Thom

We definately have a trophy area in place just not in fact. My last trip I saw every imagenable way of catching fish above fall creek including an elderly man who was obviously with grandsons watching him in #1 outlet. He was holding his line in his hand between his legs in the middle of the flow of the outlet about 10 foot from the bank. He was kicking and churning the bottom and when he got a hit he let go of the line and landed the fish. Interestingly, I fished up stream from him about 20 feet and caught 5 fish to his one just drifting a # 18 zebra thread midge in the seam of the current. I just don't understand why you would want to cheat when it is so easy to just ty on something until you find what works. Then it is usually downhill the rest of the time. You can see folks from the condos at Sunterra fishing bait every day at the boat ramp and upstream and many of the folks I see at the marinas go out twice or three times a day catching limits each time for themselves and filling stringers for their children and wives. Hopefull the increased fees for boat registration will provide additional encorcement as they told us it would, but as long as thing are on an honor system it will take honerable folks to make a trophy area work. I've most always politely tell individuals that I see fishing with illegal methods or excess fish in the torphy area what the regs are and they usually act as thought they didn't know, but the problem seems to continually worsten in my opinion. I am looking forward to a weeks trip the 27th of October. I usually spend most of my time above fall creek but last trip (August) the best fishing by far was around short creek on the shallow side sitting at the edge of the swifter water and drifting midges or scuds under an attractor. Lots of nice rainbows there even though it is not a trophy area. The ones I caught (with the exception of about ten 12" stockers over 8 days)are still there unless someone else kept them later.

WHAT A GREAT FORUM. It is good to hear from anglers that fish LOZ about what works. I will be stocking some spinners and making sure that I have the jigs recommended by both of you. It's been a while since I've crappie fished and it was on Mark Twain which is a much different lake than LOZ. Thanks again guys and I will post when I get home on this thread about the results. If any of you want to stop by Lakewood Resort or call me 636-293-1328 (cell)you are welcome to go out with me. I will be docked there from 10/8 - 10/14 I have a new pro crappie tracker with plenty of room.

Thanks for the info. I will be launching at the state park to get to the resort that I am staying at (Lakewood). I've heard that the brush piles are usually out from the bank where the sycamore trees are located. I will try there. I will post a report when I return, hopefully how good those slabers were at lunch.

I will be at Lake of the Ozarks from October 8 -14 staying just west of grand glaze bridge. Any advice on crappie fishing in that area. Where, what to use, bait shops etc. I stayed there a couple of years ago and had good luck about 12 foot in 25 foot of water just out from some bluffs and on the dock where where I was staying. Any colors jigs or type recommended?

Try setting your camera on a fast setting 1/1000 or greater and go to the multiple shot mode. It will take lots of trys but in a heavy storm if you can anticipate a lightning strike like when a small bolt starts you then hold down the button and it will take several shots one right after another. It takes a little practice but it will work. Another way you might try is to go to the MOV mode on your camera that records a movie. let it run through a light display and then go to your computer and freeze the shots with adobe or another utility and print the shot. The resolution in the MOV setting is VGA or up to 1 megapictles but will be enough to get a decent 3x5 or even a 5x7 picture.

Just brainstorming, but I wonder what the huge sucker population in the trophy area does to the stream habitat. Wow! there are there a lot of them just below the Island just above lookout. I don't think they have any preditors in that area. I usually fish the shallows there during heavy flows just at the seam of the current and almost every trip hook into a large sucker. Would it be feasable to allow a bow or gigging weekend for suckers only in a specified area that would be supervised to cut down on the population of suckers. I wonder how much of the natural food that large of a population consumes. Would it help the trout fishery to eliminate the competition. Probally a dumb idea but just wondering.

Papamike: Stop by one of the flyshops near the dam or on the water like Lilly's and talk to them. They have current advice on what to fish, how, where. They offer good quality flies at a reasonable price. Try a few and if they work or offer promise try tying some of your own. The conditions can change daily so they are your best bet for current information. If you can afford it ... hiring a guide for 1/2 day can give you a running start on your trip. Sometimes getting their expertise for a fair price is much better than waisting a couple of days finding out what is working and where. For the most part they are a nice bunch of guys.

