Phil Lilley

Thanks for posting... I've been too busy to think about it. Should be a good event. Lots of great raffle items donated again this year. Dana's in cartering it so good eats afterwards.

I didn't recognize the marks... thought they were from high water temp. Our rainbows got them years ago during a flood gate event when the water was in the 70's. I'm afraid we may have a very warm water fall season below our tailwaters because of the flood waters. May be Norfork isn't as bad as the White River Lakes. Hope not. Nice trout! Thanks for posting.

What's the water temp on the NF Tailwater?

I love your screen name!!

A friend game us some tickets back in the spring to the July 30 Cards game. My son Caleb was to be here for a visit from Boston so- perfect timing. So we went... What a game! We almost did the ~ leave early to beat the traffic and get home ~ thing after 8 innings but so glad we didn't!! Five guys on the in field... rare sight

by John Neporadny Jr. If Count Dracula were a bass fisherman, he would have enjoyed fishing Lake of the Ozarks in August. The old vampire has his fun from dusk to dawn, and nocturnal fishing provides the best action for bass anglers in August at the Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri. One angler who prefers fishing in the dark during August is Harold Stark, Eldon, Mo. Stark has been fishing on the Lake of the Ozarks since 1979 and is a former BFL All American championship qualifier. "August is probably the best month to night fish on the Lake of the Ozarks," Stark says. "The fish are in a stable pattern then and will stay in that pattern until September. Once you find two or three spots that are holding fish, you can go back there twice a week all the way through the month and take fish out of those spots. Schools move in and out of those spots all night long. You can get in one spot and catch 25 to 30 fish and you can do it every week." Quality fish can be taken during the month. "In August you can catch bass up to 7 pounds," Stark says. "You don't see many over 7 pounds come out of the Lake of the Ozarks like you do in the spring, but you will see several 7-pounders come out of there." Stark starts his evening on the water at about 7 p.m. He suggests getting to your favorite area before sunset so that you won't have to spend as much time running around in the dark. Although Stark mostly fishes during the week, he says weekend fishing can be good after the boat traffic dies down. The type of night doesn't matter to Stark. "I've caught them on nights when it was raining all night long and other nights I've caught them when there was a full moon. The type of day probably affects the night fishing more than the nighttime weather. If the day has been cloudy or rainy, the best fishing occurs during the late evening or the first couple of hours after sunset. "If you have a few weeks of real hot weather where it's been nothing but sunshine and bluebird skies, they'll bite all night long," Stark says. Stark lists the Niangua, Grand Glaize, Gravois and North Shore areas and the Osage arm up to the 60-mile mark as the best night-fishing areas. He prefers fishing the Gravois and North Shore areas. "I think there's a higher concentration of fish that are more active in those two areas during the summertime," Stark says. "They're not bothered by boat traffic because they put up with boat traffic all day long." No matter which arm of the lake he fishes, Stark concentrates on the same type of structure--brush piles 15 to 25 feet deep on the main channel. "It helps if there is a dock around or a lot of docks where those fish can get in there and congregate." It's also easier to find the brush piles in the dark if they are near docks. You can leave your suitcase-sized tacklebox at home when you go night fishing. Stark suggest taking only three types of lures--plastic worms, jigs and pork frogs and spinnerbaits. Use an 8-inch or longer plastic worm in your favorite color with a 3/16th- to 5/16th-ounce worm weight. A blue 1/2-ounce jig with a blue or black No. 11 pork frog also works well. Or try a 1/2-ounce black or purple short-arm spinnerbait with a blue No. 11 pork frog trailer. "August is a good time to start throwing that spinnerbait," Stark says. "Those fish see those plastic worms and jigs all the time. Throw the spinnerbait down there and fish it just like a plastic worm." The key to night fishing is to work everything slowly. "The slower the better," Stark says. Slowly roll the spinnerbait to where you can barely feel the blade turning. You can use any rod-and-reel combination that will handle 12-pound test line for night fishing. "A lot of people use real heavy line, but you don't have to at night because whenever you hit those fish, they'll come right on up, even those bigger fish." Stark uses 12- to 14-pound test line, which is more sensitive than the heavier line and gives him better control of his lures. He says he's never had to use any lighter line for night fishing. If your line tangles up or you need to retie, you might need some extra light. "Always take a flashlight because you never know what you're going to run into out there," Stark says. Stark rarely relies on lights when fishing at night though. "I don't use any lights at all. If I'm in a spot where I know I'm not going to get run over, I won't even have the boat lights on." He says he turns off the navigation lights if his boat is within 50 feet of the shore. Avoiding light. Dusk-to-dawn action. Bats flying around. Maybe Count Dracula has fished Lake of the Ozarks before.

