Feb 1 Opening Of Upper River

[Phil Lilley]

Woke up early this am... earlier than I wanted to. You know - getting up to go in the middle of the night (3:30 am) and could not go back to sleep. So I started my trip to BS Dam alittle early. Good thing.

On the road before 5 am. Making good time with jon boat in tow. Hadn't had this particular trailer on the highway in quite some time. I felt great about it - the trailer lights all worked!

Three miles north of Harrison WalMart, I felt the tire go. It didn't start together very long. Had to ride it to a lit corner road and pulled in. The trailer had a spare but wasn't sure if the Dodge Truck jack lug wrench would fit the lugs. It did. The jack worked perfectly too. Thought, man this is only going to cost me 30 minutes. Then I saw the the fender was completely bend under, after I put the tire on. Took it back off and tried to bend it back. It's not a cheap, flimsy trailer fender but I got it back close. I got ahold of my sister Lisa who was just about to leave her house in Harrison for work (the resort) and she met me at WalMart with some channel locks. I bent the fender and gave the tire plenty of room. It lasted a total of 4 miles. It blew- I pulled into Shoney's.

I took it off and headed to WalMart. The tire store opened at 7 am. I was their first customer but they didn't carry any 13 inch tires. Headed to Tire World - they open at 8 am. So I sat.

Bought 2 new tires, back to Shoney's and a tow truck was taking my boat away. Man!

Back on the road... I almost turned back home but thought, what the heck... I'm going fishing!! The tow truck thing... just kidding.

Got to the dam at 10 am. Jeremy said the ramp below the dam on the State Park side was clear but I could see driving over the dam it was snow covered. I drove to the State Park Dock and put in at the ramp there. The water was up to the top of the ramp - lots of water.

Headed up - all the way to the dam. Started with white 1/8th oz jig on one rod and a 1/8th oz sculpin/ginger on the other. Crimped down the barbs as best I could but still was pulling fibers out of my sweatshirt. Could not get it all. If I was checked... well I wasn't thankfully. The only way I could have been legal is if I had taken a file. Mental note: Take a file next time.

I haven't fished the White out of a boat that much. Jerry Dudley taught me to fish the Golf Course side at the line- the backwater there. I started there and caught a half dozen rainbows there- no real size but they were really hitting. Drifted out of there and kept catching rainbows. Good first drift... but it ended up being the best one. Did catch the largest trout of the day on that drift - a 18-19 inch brown. Was going to take a pic but he was hard to handle with one hand the the hook fell out before I got the pic... darn barbless hooks!!

I worked both side and the middle. White seemed to be the best color but I did well on the sculpin/ginger too. Had fun on the big shallow shoal just above the lower line (trophy area) on the Park side throwing the white jig and standing high on the deck of the boat and watching the jig disappear in the fish's mouth. Didn't have to feel the bite- disappear -- set the hook. They dropped the water most of the time I was fishing up there. All in all they dropped in a good 5-6 feet. Very gradually.

Pulled out at 1:30 pm.

Headed to Norfork Dam. Thought for sure they'd be running water and the ramp would be clear. No on both counts. No generation and the ramp had snow on it although I probably could have gotten the boat in. No waders and I didn't want to fly fish.

Headed to Rim Shoals. I knew about the time I got there the water would start to drop out, like it did at the dam. I was right. I fished the same color jigs and caught alot of rainbows and 2 small browns. Nothing big. First pic was the largest rainbow - about 16 inches - but I took the pics because of the colors of these rainbows- very beautiful.

Met Gary Flippin. He was baling boats out. I've never met him although I've been by his place a couple of times. Nice visit.

I fished both sides of the river from the upper trophy line to the top of the shoal. The inside bank produced trout but not like the outside (dock side).

So now I'm running on fumes. I'm going to bed and tomorrow I'm fishing Taney for at least an hour or two and see if I can catch bigger rainbows than I did on the White. I honestly thought I'd see more big browns, being opening day. May be next time.

[Phil Lilley]

Oh- the ramp on the Golf Course side of the river is clear. Some guys fishing off the bank there, with high water, were catching a few trout but were also catching walleye.

And one more question. I was asked by a local angler a question I didn't quite know how to answer... how many walleye bites did I get?

What's the diff between a trout bite and a walleye bite? I never got an answer.

[cotterboy2007]

nice report, I am going out tomorrow afternoon. Did you try any jerkbaits, or just the jigs? It seems like some days, the jerks will catch the larger fish, and vise versa. Brigman says you are a jig man, so maybe stuck to your guns the whole time. Thanks for the good report.

[Ham]

I'm furious that I can't get out. My lower driveway still has most of the snow in place.I will have a four wheel drive something before the next Ozark winter. I'm really starting to wonder what percentage of big browns go up river. Nothing wrong with fishing up by the dam; I've got to fish somewhere, somehow, TODAY.

[Phil Lilley]

I just took jigs... I didn't want to tempt myself to switch to something else.

I don't get down there very often. The first- opening was a good excuse. I hadn't planned on fishing other places but the drop in water was making me nervious. I don't know the water - when it's safe to go where. I wanted to go downstream but if they shut the water down, Id be stuck. Lots of unknowns. Rim was a certainty... I knew it'd be up when I got there and I could stay between the shoals.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Good report Phil. That was a tough morning with the trailer. I'm always worried when we pull something all the way from St. Louis.

Any other boats up there with you at BS?

Snagged

[Don Allenbaugh]

Phil, The next time you put in at Rim Shoals go up river past Jenkins Creek shoals (Red Bud) to the ramp on the Baxter county side. Pull in and come up to the cedar house and I will show you where you can get into some big browns.

[Phil Lilley]

Thanks for the invite! I'll give you some warning but don't hold your breath... I don't get away that often.

[John Berry]

Phil,

Great report and a great story. Next time you are in the area take me along so that Don can show me where the big browns are.

[Phil Lilley]