Phil Lilley

Send me your address.

Pm me your address.

I'm sending out individual orders now. But I'm asking the question to all who ask: Do you have friends who might want one? More the merrier.

I'm heading to Bridgeport for some early morning crappie. If you see a big white Grizzley with a couple of guy and a black lab on the water, come up and say howdy. I'll have some decals with me too. Actually I'll drive by black Dodge truck with OA decals in the back window. If you see in the parking lot, I'll leave some decals in the bed. Pick some up. (Hope I remember to put them there, now that I say that)

I got out with long time friend Rolan Duffield this morning. We left the dock at 8:30 am, 2 units was running at 707 feet. Boated to the cable below the dam. I threw 1/8th oz white jigs, of course. Rolan is a fly fisher and had a 1/50th ounce pink jig tied on with a #14 red zebra midge 18 inches under it. He fished it 8 feet deep. We made the drift from the dam to Trophy Run twice and Rolan out caught the white jig, in number but not in size. I caught nice rainbows from 14 to 17 inches and his were mostly under 14 inches. They all took the zebra. We drifted on down to Lookout where I switched to a fly rod with a Miracle peach fly and a #14 red zebra under it. Rolan switched his jig out for a oregon cheese Miracle fly and the same midge. We adjusted out depth depending how deep the water was, fishing the shallow flat all the way to Fall Creek. We had doubles on countless times. The wind was tough, blowing out of the NE which is really strange. But the trout didn't mind. They were hungry. No pics... I was taking pictures but didn't notice my camera was telling me, "no card".

Welcome, Jeremy and thanks for joining.

Send me addresses...

All those who have posted here - PM your mailing address to me and I'll start this ball rolling. I need ppl in KC, St Louis, Joplin, central Missouri... If you're close to a tackle store, Bass Pro, Cabelas, fly shop that's frequented by OA members and the owners/managers are willing to keep them at their counters (and not just throw them away), let me know and I'll send you a bunch. If you go in a shop, ask if they have them. This will at least get them wondering what they are and that they need some. Like I said, I have 300 of each design and will order more if needed.

Met good friend Paul Crews at Bridgeport, a little after 2 pm. We tried a few places where Duane and I had caught some crappies the other day but didn't find much. Paul had been over there earlier in the week and caught them off the first bluff on the east side of the lake above the 76 bridge so we went there. Wind was out of the SW but not hard. We started on the south end where the bluff seemed to have some chunk rock ledges- not the steep part. We figured out the crappies were out in 18-22 feet of water, about 30 feet off the bank and may be suspended 12 feet deep. We threw 1/8th oz heads with smoke swimming minnows and let it drop almost at the time it dropped in the water close to the bank. Didn't seem like it would ever hit the bottom and most of the time it didn't. They were very spotty and scattered. Would catch 2 may be 3 in one spot at times but most of the time it was just one. Every once in a while we'd catch one close to the bank. Caught may be 10 keepers and that many shorts till we went looking for a different place about 6:30. Boated back down lake under the bridge to the bluff below the bridge on the left (heading down). Tried it for 15 minutes- nothing. Them went around the point (south) to a mark MDC brush pile. Found the pile- it was very big and about 30-40 feet off the bank and the top of it was may be 6 feet under the surface. We immediately started catching crappies and figured out where the edges were. We pulled another 10 keepers out before it got too dark to fish. We did switch to 1/16th oz heads because they'd sink slower. No wind so feeling the bite was easy. We didn't have anything to measure them so what went into the live well was for sure over 10- all of them were probably over 11. Bet we threw another 10 keepers back. That's ok... we caught enough for both of us to take a mess home. Sorry no pics... It's hard taking pictures when you don't want to stop casting! Hope this helps someone catch 'em. I know I won't be back over for quite a while.

And I for got to give them to you!!! I'll mail you some.

Babler's driving a camera boat today. Covering McClelland.

Nice!

