Phil Lilley

What a week can make! In my last report, lake levels were normal and everything was copacetic. Today Table Rock Lake's level is four feet higher and the dam is running five flood gates to hold down rising water levels. We had countless rain storms move through the area dumping as much as 12 inches of rain in as little as three hours in small areas around this area. But for all the concern, we are in good shape. Table Rock has crested from the last storm at 920 feet which is 10 feet below what they would consider flood stage. Beaver Lake is just now at power pool. Taneycomo is running three units full plus five (of 10 total) flood gates but they're not running a whole lot from the gates. Table Rock Dam has a total of four turbines. One is down for maintenance and can't be operated, thus the flood gates. They're running gates to make up for the turbine they can't run. Taneycomo's lake level right now it 712 feet, 11 feet above power pool. The current up below the dam is fairly fast but not torrent. It's still safe for boating as long as you don't ANCHOR and watch where you're drifting. Because water is coming over the flood gates, there's warmer water entering the lake. Water temperature coming through the turbine (130 feet) has been about 48 degrees while the water from Table Rock coming over the flood gates (about 30 feet deep) is in the mid 70's. When below the dam in my boat, my temperature gauge has read as high as 71 degrees when on the turbine side (north side) it's about 58 degrees. On down lake, it's reading about 60 degrees. These temperatures aren't bad for trout at all. As a matter of fact, they like water temperatures in the 50's better than they like it in the 40's. They are more active and feed more aggressively. The other "cool" thing about flood gates is through them sometimes comes shad and other small fish from Table Rock. I was up fishing earlier today and saw small threadfin shad floating in the water about 3/4 mile below the dam. And yes, they like about anything white I threw. This is only the second day the flood gates have been opened. Typically, this draws trout and other species of fish up to the headwaters to feed on shad. My experience is that we find very large rainbow and brown trout showing up and biting our shad flies and white jigs we're throwing. Today's fishing verified this. I didn't catch anything longer than 20 inches but did catch quite a few rainbows in the 16-to 18-inch range. I caught one rainbow showing signs of shad gluttony (pics). That's a very good sign for us trout fishermen! As more and more trout become aware of these threadfin shad -- that they're good and easy to eat -- the fish become more plentiful and easier to catch. Today, we had to get our jigs and flies close to the bottom, which is a trick in such deep and turbulent water. I used a drift rig with a 1/4-ounce bell weigh plus I pinched a #3 or #4 split shot above the bell weight. I found out that it was best to throw a short distance from the boat, not the heave-hoe throw, and drift the rig practically under the boat. I felt the bite better and could keep track of where the lure was. I started my drift at or close to the cable below the dam and drifted down the middle of the lake, which was where the cold and water met. I drifted down to Trophy Run and headed back up. Rick Lisek, one of our fishing guides, had two trips today and reported, "the trout are mean and hungry today!" He said he saw shad floating this morning as far down lake as Cooper Creek and drifted and fished on his own after his trips from Monkey Island to the bridges using Gulp Eggs and caught rainbows that were spitting up shad. That's amazing! He said his clients caught trout drifting shad flies as well as pink or peach egg flies. He also had them cast a small 4-inch shad colored floating crank bait and just reeled it in slowly, catching some rainbows. When he was drifting down lake, using Gulp Eggs down from Monkey Island, he used less weight. He said he used 3/16-ounce bell weights on his drift rigs. Four-pound line is very ok with this water flow.

5 gates opened at 4 pm. Lake level is 712 feet with 3 units and 5 gates. That's a little higher than if all 4 units were running. Lake temp at the cable below the dam - 58 on north side and 71 on the south side. Temp was 49 before the gates were opened. Clint at the hatchery reported the DO is 4.97 ppm which isn't bad at all but of course the DO coming over the top is a lot higher than that. I got 61 degree most of the way down lake. They hammered a white jig from the cable to outlet #1 but I had a hard time getting the jig to the bottom below that so I used a drift rig, 1/4 ounce weight, and a white shad fly and caught them all the way down to Trophy Run. Dropped an egg fly below it and caught one on it. From Lookout down to the Narrows I caught a few but had a hard time hooking them. Stay in the middle of the lake. From past experience, it's going to get REAL good on shad imitations below the dam in the coming days. Might see some really big trout caught.

Suggestion: Make a youtube video of your product. There's no way anyone can see what it is on your website.

