Bill Butts

Hey Brian~ My suggestion would be to do something really different that will get lots of interest. Other than perhaps seeing Steve Rajeff casting over 200' in competition, one of the most memorable casting demos I've ever seen was Joan Wulff casting 3 fly rods in EACH hand without getting them tangled. That is what I suggest!! Bill

semoseman~ As Dano said, welcome to the OA Forum. Your desire to have uncrowded water to fish the Lower IL River is a similar desire many fellow fishermen share with you. With respect to finding less crowded trout water, yes fishing on a weekday would be less crowded but one of the best things you can do is be willing to walk some distance up and down river from where you access. Personally, if I was going to do a lot of trout fishing on the Lower IL River, I would seriously consider using a kayak and leisurely roaming the river from up near the dam down to Mar Val or Gore Landing. MarVal does have good water both up and downstream, if you're willing to hike. However, it is critical to always keep in mind when you're fishing any tailwater river that the water can come up at any time regardless of what generation is "scheduled" or any fisherman's prediction. Safety first, always. There are sometimes patterns in water releases that can be observed, like you mentioned seeing over the past 2 months. The pattern you've recently observed was not the pattern last summer or spring, due to being a different time of year, lake water level and power demands. It is an everchanging factor that we all face with every trip. There is certainly a chance you could have weekday low water as you desire but only time will tell from season to season, and year to year. You are doing the right thing by monitoring the actual flow levels ahead of the time you plan to fish. I really wish there was a more clear-cut approach to finding the desired uncrowded trout water you seek, but on the Lower IL and most other tailwaters there are many unpredictable factors you must address. Another consideration that I would suggest to you in seeking pleasantly uncrowded water is that you find some nice wadable Smallmouth streams which are available in eastern OK, AR and MO. Smallmouth have many similar characteristics to trout and many of the same flies are productive. River Smallmouth fishing is the most under-utilized resource fly fishermen have in the Midwest. Good luck in your quest. Bill

Rich~ Well, you didn't mention what part of the river you are planning to fish, but I will assume it will be the Zink Dam area, since that is where most of the guys from Springfield have fished. The basic popular color combos will work very well, but others will too. For any Temperate Bass (Striped, Hybrid Striped and White Bass)fishing, you need to have a selection of both neutral/natural and bright colors wherever you fish. Therefore, the usuals of chartreuse/white, pink/white, purple/white, blue/white, chartreuse/orange, gray/white, olive/white, olive/orange, and all white will prepare you well (no, you don't need all these colors). You also need to consider overall fly size, hook size, and weight. If you tie with synthetic material, it gives you the option of being able to trim the length to a shorter size if necessary. I tie most of my Clouser style patterns on size 2 to 2/0 hooks in 4 to 6" lengths. This allows the alteration of the length and bulk with scissors I carry in my vest. For eye size, for that river I use mostly the small size dumbell eyes, and sometimes the x-small and rarely the medium. On the subject of lines, the most useful lines are a type 3 sink tip (4 feet of total leader, max.) and a floating line (in that order). Don't worry about tippet size too much, as long as you have a strong one, 10-15#, since Stripers are rarely leader shy. Hope you find this helpful. Let me know if further questions. Bill

Rich~ If you'll let the Forum folks know what part of the AR River you are planning to fish, that will be helpful in offering the best possible suggestions. I'll provide my .02 worth and I'm sure others will, too. Nearly as important as the fly patterns you fish is the line(s)you select to use, also. You might note what line(s)you have in your follow-up, too. Bill

zackroe~ (I won't ask where you got that name) If you are interested in targeting Stripers and Walleye, the best section of the river is to fish from about a mile above Gore Landing down to the mouth of the AR River. That lower section is usually best when they are running water. Both Stripers and Walleye can be found/caught farther up river, too, but there are not very many good holes like are available in the lower section. You may have heard that the COE is currently maintaining a low flow level of about 80-100 cfs thru Tenkiller Dam for some type of work at the dam. This started on 9/22. If you want an update on how long the low flow is expected to last, call the folks at MarVal Resort on the river. John Call is who I usually talk with. A question for you. I assume you probably target Stripers in the tailwater of Eufaula Dam especially in the Spring, but I never hear about the guides fishing there any other time of year. My understanding is that the Stripers that move into the Lower IL come out of Robert Kerr Res so they could just as easily go up the Canadian to Eufaula, too. What can you tell me about that area? Thanks for your feedback, too. Bill

