Phil Lilley

The green line is the tailwater water level. It shows in the last 5 days they've haven't run water. The spike yesterday between 11 am and noon is just a very minor rise in the water level but they did not run the generators.

Take Off (Click for a slideshow) Weigh in (Click for a slideshow) Was a tough day for most of the contestants- so they say. Lots of stories of fish coming off or breaking lines. Many of the better rainbows came in from below the bridges in Branson. Some caught on crank baits and some on jigs. Father/Son team of Shawn and Garry Pingleton took first with 7.60 lbs and Shawn took big rainbow- 2.16 lbs. Second place was Jeff Cross and Greg Burkin with 6.40 lbs. Third place - Joe Whelan and Rich Holt with 6.30 lbs. And Fourth was John Hittler and Frank Dielt with 6.12 lbs. Shawn and Garry caught their fish below Rockaway Beach on cleos. They also caught and released over 30 bass!! I'm planning on talking to Shawn later today for more details... or he can comment himself on the forum.

Where are you from In Kansas? I'm from Parsons. Grew up fishing farm ponds.

I beams sitting on barges below the bridge.

Took some pics as we boated by this evening -

Had our little bass tournament here on Taney this afternoon. 5 boats. Weigh in 5 bass per boat. Noon to 5 p.m. First place went to Dudley/Whitson with 5 bass weighing in at 11.5 pounds. Biggest bass went to John Hittler with a 3.5 lb largemouth. Dudley/Whitson caught their fish in Bull Creek on jigs. John caught his fish on a spinner bait. Babler and I found our bass on bluff ends and caught them on Pointers (stick baits). We fished alot of structure and only found fish on bluff ends (where the bluff turns into flats). We fished below Rockaway Beach almost down to Powersite Dam. We found 54 degree water which was surprising. They found 57 degree and strained water in Bull Creek. I think there were about 12-15 bass caught in all. We caught a few rainbows. There were a bunch of people trolling on the lower lake and catching trout all afternoon.

Again- if there is 4 units running for months on end, then there's no fishing above the ramp... no effective fishing. There have been years when we have water running 9 or 10 months of the year. Saftey- I have major concerns for safety in our area from June thru September with fog and boating. There have been numerous close calls and several actual accidents- boat running into each other. No one as of yet has been seriously hurt or killed that I know of. Compare this with what you're refering to. I would venture to say the ratio of boats/fog/waders occurances are much less than boats/fog/boats occurances simply because of the amount of traffic above the ramp compared to the traffic in from of our dock- say- in the summer. Either situation is not good- it's dangerous. But I don't think MDC, MWP or waders or boaters are willing to give up anything to help the situation. Bottom line- people need to be careful. You can't create an environment completely free of risk.

Bill won't come out of his 'cave' to report so I will for him. He put in someplace near Holiday Island on the upper White River Arm of Table Rock and caught fish early yesterday 3/2. Used a stick bait and almost got a 7 lb largemouth to the boat. He also saw lots and lots of big crappie being caught near docks and tree structure. He started fishing at 8:30 am and did well till the wind switched from the south to the north- then everything shut down. He can give a better report... if he can get some quality computer time from Becky!

This isn't a slam against waders... it's an issue of drawing a definate line and saying "don't cross it or else!!" I think if MDC and MWP could do it they might but it would be too confusing for waders/boaters to know 'if, when, do I, should I'?? Russ is a good friend... he's not yelling in his post, he just likes to use caps- like my dad.

Release a lunker in each of the 4 parks and get a patch! Lunker is a trout at or over 18 inches. Ironically, if you catch it in the winter in the "catch and release" season, it doesn't count

Front cover - our own Chuck Gries - beautiful pic and beautiful brown trout but still no recognition. MDC magazine did the same thing to him Nov 04 and printed his pic with several nice browns but didn't mention his name. But we will here on OAF- way to go Chuck!!