No ramps are affected. Our levels aren't unusually high at all. You might have some issues boating down past Bus 65 bridge. I guess there are a couple of docks wrapped around the bridge pilings from Turkey Creek. They were blown out of the creek last night. I told someone at lunch today - I saw on the radar little spots of pink popping up on the radar last night right along the MO/AR state line. I bet one of those pink spots sat on top on the Turkey Creek drainage and dumped a ton of water, enough to flood Hollister and wash all the docks out of the creek.

Table Rock is still below 920 feet. With all the rivers and creek flooding south and east of here, it's easy to think our lakes are in trouble. They aren't. Table Rock is going to release some from their flood gates this afternoon but only because there is one of four turbines down at the dam for maintenance. They are going to release enough water through the gate(s) to make up for the down turbine- that's all for now at least. I have had VERY good fishing when the flood gates are opened at Table Rock. Water temp coming over will be between 70 and 80 degrees and water from the turbines has been about 48. Trout will avoid the warmest water but will like the mix of the two- they always have. I see no issues with fishing except "4" units of water running for a while. Yea- a boat would be best. And white jigs!!!

Wrench... they (Insurance Companies) get their monies regardless of payout. My insurance rate almost tripled last year and I'm coming up for review. And we all have to pass on that expense, so floods do create jobs but they make most everything more expensive for all. Bottom line is that we do take a chance living and working next to water and for most of us we can't afford flood insurance. And the rain... we can't make it stop or start by worrying about it.

Well, this is unusual to get so much rain in August. The possibility of the Corp opening flood gates now is looming. Most times when Table Rock's level shoots past 920 feet like it is about to usually means flood gates will open shortly. I don't mind flood gates in the winter or spring but in 2008 (or 2009, not sure) when they opened them in September, it did a number on our brown trout. I think the one good thing we have going for us is that Table Rock's water level is much cooler than normal for August. One thing's for sure... we'll have plenty of generation for quite some time now. This funky weather system needs to move off the Midwest!

I heard years ago you can get a vaccine for Lymes. Googled it and found http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/ The vaccine was discontinued in 2002 because of low demand. I remember telling a good friend who was always getting tick bites he should get the shot. But he said it was too expensive - I think it was about $300 for an annual shot.

Use weighted scuds...

After this rain I would think they'd be eating worms in the backs of coves.

It's running now. Already looks better.

Corp has NOT started to run water yet so we're stuck. Rick Lisek did go out this morning and caught 4 limits close to Fall Creek. He said they caught them on a miracle fly under an indicator only 2 feet deep. The trout aren't going very deep in this off colored water. Haven't talked to anyone who's gone above Fall Creek but I'm sure there's a clean water line somewhere above there. I bet fly fishing below the dam is excellent this morning. Enjoy it while you can!

I've caught a lot of browns above and below that rr bridge.

Not sure how many inches of rain we had this morning but it poured from the skies and from the creeks and ditches. Taneycomo is a wash with all the leaves and sticks that fell to the ground last fall! No fishing today after noon, at least not in our area. There was so much junk on the surface it'd be detrimental to your motor to take it out - get your water pump clogged. But the real nice thing about our lake is it gets "flushed" and we get all brand new water over night, just like that! Table Rock is shooting up so I bet we're going to see a little more generation in the coming days. We'll see...

Not everyone got defensive... I wouldn't take it that way at all. Unfortunately, we are limited on the people that post on the White River compared to John Wilson's forum. I haven't read his to see what people think of MF there. I'm sure access has to be more limited with more flow, especially for folks who can't wade in more current. Tailwaters aren't the easiest to wade no matter what the flow is. Please Mr Fowler keep posting your prospectives... I for one am appreciative of your views especially with your background and experience.

Ramp at the railroad bridge is public and a good ramp. You can get what you need at Scotty's dock right there. They can also tell you exactly what they've been catching them on in that area of the lake too. Water is deep in that area - no issues. We've gotten a big rain this am and lake is muddy with lots of debry but it should be cleared out by tomorrow morning, hopefully I'd think they would start running more water at Table Rock because lake levels are rising quickly.