Hello Al~ That was an amazing Mini-Documentary on Big Creek!! It's interesting how our "home waters" really stay in our heart even though they often are subjected to horrendous abuse in a variety of ways. Thank you for taking the time to document with text and camera some of the evidence of the affects this stream has endured. After reading many of your detailed posts, I'm sure many of the members and readers understand the passion you have certainly for fishing, but equally for the long-term health of the rivers and streams of the Ozarks. Now a question. What have your observations been in recent years, on Big Creek, as to the forage available to fish in that section of river? Larger Smallies obviously feed more on crayfish and minnows, but as you mentioned the aquatic invertabrates habitat is impacted by the tailings and they are key ingredients to the health of the fishery in any stream. Do you still witness insect hatches? Thanks for your contributions that help to make this Forum the informative and positive resource it is. Bill Butts

Slider, Thanks for your report. That was a great evening of fishing. You didn't mention if there were very many fishermen. I haven't been to the Dam for a couple of years. Which side did you fish from, and would there be room enough for a backcast with a fly rod (need 40-50')? How far did you have to cast to get into the Whites? Just trying to evaluate to determine if it would be logical to attack with a fly rod. Did you catch them on bait, or artificials like Sassy Shad or Swimming Minnows? Any other helpful info would be apprecitated, too. Thanks in advance for your follow-up. Bill

Caddis, There is a decent little shady campground at the Gore Landing access. I've not camped there yet, but we do use it for access to launch a boat for Striper fishing the lower river. Hope this is helpful. Bill

Not sure where best to post this, but hopefully many will find this. Several years ago, 5 or 6 I think, some parts of the Ozarks Region experienced moderate to heavy hatches of a 13 year specie of Cicada. If you experienced any abnormally great fishing on area lakes or rivers during that time this will be etched in your fishing memory. There were many testimonies from fishermen I knew and others I met about crazy feeding frenzies by LM Bass on lakes and ponds, SM Bass on streams, and some trout fishing that were almost unbelieveable. Many large fish feeding with nearly reckless abandon. The reason I ask today is that I just saw a news video clip from the Chicago area explaining that this is the year some parts of the Midwest will see, hear and experience the 17 year Cicada. A quick Google search for Missouri Cicadas indicated it was 2002 that we last had the 13 year variety in this area (S. MO) and that there are no expected hatches of 13 or 17 year species in MO this year. So, are there other Cicada species that could be appearing this summer? Perhaps it would be fun if others would share their past Cicada hatch fishing experiences with the Forum? When this does happen again, don't get caught without some Cicada flies in your box, and don't use a 6X tippet either. Ha. Michael at BCO, you might ask Doc Jensen if he could shed any light on the hatch forecast for 2007 in MO. Thanks to all who respond. Bill

cpriest~ Great choice to wait until AFTER the holiday weekend. Here is link to the only USGS site on the Kings River..... http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?07050500 I seem to recall, but probably not, a different reporting site at the 86 bridge but I can't find it in any of my links. Hope this is helpful. Hope you catch lots of nice Bronzebacks! Bill PS....be sure to take an extra trash bag to pick up some of the trash that folks accidentally pitched over the side of their canoe on Memorial Weekend.