If they're running more than 2 units, stay on plane and in the middle -- you shouldn't have any issues in any kind of boat.

It's been a while since my last written fishing report, mainly because water conditions and fishing hasn't changed that much in the last few weeks. If anything, catching has become tougher for most people. The best dock fishing and wade fishing below the dam has been narrowed down to late night and early morning -- and I mean 11 p.m. until 5 a.m.. That's when the water has been shut down, at least during weekdays. Weekends, dam operators have been running less water. We're seeing a lot of green algae flowing down the lake, especially in the mornings as the flow builds to four units. In talking to Tracy and Steve, we're not sure if it's coming from Table Rock through the turbines or breaking loose from the bottom of Taneycomo. My guess is it's from Table Rock. The algae is better in the afternoon and evening but still there. The guides say they check their client's hooks about every two minutes for algae because they just won't get bites if there's green stuff on the fly or bait. The numbers of trophy trout have dropped a bit recently, but we're still seeing quality rainbows caught in the 13- to 15-inch range, above and below Fall Creek. The hot spots reportedly have been down around Monkey Island and between the bridges towards the Landing. The Missouri Department of Conservation stocking boat was seen dumping in new rainbows at the Landing yesterday, so that should increase chances of catching in that area up lake this week. Another spot I've heard about is down just up from the mouth of Bull Creek down by Rockaway Beach. The water is much slower down there and easier to navigate when drifting and even slow enough to use an anchor (off the bow only). The rig that has been the best is one Gulp white egg over half a night crawler on a #8 hook using a 1/4-ounce bell weight. Also, from the Landing down lake, try a pink or pink/white Trout Magnet under a float six- to eight-feet deep. Freshly stocked trout will usually take something moving through the water that's flashy like a Cleo or Kastmaster. In the trophy area, drifting a pink or white San Juan Worm, a gray or orange #12 scud or an egg fly on the bottom is still catching some good fish. Chuck Gries had a client out the other day who was lucky to hook and land a big rainbow on a fly rod! It was 24.25-inches long with a 14-inch girth. That's a feat in anyone's book!! Table Rock's lake level is slowly dropping but Beaver and Bull Shoals lakes are holding. All the talk about our lake being dropped to work on Powersite Dam has finally gone away. The news media really reported it wrong, but Empire Electric and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers didn't help with a poorly worded news release. Even at that, they are not dropping Bull Shoals as they stated. It is at the same level as it was the last time I wrote a report (692 feet). It has to drop to 680 feet before they can start work on Powersite Dam. Table Rock is at 926.09 and is dropping only a few inches per day. They are holding Beaver Lake at 1129 feet.

Posted wrong dates but have corrected them. It's Monday - Wednesday, November 16-18.

Walrus watching today? I wonder what the ratio is between float and wheel planes in Alaska is? Or in King Salmon?

Attention! The August Healing Waters Event has been moved to November! The new dates are November 16-18th. So you have more time to tie flies! If you can come and help guide a vet (fish out of a boat), please let us know!!!

No not muddy... They're running 4 units so it is high.

BTW- all released. Not enough for a fry.

Yea- by Chateau's dock. But really couldn't get on them. Shane Bush caught a bunch the other day but with crickets. We were using pieces of night crawlers. 12 feet of water.

Tried our hand at blue gills this morning but didn't find but a few. But this one was a nice one! My son Caleb. The aquarium is 12 inches long.

Why would you want to talk to any one else????

Got a call from Duane this morning... on his cell phone!!! Cool!!! I guess Verizon bought in to the Alaska Bush. Before yesterday, the only way you could use a cell phone in the bush was to have a Bristol Bay cell phone. DD - you better watch the roaming charges!!

Each night the water drops out and beaches a bunch of scuds. Some died, some don't. When the water comes on, the dead ones wash out. The guides are saying trout are packed with scuds all the way down to Trout Hollow and they're catching them on orange scuds.

You mean the dock or the ramp? Dock is ok. Ramp will still be under water but you should be able to put in off the road.