Trout fishing has toughened up the last few days. Fairly heavy generation has made both getting to the fish and getting them to bite a challenge, most of the time. Then there's a few times during each day and places where the trout bite like crazy. That's what all of us keep coming back for. Problem is, the last week, those places and times are far and few between. Generation: They've been running 2 to 3 units first thing in the morning, then gearing back to one to even a half unit the rest of the day. There was one day this past week when they left the water off all afternoon. I don't see anything in the works that would change that pattern for a while. Water temperature is 44 degrees coming from Table Rock which is warmer than a few weeks ago. That's a good thing. When the water runs for so long, our trout tend to seek out places where they can sit out of the fast water. That may be along the bank, in creeks or on the bottom behind big or small objects. The way trout are built, sleek and slender, they don't need a very large object to sit behind. That's where we are looking to get our bait and lures. The creeks, Roark, Turkey and Coon, have been hammered pretty hard the last few weeks. Simply there's seems not to be many trout left in them. But there are some and they're being caught on either Gulp Eggs on a jig head, a marabou jig or minnow under a float. There's also come crappie and white bass being caught in Roark and Turkey Creeks. I have to interject something here at this point. I've owned Lilleys' Landing for almost 31 years and I have seen a pattern, a mindset, that frustrates me. First, fishing is fishing. If you take a trip to the same water, say once a year, you're going to have good years and bad years of "catching". When some anglers have good trips, where they're catching a lot of fish, they tend to "double dip" or catch and keep more than their possession limit, and at times, more than even their daily limit. In the last couple of weekends, I've seen groups of fishermen keep way more than their limit. It almost seems like they're "making up for those years when they don't catch many". What this does, quite simply, is rob the next guy who comes to fish. I see it happen on our dock quite often. Because most of this lake is "put and take", you'll only catch trout when they're there. If they've all been caught out, then fishing is poor. Over all the years, there have been times I have reported my own guests to the authorities but only after they've been warned. I have also encouraged other anglers who voice concern about this kind of activity to call an agent and make a report. Poaching hurts other anglers chances of catching their limit of trout here on Lake Taneycomo. It's selfish, it's illegal and it should not be tolerated by anyone. Morning fishing, when the water is running the hardest, has been slow, but when they cut the flow back, the trout seems to come alive. Drifting Gulp Eggs, one white egg and one either pink or chartreuse on a hook, has been the best along with night crawlers. Best areas have been drifting from Monkey Island past the bridges and Fall Creek to Trout Hollow. I still think the best live bait to use is one white Gulp Egg and a half night crawler. Slid the egg onto the hook and up the line. Pinch a worm in half and hook it once in the middle of the half, the worm hanging off of both ends. Then slide the egg back down on top of the worm. Works good off our dock too. There's been quite a few rainbows, nice rainbows, holding on the flat from Short Creek to Trout Hollow. They're catching them drifting and using either a pink or chartreuse Trout Magnet under a float 4 to 6 feet deep. I've tried this a couple of times the last few days and was surprised the size and quality of rainbows I was catching. I used my spinning rod one evening and my fly rod the next. Both worked well. I would think a marabou or micro jig would work too although I haven't tried it. Anglers who fished out of the resort this weekend struggled to catch trout but most caught their limits. One positive thing is that the size of our trout are still bigger than normal. Some of the rainbows I caught on the Trout Magnet in the Short Creek area were 12 to 14 inches. Still catching some dark males which usually average 13 inches or more. The wind has really hampered "catching" this week, yesterday being the exception. There's few remedies for wind when fishing out of a boat except finding a stretch where it's not as windy, getting along the bank and tying up or anchoring or going up in one of the creeks that's sheltered from the wind. Wind causes problems... it's hard to control a boat, especially a pontoon. Combine current with wind and it's hard to keep your bait or lure where it's supposed to be. It's best, I think, to get out very early in the morning before the wind starts and plan on staying out till dark when the winds start to die down. Some things I do in my boat when it's windy are: Try my hardest to keep the boat moving the same speed as the current if I'm drifting bait or flies on the bottom. Watch floating leaves on the surface as a gauge and move at the same pace. If I'm throwing a small lure like a jig of spoon, slow the boat down just a little and let the lure swing downstream of the boat with the rod tip low so the wind won't affect the lure's action. Watch the line, especially close to where the line enters with water and look for it to twitch or pop. That's a bite. It's harder but you really have to watch where your line is at all times in conjunction with the boat. If you're the boat operator, you have to be real good at multitasking to do that! Be aware of how the wind is blowing your line above the water. If it's putting a big bow in your line, drop your rod tip closer to the water's surface. In the trophy area, I believe we have some of the nicest trout we've had up there in a long time. They're just hard to catch right now. I think the cold water has caused them not to eat a lot. They're held up out of the current and biding their time and eating occasionally. With the water running almost all the time, they don't have to move far to eat something that drifts by them. I've been throwing jigs at them all week both in the trophy area and below and mixed results. I'm still catching quite a few brown trout, especially when I'm using white jigs. When I boat up into the trophy area (water running), I usually go all the way up to the cable below the dam and start there but lately I haven't because I just don't get bit till I'm almost down to the MDC boat ramp almost a mile below the dam. Couple of thoughts - we know there's been shad come through the turbines this winter. When that happens, the trout below the dam gorge themselves on the virtually free food and look for more. They usually hit anything white for the next month hoping it's another shad drifting by but this year isn't the case at all. It's not that I'm not catching fish on white jigs, it's the location I'm catching them in - and NOT catching them in. I'm throwing white 1/8th ounce jigs when the water is running along the bluff banks, close to the bank, and catching trout from the MDC boat ramp down to the top of Trophy Run, then from Lookout Island down to the Narrows. I'm doing fair fishing the bluff bank from Fall Creek Marina down to Trout Hollow and not as well fishing the bluff bank from the old Sun Valley Resort down to Cooper Creek. BUT yesterday afternoon was the exception, and confirmed something I have believed all along. I took Darrell Bentley, a friend of mine, out fishing yesterday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.. The sun was out and very bright. They were running 80 mw with the lake level at 705.7 feet. The wind was calm. We started at the cable. I threw an 1/8th ounce white jig and Darrell tried his gold tinsel 1/16th ounce jig. Darrell works at Reed's Fly Shop just outside Montauk State Park. I've never tried any tinsel jig before and gold is for sure something I've never thought about using. Darrell said he uses gold when it's sunny and silver when it's cloudy. I had my doubts that our trout would find his gold tinsel jig appealing. I was wrong. Darrell put 2 rainbows in the boat before I got a bite on my white jig. I was impressed. Then I caught one, and then another. We hadn't drifted past the island yet and already put 5 very nice rainbows to the net. We continued to drift down and did well. Made a couple of drifts before our time had ended, catching some quality rainbows up to 17 inches. So they're still up there! Again, it's being in the right place at the right time throwing the right lures, flies or bait at them! And that includes gold tinsel jigs!

