Phil Lilley

I got 24 tonight and 50 tomorrow with a 30% chance of rain. Should be a great day to fish! Might have a bunch of midge hatches so pack some tiny midge patterns.

Whenever we have time to sit, tie and take pics. May be next week? I haven't talked to him since he's been back.

Consider this - at any time there are more "guests" viewing the board than "members". I think that normal. I don't post there cause I know very little about the river, except it's never been "friendly" to me. That means I've never done well- but that the angler's fault, not the fish's fault. Brian has done an exceptional job.

Very little generation. What flow we are getting is late in the day or after dark at night. Why- that's a good question. Fishing has been very good BUT not very many good-sized rainbows to report. Lots and lots of 9 to 11 inch rainbows in the lake- throughout the lake- and easliy caught on just about anything. Below Fall Creek, night crawlers still has the best chance to catch a larger rainbow. Minnows would be good for browns. Both fished on the bottom- worms with alittle air pumped in them. Power eggs are good in white combined with some other color like yellow, orange or pink. Salmon eggs are actually making a comeback. The heaviest line would be 4 lb- 2 lb not necessary. Up or down from Fall Creek - troll small crank baits; F-5 or 7 in gold, silver or rainbow. Troll spinners like rooster tails in bright colors. Jig and float using either marabou or micro jigs under a float 3 to 5 feet deep. Look for choppy water for best results. Colors - olive, sculpin, black, brown or ginger. IF the run water, switch to pink or white. Flyfishing anyplace on the lake - zebra midges in black #16 or #18 under an indicator 12 inches - lots of midge hatches the this is a great way to catch alot of fish. I was out for a couple of hours - Short Creek or the Narrows - caught lots of rainbows on a black zebra. You can use this on a spin cast rod just as easy as a fly rod. Below the dam - same old scuds and midge patterns. Night fishing has been good according to some on the forum. Woolies - try light and dark colors.

That's what I like about the people on this forum- they readily admit if they're wrong and go on... something I'm well versed in - sticking my foot in my mouth or computer in this case. It is interesting the guys fishing at night are seeing some big rainbows so there are some up there.

We've talked about this on another thread... but I have alittle new info on the BP marina. They are not going to test drive big boats... only bass boats and pontoons (they are big enough). As of right now, they aren't going to let them go up past Cooper Creek with them (test drive). Don't know about rentals. I think they are still trying to figure out exactly what they are going to do. I know they bought the floating building and are going to make it a eatery for lake and land traffic.

"I think one of the previous Missouri State Records was caught on a Shad Assassin, a bait very similar to a sluggo." - Kevin Elfrink, 24.95 lb brown caught on a sluggo just above Monkey Island in June of 1994 or 5.

That's interesting! When I asked MDC why there were yellow perch in BS they had no answer. They said they had not stocked them in BS- kinda accused Ark of doing it (normal response- "they did it!"). So they MAY have been around for along time. Surprisingly, when I caught one 10+years ago, they said that was the first they'd EVER seen. You never know.

Moved to the fly fishing section. I didn't want a new visitor to think this forum was all about fly fishing.... It wasn't getting alot of traffic anyways. Just trying to keep you on your toes!!

I've had guests ask me why they're running water at night... I don't know what to tell them!! Strange.

Welcome- we look forward to sharing fishing knowledge with you... this is a relatively new board and our hope is to add more and more experienced anglers to all the waters you've mentioned.

The well has been dug already. Why do you want to know?

Hummmm..... rainbows eat minnows... well small forage fish. If we had a natural spawn, they'd eat rainbow fry too. We sell and use minnows here and we catch mostly rainbows on them. I've put rainbows in a tank and fed them minnows and they attack them. Rainbows also gorge themselves on shad when they come thru the turbines. We also use crank baits and catch alot of rainbows. I've seen a brown eat a 13 inch rainbow right off the surface of the lake. Maybe 20 times I've witnessed a brown either chasing/eating a rainbow or have a brown try to eat a rainbow when the rainbow was hooked by a fisherman. Fox is refering to using streamers that imitate rainbows and browns to catch either.

