Phil Lilley

Life if good . . . we are blessed!

Holding a big fish upright makes the guts push down in the body cavity- something the fish never experiences in the water. Hold the fish horizontal is better. I don't think it's THAT big of a deal. It's just better.

MDC ppl have said yes- holding a big fish like the vertical can put a lot of strain on their insides but how much... ? I didn't know this when I help John display his fish and release it.

They're Brett's patterns.

If you look on Brett's site, you'll see he's gotten into several big rainbows. I think we may see one of the best winter rainbow season ever next month. http://www.charteredwaters.com/fishingreport.html

Here's another rainbow that may have been over 20 pounds, thinking a 31 inch rainbow is over 20 pounds. I honestly don't think so but a released fish always weighs more

Still down. I guess the Corp didn't get their work done today. Supposed to take 5 hours.

Taken from the boat ramp, the lake level is down there about 12 inches. It's down about 5 feet at our place. Can't get a boat from Trout Hollow to Short Creek unless you use a trolling motor. Supposed to bring the lake back up this afternoon. Lots of people around the outlets fishing.

I asked Shane Bush about what he thought about the dead browns. He said it's mainly attributed to low DO and hook mortality too. Browns are more apt to succumb to excessive handling, being fought too hard or both, compared to rainbows. He said is a larger numbers of browns in the lake this year which means more browns hooked, released and die. He doesn't seemed to be surprised or alarmed by it (my observation).

On the lake up here: Cooper Creek Lazy Valley Ozark Trout Trout Hollow

Darrell Bentley posted these on facebook. Wanted to repost them.

Sounds fun.

Went out today to take some pics before the wind blew all the pretty ones down. Yesterday was definitely the peak as far as colors but it's still beautiful out. It's sad to see the foliage leaving us for the winter but they're making a grand exit! They're running 25 megawatts, level is 703.5 feet. That's just 2 feet up from when it's off. I managed to get my Grizzly up to Rebar stump without hitting anything. Couple of guys wading out on the bar were catching a few. I found this dead brown on the bottom. Note the fly in the dorsal fin. Hard to say why he died. I'd say 21 inches long. Caught a couple of rainbows on a #16 Rusty midge in the eddie against the south bank there. Then drifted down and caught a few rainbows on a 3/32nd ounce black/olive jig. Stopped in front of the club house at Trophy Run. There's a shallow shelf on that south bank the water runs over and it hold lots of rainbows. I put the boat against the bank and drifted the Rust midge through the area catching a half dozen nice rainbows. Drifted on down using the jig and caught a couple more rainbows. Ran down below Lookout and started again throwing the jig, this time a brown 3/32nd ounce. Did good! Rainbows liked it down there. Caught a dozen and some were pushing 18 inches. Wind picked up at the lower stretch so I called it. Got some nice pics. That was the REAL reason I was out.

by John Neporadny When chilling northern winds signal the arrival of fall, white bass invade the shallows in search-and-feed missions on shad at Lake of the Ozarks. Anglers who store their rods and reels to concentrate on hunting at this time miss out on some of the year's hottest fishing action. Veteran Lake of the Ozarks anglers have experienced this fall phenomenon numerous times and have developed effective methods for taking the marauding whites. Try these tips for catching white bass the next time you visit the lake in autumn. Roostertails, Jigs and Chuggers From the middle of September to early November, look for spots where the wind is blowing in on rocky points. Three lures catch plenty of whites in the fall. Use Roostertails or marabou crappie jigs in sunny weather or a topwater chugger on overcast days. The spinner on a Roostertail makes it an easy lure to use for whites. Just cast the lure close the bank and crank it out. If the white bass are around, the spinner will draw a strike. Throw a one-sixth ounce white Roostertail in clear water and switch to yellow for dingy water. Use an ultralight spinning rod and reel filled with 6-pound test line. Since whites cruise around in shallow, rocky areas, you should retrieve the Roostertail rapidly to prevent hanging up in the rocks. Anglers who have trouble retrieving fast can switch to a one-eighth ounce Roostertail which falls slower. Plenty of white bass can also be caught on one-eighth ounce marabou crappie jigs. Employ the same fast, steady retrieve as the Roostertail when swimming the lure through the shallows. But when the lure reaches deeper water, let it drop and bounce the jig along the bottom. Topwater chuggers are another favorite bait for catching fall white bass. Chuggers 2 1/2 inches long in shad colors, such as black and silver or clear with black back, work best. Switch to 8-pound test when throwing the chugger. Retrieving the topwater lure in a steady, straight manner entices the whites. Keep chugging the lure all the way to the boat even if a fish rolls at it and misses. The fish will usually hit it before it reaches the boat. If you stop the lure, the white bass usually turns away from it. Twitching Rapalas On overcast fall days, look for whites on the windy sides of points. When you find a promising spot, toss a floating Rapala into the shallows. A variety of minnow-type baits will catch whites, especially a 2 1/2-inch blue-and-white or black-and-silver belly Rapala. Use a light- to medium-action rod and spinning reel filled with 4-pound test line. Experiment with retrieves, varying from a slow, twitching motion to a stop-and-go or a steady cranking of two to three turns on the reel and then stop and let the Rapala float back to the surface. Just vary the speed until you find a retrieve that really turns the fish on. When the wind makes casting the lightweight lure difficult, attach a small split shot to the line about 2 feet above the lure. The extra weight makes casting easier, but has little effect on the lure's action if retrieved in the steady, twitching motion. 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 Conventionand Visitors Bureau web site at funlake.com.

If the kind gentleman I met at Cabela's in St Charles (in the fly fishing department) would email me, I'll be glad to email you the report.