Buster Loving 417-335-0357

Clay Goforth did a great job getting these together - thank you Clay. I want to make these available to as many members (and non members) as possible...for the lowest cost (to me). I'm referring to shipping costs. The best way to do this is to mail packages to key places where people can pick them up. These places would be tackle shops or sports retail stores. It could be just someone's house where he could distribute them to many members in that town or area. I need addresses and the contact person's name- make sure they have been contacted and are willing to receive the package. I'd like to wait till Wednesday, 4/9, before mailing out individual decals. I have plenty to go around. But if I need more, I'll reorder. Here are the 3 decals that are available: MemberDecal_1.pdf MemberDecal_2.pdf MemberDecal_3.pdf

Here are some pics we took way up in Flat Creek.

Friends went to Long Creek Monday- they said they found crappies close to the bank on spawning banks. Should be real good by now!

I think that's pretty much the rule presently... but good idea!

Thanks for that, James. You showed class. When I said I didn't think we should address or care about exaggerated reports, what I meant is that reports are made everyday by anglers with screen names like r2d2 and jjksl357 (not real names, identities) either naming waters or spots - or not - and telling about what they did or didn't catch. There's no way to know what's accurate and what's not. Yes I hope that all reports are 100% accurate but I know that will NEVER happen, right fellas!! Heck I can't even keep count of the trout I catch in my own head so I always say "about". Then there's those with counters... and those who keep and clean their catch. They know what they've got and/or caught. What I'm saying is serves NO purpose to call someone into account on a report here. Yes we can ask if they took pics - I ask because I want to post an image when reporting an article and/or fishing report. If it's a float trip somewhere, I love to see pics of the river, bluffs and trees (and fish). Everyone if different, I acknowledge that. For some of us, it burns us up to see someone "brag" about catching fish you know there's no way he caught but that's really on him. If that person wants to live a fictitious life in his own mind, then I feel sorry for him.