Two of my children and their families (7 kids total) ate at Daves and loved it. My wife and I also visited Daves and waited 90 minutes to get in. We had the menu item sampler for two. Very reasonable and we took home as much as we ate. The Barbeque tender and lean but just above average in flavor. Branson is not necessarily a gormet town when it come to food anyway. Lots of shops with very over priced shoes clothes etc, but thats what lots of trendy folks like. I was most impressed by one young lady at Bass pro who took the time to talk ...down home style... to my wife and I . She was very grateful for the job and chance to build a career. By the way if you are going to bass pro for bargains don't hold your breath. My grandson remarked to me that he purchased copper beads at Lilly's for much less and was amazed at the great shop and supplies the Lilly's had on the shelves. this was right up his alley for his passions.....Fly tying and trout fishing. I noticed that BP was limited on the sizes and brands of some hooks and versatility but the fly shop guy said they were reviewing their stock and making changes. I will still patronize the local fly shops because they have all that I will need at a fair price and good advice on what to use. I have never been talked into something by any of the local folks just to sell a product and have found their advice valuable. That kind of integrety is worth more to me than saving a dollar by going to Walmart. I don't understand the comments about the lack of using the waterfront. It is not done yet and there will be a nice river walk and reaturant right on the water as I was told. The water show and random concerts were also nice additions.

If you watch the orvis sales (catalog) they put their wonderline advantage on sale for about 39 dollars a couple of times a year. I matched it to my trident 9' 5 wgt using a 5WF and it added 10 to 12 on my casts. I was amazed of the longer casts that I achieved the first few times I used it. I have had it for over a year and it is holding up very well. The regular price is 59 dollars. You can subscribe to their online site and they email sales items about monthly.

Marvin: Can you post a picture of the fly and Brian: what was the length and wgt of the fish?

Fall creek marina which is owned by Sunterra may have slips available. It is located right at the mouth of Fall creek and has good security. I dock there when I go to Taney and am treated great. They rent by the week, month or year. Tell Gene that Thom sent you. Call 417-336-4937

This may be more information than you want but anyway: Electricity produced from hydroelectric dams cannot be stored. The generators must be turning in order to produce and distribute the power. It is distributed upon demand through substations. Turning a generator the size of the ones at Table Rock require high volume flow. Unfortunately in the summer when the demand is high it is hard to predict who will demand power and when a demand will be requested. Hot weather is also very hard on all electrical components and due to the lack of preventative maintenance that most companies have done breakdowns occur or prevent them from meeting local demands. They then must request power from idle generation facilities. Bad planning on the part of many electric companies in the midwest and eastern power companies sometimes require immediate requests for power. The companies that have entered into agreements to provide that electriciy must provide the amount of KW based on their capacity. It is a very lucrative business and high generation is most efficient. It also provides money for the preventative maintenance. I am sure that the reason that the Table rock and Bull shoals units are running at full capacity very often is because they are well maintained and very accessable due to their central location. NO. I don't work for the Core but I have extensive background in electrial operations and worked for a large company for 40 years as an electrical manager.

One of the ways that we prepare trout is to stuff them with a dressing made just the same way that turkey or chicken dressing is make. Make the dressing just as the corn bread stuffing package says adding sauteed onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms and wetting with one egg an chicken broth. If you really want to splurge (and it is worth it) get a small amount of cocktail shrimp and crabmeat and add it to the dressing. salt and pepper the cavity and stuff the dressing into the fish. You can also just wrap filets around the dressing for the same result. Any dressing left over can be baked on the side. Lay a strip of bacon on top of the fish and put in a charcoal grill on foil or bake in an oven at 350 degrees until the meat is just flaky.

What is a KIOSKS? Simple: A Kiosks is fancy name an inexpensive shelter that sell inexpensive trinkets, sunglasses and other foriegn made junk and sells it for 5 times the price of walmart then disappears into the sunset to make room for another one when the watch you bought quits working. We formerly called it a booth but you wouldn't want to drop $50 dollars for a trinket from a booth. I visited the landing and thought it was much better than the run down buildings it replaced. The prices were not great for comparable item that you could find at home. The athmosphere was nice and I think will be much nicer when the landscapeing by the river walk is finished. The light show and fountian with occasional live night music offered at the landing makes it worth a visit. The playing of the Stars Spangled Banner and flame cannons is an awesome touch. Bass pro shop leaves much to be desired as compared to Lillys, River run, and other shops. I noticed that the tungsten beads and other materials that my grandson purchased at Lillys was about $1.00 a pack less expensive at Lillys than at BPS and the selection at Lillys is much better. I wouldn't be too happy though if I paid 500000 for a condo and had the two or three loud music speakers blaring every night drowning out each other like we encountered friday night.

