Fishing Report

[Phil Lilley]

Water running today since midnight... 1-2 units but not full tilt. I boated up to the cable about 11 am to try my trout beads. Pegged a 6 mm mottled peach egg 1 inch from a bare #10 2488 TMC hook with a small 3/0 split shot, 2 lb line and drifted it on the bottom. Picked up a 16 inch rainbow first 300 yards and then nothing for quite a while. I could see rainbows off the side of the boat while drifting so I brought the egg close to where I could see it. The trout were picking the egg up but spitting it out before I could feel the bite. Interesting. I submised the current was too slow- have to work on it some more.

Tried a red san juan- no luck. Was surprised. Then a #10 greg scud and caught one. I was surprised I couldn't pick up more since I could see the rainbows feeding readily.

John and company did well down at the Landing early this am using jig and float, zebra and float and the power egg/jig head under a float technique. Still lots of rainbows down in that area.

[Bill Babler]

What in the world is going on in that lower restricted area? I am going to give it a spin with some medium type fly fisher persons,on the morrow, but from all I'm hearing from other guides and folks that have been fishing the area is very very tough.

I fished it last week one day and caught a few using a size 16 green zebra under a dry, and making long presentations on the flat water, but it was very hard.

Tony W. had been catching fish with either a size 18 scud or 16 zebra as a dropper under an egg, but he has said it has gone completely dead, not enough bites for him to even fish, let alone take his clients up.

Lots of catchable fish at Branson, but I hate fishing down town in all the noise and traffic. Hope the wind and the current helped somewhat today.

Phil, let me know how John did this afternoon.

[MThammer]

I have heard of "pegging a bead" above a bare hook but never knew how it worked. I have always associated it with fishing "Alaska" style. Maybe it is a better way.

But, I have always heard that in MO., a fly has to have at least some thread on it to beconsidered a fly. So is a bare hook legal?

I don't know the answer and don't mean to stir things up, just curious.

[flyman]

Thanks for the report lilly.

I think it's been slow because the night crew is wearing them out(duckydoty, Leonard and the rest). I'm fairly new at night fishing but have been a few times a week the last month with fantastic success. (Still owe duckydoty a beer or two for showing me around). I've been wondering about the day though. Have not seen many reports from below the dam. Sounds tough!

[Phil Lilley]

In Alaska, on the Naknek, the hook can't be more than 2 inches from the hook and it can be bare. On the Brooks River though the hook has to have at least 5 turns of thread. We wrap white thread on the body to make a maggot fly.

Don't think the MO regs says anything about a bare hook but if this catches on, they may have to.

I fished a 6 mm bead which is the smallest http://troutbeads.com has but you really need a smaller bead to imitate a trout egg.

I've heard dries are working well in the area Bill is talking about. Which I had time to work it today.

[David Bolin]

You guys are worrying me. I'm headed your way early Thursday morning. Going to put the boat in a slip at Lilly's. Was planning to fish the area between Fall creek and the KOA this weekend. Is that what you're referring to as the lower restricted area? I've always had good luck there on low water. Never fished it on high water.

db

[Phil Lilley]

You know there's still a ton of trout in this area... they were midging all over the place yesterday mid-day. They were working the banks heavy reported the Johnson group yesterday am which means dry fly action.

You just have to hit it and try... that's fishing. It's not like they aren't there. DO seems to be real good cause the fish fought hard.

[Bill Babler]

10-31-07

Spoke to Tony Wedele before I started yesterday. He had gotten started at 5 AM with what he described as really good fisherman, throwing stickbaits trying to get a good brown fish.

His first past was from Clay Banks thru Fall Creek, on 4 generators and he reported no bites of any kind, including bows.

Second pass he floated from just above the Conservation ramp to lilleys and nothing. It was getting light, so he switched to dragging an egg fly and fished it in the restriced area from then to 11 AM and his catch as 5 very small silver bullets.

Being the hard head I am, I took my fisherman on the same trek using longsticks with various offerings in tandems for two passes and caught 1 small bullet. I have seen them get fussy up there before, but not really this bad. Maybe to much water for too long.

That was enough for me. Fished the grass beds below Cooper the remainder of the morning using a size 16 zebra and ended up very respectable with 36 catch and release fish.