Phil Lilley

I wouldn't think one could trap up there... but I don't know. But no- these animals come from downstream 6 miles or so. Got another red fox today... done for awhile.

Just a short report. Jim, James and I fished mid day today. They were running a unit so we boated up to Rocking Chair. 4 boats on the water. 2 waders that I could see. They continued to drop the water out as we fished. We anchored and started throwing beaded sculpin wooly buggers and James hooked up with several rainbows. He did best when he drifted the fly instead of stripping it. I caught a few on a tan thin-skin #16 scud under an indicator 5 feet. Jim caught a few on a small streamer. We drifted thru KOA- catching got slower. Jim tied on a zebra and so did James. They hooked a few more rainbows. Nothing over 13 inches.

2 big, buck coons today and a nice silver possuum. Had 2 traps that didn't do their jobs.

Yes- Tom and Jim. Jim bought the cabins at 37 and the PM back in 1981 or 2, just before I bought our resort. I went up there for the first time with a friend from St Louis, Peter Mathiesen, and got to know Jim, Phyliss and Tom. Since then, I've been up there 20+ times and Jim & family comes down here twice a year. Tom is coming down this weekend and joining us for some fishing on Taney before going over to KS for some bird hunting. Last year, I went up to Alaska and helped Tom on a package trip with some of his clients. Jim sold the lodge a few years ago. He guides and builds drift boats. Tom and Chris manage the Rainbow Club just downstream from the lodge. He guides in Alaska and in Central America in the PM's offseasons.

Leonard - you sure get around!!

1,000 year flood plan...

Jim has an 11-foot and 2) 12-foots he'd sell. With trailer. They are Stealth Crafts- he makes them. All 3 are fiberglass. Ash rails. 2 swivel seats. Dry storage box. Oars. 2-3 years old. All are in good shape. 2 are green camo and 1 gray camo (aqua design). $1,500 choice. They are in Baldwin, Michigan so you'll have to go up and pick them up (spring steelhead trip!!) The 11-ft is the same as the 11-ft hyde drifter design. Jim said when he gets home in a couple of weeks he can send pics. http://hydeoutdoors.com/boats/used/used.php

Bill Babler and I set our first traps on Taney yesterday. Bill is an old trapper from his college days so he had traps and know-how. I got the dirt. We only set 9 traps - had 5 coons and 1 red fox this morning. No one has trapped on upper Taney for years so there's alot of fur running loose. Babler wants some mounts for his lodge. I just want the pelts to hang in the shop.

I think Wayne is right. If Beaver goes, they wanted a fail-safe for Table Rock/Taneycomo.

I have a friend who builds the Stealth Craft Drift boats out of Michigan. He's here visiting- I'll ask him and get back.

Having all kinds of access and software problems... will try to fix later tonight.

This is the final evening to get our wireless network up and running. It's been a pain. That's why the wedcams have been on- then off the last couple of days. The underwater cam is being unplugged at night till we come up with decent underwater lights- even during the day when it's cloudy it's dark under the dock. Did see a brown today on the monitor that'd go well over 10 pounds. Lots of creek chubs- would be great to see one eaten online!!

Brian- you know there's not one way that's right... that's what is so great about tying flies. How do you tie a crackleback?

