Phil Lilley

Generation schedules for Lake Taneycomo have been consistent this past week. Most days the water has been off in the mornings then running, starting mid-afternoon until 9 p.m. The difference is in how much water is run and when it is shut down. For instance, four full units ran yesterday for three hours. Today only run one unit was running in the afternoon. This pattern should hold true for the coming days. Trout fishing continues to be somewhat challenging, although the last couple of days we've seen more rainbows caught off the dock and out in boats. Our water is still very clear and staying cold with the water running in the afternoons. One revelation about the fishing came through an email I received this morning from our Shepherd of the Hills hatchery manager. I asked about stocking for the past month. Because they've been running so much water, the lower lake's water temperature is colder than normal for a summer month so they've been stocking rainbows, not in the upper lake but down lake. Some of these fish will make their way upstream, but not as many as you'd think. Thus, our trout are spread out throughout the lake versus being crowded up where we are in the upper lake. Some of our guides have been going down lake and finding rainbows in the Landing area and even farther down. There's an area called the Old Corn Fields that's always been popular over the years. It's the stretch just above the mouth of Bull Creek on the west side of the lake. Even when four units are running, you can anchor and fish this area or drift the upper lake. The same bait will work -- Gulp Eggs, Powerbait eggs and paste, night crawlers and even minnows. Actually minnows should work better in the lower lake because there's more small forage fish down there. I'd try a Trout Magnet in the mid to lower lake, too, especially in the Landing area. Pinks are still working good, with the float set at five- to six-feet deep. Trolling has been pretty productive lately. Good baits to troll are hard crank baits such as a Shad Rap or Flicker Shad in small to medium sizes, inline spinners such as larger Rooster Tails and even jigs. If you're throwing jigs, when the water is running, throw an 1/8th ounce white, sculpin, brown, sculpin/ginger or brown/orange out in the main lake or channel and against the bluff banks. Work it close to the bottom. Four-pound line is fine but two-pound is better. From Short Creek and up lake, the rig I described in my last couple of reports is working fairly well. That's a jig-and-float with a Zebra Midge dropper using 7x or two-pound tippet. When the water is running water later in the day, our guides are drifting from the dam down using San Juan worms in pink and cerise colors, as well as #12 orange scuds. We just had two shades of orange scuds tied up this week because most of the bugs we're finding in rainbows' stomachs are orange scuds. Scuds turn orange when they're first hatched or when they die. We're also finding sculpin eggs in their stomachs, which are also orange.

Not a good camera angle and light was poor but this shows there is a good population of browns in the lake. This fall should be good.

Email me the pic and I'll post it, John lilleyslandingresort @ gmail

Way down low in the lake- out of the main lake in the arms. I've heard... never tried.

Scott- if you don't finish your report, we'll finish it for you.

Yea I need to throw them more... just can't leave the jigs alone.

Jeremy Hunt throws them and does fairly well? But I don't think it's nothing like the White River. I've spent some time and others I've taken and gotten a few follows and fewer takes on big articulated stuff. I don't think Taneycomo is a good big streamer fishery.

Whites in Bull- we trolled water 8 to 20 feet. They were in the 8-12 feet.

Pinecone- you're right. I know it cost a little more to package it but I think the idea is fly fishers will pay more for stuff than the regular fisher person.

Sorry- I don't lock off topics that are this entertaining.... Another way to "lock" topics is to quit posting.

Difference I would think is the same as the difference between name brands. The common thing is reading the diameter and learning how each perform for you. Tippet is priced higher cause they're packaged in smaller lengths. Pound-Test is so subjective. Can't go by PT especially in smaller diameters. I do triple on all knots except when connecting bigger lines--over 6-pound.

Looks like that thing would easily turn over...

By Conservation Agent Charles (Buck) Nofsinger Here in Taney County and the surrounding area we are lucky to have an abundance of public land, which we can use for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. There is land owned by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and other government agencies. Unfortunately all this public land shares some common problems. These problems include, littering, vandalism, and other destruction of the property. Not only does vandalism and littering destroy the public property it also costs considerable money and time to fix. The more money and time spent to clean up and repair the areas is less time and money employees of these agencies have to spend on other work. While routine maintenance is expected and budgeted for the unexpected destruction of public property costs these agencies. Unfortunately in the last few months while patrolling I have seen an increase in vandalism on public property owned or managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. This vandalism includes the destroying of signs, breaking down of gates, driving in unauthorized areas, and littering. While routine patrol and investigating these crimes helps to solve and prevent some problems with vandalism, private citizens can help. By reporting any vandalism of public property you can help solve some of these issues. You can report vandalism on Missouri Department of Conservation Areas by calling your local Conservation Agent, Department Office, or the Operation Game Thief at 1-800-392-1111. Vandalism destroys public property in Missouri. Do your part to help protect public property by reporting any vandalism. If you have any questions about conservation contact your local Department of Conservation or Conservation Agent. You can also find more information at mdc.mo.gov.

