Phil Lilley

I'm not going to start at the beginning and write a blow-by-blow account of our trip so far - that comes later when I have time to do it. But I wanted to report something to bring you all up to speed what we've done, what we've found and what we're doing now. Floating the Kelly River was something else. We learned real fast that Alaska rivers and fishing isn't anything like Missouri - it's nothing like the Naknek and other rivers we've fished either. There's very little about the river on the internet, only that there were some BIG sea run arctic char swimming in it. We were to float about 30 miles from up in the headwaters down to the mouth of the Kelly dumping into the Noatak River but when we only found fish at the mouth of a creek 5 miles into the float and then at the mouth and in a creek 10 miles down further, we decided to stay there and finish out our week. We found the largest char at the first creek. The pilot said the creek was called "no name" but we called it Maggie Creek. We spent 2 nights at the mouth and fished 3 days. Downstream, we found more char at Wrench Creek, a larger creek than Maggie. Char and grayling both make their way to these spots and spawn in the fall. We are convinced neither spend much time in the Kelly - the char running back to the ocean and grayling probably back to the Noatak. Did see many small forage fish - some sculpins - and hardly any insect hatches, nothing rising to them when they did hatch. Regardless to say, we caught nothing on dries. We caught our fish on big black leeches at Maggie Creek with a bead pegged above the fly. The water wasn't deep- 4 feet the deepest. Same at Wrench. At Wrench, we caught all our fish on beads. Numbers - I caught about 50 char and 35 graying. My largest char was a male about 38 inches. Bill's was 36. At Wrench our male char ranged from 24 to 32 inches and the females ranged from 20 to 30 inches but the males were consistently larger. Grayling - we caught alot of 20-22 inch fish. I've had a terrible time uploading pictures here at our cabin. Very slow internet and when I put a load on it, it all but stops. I didn't want to just post a fish pic - wanted to give you the whole float experience which was incredible. The country is so vast and awesome, pics and video can't capture it. I'll try to upload a few here before we head back out to try to find some silvers.

Thom- very sorry to hear your news. I'm sure it's a bitter sweet time for you and your family. This time, though, is a blessed time to spend with family and friends. Make the very best of it - cherish life and relationships. Will lift you all up in prayer. Be blessed!

I need to post an ad to try to sell more... I really haven't sold that many. It'll just take time to get them out.

We made it. Great flight. We're at the Micro Tel Motel tonight. Pick up out Sat Phone tomorrow and fly out to Nome and then Kotzebue at 11 am. Last night in a real bed before hitting the river... and a shower Can't wait.

Bill and I are laying over in Denver right at the moment. Our flight out of Branson was flawless. We have 2 hours to kill before our 5.5 hour flight to Anchorage. It's hard to believe we'll be on the Kelly River tomorrow. Air flight in this day and age is amazing. The Healing Water Event kept us hopping. We both were 99% packed since Thursday and it was a good thing. Coordinating guides and meals for the guys has a full time job. But it was all worth it. I'd been packing, or thinking about what to take, for the last 3 weeks. I'd run through potential problems and situations on the river and think... what would I need. Add it to a small list and then run to Walmart and pick up stuff. Made a couple of trips to Springfield, Sams, Bass Pro and Lawrence Photo among other places. I made trips to other outdoor outfitting places but couldn't shell out the bucks for the real good stuff. The weather in Kotzebue has improved the last few days. The forecast for Monday-Wednesday is 55 and partly cloudy!! Oh man is that going to be nice!!! As Bill put it, that's great picture-taking weather. We were told the area had gotten quite a bit of rain so we were afraid the river would be high and muddy. Nothing we can do at this point but we think we'll be ok now that the weather is better. We get in Anchorage at 10:45 pm which is 1:45 am at home. We won't be calling our wives till in the morning. Our flight leaves Ted Stevens Int at 11 am tomorrow. We have a 1.5 hour layover in Nome which is going to be cool. Hopefully we can get out and walk around alittle. This might be the last entry until we get off the river and back to Anchorage on 9/6.

It was fun. The guys had great weather and fairly good fishing. Early morning fishing was slow but as soon as the wind kicked in, the bite was on. Chuck Gries - what can I say. He flat puts people on fish. This is proof that catch and release works. Gene Collins caught the 27 inch rainbow drifting an egg fly in the trophy area. This same rainbow was caught up closer to the dam on July 6th and released at our dock. The reason I know- it has a bend in the middle of it's back. I commented when the fish was caught in July that it looked like a Naknek, Alaska rainbow. It was released this time at the same place- at our dock.

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3 CSR 10-10.768 Sales and Possession of Wildlife Parts and Mounted Specimens PURPOSE: This rule authorizes the sale of certain wildlife parts and mounted specimens. (1) Subject to federal regulations, legally obtained feathers, squirrel pelts, rabbit pelts, groundhog pelts, turkey bones, turkey heads and deer heads, antlers, hides or feet may be bought, sold or bartered when accompanied by a bill of sale showing the seller’s full name, address and the number and species of these parts, and the full name and address of the purchaser. Legally taken wildlife and wildlife parts, after mounting or tanning, may be bought and sold.

