Phil Lilley

You can come and fish off our dock. We have 24 of 26 units turning tomorrow so there will be a lot of people packing up to leave.

White River Hopper Fishing Video Stan's 33" of Brown Trout OUR well-travelled mate from Michigan Stan Akey sent me this pic last night of 33" of brown trout while on his current trip to Montana. This pair of browns were nailed on a tandem streamer rig. 33"s of Brown Trout(s) with one tug with tandem streamers w/guide Cody.....this was a 1st for me ...Read More... More Water For The Little Red DROUGHT conditions through much of the country has left the Little Red River and its resident population of brown trout gasping for cool trout water. Guides on the Little Red were reporting fish dying over the last week and finally the AGFC with support from Trout Unlimited and Senator Mark Pryor won through and achieved ...Read More.... Microburst hits Bull Shoals Boat Dock [caption id=attachment_2251" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Photo from KTLO.com taken by Bull Shoals Police Chief Daniel Sutterfield][/caption] WHEN yesterday's storm pushed through our area it really didn't look too much at all just delivering a cool pic. The lightning show was enough to make Bec jump and squeak and Ben told me there was lightning blasting all around him on his ...Read More... Hoppers Rule TANEYCOMO fly fishing guide Kent Campbell ducked into the shop last week, on a trip down with a longtime client while I was wrapped up in meetings but we had enough time for a quick visit on hopper fishing. It would have been better with a longer yarn, but apparently it worked with Kent ...Read More... FLY FISHING REPORT 8-2-12 IT'S Hard to believe we are running into August and the hot part of the year. Given are freaky weather this year y'all might want to be breaking out the winter warms. I'm almost too twitchy to mention a cool down into the 90s next week, the ...Read More...

Thanks for the report.

Gonna end this before it gets any uglier...

by John Neporadny Jr. As the searing summer sun heats up the water, bass relax in the cooler realm of deep water or the shade of heavy cover. Since the fish become reluctant to leave this cool domain during the heat of the day, you are limited to using lures that remain in the bass’ comfort zone longer. However when the sun goes down and the water cools, the bass’ comfort zone expands from top to bottom, especially in the clear water sections of the Lake of the Ozarks. As bass become more active during the nocturnal hours they start craving a late-night snack. So now your lure choices expand to a wider array of options ranging from topwaters to bottom-bouncing baits. Veteran nighttime anglers know a bunch of tackleboxes and rods and reels strewn out all over the boat’s deck after dark can result in broken tackle or a quick trip overboard. So they keep their decks clean and prevent any mishaps by picking a handful of productive lures for nocturnal bass. A local angler who enjoys the nightlife on Lake of the Ozarks is Marty McGuire, who competes in night tournaments nearly every week during the summer on his home waters. The night-fishing experts offers the following selections as the best lures for catching bass after sunset. Plastic Worms When bass burrow into cover or hug the bottom at night, McGuire relies on a slow-moving lure such as a plastic worm for fishing in clear water or a jig in murky or stained conditions. His home lake is filled with sunken brush piles so McGuire prefers a Texas-rigged worm or weedless jig for working through the limbs. If fishing pressure is heavy, McGuire uses a 7-inch plastic worm, but his favorite lure for most nights is a 10-inch black or blue fleck Berkley Power Worm impaled on a 4/0 or 5/0 hook. The Missouri angler opts for the magnum-size worm because he believes in the theory that bigger fish prefer bigger baits. Since he mainly fishes the worm in the 10- to 20-foot depth range, McGuire rigs his worms with the same size weight (1/4-ounce bullet slip sinker) most of the time. “It gets to the bottom quick enough but it also falls slow enough in case the fish are hitting on the fall,” suggests McGuire. The worm produces for McGuire during the middle of summer along main lake points and ledges or along steep banks halfway back in coves and creeks. Sunken brush piles are McGuire’s favorite target for nighttime worm fishing but he also takes bass from rock piles and steel support poles or boat hoists on docks. Slowly lifting and dropping the worm works best for McGuire, especially when fishing brush. “I usually let it get down into the brush pile, then just raise my rod up (to the 11 or 12 o’clock position),” describes McGuire. “I usually hold the rod a little higher than most people to pull the worm up over the limbs and work it through the brush real slow. Then I drop the rod down to let the worm fall back to the bottom while keeping contact with the bait the whole time.” Jigs If he’s fishing off-colored water at night, McGuire switches to a jig and heads for the shallows. Pitching a jig behind boat docks is one of McGuire’s favorite tactics for shallow nocturnal bass. The night-fishing expert prefers a 3/8- to ½-ounce live rubber jig in black or blue combined with a Zoom plastic chunk in the same colors. McGuire also relies on his rod to impart action with his jig, but he retrieves this lure different than the worm. His retrieve consists of three to four quick pumps of his rod tip (1 to 2 inches at a time), reeling up slack and then another succession of quick pumps. “It really doesn’t move the jig up and down a whole lot it is more like a shake,” says McGuire. Since presentations for both lures are similar, McGuire uses the same tackle for the worm and jig. He opts for a 7- to 7-½ foot medium-heavy to heavy action rod and a high-speed baitcast reel (6.1:1 or higher gear ratio) spooled with 20-pound test line. The veteran night angler prefers the heavy line and high-speed reel for quickly jerking bass away from brush and boat docks. If the summer sun makes fishing unbearable on Lake of the Ozarks during the day, you can still enjoy some hot bass action after dark. For information on lodging and other facilities at the Lake of the Ozarks or to receive a free 162-page 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.

