majority of these fish will be harvested. Contrary to popular belief, wave after wave of crappie don't come into the bank, spawn and move away, as another set moves up. In a given period of time the spawn will occur. The majority of these keeper fish will be there at one time. When their gone, there gone. Yes there is some constant movement, but it is the same fish going and coming in search of the right conditions, not another group of fish. Most of us can remember the low decade of the 90's. Don't forget it, as Bill said, with the harvest that has gone on the last couple of years and the extremely poor recruitment of last and for sure this year, we had better enjoy them while they last. Can catch and release of these bedding females make a difference in our future harvest. Bill says not likely. The recuritment of crappie spawn is manley due to lake conditions. With depressed water levels, and warm clearing conditions, the new hatched crappie will have a rough go of it. If the microscopic organism's that the spawn consume are present and we get rain to promote cover for these young we may continue to have good seasons like 05, and 06. But look out 3 to 4 years from now, thats when we will see how good it really was in 2006.

Talked to Jeremy R this evening. He said he and others have been catching walleye, whites and crappie from the mouth of Swan down past Barker. Whites at the Barker Hole on rebels and crappie around any stickup on jigs and swimming minnows. Walleye at night off the riprap accross from the mouth of Swan Creek on stick baits. He said it's really been good. Any others catching fish down there?