Waders? ORR is absolutely on the money with his comments. For fishing in the Ozarks Region, breathable waders are definitely the way to go. But, not all waders are created equally, nor priced equally. There are few greater aggravations in wade fishing than leaky waders. Dependability is so important, but you can't always convince someone of this until they've experienced the frustration themselves. Sounds like you're at that point. I have a fishing buddy that also worked at BPS for several years and bought every economy brand they had, and kept taking them back. About a year ago, he called me and said he owned 3 pair of breathable waders and not one of them could hold water. I asked him how many of them had a Simms label on them? Of course, the answer was none. Today, he owns and wears Simms and has never had any issue (not sure which model he bought). My Simms Guide Model pair is now 6 years in service, and I wouldn't trade them for any brand. They have been unintentionally abused, and look like a polka-dot dress on the inside where I've marked and patched countless pinholes, but they don't leak a drop. Certainly buy what you can afford, but buy Simms and their quality boots to go with them, gravel guard cuffs to keep out the gravel and sand, and a wader belt for safety always (their special back support belt is wonderful, even if you don't have back problems). Be sure to get the very best fit you can obtain, with their big variety of standard sizes. I guarantee if you buy a great set of Simms waders/boots and the latest greatest new fly rod at the same time, you will be loving your waders long after you've decided you need the latest greatest new fly rod again. Hope this is helpful. Bill

The apparent multiple negative effects on the Upper Bull Shoals fishery is a mystery that has sport fishermen and conservation pros puzzled and lacking definitive answers. Yes, it is interesting that the MDC has not been more proactive on this. If the issue only involved White Bass, I could see why MDC would take a "wait and see" attitude. White Bass have been rightfully called the "nearly perfect gamefish from a fisheries biologist perspective", and from the fishermen's perspective, for many years. Since it has apparently affected other important species like LMB and Crappie, this would seem to point obviously to other-than low stream flows since those two species don't depend on tributaries for their spawning grounds. White Bass don't require stocking or supplemental stocking to maintain adequate catchable numbers for a fishery, and they are very prolific, self-sustaining fish provided they have adequate clean gravel-bedded streams to distribute their eggs. As one of you mentioned in an earlier post, I too recall many years of fishing for White Bass during the spring spawn (back to the mid-70's). Some years the water was low and some years it seems we just got a few days of fishable water before the next rain brought unfishable conditions for several days. We always figured the high water years really helped boost the overall spawn by limiting the harvest of mature females, therefore creating a particularly large year-class of fish. On the other hand, one might argue that excessively high and muddy water could have created enough silt to have killed many of the eggs. My guess is that both factors were correct to some extent. Anyway, it seemed over the years we always had good populations of Whites to catch from Powersite Dam to well below K Dock, including Beaver and Swan Creeks in the spring. Extreme low water conditions for tributaries of our Ozarks lakes has to have some negative effects on successful spawn of any fish spawning in that stream whether resident smallmouth or lake-run Whites, but I don't know if anyone knows for sure how to quantify that. And further, if it happens say several years out of a 10 year span that's not good either. A factor that wasn't commented on very much in this thread is water quality. I believe this is absolutely a factor, too, but again it would be difficult to quantify scientifically without a study with quite a few years history to review. So, we're already behind the 8-ball on that if it was deemed necessary to study. Back in the 80's, the Friends of Lake Taneycomo (FOLT) organization was reorganized to address fishery and water quality issues that were created from point and non-point source pollution, and rampant poorly planned development along and within the watershed of Upper Lake Taneycomo that ultimately affected the trout population and the food they eat. As water quality studies were carried out by a science professor at College of the Ozarks with sample collecting assistance from the FOLT, it became very evident that we probably wouldn't have had much of a fishery at that point if it weren't for the water releases at TR Dam virtually "flushing the toilet" periodically to wash all the pollutants downriver. So, where did it go? Obviously, all that crappy water along with the effluent from the Branson City Treatment Plant had to pass through lower Taneycomo on its way to Upper Bull Shoals Lake. I would find it difficult to believe there has not been some serious affects from this factor. But, again, how do you quantify that and factor it in with the other factors to understand why our fish populations in Upper BS have declined? Didn't the water quality, fish populations and fishing all decline for some years in the James River arm of TR Lake as a result of effluent from Springfield, Nixa and Ozark? Not that the water quality is great now, but my understanding is that it has improved and the fishing has improved as well. And, of course, the affects of farm waste run-off (poultry, hog and cattle) into both Beaver and TRock Lakes hasn't helped either. That's another issue that will ultimately have to be dealt with, as more Boomers retire and seek to settle in the Ozarks for their "golden years" expecting to have clean air and clean water to enjoy. Lots of factors to consider. And, so do we stand back and complain or do we collectively push for action and answers from those who are qualified to analyze and create workable solutions? Thanks to all of you for your insight, knowledge and genuine concern for our rich Ozarks resources. Bill