http://www.southerncouncilfff.org/pdf/2014FairSchedule-SV.pdf

Our trout have gotten a little fussy this past week. The main reason is the clarity of the water here on Lake Taneycomo. It's really, really clear! This isn't new although it is new for this time of summer. Normally the water clears in August and stays clear till Table Rock Lake turns over around Thanksgiving. Generation has been held back due to Table Rock reaching it's summer power pool level, 917 feet. Last week we were complaining about lots and lots of generation and cold water. This week it's clear water and very little wind. The water has been starting anywhere from 2 to 4 p.m. and only staying on about 1 to 3 hours, running 2 to 3 units. Water temperature is still around 45 degrees coming from Table Rock Lake. Rick Lisek, one of our fishing guides, reported fairly good fishing but he's had to go to 7x tippet to get the fish to bite, especially after the sun gets up over the water. Seven-x tippet is the equivalent to a little more than 1-pound test. We go to this size line later in the fall but at least Rick thinks he has to use it to get his clients into trout. Now I've been out fish mid day and do pretty good using 6x fluorocarbon. What's the difference between regular monofilament and fluorocarbon? Fluorocarbon - is extremely clear and virtually invisible to fish that may be spooked by other lines. It's a bit stiffer and brittle in cold water. Monofilament - is available in a wide variety of colors for (in)visibility in all conditions. Personally, I feel like I can get away with using 6x fl line vs the smaller diameter 7x and get just as many bites in most cases. Using 7x tippet means I have to be very careful when setting the hook and fighting a fish because . . . it's just very light line and it breaks easy. When we say we are using tippet, we mean we are tying a short piece of line to the end of the line we have on our reels. It doesn't have to be very long--as little as 12 inches will do. But I generally use about 24 inches in case I have to change lures a couple of times and need more line to tie to. We use a Triple Surgeon's Knot. I've added a link to a site that shows how to tie this knot. The diagram only shows a double knot, Add one more loop to make it a triple. When using these small diameter lines, you really need that extra loop! You can add this line to drift rigs as well as to your line on your rod and reel. This knot is good for tying different diameter lines together such as 6-pound to 2-pound. You can also use a small barrel swivel to connect the lines. Tippet is sold in small 25-yard spools and isn't very expensive. It's well worth having a couple of spools in your tackle box. Now I am referring to using 6x or 7x tippet when the WATER IS OFF. If the water is running and you're drifting bait or throwing jigs or lures, 4-pound line is perfectly fine! This is only when the water is off and you're fishing stationary. The fish was a lot of time to inspect your offering and refuse it if he's sees a string attached to your hook! If you're down for the week and want to get serious about catching a lot of trout, re spool your reel with 2-pound Vanish line and I don't think you can go wrong. Some have asked if Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery is still stocking trout. Oh yes! They'll stock about 90,000 this month. They may be stocking a little lower in the lake than normal because the water temperature, say, in the Rockaway Beach area is about 50 degrees, very suitable for stocking trout. But they do make their way up lake. We have been sending a lot of anglers down lake to the Branson Landing area to fish. This past week, I took some friends down lake to try to find some brown trout. We didn't find any but did catch some good rainbows, throwing 1/8th ounce white and sculpin jigs against the banks between Branson and Rockaway Beach. So there are trout down in that area. We trolled small crank baits up in Bull Creek and caught some white bass. Flicker Shad F3 and go slow up and down the main channel which is on the far left going up. Try to stay in 8 feet of water or deeper. Wind makes or breaks a good fishing trip and we haven't had much wind. When the lake's surface is slick and the sun gets up over it, fishing slows down. That's when those who are using small line and small baits (flies, lures) are catching fish and others are enviously watching. What you need to know is that we start out using small line and baits and keep catching trout through the tough times. We're still doing well using a jig and float rig with a small micro or marabou jig and a Zebra Midge dropper. You don't want to move this a lot. The Zebra Midge is the target. You'll catch 90% of your fish on this fly. It doesn't need much action. Too much is bad. Move it slightly every 10 seconds. Move it after 2 minutes of no action. Distance between the float and fish lure depends on the depth of water. I'd set it where the midge is a foot or two off the bottom UNLESS you see trout midging, taking flies off the surface of the water. Then set it shallower, as little as 6 inches below the surface. Best areas have been between Short Creek and Fall Creek and Fall Creek and Lookout. Seek out wind--if you see a broken surface on the water from where you're fishing, pick up and go there. I've spent a lot of time on this subject for only one reason--this is how we are catching trout in these condition. It's not that you're not going to catch trout using Powerbait or night crawlers--it's just been slow using live bait. You do better your chances by using 2-pound line or adding light tippet. When the water kicks on, drift bait! Depending on how much water they're running, use the smallest size weight to get to the bottom and no more. Air injected night crawlers has been by far the best live bait with Gulp Eggs the best Powerbait used. Minnows is still pretty good, especially drifting from Cooper Creek to the Branson Landing. White jigs from the cable below the dam down to Lookout is still catching some very nice rainbows and a brown here and there. But it's not very evening they're hitting. We had a one evening when we threw jigs and drifted scuds and San Juan over them and they didn't want anything to do with eating. It's fishing, not catching! Still seeing some beautiful browns being caught throwing jigs and stick baits against the bluff banks above and below Fall Creek in the evenings when the water is running. Some impressive rainbows are being caught below Fall Creek too on jigs. White, sculpin, sculpin/orange, ginger, brown and black are the best colors. Eighth-ounce if the water is running hard, drop to 3/32nd ounce or even 1/16th ounce if it's real slow. Two-pound test if you're throwing the small size jigs. I have a theory about why we're seeing so many big, chunky rainbows up close to the dam this summer. Table Rock Lake, along with most lakes in the Midwest, suffered a pretty substantial shad kill this winter because of lower than normal cold temperatures. When shad die they usually get sucked through the turbines and into Taneycomo but we didn't see many while fishing like we normally would. I think there was a "trickle" of threadfin shad all winter and spring long enter the lake and our trout were there ready and eager to take advantage of the easy meal. There's really no other reason why there are so many trophy quality rainbows in our lake, appearing in just the last 6 months. Yes, our shrimp population is very good right now. Our rainbows are coughing up shrimp after being caught and some that are cleaned even below Fall Creek, their stomachs are sometimes full of them. In addition, these rainbows that live at the cable below the dam are still really hot on a white jig which makes me think a white, small fish is still a fresh memory for them and they react to it. Whatever the case, I'm excited about this summer and fall fishing season on Lake Taneycomo, although fishing right now is tough.