A long time friend, Tom Johnson (Branson) came into the shop looking for bugs to use below the dam. I gotta rag on him alittle- he had an old hand-made fly rod of mine that the tip had broken off and been repaired; old-old fly line and a tippet section all of 24 inches long, 3x. He fished the other day below rebar using a #10 elk hair caddis and amazingly caught a rainbow. He wanted to do better... So I fixed him up with a Rio 12' tappered leader and tippet and a few flies and we headed to the dam to try it out. It was 5 p.m. so we had all of an hour to fish. We walked into Rocking Chair from the north side- only a couple of waders in sight (no boats ) and midging trout as far as me could see. First cast for Tom using a #18 nickel-beaded black zebra midge under a palsa indicator scored him a small chub. Then is was 3 or 4 more ranbows before I even got out. We ended up catching 10 or 12 rainbows largest being about 14 inches- very pleasant evening of fishing followed by dinner with the wives at a Tai place on the strip. Oh we did switch to #22 blood thread midges about half way thru the evening.

Walleye Wally- welcome back! Where have you been? If you don't mind, I'll move this topic later today to the Bull Shoals forum- you'll get more answers if your question is posted there. Bear Creek has been a hot spot I understand. Fishing at night using slicks- most fishing is being done from the bank.

Where would this sign be? How many signs would you have? This is a mile stretch- a boat can be at the dam when the water increases to 2 units and boats at the dam wouldn't know if the sign was at the ramp. Brian- others- you have to do a better job covering all the possibilities to make your point valid, not just "they should do it!" Remember, this would be LAW, provable in court beyond a reasonable doubt. I understand your concern about speed and fog... we deal with it every evening and ever morning on the main lake. It's bad. People are stupid- and there will be an accident and someone will get hurt. It's a miracle no one has gotten seriously hurt yet.

This pic was sent to me by Rolan Duffield. I assume he took it. Rolan?

"unless there is a certain amount of generation present" How do you let this amount be known to boaters? A string of flashing lights along the bank? a continuous horn? a big ruler planted someplace showing the depth of water? Not being condescending- just trying to present the same questions posed by MDC on the bait/generation question 10 years ago.

One correction - live bait WILL be allowed. I'll have to change it on the html page.

If I see waders next to Lookout Island, I won't boat up there. But I know there are others that do and would- that's just me though. I've been on the other side- been wading in the Rocking Chair Hole and have a boat or boats cruise within casting distance... smile and keep fishing. Taney isn't that big- not as much wading area as most would like and that's one of it's downfalls. Again, I totally understand Michael's and others points... I just don't think it's feasible to expect MWP to make laws that would be difficult to enforce, especially since there's no precedent.

April Fools Trout Tournament Appropriate name don't you think. Am I having a tournament or am I not!?!?

When MDC was hosting public forums on the new regs (trophy area) back about '95, one comment was - artificial lures and flies when the water was off but allow soft plastics when the water was running (power eggs). MDC response - at what point do you call the water running? I know and you know when it's "running" but to make this a black & white issue, it would be tough. There's always movement/current say just above the ramp. Missouri Water Patrol would have to enforce this law, not MDC. They would have to make a determination, clear cut, that the Corp was actually running water to write a citation... or create the law in the first place. MDC was very reluctant to make that determination based on current/generation. I seriously doubt if MWP would make it either. They'd be more inclined to draw a line and not allow boats above- period. Much more black & white, easier for the boater to understand and easier for the courts to understand.

It's an interesting concept but it will never happen. With 2 or more units running, this will make that portion of the lake virtually unfishable. And there are periods, sometimes 3-4-5-6 months when there's 24/7 generation. Not to allow boats anywhere on a tailwater like Taneycomo is unreasonable in light of management/tourism issues. Good discussion though.

Is there any info on the internet? When? Where? Sounds interesting.