Creek Wader~ Thanks for the great post on Tavern Creek. Sounds like you're gaining a good knowledge of it, and thanks for your catch and release practice. Do you fish ultralight spinning, fly rod, or both? Your yak would obviously be the key to accessing places you can't by foot, even if you just use it for transportation and get out to wade. If you are interested in exploring the potential opportunities for Whites and Hybrids, you would need to locate the first shoal above Osage River backwater (if there is some) and concentrate your efforts from the first deep hole below that shoal up to the second or third shoal. As I mentioned previously, the local MDC Agent could and should be a good resource of info if local fishermen catch those fish in the spring, and perhaps similar small streams that get spawning runs of fish from the Osage. Secondarily, determining the Fisheries Biologist responsible for the Osage River would be another potentially great resource. Let me know if I can help you in any way. Bill

BrianK~ It's interesting you bring up the question about Tavern Creek. I have an old friend who is from Iberia and fished both the Tavern and Little Tavern for decades. Not sure if he fishes it now, but I do recall him saying it isn't the stream it was years ago. So what else is new! I would encourage you to learn both streams especially since it's in your neighborhood and it also feeds the lower Osage River which is a literal smorgasboard of fish. There would be no question in my mind that the Tavern and several other small feeder streams would also get some White and Hybrid Striped Bass especially in strong flow years (maybe now?). Anyone have any knowledge of this? Brian, my suggestion is for you to contact the Conservation Agent(s) in that county(s) for good reliable info, including access info. They are usually very nice and helpful. Good luck. If you need further assistance, don't hesitate to ask, or PM me. Bill

Al~ I had forgotten about the natural tunnel below the Dam. The manmade tunnel is of course just above the Dam. It is amazing how small the stream below the Dam is, and my guess is that the natural tunnel draws off quite a bit of the flow of the tailwater. Checking Oz Hawksley's MO Ozark Waterways Guide Book, he notes a distance of 6 miles from the Dam around the ridge to the outflow of the hydroelectric power plant outflow coming thru the mountain. The few times I've driven across the low-water bridge (below the Dam about 2 miles) and up the ridge, the stream has been very small. The unpredictable factor for fishing the river below the power plant is not knowing when and/or how much the flow will be. The few locals I've talked with have stated it is a tricky stream to navigate and wade for that reason. If a fisherman is looking for great stream fishing for smallmouth, they need to concentrate on the river above Lake Niangua. By the way, it is about 32 river miles from the confluence with Bennett Spring to the upper end of Lake Niangua. An old fishing buddy of mine used to be married into a family that owned a cabin on that cool little lake. He told many stories of LMB and Crappie, but not Spots. Again, the river below the power plant must be a sleeper of a hotspot for White, Hybrid and Striped Bass. It has been challenging to find many locals that really understand that fishery. I hope to move the learning curve forward during 2007. Bill

Hello Al~ You have a great thread working here, packed with great info. I hope the Forum participants appreciate the breadth of knowledge and experience you bring to the Forum table. With respect to the Big Niangua, you mentioned one of the limiting factors for Spotted Bass migration as the cold water from Bennett Spring. While this is certainly a factor affecting the mix of resident fish below the entry of that spring, there is a larger limiting factor. About 7-8 miles above the mouth of the Niangua is a very old dam that creates little-known Lake Niangua on the lower end of that great river, Tunnel Dam. I do not know the effects of flood-level water to that dam, but I have heard that over the years it has kept species from downriver (primarily LOZ) out. Does anyone know of exceptions? Some of the readers may be familiar with Tunnel Dam. It is one of the most unusual sites on any river in this region. Why? Well, just above the dam along a 300+ foot bluff a 900' tunnel was created through bedrock back in 1930 connecting the river back to itself several miles downriver. The purpose of this tunnel was for the installation of a small hydroelectric power producing plant, now owned and operated by Sho-Me Power. Specifically why they built it that way I don't know, though there is some great history available about that area by Google searching "tunnel dam". If you are interested in a great site-seeing trip in that area, the vista from that bluff is breathtaking and easily accessible by road not too far off of Highway 54 west of Camdenton. Personally, I believe that is a "sleeper" of a river for Temperate Basses, White, Hybrid and Striped Bass, since their migration upriver in the spring is limited to just a few miles of river, and they are known to spend considerable time in the area of the underwater springs in the HaHaTonka area of the Niangua arm in the hot summer and cold winter. Anyone have personal experience up in that river in the spring with those species? Al, sorry to divert to one of my favorite groups of fish, but wanted to offer some facts about that fascinating river. Keep up the great discussions about our region's greatest native gamefish!!! Bill