The real benefit to MF is more flow and better life in the river. Taneycomo- when we have good, constant flow for months on end, our bug population explodes and of course our trout growth does too. When it's off for long periods of time, bug population drops dramatically and it takes a long time for it to bounce back. I'm talking mostly scuds although I think sow bugs and midges benefit when the flow is constant. Other insects do better too and would flourish if Taneycomo went to a minimum flow, IMO. I think MDC fisheries biologist would agree. So the question is: Does the benefits of better fish growth/health outweigh the lack of wading possibilities, no matter how slight that may be? Depends I guess if you have a boat and/or the knowledge to work around the higher flows on land. I think that's where this forum may help those who don't have a boat and rely on wading only. The more people that weigh in on this the better. Thanks Ron for your help. And I think others like Mr. Fowler can help with boat fishing.

We're doing a "guide of the month" here at Lilleys' Landing. Thought I'd post this on Table Rock's forum because I know how much he's LOVED here. Enjoy.

Hiring a fishing guide can be somewhat intimidating for some anglers who feel like they need a certain level of skill just to launch out on the water. But for guides on Lake Taneycomo like Bill Babler, setting guests at ease is a top priority. “I never set any preconceived fishing goals,” Babler said Monday, “but gear everything to the client. My goal is just for everyone to have a good time, and personally, for me to pick up a tip from them – either about fishing or about life.” As a United States Certified Coast Guard captain for 22 years, Babler knows what it takes to serve the clients and continuously updates his equipment. He was on the lakes 278 days last year and will soon be guiding out of a 2014 new 22-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 250-horsepower Mercury ProXS motor. He favors Falcon rods with Shimano reels for his four, six or eight-hour trips, but is equipped with whatever his clients need for fly or spin-cast fishing for trout on Taneycomo or for bass on Table Rock. The big bass lake has been an angler attraction this year with the water clearer than it has been in 20-plus years. Most four-hour trips have started at 5:30 a.m. initially for the best bites, and now for the best spots on the lake amid all the boats. “We have lost the topwater bite since the fish have moved down in the water column, and they are not as active right off the bat – but you still have to get out early to snag your favorite hotspots.” Babler, who helps his wife, Becky, run their 10,000-square foot White River Lodge Bed & Breakfast near Blue Eye, grew up catering to guests. His parents built Pine Cove Resort in 1962 and ran it until 1976. He really had only trout fished Taneycomo a few times before starting then School of the Ozarks in 1972, “when they became a good source of food for hungry college boys,” he said. Bill married his sweetheart Becky in June 1977 and started with the water patrol at Lake of the Ozarks, using his recreation degree. Then he was transferred to the Missouri River area by Kansas City in 1983 when the couple also started a livestock operation with Becky’s parents. “A year-plus was enough time for me on the Missouri since it was a lot of search and recovery,” Bill said. “ I was one of the original members of the dive team and one of the first to have a college degree.” Meanwhile Becky continued teaching first grade, which she had started at Climax Springs. She taught for 22 years at Kearney, before retiring back to the Branson area. Becky’s folks had inherited a lot in Shell Knob, MO, so several of the family and some friends decided to help them build a house on it in the early 1980s. “The livestock business just wasn’t faring very well,” Babler said, “so when I ran into a buddy I had known on the water patrol, he suggested I get my guide license.” For years Bill would commute down from Kearney weekly, then commute daily from Shell Knob over to Taneycomo to guide, as he and Becky fine-tuned their dream for a bed and breakfast It was in his high school drafting class where Babler initially designed a log home, always envisioning it as something to build in Colorado. But a mule deer trip to the Rockies led him to fashion the plans after a grand hunting/fishing lodge there – even though the high land prices “pointed us back here to build it.” After looking for years, they bought their dream property in 2001 two miles off Missouri 86, just 20 minutes from Branson with “a great lakeview on some acreage with an easterly exposure,” Babler said. Once Becky retired from teaching, they lived in the family Shell Knob home for two years while the three-story bed and breakfast took shape – one Colorado Engelmann Spruce log at a time on the 40 acres. They opened for guests in May 2005 offering not just their great hospitality, but refreshing views of Table Rock from the huge windows and decks of four private guest rooms, and a two-bedroom suite, as well as all the common areas. All the while Becky has been the primary host, cook and housekeeper for their place and served with bed and breakfast associations, Bill has continued to build his White River Outfitters guide service. He writes monthly fishing reports on his website, whiteriveroutfitters.com, and always employs his gift for gab to engage and learn from his clients – which now have him booked though July 18. “Being a fishing guide is kind of like being a bartender or beautician – you talk about everything when you are out on the water.” Babler, and all other guides can be booked through Lilleys’ Landing Resort office, at 888-545-5397.

