Phil Lilley

I shot this last night. Didn't spend much time doing it -- may scrap it and try again with less mistakes and better "script". I have a hard time NOT looking at the camera. But the fish cooperated. The water was moving extremely slow!

We can ship. Have to check and see how much it would cost. Depending on where you live, we could try to send one with a guest heading to your location.

Tapatalk should NOT work on OA now... a couple of weeks ago it crashed the forum after I updated Tapatalk. Couldn't get Tapatalk to answer my emails so I deleted the software from the server. There's an IPB app available I believe.

Rods are $79 and $89. Most are $79 but the new 30th Year Edition is $89. It costs us a little more. The reels are $68.85 for the 6725 model.

No. Haven't gotten that far in his training...

Yea- never leave your social sites ~~ LOGGED ON ~~ and leave your computer unattended. Bad things can happen!

Table Rock and Beaver Lake levels have dropped to where the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers has backed off on running water through the dams. Late last week, the turbines were shut down at Table Rock Dam, and we had no generation during the day for the first time in weeks and weeks. Since then, we've seen no generation almost every day, except today. Today they've been running anywhere from a half to a full unit. The most noteworthy item to report for Lake Taneycomo would be our gin-clear water. Ever since Table Rock turned over in late November, our water has been turbid, green but with color. Here in the last couple of weeks, that water has cleared up to the point I'm thinking of changing all my reels from four-pound to two-pound line! Most of us, though, are just tying a short piece of tippet to each line for small jigs and flies under a float when the water here is not running. Vanish two-pound line is good tippet material for this. Use a triple surgeon's knot to connect the two pieces. The link points to a regular surgeon's knot are looped only twice. Just make another loop for a triple knot. If the water is running, you can get away with using four-pound line. With the water not running as much, our water temperature has risen. When the water was running, and the temperature was in the low 40's, our trout just didn't like to come out and play as much! They head up in the creeks where the water is warmer and that's where we were sending most of our guests to fish. The water temperature is much more conducive to "catching" now. Using a jig and float has been the best way to catch trout this week. I rigged up some first timers to Lake Taneycomo a couple of days ago, and they immediately started catching rainbows. This is what I did: 1. I added about 36 inches of Vanish two-pound line to their lines. A couple of them had four-pound line and one had six-pound on their reels. I showed them how to tie the triple surgeon's knot. 2. I slipped on a carrot float. 3. Tied on a 1/50th ounce marabou jig, brown with an orange head. 4. Then I tied an 18-inch piece of tippet (Vanish two-pound) onto the eye of the jig. 5. Added a #14 red Zebra Midge. 6. Set the float at six-feet deep from the first jig and told them to try that depth. If it didn't work or they moved to fish shallower water than six feet, we moved it up or down. 7. I told them to find and fish water that had a ripple on the surface. Most of the water they fished was between Short and Fall Creeks. With the exception of the first day, they caught their limit every day plus caught and released extras. Here at Lilleys' Landing, we have started a new program that we hope will help people who are having trouble catching trout learn how to use jigs and be more successful. A rod building company in Harrison, AR, has been making the Lilleys' Spinning Rod we sell in our shop for about 12 years now. It's the rod I use in all my videos, perfect for fishing marabou jigs. We have rigged up these rods with Pflueger's Presidents reels and four-pound line and will starting renting them on a daily basis to those who would like to try them out. The rate will be $15 per day or $25 for a two-day trip. IF you like the rods and they help you catch more trout, you may purchase the combo in our shop and take the rental rate you paid off the retail price. If you would like to buy the rod you used, we'll take an additional 10% off the retail price. I want to get these rods into trout fishermen's hands and let them see how they work. The rods come in four lengths-- 5'6", 6'0", 6'6" and 7'0". I would suggest using the six-foot for throwing jigs without a float and the 6'6" for using the jig-and-float method. Back to trout fishing... Fly fishing below the dam most mornings with the water off has been amazing! Months of running water has produced some incredible rainbows in the upper end of the lake. They are taking midges -- both Zebra and thread midges, Rusty, P&P, green and red, #16's and #18's. Strip a #8 olive, green or brown pine squirrel anywhere from the cable down to Trophy Run. Also try #8 Wooly Buggers in same colors. In faster runs like outlets 1 and 2, Rebar and the chute above Trophy Run, drift #16 olive or gray scuds, #14 thread midges in black or olive or white, red or brown San Juan Worms. In the slower, but still moving runs, drift the same flies but in smaller sizes. In the trophy area, fishing out of a boat, Zebra Midges are king! Size 14's and #16's in red, black, olive, Rusty or P&P under an indicator three- to five-feet deep in most places. Be sure to use 6x or even 7x tippet. If the water is running, deepen the drift and add a split shot or use a small jig above the fly. Below Fall Creek, Zebra Midges and small marabou jigs are still good choices. We are using 1/125th to 1/50th ounce in weight in pink, white, black, brown, sculpin, sculpin/orange, sculpin/ginger and ginger. Add an orange head to the darker colors except black. Fish them a little deeper if you're fishing the channel--up to seven-feet deep. We've had a couple of guys fishing here all week, targeting mostly browns. Robert and Wayne Dickerson of Lawrence, Kansas. They've been fishing between Fall and Short Creeks using white jigs and stick baits, working the bluff bank. Both have caught some really nice brown trout, just under 20-inches and one right at 21-inches. Of course you can't keep the rainbows off the line . . . Bill Babler, one of own fishing guides, reports doing great using Trout Magnets in the Short Creek area this week. He's using pink, pink/white and salmon colors. He said he cuts off "3 rings" off the head, shortening the bait. He also puts about 10 wraps of thread on the TM jig hook and glues with TM grub to the hook using Super Glue. He said his client used one bait all morning this morning, catching several dozen rainbows. They're using 2-pound Vanish tippet and setting their floats 5 to 6 feet deep. Bill said the fish bite better if there's cloud cover. If the sun's out and it's bright, the trout only nibble and chase the bait. Gulp Powerbait has been only fair at best for our anglers. Night crawlers are working much better, injected with air to float off the bottom. Most trout have been suspended off the bottom at least three to five feet. That's why floating a jig or fly under a float has been working so much better when the water is not running.