I inquired about the 12 inch size while talking to one of the game wardens on the trophy water when he checked for liscense and limit. He told me that 12" was OK and they don't get picky about the 12 inch measurement. Just don't push it. How do you make an perfectly accurate measurement wade fishing. He also indicated that he was looking for the big violaters and bait fishing. I just don't understand why anyone would be ashamed to keep 12" fish. That partly what they are stocked for and again are the best tasteing fish. I probally returned 25 fish every day I fished last week. I kept a limit in the live well twice all week and enjoyed what my tax money and tag fees entitled me to. I think some of the folks on this forum read it to find some technicallity to comment on every post. Whattssup up folks. This is for fun and information not nit picking. I really don't think most of the rules were put in place to try to trick someone into getting fined.

An 11 or 12 inch trout are the best fish to eat out of Taney in my opinion. You will be able to catch 12 inchers wading below the dam and they will be legal. Most of the fish in the lower end of the slot (12" and under are thick and healthy at the dam. If they are filet right there is a pretty good portion. My wife and I had the filets from two fish that we harvested last week for dinner today and it was about the size of the portion most resturants servc. Don't be intimidated by the signs at the dam. I never keep any over 20" except on a photo but will often take two or three home for lunch. Thats what the regulations allow. Folks that want to keep legals and amount that are legal are not the problem. It's the people that make two or three trips to their coolers in the car or back home and come back again to fill a second stringer is what causes a problem. Clarification: I meant take home 2 or 3 12 inchers. (see previous post) Thought I'd better clarify my statement before the literary critics start picking it apart to remind me you can't keep 2 0r 3 20 + inchers. You can keep 4 12 inches or below.

My family spent last week from 9-14 th fishing both above and below fall creek. Fishing was slower than I have seen it in a while. The fish were running small with a few larger 13 -16 inchers scattered in. The posted fish was caught on #16 black zebra out from the condo's at short creek. Our best offering were #16 black zebra midges with copper tung heads and silver or copper wire wrapped tails. I had more strikes when I tied just a very small white hackle on the head and a 1/4" tail with a piece of trimmed hackle spike. This worked well fishing from the shallow part of short creek off into the deeper water letting it drift into what current was present. The midges were fished 18 inches under an attracter egg fly or another midge with copper head and salmon egg fly yarn wrapped tapered to point. I caught fish on both flies. We also fished below the darn early in the morning from #3 outlet to rebar stripping sculpen leaches on sinking tip and caught several larger 15 + rainbows and two 16" browns. We were throwing almost strait out to 1 oclock and stripping until they began to swing back. My 13 year old grandson tied and caught over 50 fish on the midge that he ties for himself and dad. Copper dun midge on 16 or 18 2487 with copper tung head. Gray scuds also did well in the trophy water tied on 1/124 lead jig with a very small olive maribou tail. The spikeyer the dubbing the better the bite. They worked best if they were just slightly nudged 2 to 3 times about every minute. I seemed to do best fishing from the deep holes throwing over to the shallow gravel at about 4 foot deep starting at the first houses by lookout and moving downstream. With water running hard midges fished at 4 to 6 foot or light pink or salmon egg flies also worked on ocassion but not consistantly. We also did fairly good behind the island at lookout into the shallow water when they were running 4 units especiallly when it began to rain early in the week. One of the slowest weeks I have had at Taney but I usually fish later in the year. I will be back next late october.

Click on or copy and paste this website to learn more about Table Rock asphalt. http://tablerockasphalt.com/gravelplant.html These guys are not small time and aren't going away easily. Apparently the gravel that they are after is for landscaping and decorative concrete. Where have we seen a lot of this used lately and more needed in the near future. Most of the river front lanscapeing and final features will require lots of this product. (Branson landing ring a bell) Folks that will be enticed to buy the luxury condos won't want to look down on that mud that is there now between the sidewalks and the river fence. There is always a price to pay for developement. Sometimes or should I say most times it is much toooooo high.