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...EWS01/603010357 Little Sac may suffer from pet waste runoff Department keeps eye on animals as possible cause of water pollution. By Mike Penprase News-Leader It may take dogged perseverance to keep an area river clean. Yard by yard, say officials, pet owners should pick up the pace of picking up after their pets. Water quality experts say waste from pets and domesticated animals may be partly to blame for bacteria levels in the Little Sac River that are sometimes too high for activities such as swimming and wading. Some pet owners have a head start in preventing runoff pollution. Cleaning up after Chopper and Peanut is routine for Miccie and Michael Sylvester. They want to keep their yard an attractive and clean place for their children, so there's no room for dog droppings. Part of the couple's yard work involves scooping up after their dogs. The Sylvesters live on North Main Avenue, a section of Springfield where storm water flowing north ends up in the Little Sac River. Although the Sylvesters clean up after their dogs, there's suspicion people who don't may be contributing to high bacteria levels in the river. Levels are so high that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has formed a plan to make the river cleaner. City and state employees say there are no plans to force people to clean up after their dogs, but they hope that encouraging people to do so could keep the river cleaner. Dogs, though, may be only part of the problem. The river's watershed is also home to horses, but some of their owners aren't so sure horses are polluting the rivers. Genetic science may shed some light on who the culprits are. A study by the University of Missouri's Food and Agricultural Policy Institute used genetic testing to trace where the pollution originated. That study says that contaminated springs, septic systems, wild geese and horses all contribute to high bacteria levels. No testing was done on stormwater runoff from Springfield, however. City senior stormwater engineer Todd Wagner said that because the plan included reducing bacteria in runoff, that was one gap he'd talk about when he meets with DNR representatives. "They did a lot of work here, but there are some gaping holes, as you read that study," Wagner said. Just how much pollution is because of pets is open for debate. "If pets were only a very tiny percentage, I don't know if establishing an ordinance would make much of a difference," Wagner said. Instead of telling people what to do about their pets, the effort focuses on encouragement. One of the more visible efforts is in several Springfield parks, where "DogiPot" stations have been installed. So far, said Parks and Recreation Director Jodie Adams, the stations providing plastic bags and gloves that dog walkers can use to clean up after their animals have been patronized well. Because the first stations placed at Phelps Grove, Sequiota and another park are near creeks, the "neighborly" message is to keep droppings from washing into them. A total maximum daily load plan would set limits for pollutants going into the river and would outline how the river would be cleaned. The designation is intended to reduce pollution in a stream to levels that don't affect water quality. In the case of the Little Sac daily load plan, that would mean reducing bacteria to a level of 200 colonies per liter of water during a recreational season running from April to October. DNR water quality specialist Mary Clark is overseeing the Little Sac plan. She said horse owners might be expected to do more to keep the river clean. There's little room for arguing about the role horses play in introducing bacteria into the river, Clark said, because the Food and Agricultural Policy Institute's research is close to conclusive. The research concludes that the city's Northwest Sewage Treatment Plant contributes only a small percentage of the total amount of bacteria in the river. Some horse enthusiasts question the study, especially the finding that horses cause more contamination than cattle. "Empirically, it just doesn't hang right for me," said Gail Gartside, a horse owner and a board member of the Show Me Back Country Horsemen. "Yes, we think everybody should be conservation-minded, but we want to make sure we examine those items," she said of the testing. "We are interested in examining anything that indicts horses." Equestrians have sent in comments questioning the role horses might play in polluting the river, but Clark doesn't think there's much room for argument. "We got a letter from the horse people saying they just didn't think it was horses," she said. "The horse people, I think, they're a little naive." Just as parks play a role in encouraging people to clean after their dogs, a new park will play a role in educating people about keeping their horses environmentally friendly. The parks department is working with the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks at Valley Water Mill to include a water quality center where best management practices on preventing water pollution will be showcased. The purchase of a nearby horse farm will do the same for horse owners. Special programs director Marla Calico said that one of the equine center's roles would be to show how manure treatment and caring for pastures could affect water quality. Contaminated water from springs that flow into the river could be the hardest problem to address, Wagner, Clark and others say. Along with recommending reducing bacteria by controlling urban runoff and wild geese, the proposed cleanup plan based on the Food and Agricultural Policy Institute study would reduce pollution from springs. The difficulty is that although major springs in Greene County have been studied, not as much of that work has occurred in Polk County. "It's the spring issue that really needs to be resolved through testing," Clark said. The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks has used grant programs to finance work with landowners in Greene and Polk counties for several years on projects to reduce pollution. The committee wants to continue that cooperative approach, Watershed executive director Loring Bullard said. Enacting a daily load plan for the Little Sac is an opportunity for the organization to seek more grants, he said. But future efforts should concentrate on a small area to determine what pollution-control efforts are most effective, he said. The Little Sac watershed encompasses some 4,000 square miles, and it isn't practical to carry out projects covering the whole watershed, Bullard said. The daily load proposal is also being questioned in Polk County by people like 79-year-old Ralph Brumley. Brumley, who owns 800 acres bordering the river just south of Morrisville, has voluntarily fenced his land near the river to keep cattle out of the water. He is also leaving land bordering the river alone so trees can grow, and he has devoted some of his bottom land to a tree farm. He said he wanted to take care of the river, but on his own terms. That's likely a stance other Polk County landowners will take, Brumley said.