from: http://midwestbasstournaments.com/tablerockhpata121105.htm Lake Level: 904.01', down 0.01', 915' normal Release: 20 cfs Air Temp: 30-52 degrees Clear, WNW 10-20 mph Water Temp: rivers, 37-43 degrees; main lake, 47-49 degrees Water Color: Clear to Light Stain The second tournament of the 2005-06 Heartland Pro/Am season sponsored by Stratos Boats, Mercury Marine, and Tracker Boats is in the books. The massive smallmouth that Table Rock Lake is famous for didn't show up in numbers like the day before. Maybe two weekends straight of the top regional anglers chasing them picked off the easy ones. Maybe the weather was too nice. For whatever reason, the names on the leader board did some shuffling with new names finally figuring out the bite to take home a share of over 18,000 dollars. Major sponsors of Heartland Tournament Association include Stratos Boats, Champion Boats, Mercury Marine, Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats, Eberlin Boats, Cope Marine, Pro-Guide Batteries, MotorGuide, Smithville Marine, Chompers, Ulrich Marine, and Ozawkie Boat Company. Everything flows in a circle. New baits become old and the old becomes new again. Kelly Power of Cape Fair, MO pulled out an old finesse trick to win with a solid 16.51 pound limit. Kelly ran up the James River and fished channel swings with a ¼ oz grey Roadrunner on six pound line. He also caught fish on a Tennessee shad jerkbait to groom out his limit. Kelly's limit was anchored by the 3rd Big Bass, a 4.80 lb largemouth. The wind was a major key to push the shad up on the break. Kelly felt his fish were suspended in 10 feet of water over the 20 foot break. Kelly is sponsored is sponsored by Nitro Boats, Mercury Marine, Jewel Bait Company, Davis-Barr Chevorlet/Pontiac, Falcon Rods, Pinpoint, MotorGuide, Pro Guide Batteries, and War Eagle Custom Baits. 1st Place - Kelly Power If there is a major tournament in the Midwest, it is a good bet at least one of the Davis brothers will be near the top of the list. Jimmy Davis of Willard, MO nailed down the runner-up position with a 15.23 pound sack. Jimmy worked boat docks in the mid-lake area with a 3/8 oz brown homemade jig. It was a day of perseverance for Jimmy as his two previous days of fishing were a struggle. Jimmy boated 6 keeper bass from 6-18 feet of water but unfortunately had the one kicker fish needed to push him over the top come off half way to the boat. He is sponsored by Ranger Boats, Evinrude Motors, Bill's Marine, Humminbird, Jewell Insurance Agency, MinnKota, and Pro Guide Batteries. 2nd Place - Jimmy Davis Staying off the bank was Buster Loving of Rockaway Beach, MO. He pulled in the best deep string of fish with 13.49 pounds. Buster targeted roll-offs on points in 48-55 feet of water in the Aunts Creek area. He slid a ½ oz leadhead into a Chompers 3 ½" white tube and worked the bait vertically through schools of shad. Buster keyed on three points and it was an automatic bite when he graphed a ball of shad. Buster is sponsored Champion Boats, Yamaha, Ulrich Marine, Chompers, Jewel Bait Company, and Pro Guide Batteries. 3rd Place - Buster Loving Winning Pro Big Bass honors was Bryce Rieder of Independence, MO. His 6.56 pound lunker bit a homemade brown/purple jig trailed by a matching Yamamoto twin tail right at noon. The fish came from the shade of a dock near the dam. Bryce is sponsored by Pro's Choice Marine, Triton Boats and Mercury Marine. Big Bass - Bryce Rieder Sam Morton of Easton, KS won the Amateur title with a limit weighing 13.69 pounds fishing behind Dean Powers. Sam culled through 8 keepers to win the Amateur title. One of his fish came early on a football jig in relatively shallow water but the remainder of Sam's bag came on a smoke 4" Yamamoto grub threaded on a ¼ oz darter head. As Dean graphed fish in deep water, Sam tried to keep his bait in that same zone. Usually when his boater would catch a fish, the school would get active and Sam would also. Ozawkie Boat Company sponsors Sam. 1st Place, Amateur Division - Sam Morton Pro Division 1st Kelly Power 16.51 lbs $4850* 2nd Jimmy Davis 15.23 lbs $2000 3rd Buster Loving 13.49 lbs $1400 4th Dean Powers 13.06 lbs $1248 5th J.R. Beehler 12.91 lbs $900 6th Bill Beck 12.69 lbs $700 7th Jackie Davis 12.35 lbs $600 8th Marty Conrad 12.06 lbs $500 9th A.C. "Buzz" Hawpe 11.79 lbs $820* 10th Gary Rusk 11.47 lbs $300 Big Bass Bryce Rieder 6.56 lbs $750 * cash plus incentives or Big Bass money Am Division 1st Sam Morton 13.69 lbs $950 2nd Paul Garrett 10.35 lbs $600 3rd Patrick Lewis 9.58 lbs $860* 4th Scott Wells 8.95 lbs $450 5th Jamie Fisher 8.02 lbs $400 Big Bass Patrick Lewis 6.58 lbs $360

Just talked to Curtis- he said just before it got too dark to see, a "big boy" showed up under the dock on the screen. We have a TV monitor setup in the cleaning shack with a live, hardwired feed to the camera. The picture is clearer than I can get to the computer here in the office. I have a wireless feed from the dock to the office. Hopefully he'll show up tomorrow at the right time to see him on the internet.