Yea- it's run its course.

Here is the report for Monday morning. Please note that Table Rock has .9" of flood storage availability and Bull Shoals only has .6" of availability. This is the storage we are trying to balance and the reason Table Rock isn't dropping much. We do have a pretty good rain later in the week that could have more negative impacts on us. MONDAY MORNING UPDATE, 7/20. Precipitation/Forecast. Only rain over the weekend was 0.78" over Clearwater; No rain over Arkansas Basins (including Nimrod and Blue Mtn), White River Basins, and Little River Basins; Moderate to light rainfall forecasted over the next 3-days with heaviest rain forecasted to fall on upper White River Basins. 1-Day QPF forecasts light rain over White River Basin (0.5" or less); 2-Day QPF forecasts moderate rainfall over northern 1/3rd of Arkansas and lower half of Missouri with 1.73" bulls eye over Table Rock; 3-Day QPF forecasts moderate amounts over White River Basins, and light amounts over the remainder of SWL's basins. Light to trace amounts of rainfall in the forecast through Friday. Temps forecasted to be extremely hot Monday (hi's at or above 100), returning to seasonal norms Tuesday. 1-Day QPF: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/fill_94qwbg.gif?1437395490549 2-Day QPF: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/fill_98qwbg.gif?1437395559000 3-Day QPF: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/fill_99qwbg.gif?1437395656467 1-3-Day QPF: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/d13_fill.gif?1437395740004 Reservoirs with 25% flood storage in use. (Revised) WHITE RIVER SYSTEM. None. Reservoirs with 50% flood storage in use. (Revised) WHITE RIVER SYSTEM. Table Rock, Norfork. Reservoirs with 75% flood storage in use. (Revised) WHITE RIVER SYSTEM. Beaver, Bull Shoals. Reservoirs with 100% flood storage in use. (No change) WHITE RIVER SYSTEM. None. WHITE RIVER SYSTEM. All lakes remain in their respective flood pools; Bull Shoals and Greers Ferry are falling slowly; Norfork is rising slowly, Beaver and Table Rock are steady. Bull Shoals is above elevation 684.0 requiring storage balancing between Table Rock and Bull Shoals. Downstream stages are steady allowing increased releases from Bull Shoals up to allowable channel capacity (regulating to 14' at Newport due to 4-Lake system using more than 70% fs). The three most critical projects are BV, TR, and BS with less than 0.3", 0.9", and 0.6" of runoff storage remaining in their respective flood pools. Table Rock blocked open vacuum breaker vents because D.O. dropped below 6 ppm in its tailwater. Beaver: elev 1129.33 and steady (91.9% fs); target firm power (950 dsf). Table Rock: elev 927.26 and rising (71.6% fs); 12-hour operation target 6.7k dsf. Bull Shoals: elev 692.25 (90.5% fs); target 12k dsf. Norfork: elev 571.26 (60.6% fs); target firm power (1.35k dsf), using siphon to meet minimum flow requirement. Current stage at Newport is 14.07' and steady (14' regulating stage). Jim Sandberg Operations Project Manager Table Rock Lake

More info on that thread... Simple fact is that all these lakes are managed with a massive watershed in mind. Major river systems to the north and south of us all affect what is ran in regards to flood water. This is different than hydro water. Hydro is managed as to what's needed and can be sold as power generation. Flood water just needs to be moved as quick as possible to the Gulf of Mexico. With all the flooding downstream (Arkansas, Texas), most of that water has to flow into the Mississippi just like our water. If it's backed up down south, then they have to hold the water up here. But there are other variables... like Powersite Dam. Powersite's long spillway holds our lake at it's normal or powerpool level (no generation). Because it's damaged - the 5 year old gates meant to drop during high water events - some of them are now stuck in the down position and letting more water out than normal. That lets Taney drop below it's powerpool during low or no generation periods. This isn't an emergency - they'd probably call it a nuisance. But they have to deal with us dock owners and boaters on the lake. Plus it does affect the fish- and their food base, at least on the very upper lake. Bull Shoals has to drop to 680 feet (from 692) before they can work on the broken gates. That's a 12 foot drop. it will take some time. But do get BS down to 680, they can't dump Table Rock's water, yet. They can run water and will but not solely to get TR down to "nice" levels. Does that make sense?

Where do you live?

Clay- was going to alert you to the catch.