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...EWS01/602110346 Proposed sale of U.S. forest acres includes Missouri land Foes say timber companies will reap the most benefits. By Pamela Brogan and Doug Abrahms WASHINGTON — The Bush administration wants to sell more than 21,000 acres of the Mark Twain National Forest to pay for rural schools in Missouri as part of a national plan to sell 300,000 acres of national forest. Critics said the plan announced Friday is an unprecedented auction of public lands. Reliable Imports "It would seem this would be a ploy to feed the timber beast," said Ken Midkiff, conservation chairman for the state chapter of the Sierra Club. "It's silly," Midkiff said. "I can't imagine who would buy it except for people who want to harvest timber." The Mark Twain forest covers nearly 1.5 million acres in 29 counties. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Indian Point, said he's willing to consider the plan. "My first choice would be to reinstate responsible timber land management policies, but I'm willing to take a close look at the president's proposal," Blunt said. "We must do all we can to replenish funding for rural schools in Missouri and across the country." The proceeds from the land sales would fund a federal program that provides money to rural counties for schools and roads. Previously, that money came from the general treasury and timber sales, which have fallen off in recent years. Republican Sen. Jim Talent said he's not likely to support it. "I'm concerned about what Missouri stands to gain in terms of our schools and jobs for Missourians," said Talent, a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He said he was concerned about Missouri getting its share of the proceeds. "We are going to hold hearings on this proposal in the committee, and these are the questions I'm going to ask the administration," Talent said. Republican Sen. Christopher Bond could not be reached for comment. The Forest Service said it would review the plan for 30 days before sending it to Congress, which could approve, modify or reject it. The agency is considering selling 300,000 acres of land in 34 states, although the final amount will run about 175,000 acres, said Mark Rey, Agriculture Department undersecretary. The Forest Service expects to raise $800 million over five years from the sale. "The parcels ... are isolated, expensive to manage and no longer meeting National Forest Service needs," he said. "We'll revise the list one more time before transmitting it to Congress." Conservationists and some Democratic lawmakers called the sale unprecedented and said the federal government was auctioning off public lands to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. Many of the tracts are in Tahoe, Sequoia, Bridger-Teton and other well-known national forests. "In my view, selling public lands to pay down the deficit would be a short-sighted, ill- advised and irresponsible shift in federal land-management policy," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. "Our public lands are a legacy for future generations. We shouldn't liquidate that legacy." Rey said that many of the tracts lie outside federal forest boundaries and in some cases are surrounded by private landowners. The agency put information on its Web site about the tracts to be auctioned off to make it an open process, he said. "Our objective ... will be to give everyone involved the ability to look at each and every tract to satisfy themselves," he said. He also noted that the Forest Service purchases at least 100,000 acres a year from conservation funds and that will offset the agency's land sales in two years. The Bureau of Land Management has sold land around Las Vegas and used the money to buy other environmentally sensitive properties in Nevada, said Nicole Anzia of the Wilderness Society, a conservation group. And last year the Forest Service sold off a small amount of land, she said. "But this sale of forest service land is unprecedented," she said. "I just don't think the American public will go along." Tallent's home page - http://talent.senate.gov/default.cfm?CFID=...FTOKEN=46586220 Bond's contact page - http://bond.