Jay Bird~ I've heard this question quite a bit in the past week, it's a logical concern after the fast warm-up (too fast too early) we experienced in March. Last year the runs were not good due to extremely low water in the rivers and lakes. In fact, the worst I've seen in over 30 years of chasing those crazy fish in the spring. But, this year is very different primarily because we have good water. All the lakes of the Ozark Region are near or above normal power pool levels. Many of the rivers have great water flow, a few excessive, but a few have gradually become less-than-ideally low, though not critical. My opinion at this point is that the cold snap we've experienced has reset the clock as far as timing of the runs. We may actually now be just a little behind the usual development of the runs, but not much. Water temps in several well known rivers had reached as high as 70* by the end of March, which was unusually early. All the water temps I've taken in the past week or had emailed or called to me have been around the 55* mark. Once we get 60* or warmer water in any river, I predict it will absolutely break loose with great fishing. My records indicate that the heaviest spawning activity in this region usually occurs when the water temps are mid-60's. By the way, I had reliable reports of good fishing for White Bass (and a few nice Hybrids) last week when it was so cold......the North Fork of the White in MO, the upper IL River above Tenkiller Lake in OK, the Upper White above Beaver Lake in AR, and the Little Sac just north of Springfield (No, none of those particular fishermen are OA members). With some cool nights still ahead this week, and signficant rain in the forecast for Friday, some fisheries will probably get some extra water they don't particularly need (SW MO and NE OK), but NW AR is in need of the rain to stimulate their runs. Bottom line is, the rain is an unknown factor at this point but once any river warms up and clears up (if muddied) next week you better be ready for some hot action. Hope this provides some understanding, and hope for the coming days. Bill

What do you mean that you "seined" above the railroad bridge?

John and I left Springfield on Friday morning amidst a snow storm with a very windy 32* temp, headed for the lower NFOW at Tecumseh. It would have seemed at bit insane for White Bass and Hybrid fishing since this past week's weather has definitely put the action in most fisheries on temporary hold. However, a local who fishes there every evening advised me that the previous cold night he had done very well on Whites and had a bonus 8# Hybrid. There is the clue to our insanity. When we waded in, the water temp was 55* and the wind was about 20-25 mph before many gusts up over 30. Six hours in the brutal and bitter wind produced nothing until the final hour of light. With direct sunlight off of our favorite stretch of water, we finally began catching some Whites, but not many. Visions of hooking some nice Hybrids lingered but quickly faded as our hands became intolerably cold in the steady wind and now falling temp. Positive thoughts. The dogwoods and redbuds were absolutely magnificent on the drive down Hwy 5 and across 160. I can't recall ever seeing so many blooming dogwoods blanketing the wooded hillsides. Also, when a significant cold front actually lowers the water temps (therein the reason you've seen so many posts of mine that discuss water temp---you must know the temps to make good decisions on where to fish this time of year) like it has this past week, you will almost always find more stable water on tailwater fisheries below a Dam. The water is released off the bottom of the Dam, so it is unlikely to have been affected by the weather change. There are not a lot of them, but a few include Keystone and Kaw in OK (Stripers), Oologah in OK (Hybrids), Powersite Dam in MO (everything that swims in Bull Shoals), and Truman and Bagnell Dams (everything that swims in the fisheries below them). Don't ignore the warmwater discharge lakes, either. It will be great to see the springtime temps return this coming week. Great fishing to everyone, Bill