The only issue would be trying to attach an image that's too large. The limit is 2mb's which is a very large file. You either have to find a place to upload it like photobucket or get a program that will reduce the size of the image. I usually make them about 800 px wide. Let me know if you need more help. That's what I'm here for...

by John Neporadny The Grand Glaize arm of the Lake of the Ozarks is well-renowned for its bass fishing, but this section of the lake also provides good action for white bass and catfish throughout the year. The 16-mile stretch of the Grand Glaize arm runs from its confluence with the Osage arm to the swinging bridges area where the Glaize narrows down to a stream. The stream section is a prime spot for the white bass run in the spring. The arm contains several large branches and hollows throughout its length. Ideal structure for white bass and catfish on this arm includes creek channel drops and bends, bluffs, humps, long gradual gravel points and gravel flats. Here’s how a local expert catches these two popular species throughout the year on the Grand Glaize arm. White bass Camdenton, Mo., angler Robert Hunter looks forward to October when he can catch plenty of white bass on the Glaize arm. When the water temperature reaches in the 60- to 65-degree range, Hunter looks for wind-blown rocky banks where he catches whites on a 1/8-ounce purple-and-white crappie jig that he casts on 6-pound test line to the shallows. “As soon as the jig hits the water I start reeling,” says Hunter, who catches most of his fish in the 3- to 6-foot range. Another prime time for Hunter to catch whites on the Glaize is at night during the summer. He selects a Lit’l Fishie with a 1/8-ounce jighead that he casts to flat gravel banks close to the main river channel. The ideal spots for whites at night are banks that slope off to 7 to 12 feet deep about 25 feet away from the shore. “Most of the time at night the whites are only in 2 to 3 feet of water but every once in a while I have to let the jig sink to 8 to 12 feet,” Hunter recommends. He also likes to run a fire tiger Rapala Shad Rap crankbait along the same banks to catch nocturnal white bass. In early to mid-April, Hunter has caught spawning white bass that make the run up to the stream section of the Glaize around the swinging bridges area. Retrieving a crappie jig or Lit'l Fishie through the riffles is Hunter’s most productive tactic for taking spawning whites in the stream. Catfish Drift fishing the coves at depths of 17 to 25 feet has produced plenty of channel catfish for Hunter throughout the years. He rigs a slip sinker on 10-pound line and crimps a split shot on the line to keep his sinker away from the hook. The veteran angler then attaches shad to a number 6 straight-shank hook. Starting in the back of a cove, Hunter drifts or pushes his boat along with the trolling motor and heads toward the main channel. “It doesn’t seem to matter what cove you are in,” he says. “Some days one cove will produce and another day another cove will produce.” Hunter’s drift techniques usually produce channel cats in the 3- to 5-pound range. He notes the technique will work well throughout the summer but June and July are his favorite months for drifting. “It seems like we get our better fish from mid-June to the middle of July,” he discloses. From mid-summer to fall, Hunter also runs trotlines for big flathead and blue catfish. He set his lines along bluffs with rock shelves and holes in the ledges. “I always like to run my lines almost parallel with the bank out to 15 to 20 feet deep,” he says. His favorite bait for trotlines is 4-inch bullheads that he seines from a pond. But he suggests anglers can also catch plenty of catfish on trotlines with live perch and goldfish. 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.