It's August already. When I was in school, in my younger days in Parsons, Kansas, I used to think summers flew by and the rest of the year dragged on at a snail's pace. Now time flies all the time, but summer still seems to go the fastest. August... already. Generation patterns haven't changed all that much here on Lake Taneycomo. The water temperature coming out of Table Rock Dam is still about 50 degrees, clear and cold. If you wet wade (wade without waders) below the dam, you'll find out really fast how cold 50 degrees is. It makes the bones your feet hurt. The water quality and oxygen content is still good and our trout are in great shape. The rainbows in the upper lake look to be well fed--big and fat. Generations starts every afternoon about 2 p.m. and produces 25 to 145 megawatts of power (1/2 to three units running at lake levels 705 to 708 feet, 701.5 being power pool). See past levels by and you can see the Southwestern Power Administration's schedule by clicking this link. In the mornings with the water off, it's been a little tough getting the trout to bite--but not impossible. This morning, for instance, there was a small thunderstorm in the area and the wind was blowing slightly. It was enough to get the fish biting early and a lot of anglers did well. Power Bait nuggets and Gulp eggs using yellow, orange or pink have been working fairly well, as well as air-injected night crawlers, which are working the best. Only use half a worm, hook it one time in the middle, and then hang it off both sides of the hook. Shoot air in it with a worm blower (available at Wal Mart or a tackle store). The worm will then float off the bottom as an enticing bait. Above Fall Creek, there seem to be a lot more trout up there than in past weeks. I've been up there a few times this week and have just seen more numbers while boating around. Conditions dictate how you fish up there: In the early morning when there is no wind, and it's very still and foggy, use a float and something under it; an olive micro jig, copper head or a ginger micro has been working well. A small #18 rusty zebra midge or a black zebra midge is also good, or throw and working a 1/16th- ounce sculpin jig with no float. With all of these use small line - - 7x leader or two-pound line, preferably fluorocarbon. The bite will be slight and you really have to watch. Sight fish if you can . . . lots of fun. Later when the wind picks up, fish the same way but you try hoppers, stimulators, black ants and beetles along the bluff bank and under the trees. The chop on the water breaks up the surface enough that the trout can't distinguish between a real bug and a fly, plus the wind blows insects into the water so they're looking for them. After the generation starts, try a pink full micro or marabou jig under a float six- to seven-feet deep and drift it from Lookout to Fall Creek. Stay close to the channel in deeper water. Also try throwing small to medium stick baits along the bluff banks. And don't forget that marabou jigs, 1/8th-ounce in black, brown/orange, sculpin/ ginger or white worked deep along the bluffs and in the channel from the dam down through Lilleys' Landing are working very well. Work them slow and deep. If you missed it, I did catch a big rainbow on Monday morning. Here's the article. Fly fishing below the dam: there are a bunch of trout up there right now. Early, they're a bit particular, especially if there's no wind, but once the wind starts and there's a chop on the water, strip a #18 crackleback, soft hackle or wooly on the flats between outlets #1 and #2, below #2, below Rebar and at the flats at Big Hole and at Rocking Chair down through the chute below the Missouri Department of Conservation boat ramp. Also, try black ants on the surface if there's a chop. I fished for an hour this morning just above the boat ramp. At times the wind was blowing pretty well, and when it did the trout were eating off the top aggressively. I had a flesh-colored HiViz Rainy's hopper on the line from fishing it the other evening when I arrived at the water's edge. Since the wind was blowing I threw it out there and immediately got a blow up -- but it was a miss. On the next cast there was no miss as I hooked a pretty rainbow (video). The wind quieted down and I had no more takes, so I started changing flies to match the conditions. The wind had me hopping (pun intended), but i did find the trout would take a red #18 soft hackle, then a #24 red thread midge, but it was slow. I only brought two to hand, but still, it was a rewarding trip. By the way, we just got a huge hopper (grasshopper) fly supply into the fly shop. They look awesome!

