Phil Lilley

Must not be working.

Water back on today.

Kris sent me pics last night and a short text. We caught most of them in 6in-3ft used long rods and dipped the shallow bush all the way down the north bank. First day Mathew and I got to just go fish without clients. Fun way to catch them. Sons Creek

First time in many days, weeks - no generation on Taneycomo today. Duane and Steve thought it'd be tough fishing since it's a big change for the trout but they both caught lots of rainbows on.... of course the pink worm. Berkley's pink worm on a jig head 4-6 feet under an indicator. they both fished it between Fall and Short Creeks. Dickey's client caught one just under 19 inches and weighed more than 5 pounds... a pig. No rain in the immediate forecast so looks like this pattern may hold for a bit.

Schell Lake will be drained for wetland renovation project at Schell-Osage Conservation Area in Vernon County Schell City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has approved a fish salvage plan as Schell Lake is drained during June 2018 at the Schell-Osage Conservation Area in Vernon County. MDC is preparing to drain the lake as an early step in the renovation of the wetland management pools and water control structures. This project will improve the wetlands for waterfowl habitat, improve the fishery at Schell Lake, and reduce long-term flood damages. Schell Lake will begin to be drained June 1 and is expected to be emptied by July 1. Most of the fish in the lake are expected to be released into the nearby Osage River. But some fish may be stranded in pools of standing water. To minimize wasted fish, an emergency fish salvage order will be in place from June 15 through June 30. The emergency fish salvage order will allow anglers to use both regular and alternative methods to harvest fish. Examples of alternative methods include seining, dip net, gigs, and bowfishing. However, during this time, anglers must still abide by other statewide regulations including daily and possession creel limits and any fish removed from Schell Lake during this emergency salvage may not be possessed on any other waterbody of the state or banks thereof. Starting June 1, all boating will be prohibited on Schell Lake for safety reasons. Fishing of any kind will be prohibited at the lake starting July 1 until lake renovation and fish population stockings are completed. All or portions of the wetlands, including waterfowl hunting areas, will be closed once construction begins, until completion of the project. Schell Lake will be closed to fishing three to five years. The construction project is expected to take up to two years. Then it will take two or three more years for fish to be stocked and grow into a population strong enough for a sustainable fishery. The upland areas, Atkinson Lake, and ponds at Schell-Osage will remain open to normal birding, hiking, hunting, and fishing activities during the project. MDC for several years has studied long-term challenges for wetland management at Schell-Osage. The planned construction will reduce costly flood damage and improve marshes and Schell Lake for wildlife and outdoor recreation for decades to come. MDC in 2004 kicked off a Golden Anniversary Wetlands Initiative to make improvements on the state’s five oldest wetland management areas. Schell-Osage is the last wetland on the list to receive renovations. Outdoor enthusiasts can follow plans and work progress via a web page that will be periodically updated by MDC staff. Also, those interested in the project can sign up for updates via email by visiting https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zqu. Photos: MDC has approved a fish salvage order for June at Schell Lake at the Schell-Osage Conservation Area northeast of Nevada, Mo. The lake is being draining for a renovation project to improve wetlands, fishing in the lake, and to reduce damage to water control structures when flooding occurs. Missouri Department of Conservation photos

Bumping this up. Fishing's pick up - catching some good rainbows below Fall Creek now.

Duane took a trip this morning. Caught them good on the pink worm under a float. Owen, the younger of the 3, caught the most trout for one reason... he couldn't stop messing with the line, which moved the float, which moved the pink worm.

Comment on gigging Ozark streams at mdc.mo.gov under GIGGING FEEDBACK by June 15. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is reviewing regulations of the Wildlife Code of Missouri regarding gigging on Ozark streams and wants public input through a brief online survey regarding timing of the season, season length, and comments. Share input on gigging on Ozark streams through the MDC homepage at mdc.mo.govunder GIGGING FEEDBACK. Please take the survey by June 15. Gigging consists of spearing fish rather than catching them with a hook and line. It is primarily a nighttime activity and is most effective in shallow, clear water. Learn more at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fishing/get-started-fishing/fish-gigging. Gigging consists of spearing fish rather than catching them with a hook and line. It is primarily a nighttime activity and is most effective in shallow, clear water. Share input on gigging on Ozark streams through the MDC homepage at mdc.mo.gov under GIGGING FEEDBACK.

