Friday, February 18, 2011 – Taneycomo Fishing Report - Phil Lilley

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, we were setting record low temperatures below zero. Yesterday we set a record high of 73 degrees, and the forecast is looking like spring is here. But it’s not. Don’t be fooled. It’s mid-February.

But for now, boating on the lake is better than tolerable; it’s quite nice. This morning we actually had fog on the lake from the cold water and warm, humid air, just as in summer months. Generation has ceased except for a weird two-unit all-day run yesterday, which made no sense to me. I’ve told lots of people that the Corps probably wouldn’t run any water until this warm spell passes and we’re back to winter weather, but yesterday the Corps made me a liar . . . again.

I’ve done quite a bit of fishing this week, so some of my report is firsthand. The funniest and most successful trip was Wednesday when I got to fish with Guide Vince Elfrink. We took the boat out and went up past Short Creek to the Riverpoint boat ramp (south side of the lake), kept the boat a little south of center and fished to the deep side using an olive micro jig, two-pound line and a float, setting the depth at five feet. Between the boat traffic and a breeze every once in a while, the surface was broken enough to keep the jig moving. The rainbows liked it! We caught rainbows, one after the other, for two hours. Surprisingly, some of these rainbows were larger than the rainbows I caught earlier in the week in the trophy area, but there were a lot of dinks, too.

The Missouri Department of Conservation’s Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery has stocked its fish once this week down in the Landing area, while they have stocked rainbows from the federal hatchery in Neosho several more times this week. These rainbows typically are smaller although, learning the almost all our rainbows stocked in the last three months have come from Neosho, I know they’ve stocked some decent rainbows too.

Our water temperature is very cold for this time of year. I think our normal water temperature for February should be in the mid- to upper 40’s. Clint Hale, hatchery manager, told me they’re getting 42-degree water from their intake. I’m getting 39 degrees when I’m out in the boat below the dam while the water is running. We usually don’t see 39 until May. Colder than normal temperatures will slow the rate of rainbows’ growth. That may be the reason Shepherd is holding its rainbows and letting the Neosho ones take up the slack. Rainbows stocked in Taneycomo are supposed to average more than 11 inches in length.

Earlier in the week, I fished between Lookout and Fall Creek and threw 1/16^th-ounce jigs using two-pound line. With no generation and very little wind, the trout bit fairly well. We caught a couple of rainbows pushing 19 inches, but most of the other trout were closer to 14 inches. We threw sculpin-, sculpin/peach- and sculpin/ginger-colored jigs.

With the water running yesterday, we drifted pink 1/125^th-ounce marabou jigs under a float four feet deep from Lookout to Fall Creek and picked up rainbows here and there. We stayed from the middle to the shallow side of the lake. I bet if we had tied on a red San Juan worm and a #12 gray “peppy” scud on two-pound line with a small split shot, we would have slayed the rainbows drifting in the same area.

Below Fall Creek, fishing with a jig-and-float or throwing a jig straight should be one of the best techniques in catching fish this weekend. Use two-pound line if you dare but four-pound is okay. If you’re using two-pound line, throw a 1/16^th-ounce jig, but if you’re using four-pound line, throw a 3/32^nd-ounce jig. Keep several colors handy to try—sculpin, olive, brown, ginger and the combo colors with sculpin, ginger, peach and orange.

Night crawlers are catching larger rainbows than Power Bait but either bait is good. Inject the worm with some air to get it off the bottom and only use half at a time. You could slide a Gulp floating egg up above the night crawler to float it off the bottom, too. Gulp colors that have been good are white/orange and white/pink. Yellow nuggets have been hot, too.

One more pointer—when handling rainbows in the boat or on the dock, if you’re going to release the fish, handle the trout with a WET rag, not a dry one. All a dry rag does is wipe all the protective slim from a trout’s body, leaving it susceptible to bacteria and disease. If the hook is down deep in the trout’s throat, cut the line; don’t pull it out.

Winter Trout Fishing in Branson, MO

Winter Trout Fishing - One of Branson's Best Kept Secrets

Lake Taneycomo Tournaments Keep Cabin Fever at Bay

Branson, Mo. -- Lake Taneycomo, that runs through the heart of Branson, is one of the best trout fisheries in the Midwest. Winter is often the best season for trout fishing on Taneycomo. During late fall Table Rock Lake, which feeds Taneycomo, turns over, inverting the waters. This, in turn, causes the water flowing into Taneycomo to hold more oxygen for trout.