Just to clarify... not banned by me (OA Forums) but by the people at... Springfield Lakes, right?

Brian called in a report this evening. Here's the link: http://www.ozarkanglers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/brian-sloss-elevenpoint-aug-1.wav

Branson, MO - (Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012) -- Anglers of all ages are invited to join in some friendly competition with local police and firemen for the Fourth Annual Guns & Hoses Tournament Saturday, Aug. 18, on Lake Taneycomo. Lilleys’ Landing Resort & Marina will again host the fishing contest, which benefits the Branson Fire & Police Auxiliary. Each two-person team can register for $75 for the event either by mailing or dropping off an entry form available at Lilleyslanding.com. The marina is again offering 50 % off boat rentals for contestants, but those should be reserved ahead to ensure availability by calling the resort office, 417-334-6380. Fishing licenses and trout permits can be purchased right at the resort office before the takeoff, which starts at 8 a.m. The weigh-in is at 2 p.m. followed by a complimentary meal for contestants provided by Danna’s Barbecue at the resort pavilion. Prizes and specially-made trophies will be awarded for first through third places, plus teams are given free raffle tickets for donated items and can buy more. Kory Klein, organizer, said that while last year’s benefit earned about $1,700, he hopes this year will bring in more. Helicopter rides, hotel nights, a Murder Rock golf package for four and some restaurant certificates have all been donated for the raffle time. A traveling trophy was initiated to spark competition between police and firemen -- now in the hands of police after last year’s contest, Klein said. Organizers are hoping for a “quiet” weekend in Branson, he added, so that firefighters and officers can actually take some time off together to enjoy a few hours of fishing. The auxiliary funds help support firemen and officers and families in need, especially when they are off work from injuries. Last year, some officers came from out of town to support the event, which drew 22 teams. Lilleys’ Landing Resort is located at 367 River Lane in Branson, accessed midway off Fall Creek Road from between 76 Country Music Boulevard and MO 165 Highway. Media Contact Megan Cummings - Marketing, 417-294-0406, megan@lilleyslanding.com

Thanks for sharing, Bob. Would love to take that trip someday.

We are calling our insurance people is this week for a pow-wow... see if we (the resort) can get legal, if we're not--and I bet we're not. Personally, we use Christian Medi-share http://mychristiancare.org/medi-share/ It's not an insurance company but I bet it won't count when asked if we have health insurance... probably put them out of business. They've been very good to us through several incidents.

I don't think MDC has released any broad stock rainbows in Taneycomo for a lot of years now. They take them to the parks mainly. If you caught one, you'd know it. Nothing like a "normal" trout - no fight, no fins, color is terrible. They can develop into a nice fish but it would take years. When they were put in Taneycomo, they didn't last long at all. Caught out and kept by most as trophies. The last time I saw broad stock rainbows come out of Taney, they were only about 3-4 pounds. Not the 7-8 pounders we used to see back in the 80's and 90's.

Send it to me... Bill doesn't need it.

Thanks, guys.

Low levels at Beaver Lake are beginning to expose more and more of a century-old historic site in Northwest Arkansas, and the future of that site is also in question. http://5newsonline.com/2012/07/29/low-lake-levels-revealing-more-of-monte-ne-historic-site/

Well put. I believe there's several rainbows swimming in the lake that would break the record.

Here's a 30-inch rainbow Steve Brigman caught on Naknek.

We have in stock now here at Lilleys' Landing Resort. Or you can find them online at http://www.lilleystacklestore.com Search term "kyle"

I'm gonna be ticked if this gets more views and posts than my big rainbow topic!!

Watch the video... you'll know exactly where it was released...

I'm going to break one of my rules here... although you could argue this isn't politics. It's still a hot-bottom topic that may not last long. But I have a question to those who know about insurance. I don't see how an insurance co can stay in business when they're forced to allow for, not turn away people with pre existing sickness. Honestly, I don't know how any of this will work or is supposed to work in the future... have to buy insurance - fined if you don't - But right now you don't really need to buy it - just wait till you get sick and then buy it. When you're treated and it's paid for, drop the insurance till you're sick again. May be you won't be allowed to do that... I don't know. But forcing companies to take ppl who are already sick - sounds great but - nothing is free! If you don't now you will pay in the future somehow. Insurance companies have to make profits to pay off claims, pay employees, build up funds to that they're not put out of business when calamity happens. They'll get their monies somehow. I would think is would be by charging higher premiums. That means all of us pay - businesses, employees, self employed and I bet retirees too. Again, I am not up on this stuff... just asking common sense stuff. No emotion...

GoPro video to follow...

Whole story: http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/2012/07/30/another-large-rainbow-caught-on-lake-taneycomo/ Weight - I honestly don't know. You be the judge. Tom said on camera at least 12 pounds. I would agree with that.