ecipe: Hook: Dai-riki 300, Daiichi 1170, Mustad 94840, TMC 100 -- Size 12-16 Thread: UTC 70 Shellback: 4 strands of peacock herl, pulled full length over top of body. Body: same as thread Hackle: Metz brown/furnace to match hook size Before we get started the crackleback. I would like to share with you what I show anyone before teaching a pattern. I hope this helps you with crowding your eye's when tying your favorite flies. (Note: try leaving a little space of metal showing right behind the eye of the hook. You will notice that in picture #1. I use this technique on every fly pattern). Step 1. Start the thread at the front of the hook. Once you have it locked in go ahead and tie in four strands of peacock herl. Note: Always remember that if your tying a fly that is showing a thread body make sure you keep an even and smooth thread base. Step 2. Tie the peacock herl all the way to the bend. There is a lot of bad herl on the market so make sure you find some that has a lot of the greenish herl on the stem. Step 3. This is how the hackle should look after you prep it. Step 4. Repeat the same step you did when tying in the herl. Make sure you don't tie any of the hackle in that is at the start of the stem when you go to wind it forward. The hackle should flare the first turn. You will notice if you did the step wrong because the hackle will look like you tied it down on the shank. Step 5. Your thread should be at the front when you tie the floss in. This will also be tied the whole length of the hook shank. If you notice by repeating the same step with all three materials up at the eye you have built a nice foundation of thread along the shank. I'm using a white in 1x. Wrap the thread back up to the eye. Step 6. Wrap the floss side by side all the way up to the eye. I like to overlap the wraps a little. Step 7. What I do before I pull the strands of peacock herl over the top of the body is run my fingers up and down the herl to create a rougher look. You can also twist the herl to make it more durable. Fold it over and trim the excess off. Remember not to crowd the eye. Step 8. Grab the tip of the stem with the hackle pliers. When you grab the hackle with the hackle pliers make sure it's not at an angle (aligned with the hackle). This will prevent any twist in the hackle while winding it forward. The hackle cannot twist are you will have hackle in every direction and that's what you don't want. The more wraps you do the higher the fly will sit on the water. Whip finish the fly and treat the hackle with water shed. I would let it dry over night and this fly is ready to fish. Keynotes: Make sure your holding the hackle up when you cut it. If you get hackles going forward or crowding the eyes it is probably created by the way you cut and tied off your material. What ever you do don't cut the hackle stem on the underside of the eye.

Fishing with Jigs Read this to start. It should answer most of your questions about using jigs for trout- either fly or spin.

I hope you live up to your name here and tell us all where and how to catch crappie!!! Last spring, I believe alot of anglers followed my crappie reports on Bull Shoals and Table Rock... I hope to have some help this spring on different areas to go. I fished and talked about Long Creek/Table Rock ALOT... it got alot of pressure too, but also produced alot of fish. I like anyone who would pick the name crappiefisherman - so welcome. <red carpet being rolled out>

Hey- should I include the Niangua River with the Bennett forum? Or should I make the Niangua a separate forum?

You may have hit an off night... fish bit like crazy all day yesterday and again today, so far. Guys coming in from the trophy area this morning said they couldn't keep them off their hooks, fishing with scuds around the narrows. Good chop on the water and tons of midges. Last time I went night fishing I couldn't get bit- not because I was doing anything wrong- cause they just weren't biting. Keep trying.

This was one of the slowest Saturdays on record on the lake... as far as boat traffic. Fishing was good. Running 3 units at 8 am so we ran to the cable and started drifting. Wind was gusty and blowing downstream. I had a friend from OK - Barry - one of John Johnson's friends. Barry drifted a scud while I threw a 1/8th oz ginger jig- either of us had much after one drift to the ramp. Second drift, Barry drifted with a peach egg fly and I changed to a sculpin jig. He and I caught a couple small rainbows. John and Robby were doing better than us drifting scuds... I guess we didn't know what we were doing. The water started to drop out so we drifted on down past Lookout and tied on #14 red or black zebra midges under an indicator 12 inches. Trout were coming up pretty good and we started catching rainbows but nothing big again. Three drifts and it was time to go in. The other guys did real well drifting gray scuds under an indicator 4-5 feet deep and caught some nice rainbows up to 18 inches. Babler caught a ton of trout today on a trip but I'll let him tell his story.

Good discussion- and I appreciate the respect you all have for one another. Catch 22 is right- there's no way to govern proper ways to boat in all scenarios besides what's already on the books- and they aren't being enforced now. If this guide is causing this much trouble, call the Branson Police at 334-3300 and ask how you can get in contact with a local patrolman. Give them the name (if you know it), his boat description and registration # (if you have it) and they will follow up on it.

Depends... how much do you like walleye filets!!!??? I'd be tempted - upper bs.

Wallpaper I have some more pics here- some I took and some that were submitted.

It theoretically could happen anytime but chances are won't till Table Rock's temp drops into the mid to lower 40's. It's 53 now.