I'm going to address this issue later today in a well thought out post (don't have time right now). The issue of calling out a person on a public forum is pretty serious. Fishing is fishing... if someone has a banner day while everyone else is not - and this happens! - who is anyone to call that person a liar? Now if someone posts an exaggerated fishing report (God forbid!!!) - so what?! Where's the line you step over to be called a "fisherman" or a "liar"? No one has the right to police fishing reports and judge who's telling the truth and who's not. I'm the only person who has the "delete" button here and I'm certainly not going to use it on reports. If I allowed people to call other fishermen on this forum LIARS, then I might as well shut it down because no one will want to post anything in fear of being called out. So- heed this warning. Please be respectful... let it go next time. And I apologize for missing issues that happened that I missed... I don't read all posts. Ham- sorry I didn't know you were called into question on your reports. Anyone else- I apologize.

Severe storm watch till 1 pm. That will make it interesting.

Seems I mis spoke about the rain. Should have checked my facts before posting.

The clearer the water, the deeper crappie will spawn. A 12-year study conducted by the Missouri Department of Conservation came up with this conclusion after determining with a secchi disk the depths at which crappie spawned. The department discovered that at a water visibility level of 10 feet, the crappie spawned about 2 feet deeper, and below 10 feet the fish made nests 3 to 4 feet deeper. While the study’s findings probably hold true in many instances, I have seen crappie on nests in 2 to 3 feet of water and sight-fished for the spawners many times on my home waters of Lake of the Ozarks. A crappie veteran who has caught these spawning panfish in the shallows of Lake of the Ozarks’ clear water is Terry Blankenship, a local guide. If he had his druthers, Blankenship would fish for shallow crappie in stained to murky water. But he has encountered situations on his home waters of Lake of the Ozarks when the water was dirty and the crappie made their beds in the shallows but then the lake cleared enough to where he saw fish on the nests. He has noticed the fish will remain in The clear, shallow water (6 feet deep or less) as long as the lake level remains stable. “The clearing of the water doesn’t affect them as much as the level of the water,” Blankenship says. “If the water is fluctuating a lot it just seems to back them off and they may even re-bed.” On his home waters, Blankenship finds crappie spawning along pea gravel pockets or flat banks with a mixture of pea gravel and chunk rock. Any shallow brush along the bank usually holds nesting fish in clear-water situations. When he can see the nests in the shallows, Blankenship can occasionally trick some fishing into biting, but he prefers to target these fish during low-light conditions or windy days. “When you have a calm, clear day and you can see those fish they are hard to catch,” Blankenship admits. Since he is also a construction worker, Blankenship gets off work on those cloudy, rainy days so he has plenty of experience fishing in those conditions for shallow crappie in clear water. If he has to fish on a sunny day, he prefers trying in the early morning or when the wind creates a constant ripple on the water. When the water is calm or there is a slight chop, Blankenship tempts shallow crappie in the clear water with a jig-and-bobber setup. His favorite lure for clear-water crappie is a Bobby Garland Baby Shad in the blue ice hue with a 1/16-ounce jighead. Whenever he sees a shallow brush pile, Blankenship casts his bobber and jig well past the cover to prevent from spooking the fish and slowly twitches the combo up to the brush. “Typically you want to be moving it at a slow pace to control your depth,” he says. “But there are times when you know you are in a good area where you just let that bobber sit for a while. I have caught a lot of good fish by just letting it sit.” A Baby Shad attached to a 1/16-ounce spinner jighead produces best for Blankenship on windy days when the fish are most aggressive. He casts close to the bank and retrieves the jig at a steady pace with occasional jerks to imitate a fleeing baitfish. Blankenship is also an advocate of using high visibility line in clear water. Since Blankenship prefers line-watching to detect bites he opts for 6-pound test fluorescent blue Berkley Trilene line. “I feel like I will miss more crappie if I can’t see my line than if I had a real low visibility line because crappie tend to hit a bait and push it forward,” he says. “So a lot of times you won’t feel the bite, you will just see it.” Being able to see male crappie on the nests also gives Blankenship an idea where to look for the larger female crappie. When he sees the males, he backs off into deeper water and looks for brush piles in the 6- to 10-foot range. He usually finds the females suspended just above the cover. “Try to fish a little higher than whatever the brush is,” suggests Blankenship. “If the brush is 12 feet deep, then fish 10 feet.” Clear-water crappie will come to the shallows to spawn in certain situations, so sight fishing is an option if you use a stealthy approach and make the right presentations to catch these skittish fish. For information on lodging and other facilities at the Lake of the Ozarks or to receive a free vacation guide, call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-FUN-LAKE or visit the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitors Bureau web site at funlake.com.

What about the rain coming. 3 inches predicted tonight? Warm rain though.