Honestly- smallmouth regs and policies are out of my league. I have alot to learn. As for the taking of property, I know there are abuses BUT I think it's necessary in extreme cases to make a statement. Some guys just don't learn by fines or even getting their permits revoked. Case in point, I called Quinton the other day and reported a couple of guys in a green jon running up and back down the lake- mid day- shooting ducks while in full trottle. They've been doing this all season. He said to get a description if I could. I drove to Cooper Creek's ramp and found one truck and trailer there and the truck even had a Ducks Unlimited decale on the bumper. I took a pic and sent it to Quinton. He reported back and said these same guys had already been ticketed for shooting ducks illegally and some other charges involving the feds and firearms. Oh yea- they were drunk at the time of the shooting. So you have a couple of guys who are awaiting their hearing on state and federal charges and still "hunting", as it were, in broad daylite on a busy lake. Sorry- they need to lose their guns and go to jail before they really hurt someone. As for not gigging on specific streams, I yield. It wasn't the best thought.

Sorry- this is a fishing site, not a duck site. This topic is closed.

Could have been the water treatment plant's intake.

Boy- you bring up some good questions... Yes we have tons of small rainbows in the lake right now. We usually do this time of year cause Neosho federal hatchery "blesses" us with dinks from their hatchery every year in December. They are stocked downstream but always seemed to make their way to the dam, regardless if they run water. Do they puch other trout out, namely bigger rainbows. it does seem that way. But we're not seeing them below Fall Creek- even the bait fishers aren't coming in with 15-16-17-18 inch rainbows. So if they were moving out, they'd show I'd think. So where are they? I don't have the answer. My guess is that they are still above Fall Creek for the most part. Low flow in winter equals low food base, esp in the trophy area. Is that backed up by any "official" research- nope. How much of a decline in the food base- not much. But our bugs do much better during medium to heavy flows than with no generation- I'm sure of that.

I talked to Buster this afternoon... he said the guy at K-dock has been talked to by the sheriff and the water patrol- warned- not to harrass fisherpeople around his dock. So... Buster said to call Cap't Gary Haupt at 417-335-5696 of the water patrol and he will come and take care of Mr. K-Dock. He may get arrested the next time he does something like this.

It sounds like MDC needs to identify "trophy smallmouth waters" and then take measures to protect the species- one action would be making gigging illegal. Another would be to use their manpower and target groups like these guys till they are caught, take everything they're using including their boat, vehicle and trailer and make examples of them in the media.

Forsythian - I'm puzzled by your post. Can you explain? Bass Magnet - bass fishing on Taney is different than most lakes because generation causes water temps to vary. For instance, in the summer months when the lower lake could warm to the 70's or 80's, one full day of generation would send 48 degree water to replace the warmer water. That puts a damper on bass fishing. I don't fish down there for bass as much as I'd like but I can tell you my experiences and what others have done. Right now the lake is very stable- no major fluxuations in temp. Crank baits are working very well- rouges and rapalas. They will work for the next couple of months. When the water starts to warm, I like throwing soft plastics - plastic worms and soft jerk baits. I've done best in cuts and coves off the main lake and around docks. In the dead of summer, I like throwing spinner baits around trees and brush. I would fish from Rockaway downstream for bass and up in Bull Creek.

Dead browns - most down in this area of the lake but one was found above Fall Creek. I've never hooked anything that big. Chicken livers would lure one I'm sure. It's legal- as long as it's chicken and not trout guts. Would the record be frowned on - oh yes. But it'd be legal if caught. It's amazing one hasn't been caught before now.

Never fly fished and you're going to take him at night?!??! Better use barbless!! Day time- or night- get in some current and use soft hackles, cracklebacks, small woolies or streamers and have your friend cast out as far as he can - then let out more line and then either sit there and wait or strip in slow- very slow. This is ow I taught my kids to fly fish. The trout hook themselves most of the time and then he'll get used to bringing them in.

There are lots of vegatation in all lakes- some look like vines with leaves and some is more string-like. I don't know what the names are but they are common. The bubbles... well that cold be coming from decaying matter on the bottom like leaves and grass washed in by the rains or wind.

OzarkAnglers.Com has a list of tournaments here. http://ozarkanglers.com/tr_tournaments.php

When the water temp reaches about 60+ about mid May.