<p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2010/8-22-10_500.jpg" width="500" height="186" /><br />Lake generation patterns have been fairly predictable for the last month. Most mornings there's no water running; then midafternoons one to four units have been runinng until dusk or just after dark. Of course, we have to throw in the days when the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers does its own thing. Just like today and what's on the schedule tomorrow -- one-half unit all morning, then more in the afternoon. The amount of water run in the afternoons and evenings seems to depend on the heat. If it's in the mid- to upper 90's, generation is increased. The last few days, just two units were turned on because of this great, cooler weather we're having. But they're running it into the night longer. Weekends, you can &quot;kinda&quot; count on even less generation. I say &quot;kinda&quot; because you really can't count on anything when it comes to generation patterns . . . never!</p> <p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2010/guns and hoses/guns3-250.jpg" width="250" height="167" hspace="6" vspace="6" align="right" />Our water temperature is still a healthy 46 degrees with generation. Our trout are fighting just as hard as they fought in the spring when oxygen levels were at their highest. There are some reports of larger trout having to be worked a bit before being released after a hard fight. I've experienced that myself this week, but that's pretty normal with larger fish. The reports in the area newspapers regarding low dissolved oxygen (D.O.) in our tailwater, in my opinion, were overstated and misleading. It is true we have low D.O. issues every fall season below Table Rock Dam (and below all other dams in the White River system) but it's not new news. Some years are worse than others. Water temperature plays a major part in whether a fall season of low D.O. is very hard on our trout or not. Low D.O. combined with high water temperatures causes extreme stress on trout; then add a lengthy fight and often times is causes death, especially if the angler does not make any effort to revive the fish. But fortuneately, this fall season looks to be favorable. Our water temperatures are low and should continue to be in good shape through December.</p> <p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2010/8-24-250.jpg" width="250" height="169" hspace="6" vspace="6" align="left" />I've gotten out this past week and did some fly fishing, as well as jig fishing. We bought some great looking new fly patterns for the fly shop, and I had to get out and try a few of them. One was a Japanese beetle pattern. The beetles made a major invasion this year, up from Arkansas, and are thick around here during the summer and fall, It stands to reason that our trout should see a lot of these bugs fall in the water close to the banks. So I tried them up in the trophy area this week, casting along the bluff bank, under trees and close to the rocks. Most of the time I spotted the rainbow prior to catching it. They sit close to the surface of the water if they are actively feeding on the surface, and a good, accurate cast will draw aggressive attention. And these rainbows aren't small. I believe rainbows grow to learn how to feed on natural foods in the lake, so most of the rainbows along the banks will be mature fish looking for bugs from the overhanging trees.</p> <p>I did increase my chances of success yesterday while fishing by adding a dropper to my #14 japanese beetle. About 18 inches below my foam fly, I tied on a #18 pearl &amp; primrose zebra midge. Later I tried a red, then an olive zebra midge and had some success, so the color might not be really important. I had one rainbow take the dropper but I missed the strike.</p> <p>As noted in other reports throughout the summer, our freshwater shrimp population is incredible right now, so fishing scuds is very popular and effective. When the water is not running, fish a scud on the bottom. When the water is running, fish it on the bottom. Scuds live in the rocks and do swim up but never very close to the surface. They stay down close to the bottom so that's where your fly should be. Yesterday they were running two units but not full, about 50-60 percdent, I'd say, so that might be a little more than one unit. I was fishing from Lookout down, positioning the boat in very shallow water and casting and drifting by fly still in shallow water but towards the center of the lake. I picked up a couple of trout, moved to deeper water and started picking up more numbers. By deeper I mean darker areas where I couldn't see the bottom as well. I was fishing about 11-feet deep, using a large float indicator and two small split shot, 6x tippet. The fly I was using was a #14 &quot;peppy&quot; scud which is gray dog (Shitzu) fur with gray antorn mixed in, non weighted.</p> <p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2010/guns and hoses/guns2-250.jpg" width="250" height="167" hspace="6" vspace="6" align="right" />Night fishing below the dam reportedly is heating up big time. One thing nice about the change in weather is less humidity and less fog on the water at night and in the mornings!! Makes night fishing nicer for sure. Guys have been fishing anywhere from outlet #1 down through to the old KOA Campground wading. The other night, I boated up to Big Hole in my boat and started drifting, fishing a jig, down to Fall Creek. They were running two units at about 70%. Great drift but the trout were NOT hungry. Full moon, great night to be out, very pleasant! But only one rainbow. That's why they call it fishing and not catching!!</p> <p>Jig bite is still pretty good. Remember, when throwing a jig straight with no float, the trout will take the jig on the drop, when it's sinking. Watch the line, feel for the slight tap and really set the hook hard and fast. Colors are the same but white is making a comeback. I've heard of some browns and larger rainbows taking white jigs this past week, so add white to sculpin, black, sculpin/ginger, olive and brown with an orange head.</p> <p>The micro jig bite is still very good when the water is off. Guide Bill Babler is doing really well above and below Fall Creek. Remember to use two-pound line when you can, preferrably Vanish two-pound line. Play around with the depth; set it at five feet and move it deeperas needed. Use a pink micro if the water is running and set the depth a little more than the depth of the water.</p> <p>We're still selling a ton of night crawlers because the trout are eating them! Best areas are around Short Creek and down above and below Scotty's Trout Dock. Also try Power Bait Gulp eggs in white/pink or white/orange combos. You can get away with using four-pound line when using bait.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Yea, I bet you may be crossing a line. You can't sell certain parts of game... feathers may be part of that. I can find out.