Cool it.

Everything should be fine now.

Exactly.

We left Branson about 2:30 yesterday for Stockton, Marsha, MonaCheri, Duane and myself, with Duane's boat in tow. Our target was to put in at Sons Creek and fish the evening, stay at Stone Creek Lodge (good friends Kris and Amanda Nelson, owners) and fish again Monday morning before heading back. Put in about 4:30 and headed out. Water temp about 64 degrees I think and windy. Seemed like it was out of the SE but was hard to tell not being used to the lake and direction. Duane has a nice fish finder... and we looked for fish. We went over to the left bank heading out and started there. Duane is going to have to add to my report because he has better knowledge of water temp and depth. I caught the first fish on a chart/red tube jig - a 19 inch walleye. Thought it was on! But of course there's a big leaning curve in most fishing trips. We dinked around that area, up and down the bank, marking fish all over the place but couldn't get them to bite. Did catch one here and there, mostly keepers. Then MonaCheri stumbled onto the pattern... trolling. I'm glad we caught in on the video... she set her rod down to check her phone. She's a birder and had been "talking" to a little yellow bird (MC can chime in and add to the report too if she wants to name the little bird). After catching one while not doing anything but moving along, she caught another one, and it was one. We ran out of deep water and turned around. Catching picked up as it got darker. Started catching some shorts but most were over 11 inches. The battery ran out on my GoPro and it was on silent so we didn't notice it until we were done. Too bad... we had doubles and triples... lots of stumbling around trying to net fish and untangle lines. We ended with 25 crappie, 7 whites and the walleye. After cleaning our fish at the lodge, we decided we weren't going to get out early Monday - the girls vetoed 5 a.m. wake up call. So we didn't get out he water till after 9 a.m. Monday. The wind was already blowing, we tried the same area with little success. The troll bite wasn't there. Pulling up in a cut Kris told us about, we got out and headed inland looking for some mushrooms. Found a few. We ended finding some crappies on the south bank in deep water but they didn't want to play very hard. We gave our 3 crappies and 1 white to a guy at the ramp, pulling out about 12:30. We had a wonderful time... and the fishing was even pretty good. Look forward to going back again. This post has been promoted to an article

Upgraded to a new version. Probably should have held off but they said it could be a security thing so I did. Now some of the plug in's need to be upgraded... and one is locked up that is shown in the articles. I hate upgrades.

Anyone else having issues. Jus upgraded - it was a big upgrade. I had second thoughts about upgrading just for this reason. I'm having other issues too.

Generation patterns have remained constant here on Lake Taneycomo for the last week. Operators have run about 8,000 cubic feet per second of water for a couple of hours in the morning (two units) then dropped back to 3,000 to 5,000 c.f.s. for the rest of the day. Long term, we should see this pattern for quite a while. Beaver Lake is holding at 1127.7 feet, which is seven feet above power pool. While this seems high, the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers likes to hold Beaver high in the spring, waiting for hot summer months to start generating for power. Table Rock Lake, on the other hand, is holding at 915.2 feet, right at power pool. Recent rains have kept these lakes at the same level even though both dams are releasing water. That's why I think this pattern won't change until lake levels drop significantly. The water temperature has held to about 47 degrees with visibility about four-feet deep. There's mossy algae coming from Table Rock Lake through the dam that is staying suspended in our lake, but that is normal for this time of year. Typically we see it through the month of May. It is a nuisance to us fishermen -- forcing us to check and clean off our hooks every once in a while -- but the fish don't mind it. We know they actually eat it since we find it in their stomachs. May be that's why olive jigs are a good lure this time of year! I am glad to report trout fishing has picked up the last few days! We were beginning to wonder where our rainbows had all gone. Our weather conditions had not been the best, though, with the extra weeks of cold and wind. But this past week, spring finally arrived! It's warm and the wind hasn't been too bad at all. That makes for better fishing conditions, from handling a boat, to casting and feeling the bite. Drifting bait has been very productive, from Fall Creek to past Cooper Creek using minnows, night crawlers and white Gulp Eggs. Only use enough weight to get your rig to the bottom. You will catch more fish and lose fewer rigs. Spoons have been good, too. Gold seems to be the color with a flash of red. Buoyant gold in the 1/6th ounce and Colorado silver/gold in the 1/8th ounce worked slowly with a twitch have been the best. If the current is slow, when only one unit is running, you can anchor along the edges and fish a minnow or night crawler below the boat and do well. Captain Steve Dickey is catching fish using either a white or sculpin 1/32nd-ounce jig under a float five- to six-feet deep, drifting from the cable at the dam all the way down to our place (Lilleys' Landing.) But you have to "bump it" or move the float, thus moving the jig. This doesn't have to be a big bump, just enough to move the float a bit. He's also using a #12 gray scud under a float about the same distance with a small split shot to get and keep it close to the bottom, drifting it all through the trophy area. The pink Powerworm is still doing well from Fall Creek to the Branson Landing, fished on a small jig head under a float five- to seven-feet deep. Captain Duane Doty is catching fish the same way as Dickey, plus he's drifting a smaller #14 gray scud on the bottom using a small split shot and concentrating on the Narrows. Some guys staying here at the resort this weekend set out to catch some big browns, using Duane's technique of dragging or trolling crank baits on the bottom. They started at the cable and to their surprise they were successful! But not for catching brown trout. They caught walleye instead. Five of them yesterday and 5 again today. The smallest caught was 19 inches and biggest was around 24. And yes they did keep them... who wouldn't!