I just returned about two hours ago and between my son, grandson, son in lay and myself we just caught tons of trout. We age about 15 and the rest are back in the water for others (hopefull me) to enjoy in the future. Most of the fish were caught on midges, scuds and other gravel born fly larve and adult imitations. about 3 were in the category of the brown posted to the upper left and 3 rainbows in the 2 to 4 # range. The short creek area was covered with dimples from midge hatches and we caught many at 4 foot when they were not rising. I will almost gaurnttee that this wont happen if they dredge out that shoal which exists at under 3 foot a lot of the time. If you read trout unlilmited mag there are countless stories of corporate stream destruction that took years to repair and most never come all the way back. YELL, SCREAM AND GO DOWN KICKING TO THOSE THAT CAN STOP THIS RAPE OF THE RIVER FOR AN AGGREGATE PRODUCT THAT CAN BE OBTAINED ELSEWHERE OUTSIDE OF STREAM BEDS.

I just sent the following email to the web link given in Phil's email and asked all of my buddies to do the same: Be it known that I strongly oppose any further dredging in Lake Taneycomo above the current permit boundaries. My intense study of information of tailwater disturbance reveals that it destroys the habitat that sustains the trout stream. Further dredging above the Branson bridge will not only impact the stream negatively, but will greatly impact those who use the wonderful treasure that we have and the resorts that exist in the upper river. I have been frequenting the upper portion of the river for over 25 years and have seen past negative impact on the river caused by the development in upper Taneycomo. The runoff debris killed thousands of the freshwater shrimp. I remember picking up limbs and shaking hundreds of species off into the water. That density doesn't exist even today though a come back has occurred. The fishery is just beginning to survive from the runoff from construction. I believe that dredging in the short creek shoal will destroy the stream productivity for many years if not indefinitely. Thom Harvengt O'fallon MO Hope the voice of the people will be heard. With the COE anything is possible.

I was crappie fishing on Lake of the Ozarks two years ago and hooked into a 7# carp on my light spinning rod uesing 4# test. Of course I had no net but was able to tire the fih out and land him with the help of a friend. My friend said that it sure was lots of work for a carp. They are not any good to eat. NOT SO. I just smiled and said lets just filet it anyway. Here is what I learned from the farmers while Pastoring a small church in Vameyer Illinois before the river washed the town away. They seined the sloughs when the river receded in the spring and did the following every year. Just scale the fish by pushing a fillet knife under the scales and not through the skin and the scales will peel off. Then filet the fish leaving the skin on and removeing any dark meat. Turn the filet skin down and push (not slice) the knife all the way down to the skin being careful not to cut the skin. You will hear the bones cracking. Continue doing this all the way down the filet about 1/4 of an inch apart. Cut the filet into pieces of about 1 to 2 inches wide and dip in andy's or other breading. Deep fry and the bones will dissolve and the filets will roll up into what is called on the river near Grafton as Calhoun county shrimp. Yum! I just make myself hungry for some fried fish. The guy that told me he didn't like the taste of carp ate about 10 of these pieces and said he wouldn't have believed it was carp if he hadn't seen me catch it. Thom

Copy and paste the link below to your browser: http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/techniq...rs_rigging.aspx I have used the first method on a slip knot. You just need to be careful to place the loop over a large bite of the yarn so it will cushion any pressure on the line below the yarn. Another method I have used if I am not throwing out to far is to just wrap the yarn around the line 3 or 4 times and tie a two overhand knots in the yarn letting tags float from each remaining piece. A very very small egg sinker can be lightly pinched below the yarn to hold it in place.

I was at Coopers creek one day when they were stocking fish and watched the Herons do the same thing. I laughed and thought like you that the bird must be crazy with whth that 13 inch fish. He will have to tear him apart like an eagle or a hawk. The Heron flipped the fish up and around a few times and swallowed him shaking his head until he slid down. Several other herons were doing the same thing. Swooping down carring them to the island and swallowing them.

I will be at taney next week (6th) and one of my go to offerings is the egg fly. I do the best on a multicolored version. I pull three or four different colors of yarn through a 1/4 to 5/16 tube with the bright red warn placed so that it forms a dot somewhere on the back of the fly. a tungsten bead on a #18 2487 scud hook (or 1/80 lead jig) and Two wraps of kevlar around the outside of the yarn then end to end and around the eye. These multi's have never failed to have work especially with water running. Just need to get them down near the bottom and to the side or ahead of the boat and not dragging. I have several other colors and pink, sallmon, and peach also work well. I will post what has worked and a picture of the best when I return on the 15th.

there is a good platform at coopers creek and I have seen some nice catches there when launching my boat. Power bait and nite crawlers is what I notice they were using.