Yea- it's getting harder and harder to get donations. Everyone has their hand out.

I've never asked any companies to sponsor our tournaments... don't really need to. If they want to jump on, that'd be great. Should make it a benefit of some kind... I guess. I'm always trying to raise money for Big Brothers here in Branson.

Yes- about the same dates/weekends.

Got out for a couple of hours in the middle of the day today. They were running less than one unit, breezy and lots of leaves falling in the lake. I boated to Lookout and started dropping a #12 Green Japanese Beetle under the trees on the bluff side of the lake - some flies I just received from Rainy's. They look great too. And there were a few rainbows that thought so too. I had 4 takes and no misses. All were rainbows about 17 inches long. They came out of the shade so they were dark colored. Fought hard. Two of them I saw move and take the fly, the other two I just saw their heads when they took the fly. One came out of the shadows and the other I saw laying in wait and making his move. I love fishing a dry. I look this to get better as we get into fall months.

I'd say August 20 but the guys in charge haven't said for sure. I'll let you know when they decide.

I'd be interested in holding another contest here on Taney. Just don't know how to do it. So many variables... the #1 obstacle is generation. #2 is crowds. Actually right now would be a great time to hold one. Crowds aren't that bad even on weekends and the trout aren't too beat up... yet. Another draw back - tournaments are hated by a lot of people. It draws too many people so if it's crowded, the tournament gets blamed. Some don't like any kind of contest that has to do the fishing cause it spoils the sport. Sorry to be negative... I like any activity that brings anglers together for some fellowship AND I like competition. It's fun.

Here's some pics of the day.

I'll have that info later today. I'll post it.

A search for a floatplane that disappeared over the weekend in Southwest Alaska was expected to enter its fourth day today. Searchers on Monday combed the mountains and Pacific coast in the Katmai National Park area but found no sign of the plane. The de Havilland Beaver vanished Saturday during what was supposed to be a short trip across rugged terrain between Swikshak Lagoon and King Salmon. The plane carried pilot Marco Alletto and three National Park Service employees: Mason McLeod, 26, and brothers Neal Spradlin, 28, and Seth Spradlin, 20. The intensive hunt follows a string of aircraft crashes that have killed at least 17 people since June 1. More - http://www.adn.com/2010/08/23/1421158/search-continues-for-four-on-floatplane.html Personal Note: I've flown with Branch River Air and with Sam Egli, the father of the Egli mentioned in the article. The mountain range they had to fly over to get to and from King Salmon to the Pacific coast is extremely rugged. Combine low visibility and wind sheer currents of wind in those mountains makes flying very dangerous. Hopefully they had a soft landing and are held up somewhere waiting to be found.

Lake Michigan is primed to grow big browns. It was just a matter of time.

I won't start a new topic... I'll just add to this one. I've said this is the best I've seen it ever and it's not just below the dam, it's everywhere. Had more than a half dozen reports Saturday of either seeing big rainbows or hooking and losing big rainbows. No one was fishing above Fall Creek. I got out this evening with Marsha - first time this summer. She caught a dozen rainbows on a jig- both straight and under a float. I threw a jig and caught about the same number but I was busy netting her fish. Right at dusk, below the narrows, I hooked a big fish. Took 15 minutes to land and I really tried to land her quick. 4-pound line too. 23 inches - beautiful! 1/8th oz sculpin jig.

I see a jacket on the young one... must be cool up there. Thanks for sharing your pics and report. Looks like you all had a great time.

I'd told one of the guys the other day I thought it may take 16 pounds to win . . . then after the last couple of day's fishing, I took it back. This morning I said the trout were out there, it just depends if they would eat today. Some did. The top two teams fished jigs in the Short Creek area, but not the same way. Dwiggins/Burckhardt fished straight line 1/8th oz jigs and worked the bottom and Dwiggins/Freise fished their 1/16th oz jigs under a float. D/B team didn't have a rainbow over 2 pounds which meant all their trout were about 1.4 pounds each wile D/F team had a kicker. The Wheeler's, a father and son team from Oklahoma, were close behind with some real nice rainbows. As you can see, we had several rainbows over 2 pounds caught. The biggest rainbow was caught in the Short Creek area but not sure on what. More images later.

Gosh- sounds like UBS is fishing great. It's about time BS's fishing turned around. Is there alot of people out fishing out of K Dock? I bet when the weather breaks, especially this fall, white bass fishing should be awesome.

All he has to do is out run me. My best mile is presently 7:19. Any wagers?