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...EWS01/603020360 Fishing tradition resumes with a blast Eager anglers line up shoulder to shoulder as trout season begins. By Steve Brigman SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-LEADER ROARING RIVER STATE PARK — As the first blush of dawn began to paint the eastern sky, rods bent and fish leapt. All was well with the Missouri trout-fishing nation. It was 6:30 a.m. when horns sounded at the state's four trout parks, ushering in Wednesday's opener. The anglers stood shoulder to shoulder, representing all ages and skill levels, eager for that bite from the big one. Reliable Imports Kenny Sharon of Diamond got such a bite. "He's going on the wall," Sharon said of his 3 1/2-pound rainbow. "I told the guy who showed me how to catch it that I would name it after him ... Terry." The presence of Terry on the walls of the Sharon residence is likely to urge Kenny and his 14-year-old daughter, Cassie, back for their third opening day. After all, it not only means a day of fishing, but permission to skip school. Cassie wasn't at all worried that her teachers might read in the newspaper of her angling expedition. "A lot of them skip to go fishing, too," she explained. Perhaps the Sharons would make opening day a tradition, as Fred and Misty Butler had with their family. Fred was fishing his 13th opening day and had Blake, 8, and Miranda, 9, along on their third. Two-year-old Dylan, who sat in his mother's lap, will have some catching up to do. "It's a good tradition to get started so that I know when they grow up at least one day a year they will hook back up with Dad," Butler quipped. For many present, fishing was but a small part of the day. The camaraderie, carnival atmosphere and just getting outdoors were more important issues. "You are around a lot of people who would like to catch fish, but that is not their main objective," said Anne Tunnell of Springfield. "If you come down and you don't catch fish, you are only missing the icing; you've got the cake." No lack of icing for Miranda Butler, who in her three years of attending has developed into quite an angler. "This is the third year that she has out-fished all of us," her father said. "I don't know if she is the best fisherman, but she is the luckiest." Miranda may just end up like Linda Redford, who was sitting on a nearby bench with a friend. Redford will be fishing on this year's professional Women's Bassmaster Tour. Though the Blue Eye angler is a bass fishing specialist, she is sure to make the trout opener each year. Still others stood in the shade and shared stories about the big one that got away. "It hit, and I was letting it play," Tunnell told friends. "Then it tail walked and said, 'not this time.' But I've got four pretty good ones." Some didn't even fish. Connie Adamson of Monett held the leash of her 10-month-old poodle, Mickey, as her son and his friends fished. "It's his first fishing trip," Connie joked about her pooch. "He hasn't caught anything, but he is having a good time." Groups of thickly clad figures huddled around campfire barrels as in the past were not part of this year's opening day. The record warm temperature prompted many to wear shorts. "Usually you want to catch your fish and hurry to go get some coffee," Redford said. "But today I thought I would just stay and see who is catching what." Also different this year, the Roaring River had a bit of new look. "Man, you come to this place this year and it's like, 'I don't know if I've been here before,'" Redford said. "With all the improvements, it's really wonderful." New walkways and rails have also been added to help handicapped and other people access various sections of the stream. By 9 a.m., bumper-to-bumper traffic wound through the park, fishermen with limits headed for a late breakfast and fish bound for the skillet. Still, the banks were lined with hopeful anglers. "At midnight we had about 1,100 tags sold, and typically we'll double that," Badgley said. "This morning at the buzzer we had 1,600 sold, so we will probably have 2,200 to 2,400 throughout the day." Between 4,000 and 4,500 fish were released into the stream from the hatchery for opening day, including 50 "lunkers" of at least three pounds. "There are some out there that are quite bit larger than that," Badgley said. "Of course, some have made it through the catch-and-release season. There are definitely some fish that are over 10 pounds in the river right now." The trout season runs until Oct. 31. Fish are restocked at a rate of 2.5 fish per tag sold on the previous day. "You can enjoy your time and have a real lot of fun," Blake Butler said. "You see a lot of people here, and you get to catch fish."