We are seeking fly fishermen how can help us with this summer's Healing Waters event. You need a couple of things... A boat you can take one or two participants out fishing for a couple of days and... that's about it. You should be able to help them cast if they don't know how to well and know what flies to use and how to use them. We will provide you a place to stay for a couple of nights and some really good food and fellowship. Dates: Monday, August 25, Tuesday, August 26 and Wednesday August 27. Arrive mid day Monday and fish that afternoon. Tuesday, fish both morning and afternoon, then dinner and a show. Wednesday, fish in the morning and leave after lunch. If you can help with any or all, we'd like to know. If you're a little intimidated by "guiding" someone in the art of fly fishing, don't be. These guys appreciate getting on the water and enjoying the outdoors. If they catch fish, it's a bonus- the same with any of us. If a jig or even a night crawler is used, we have no problem with that!

by Ned Kehde http://www.in-fisherman.com/2014/05/05/swing-oil-baits/

4 lb. Usually Trilene Green XL. Yea I'm taking big chances lifting most of those fish. One shake and they're gone. If I can get to the jig in time, I can shake him off.

68 is young... my dad was 78 when he passed- that's young too. You think they're going to be with you... you just don't know. Very sorry for the loss of your dad.

Boated to the dam last evening. 3 units running but not full. Probably 2 units worth. Good depth and flow. No wind. Fish were fairly active. White 1/8th oz jig. Made 4 drifts mostly staying above the big bar and Big hole just because I didn't have a lot of time and wanted to stay with the fish above the first island. Seems like they're still looking for shad- hitting white jigs well. On the 3rd drift, I turned the camera on but it didn't record. It's a problem I'm having with one of the Garmin Virb cameras. I need to just send it in. But I caught a really nice rainbow when the camera wasn't working so I didn't get it on camera- still or video. It had to measure over 20 inches and I bet weighed 5 pounds. Not really as fat as it was just thick and heavy. Fought real hard too. Most of the rainbows I caught were like that. A real good sign of things to come. As it started ti get darker, the bite became more and more light. I should have switched to a darker color like sculpin or brown but didn't.

I own 12 Shawnees dated back to early 90's, all in a rental program. I've had no problems with leaks. I've had to build up fronts because of banging from renters- they're tanks now, indestructible. Over20 years later, I could sell them for more than I paid... They're great boats, made one at a time the old fashion way.

Thanks Scott

Welcome!! Glad you joined.

Last week we caught them till 10 pm. And they were still biting when we left. But they weren't on the bank. We'll off it.

Crackleback- that's a great picture!