Our water is now as clear as it gets. And trout are leery. Some of our guides are going to 7x which is 1-pound tippet. We used 6x fluorocarbon yesterday and caught fish. We were using jig and float. Micro or marabou jig as small as you can buy. Olive worked for Babler yesterday BUT we're dropping a Zebra Midge below the jig 18 inches using, again, 6x fl tippet. If you want more strikes, use 7x. No wind most of the day yesterday which makes it all that much harder. If you're using a ZM - Leave It! Bump it may be every 15 seconds. Move it after a minute. Depth- set it at half the depth of the water. We caught fish half way to Lookout to past the Narrows yesterday. Fished from 8:30 - 11 am. Not great but boated 18 rainbows between the 3 of us. The ZM caught most of the fish but I did use a #12 gray scud under a float, making sure the scud was dragging the bottom and working it so that the scud was crawling across the gravel. Bite was slight so had to really watch the indicator. Zebra Midge- caught them using a red, black and rusty, #14 or #16. P&P didn't work at all. Caught a nice brown last evening below Fall Creek on white jig as the water was dropping out. I was in between rain storms- above me and below me on the lake. Only reason I stopped there for 15 minutes.

Great to hear from you!

The Davy Knot from Tightline Productions on Vimeo.

Back in 2010, Stacey King of Reeds Spring, Missouri, was the first angler to wield a Little Varmint and catch a black bass on it at Table Rock Lake, Missouri. And for many months, he and a couple of his close friends, such as Robert Robbins of Branson, Missouri, and Lloyd Lefty Evans of Kimberling City, Missouri, were the only Ozarks anglers who used it, and they caught an impressive array of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass on it. More!! http://www.in-fisherman.com/2014/06/17/the-little-varmint-part-1/ http://www.in-fisherman.com/2014/06/17/little-varmint-part-2/

Boated down to the bluff bank on the east side 2 miles below Branson yesterday afternoon. Threw 1/8th ounce jigs against the bank. Wind made it tough - no hookups. Boated on down to Bull Creek and worked the docks on the right side. Rumor had it that crappie was good in the summer around those docks. Caught one. Ended up trolling a #3 flicker shad up the channel side and caught 7 nice white bass. I think you could catch 'em better in the evening instead of mid day. Stopped at the gold mine on the way back and caught some rainbows on sculpin jigs- some real nice ones too. They were running 4 units at the time. Water temp 46 at my place, 48 at the Landing, 50 at the Gold mine and 52 at Rockaway Beach. 81 in Bull Creek.

Tapatalk crashed the forum after I updated it. I contacted Tapatalk - no response. Using tapatalk, I have to load code to the forum where all other apps I don't. When I use Chrome on my iphone, it shows up like it's on an app, not the regular screen you'd see on a computer screen.

May have to try this!