gonefishin, I believe you are asking for something that would only make the forum board more confusing and spread out than it is now. Phil explained to you that there are currently separate forums for the Spring River (OK) and the Neosho, along with Grand Lake. Why is that not good enough? We have two Spring Rivers on the board, and I can tell you there are at least three(3)good fishing areas called "Twin Bridges" in the Ozarks, but they are just "areas" on a fishery not the fishery itself. I've wondered if it wouldn't be better, but I'm not convinced, if we had all the tributaries as sub-forums of the lakes they feed, or throw them all in one forum with the primary lake. If you put in a boat at Twin Bridges on Grand Lake, you could potentially fish the lake and both rivers in one trip. Where do you post the report? Let's encourage Phil to keep as simple and manageable as possible. Bill

Fished the Upper White River just above the Hwy 45 bridge up to about a mile upriver on Thursday eve, and all day Friday. Water is very warm, 69-70 degrees, and the White Bass spawn was rocking and rolling both evenings. Spin tackle fishermen were having great success with small topwaters like PopR's and Baby Spooks in some shallow areas of the first shoal above the bridge. Our efforts to locate and catch some Hybrids, like the past two weekends, were unsuccessful but we did have the consolation prize of lots of White Bass including many females loaded with eggs. Some very large males in the 3# class were also caught, which was a nice bonus. Didn't catch any females of the same year class as the big males. Bottom line......that fishery needs a good rain with a corresponding rise in water level of a foot or so, now. If that happens, you may see a rare awesome concentration of all the temperate basses (whites, hybrids, stripers) in the White and/or War Eagle. PFR (pray for rain!) Bill

James River, today. Stopped at the access just below the Galena Bridge shortly after noon. I'm just guessing, but it looked like it might be about a foot high, not bad, but it looked like cappucino, muddy. If Beaver and Swan Creeks have been up and off color, too, I would be looking to try them just as they begin to clear. Give the James a few days.

Jay Bird~ We fish the immediate area above the White River bridge but also utilize a boat to access the river farther upstream as well as downstream which is mostly lake water backed up into the White River arm. There are fish all over the areas I am describing, but probably the most exciting reports I've heard have been farther down than we've fished this Spring where at times any or all 3 species (Stripers, Hybrids and Whites) are busting bait on the surface. I heard that a 17# Hybrid was caught some time last week, but that may have been on the War Eagle arm. Reports of similar surface activity have been filtering in for a few weeks in that arm too, as most folks know that are following reports. If I was going to fish the lake water in either or both of those arms, I would call every tackle shop and marina I could reach to get the up-to-the-day reports. Information is absolutely critical for success with these crazy fish. Without it, success is far too dependent upon luck. Good luck, and keep in touch. Bill

Today was another gorgeous day on the river even if the fish hadn't been cooperative, but in fact they were. A "hand full" of us from Springfield made the pre-dawn trip down in search of spawning White Bass and Hybrid Stripers in the Twin Bridges area (most rivers in SW MO and NE OK were blown out with high muddy water). The early am hours were very productive prior to the sun apparently driving them to a lower level of activity. Many Whites were caught, with a total of 4 Hybrid Stripers caught between 4.5 and 7# by our group. The primary flies the past two weeks have been a neutral (Gray or olive over White) and a bright (chartreuse over white or olive over orange) Clouser Minnow. The water temp at 8 am was 63 degrees, and the air temp peaked near 80. This is only the beginning of what is sure to be a great run. See you on the river. Bill

Haus, Thanks for your posts, particularly the contact at the Marina. The fishing report from the 15th has lots of nice detail, but this time of year I think you would agree conditions can and do change almost daily so it probably would not be wise to count on a report of that age. It would, however, be great if someone (you?) could offer to post those reports the day they come out. That would be a very helpful resource, especially if they would publish the phone #s of each reporting marina or guide service. Thanks again, Bill