It's been a long time coming but here's the latest for upper Taneycomo. Trees right now are at their peak but the rain forecasted tonight might drop most of their leaves to the ground. It will still be beautiful tomorrow. I actually like late fall when there's only a few bright colored leaves left of the trees on the bluff. They will offer a great contrast. Fall trout fishing can be frickle, and that's what it's been. Our guides are reporting good catches starting at daylight for about 2 hours and then it gets slow. Then later in the day, toward dusk, catching picks up again. Generation has also been fickle. Up to this week they were running water from daylight till dark at various rates but this week they're leaving the water off in the mornings and running from half to a full unit in the afternoons. The US Corp of Engineers at Table Rock are scheduled to work on a turbine at the dam on Tuesday, November 5th. To get to the area of the turbine that needs repair, the water level on Lake Taneycomo needs to be dropped to an elevation of 697 feet, 4 feet below it's normal level. Here's a schedule sent to me by Empire Electric who is in charge of Taneycomo's lower dam, Powersite Dam. They will be drawing the lake down to this level starting Monday, November 4th. 1. Operate Taneycomo as normal until 9:00 a.m. November 4. 2. Our dispatchers (Empire Electric) will then use generation and gates to bring Taneycomo’s elevation to 697.00 by 5:00 a.m. on November 5. 3. Table Rock will use the house generator to wet the upper end during the work. 4. Work is estimated to take approximately 5 hours, beginning at 6:30 a.m. 5. Once work is complete, Table Rock generation is to resume as soon as possible to recharge Taneycomo. This draw down is not a new occurrence on our lake. It's been done quite a few times in the past 20 years. Below Fall Creek, air injected night crawlers is the best bait to use for catching rainbows. Fish the middle to shallow side of the lake from Fall to Short Creek and down past Trout Hollow. Second best is using a small jig head baited with 2 Gulp Eggs, one white and one pink. Use super glue to hold the eggs on the hook. Fish this under a float 4 to 6 feet deep using 2 to 4 pound line. Jig head can to from 1/80th to 1/32nd ounce. Next, Gulp Eggs on the bottom using a white and either pink or orange, 2 eggs on a hook. Fish them on the bottom using 4 pound line. Trolling is difficult because of the all the leaves on the water's surface. Casting spoons is too but if the leaves aren't too bad, try throwing a silver Cleo and keep it close to the surface, especially if you see trout rising for midges. Above Fall Creek, white 1/8th or 3/32nd ounce jigs worked off the bottom when the water is running has caught some nice browns the last few weeks, especially if you can get to the cable and drift down past the boat ramp. Rainbows are also taking them. Some of the guides are throwing stick baits same area and catching a few big browns. Early and late while the water is running. I'm also catching a few rainbows casting Stimulators against the bluff bank, under trees and against the rocks. Size #6 in various colors and styles. Steve Dickey reported his clients are catching about 15 trout each the first 2 hours of the day drifting from Rebar Hole down to the boat ramp either in the mornings (when the water is running) and in the evening using eggs flies and scuds. Steve uses a drop shot weight - a 1/16th ounce which I guess are hard to find. He buys his at Bass Pro. We're looking for some. He says they don't hang up on the bottom as bad a bell and split shots. Flies: #14 and #16 gray or olive scuds, peach or yellow eggs flies and cerise or pink San Juan Worms. When the water is off, wade fishing below the dam has been very good. Zebra Midge- #16 and #18 Rusty's, P&P's and black with gold beads, #18's and #20's. Soft Hackles in red or yellow, #14's and #16's and Cracklebacks in yellow or white #16's. Beads or eggs flies are working in the faster water. Night fishing below the dam is still very good. Leeches in black, blood red and purple as well as Muddlers fished below or on the surface. Fishing out of a boat in the trophy area with the water off: Jig and float using either a black or olive micro jig fished 4 to 5 feet deep, 6 or 7x tippet. You can drop a #16 Zebra Midge under the jig as a dropper.

Not really practical though from a fisheries standpoint I'd think. When generation is 24/7 for months on end at times, the no boat zone would be a no fishing zone except for the 1% of bank fishing access. Of course it would have an adverse affect on businesses like mine. From the standpoint of no wake- yes it would make the most sense.

This has been hashed over many times over the years here... and I welcome the opportunity to do it again. No Wake Zones in rivers where there's moving water are difficult simply because it isn't feasible. Imagine you're in a 21 foot bass boat and the current it moving at a 6 mph clip. At idle speed, which you're supposed to go through a No Wake Zone, your ground speed would be virtually zero. On full plane, the same bass boat would throw very little wake. I think what you'd do if you imposed a No Wake Zone up below the dam is force a bass boat to go through the No Wake Zone in current and throwing a bigger wake than they would if they went through on plane. Every boat is different. At varied speeds they will throw different wakes. What each boat operator needs to learn is what kind of wake his boat throws in different situations and try to do the best he can to not hurt anyone, other boaters or people on the bank, with their wake.

Dylan, I would like to see that flyer too.

You said it - they have to hit! Just don't see it in their eyes. But they may rally. If they do, it'll be the series of a lifetime. Regardless, a game 7 would be an awesome game for baseball, regardless of the outcome.

Their lack of hitting has finally caught up with them.

Not sunk but we've had them come in with a lot of water in them. And guests that are wet. Education. Have to figure out a way to educate boat owners. I would like to make a boat safety video (in my spare time) and have it available to all who want to view it here on our dock. Show it to all who rents a boat from us. All boat operators have to do is look back and watch what their wake is doing behind them.

Oh thanks... spent the last 45 minutes watching their videos.

I don't know what it is but there's something amiss. Both teams entered the series relaxed but now they're so intense and afraid of making an error they're not performing.