Guide Dave Welch could be hard to impress with Ozarks' fishing since he spent eight years as a child in Alaska. "That's where I got my fishing background. I was more of a salmon guy/trout guy," he said. But after 24 years guiding in the tri-lakes area, he values the variety of experiences he can provide his clients. "I like my crappie and bass fishing, too," he said. He spent his teenage years in Illinois where his father retired from the U.S. Air Force. It was not until his college days in Warrensburg, MO, that some of his buddies hooked him on tri-lakes fishing. Although an education major in college, he embarked straight into guiding, working with guests at Lazy Valley resort initially before working at Fall Creek Marina from 1994-1998. "Since then I have just been freelancing," he said. "I think some of the best fishing I ever experienced here was when the floodgates were opened in 1995 and then in 1998. I had several fish over 20 pounds on the line. Then the spawn was awesome, too." He met his wife, Sarah, in Branson who had been drawn to town to play her trumpet in some of the music shows. Last year she became a flight attendant for American Airlines, allowing the couple to do some traveling in his off time. Welch is thankful that they live close to Table Rock Dam, so he can he drive to a boat ramp on either Lake Taneycomo or Table Rock in five minutes or less. That allows him to focus more on his actual time with clients, booking half or full-day trips and even fishing from a pontoon when needed. "I just like to deal with people from all over," he said. "I have had people from England and Scotland, and you name it."

That's what others will have to use because I'm not putting Tapatalk back on.

Tapatalk's App issued an update. I was having difficulty finishing the install so I tried to uninstall it. That's when it crashed the forum. Invision had to go in to the code and delete the app. I don't think I'm going to reinstall Tapatalk. For those who use this app for their mobile devices, I'm sorry. I actually used it too but Invision indicates Tapatalk is trying to get too fancy and add too many whistles and bells that are not working with the forum software well. Invision also said that their next new version of the forum will be fully responsive.

by John Berry Once again the Trout Nature Center at Arkansas State University Mountain Home is having its Trout Nature Center Banquet to honor its induction of Pat Smith into the Trout Hall Of Fame. Past inductees include Dave Whitlock, Jim Gaston, Bob Benke, Joan Wulff, Forrest Wood, Elmo Hurst, Tom Schmuecker and Steve Wilson. The trout nature center banquet will be held on Saturday, April 26 2014 at the Sheid Auditorium on the Arkansas state University Campus. The cost is $50.00 per person and the proceeds go to fund the Trout Nature center. The social hour begins at 6:00 PM and the dinner and auction is at 7:00 PM. Entertainment is provided by cutthroat Trout. Contact (870) 508-6280 for more information. Pat and her husband Chet were the first people I met, when I moved to the Twin Lakes Area about fourteen years ago. We had mutual friends, Roger and Tracy Maler. All of them were active volunteers in the Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, the organization that hosts the Conclave, which is now known as the Fly Fishing Fair. I was in the process of growing my guide business and was eager in getting involved with Conclave. At the time, Roger was President of the Southern Council and he directed me to Pat Smith who was then the Managing Director. She was a force of nature and had every detail and individual involved committed to memory. Pat made everything come together and work as it should. The festival ran like a Swiss clock. I was quickly signed up to be a fly tyer, seminar presenter and vendor. She directed me throughout the process and made it easy for me. I came to rely on her. My nickname for Pat is “The Source of all Knowledge”. As I got more involved with other local fishing and conservation organizations, I found one common theme; Pat Smith was involved in almost all of them. When I first joined the North Arkansas Fly Fishers, she was the Newsletter Editor; she became the Membership Director and is now the Secretary. When I became involved with the Sowbug Roundup, Pat was there and is now Co-Chair of the Fly Tying Committee. When I began attending the Trout Nature Center Banquets, I noticed that Pat was a member of the Trout Task Force and was Chair of all of the Hall of Fame Banquets. When my wife, Lori, got involved with the Damsel Fly Fishers, a local ladies fly fishing group, she noted that Pat was one of the founding members and also served as the Outreach Chair at the Southern Council Conclave. Pat has also been the Secretary of the Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery since the groups founding. She even finds time to volunteer at the Purple Door for Serenity. Pat has won several awards from the Federation of Fly Fishers. She was the Southern Council Woman of the year in 1997, 1999 and 2008. She won the National Woman of the Year for 2005. In 1999 it was the Southern Council Excellence Award and the President’s Award in 2008. Pat is definitely an over achiever. Pat is not the President or Founder of any organization. She is always the person that makes it work. I look forward to attending this year’s banquet and I am particularly pleased that my friend Pat is being honored. I hope to see you there.