I've always admired "that old guy" that goes out and fishes all day, takes his time and covers a lot of water looking for that crappie bite and ends up with his limit most of the time. First, I've never had that kind of time to spend on the water and second, I haven't the patience to cover water - I tend to hit a spot here and there and then get frustrated. But yesterday... I became "that old guy" and was pretty happy with the results.

Put in at Long Creek Ramp at 4 p.m. and boated up (left from ramp). Hit a few old spots - first one produced a nice keeper right off the bat. Lost another, then the spot went cold. Moved around, nothing. Tried another spot, nothing. Then went to good spot #2 and found a real hot spot - caught 4 real quick. Noticed baby thread fin against this bank and the crappie were under them. Moved around and caught another. Went back to spot #1 and caught 3 more keepers. Ended with 8. Didn't have to measure any... all over 12 inches. Haven't cleaned them yet- they're in a live tank so I don't know what they are but I bet males. Caught all but one on a smoke swimming minnow on a 1/16th oz head. 58-59 degree water. I caught most within 8 feet of the bank in 4-8 feet of water, a few out from the bank in 15 feet suspended. Really none on brush. Spot #1 has a green MDC structure sign in the back, 3 cuts from the ramp on the left bank and spot #2 also has a sign and it's the first cut on the left. Both are kind of corners... I caught them close to the signs but that wasn't why I fished either spot... I've done well on those banks before they put the brush there. Pattern? Not really any pattern... just covered a lot of area and made a lot of casts. Oh yea... caught 15 stinkin' bass too, mostly dinks. This post has been promoted to an article View full article

He doesn't own past the take line... why in the world would that water be off limits??!! @Bill Babler

Did I say that

Duane, Mona Cheri and I put in at Bridgeport about 3 p.m. yesterday in search of crappie. We hit Bear Den - brush and standing trees - found what we think were crappie close to the bottom but they'd only peck at our offering. Live minnows might have caught them. Boated up to Flat Creek and hit a few spots - nothing except a few big blue gill. So we went way up in the creek in search of whites. Found a few but they weren't in the mood either. Only 3 small males. Water temp 59 to 62.

I turkey hunted until 1 then hit the lake. It was the best day of walleye fishing ive ever had on stockton. Caught 20-25 in 3 hours. All looked like spawned out females, of the 4 i kept they were all females. I didnt catch a walleye under 17in with the biggest around 7 or 8 lbs 25"+ getting off right as i tried to net her. I knew she was about to get off so i dove over the bow to try and scoop her out, in the process gouging out a chunk of skin from a tie off cleat. All were caught 15-18 fow on yum worms with a silver spinner rig. One of the bigger eyes had about a 7" shad down her throat. View full article

They are starting to generate more, probably to drop Beaver. But it's not all the time. Can't help you on the fishing... sorry.