By Darin Schildknecht Scuds are one of the most common food sources for trout here on Taneycomo. They are more abundant in the upper reaches of the lake than anywhere else. They live in and around the bottom of the lake. They range from a size 24 to a size 12 when comparing to a hook. Most of the scuds are a gray color but when they die they turn almost orange. They eat almost anything. They will eat the vegetation along with anything that is dead along the bottom of the lake. There are many different variations of flies that imitate scuds. Some are very difficult to tie and some anyone can tie. From my experience the simple ones work just as well as the difficult ones. My personal favorite is the scud tied with UV Ice dub from Hareline Dubbin. Fishing a scud is simple, just right on the bottom. When there is no power generation just fish it under an indicator on 5x or 6x Fluoroflex tippet, and if the power generators are on fish it under an indicator still but you can use heavier tippet. We have several types of scuds for sale on our online tackle store as well as in our fly shop. Here is some video that Phil Lilley has taken over the years of scuds on Lake Taneycomo:

The fish is bent in the pic. It's really a nice, proportionate rainbow, great color. Todd brought the fish in to put it in one of our livewell tanks to make sure it had the best chance for release. He's getting a replica made of his trophy.

Caught in front of Lilleys Landing on July 29, 2013. 7 lbs 15oz on Lilleys hand-tied 3/32 oz white jig. Todd Turner Shawnee, KS 22 x 17

I reported during the week last week that trout fishing was a little tough because of the gin clear water we're getting from Table Rock. Plus it seemed like the lake was low on rainbows--that was the rumor anyhow. But towards the end of the week, catching trout got much better and this weekend fishing was back to what I'd call normal with good reports coming in. The clouds and gentle rains helped too. Today, Monday, the generation pattern looks like it's going to be the same as last week - less than one unit in the morning building to less than 2 units through the afternoon time. Check out the SPA site for flows and times. I had one of my toughest guide trips last Thursday morning. My clients were seasoned salt water anglers. The water was running ever so slightly and we were fishing the stretch between Fall Creek and Short Creek. We started throwing marabou jigs and ended drifting with night crawlers. Both techniques proved to be lacking. The trout just would not take it but only chewed and sucked and spit everything out before the hook could be set. They ended a 4 hour session with only 6 trout total. It can be tough out there, it's not always the angler's fault for not catching fish. What I did find is that people were waiting and going out later in the afternoon after the generation picked up and drifting with either Gulp Eggs or night crawlers from Cooper Creek down to Monkey Island. Most were catching their limits on only one drift. One great technique that worked very well this weekend when there was no generation was using a micro jig under a float 5 feet deep using 6x or 7x depending on how aggressive the trout were PLUS tying on a 12-inch section of 7x tippet to the micro jig and dropping a #16 black Zebra with a copper head under it. So you have a float, 5 feet of 6x tippet, a micro jig (black worked best), 12-inches of 7x tippet and a #16 black Zebra midge with a copper head. Fishing guide Rick Lisek showed me this technique. Of course it would work above or below Fall Creek. I used a similar technique yesterday while taking my mom and son Greg out fishing. I used a Miracle fly instead of a micro jig and caught just as many on the Miracle as I did on the Zebra. The Miracle was a oregon cheese color. Friday afternoon, fishing in the rain was very good. We fished, again, between Fall Creek and Short Creek, middle of the lake to the deep side using the micro jig/Zebra midge combo and caught a lot of trout including a nice 18-inhc brown (pic). It restored confidence in me that there was truly a good number of trout in that area. Come to find out, other guides had caught good trout in that area as well as up in the trophy area last week. This morning, fishing guide Bill Babler, reported trout fishing was nothing short of excellent, his clients catching in excess of 50 rainbows almost all on Trout Magnets. They fished from Short Creek to Trout Hollow Resort, using a pink/white magnet under a float 4 to 5 feet deep and using 6x tippet. I recommend light line again this week. Even if the drift rigs your buying have 4-pound line, add a short piece of 6 or 7x tippet to the end and tie your hook on that. Tie them together using a triple surgeon's knot (Link). It's an easy knot to tie. The simulation only shows a double tie. Put the line through one more time for a triple knot.

Had to post a close up of the fish. Real pretty markings.