Fishing Report

[Phil Lilley]

I reported yesterday that in our tournament they caught some nice rainbows... I wanted to make sure everyone understands what this means.

I love fishing the restricted area. I don't like to keep fish, I like to catch. And I like to catch nice sized fish- not huge but not 'dinks'. And that's why I prefer the trophy area because that's where the nicer trout are.

But MDC has done something that I haven't seen before. These rainbows they've put in are really quality trout. 14-15 inch, thick bodied rainbows weighing a good 1.25 pound average. And there's alot of them, not just a token number.

Plus they're not in the usual area. They not around Cooper Creek or Short Creek or even Fall Creek. They are down around the bridge in Branson- down around Monkey Island.

Babler had a trip this morning and they found them below the island. John and Frank found them below the 65 bridge. Both were throwing spoons and jigs and did well.

So now you have a dilemma... go above Fall Creek and catch 15 inch rainbows or go downlake and catch 15 inch rainbows. Take your pick.

Bottom line- I've never seen MDC stock this many quality trout at one time before. Not sure how long they'll stay in the lake though