January 29 and February 26 fishermen will take off at 8 a.m. from Lilleys' Landing to try their luck and skill for cash prizes and trophies in two public tournaments. The entry fee is $50 per each two-man team. Both tournaments are catch-and-release and anglers can only use artificial baits. All entrants and spectators are invited to a free meal immediately following the weigh-in at 4 p.m.

In the 30-plus years of annual winter tournaments on Lake Taneycomo, anglers have learned to prepare for a wide range of weather. Some years, the high temperature has reached 70; others have dipped to below freezing with snow and sleet. But the weather is all part of the outdoor adventure, contestants say, as they just add layers and pack hand and feet warmers. "The weather doesn't matter," said Bob Dwiggins of St. Louis, who plans to spend about five weekends fishing at Lilleys' Landing this winter. "It's always fun here."

Marabou jigs have long proved to be a mainstay on the lake, because they are cheap at $1 each, and can last through a dozen or more fish. Lilleys' Landing tackle shop carries jigs in several different size of weights to vary with Taneycomo's generation schedule. Scuds and midges are also great to try in the upper lake, sometimes with a tandem rig tied with an egg fly or a San Juan worm 18 inches below the scud. Phil Lilley of Lilleys' Landing, said,"We see midge hatches almost every day in the winter here on the lake, and that means our rainbows are ready and waiting to munch on little flies swimming up from the bottom and hatching on the surface."

For current fishing tips, anglers can go to Lilleys' sister website, www.Ozarkanglers.com to find articles, ask questions in a forum and read reports.

Media Contact
Megan Cummings
417-334-6380
Megan@lilleyslanding.com

Winter Trout Fishing in Branson, MO

Winter Trout Fishing - One of Branson's Best Kept Secrets

Lake Taneycomo Tournaments Keep Cabin Fever at Bay

Branson, Mo. -- Lake Taneycomo, that runs through the heart of Branson, is one of the best trout fisheries in the Midwest. Winter is often the best season for trout fishing on Taneycomo. During late fall Table Rock Lake, which feeds Taneycomo, turns over, inverting the waters. This, in turn, causes the water flowing into Taneycomo to hold more oxygen for trout.

January 29 and February 26 fishermen will take off at 8 a.m. from Lilleys' Landing to try their luck and skill for cash prizes and trophies in two public tournaments. The entry fee is $50 per each two-man team. Both tournaments are catch-and-release and anglers can only use artificial baits. All entrants and spectators are invited to a free meal immediately following the weigh-in at 4 p.m.

In the 30-plus years of annual winter tournaments on Lake Taneycomo, anglers have learned to prepare for a wide range of weather. Some years, the high temperature has reached 70; others have dipped to below freezing with snow and sleet. But the weather is all part of the outdoor adventure, contestants say, as they just add layers and pack hand and feet warmers. "The weather doesn't matter," said Bob Dwiggins of St. Louis, who plans to spend about five weekends fishing at Lilleys' Landing this winter. "It's always fun here."

Marabou jigs have long proved to be a mainstay on the lake, because they are cheap at $1 each, and can last through a dozen or more fish. Lilleys' Landing tackle shop carries jigs in several different size of weights to vary with Taneycomo's generation schedule. Scuds and midges are also great to try in the upper lake, sometimes with a tandem rig tied with an egg fly or a San Juan worm 18 inches below the scud. Phil Lilley of Lilleys' Landing, said,"We see midge hatches almost every day in the winter here on the lake, and that means our rainbows are ready and waiting to munch on little flies swimming up from the bottom and hatching on the surface."

For current fishing tips, anglers can go to Lilleys' sister website, www.Ozarkanglers.com to find articles, ask questions in a forum and read reports.

Media Contact
Megan Cummings
417-334-6380
Megan@lilleyslanding.com

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 10/22/2010 - Branson, MO

The theme of this record is like a broken record . . . wait it is a broken record. Our beautiful fall weather hasn't changed in weeks with a high blue sky, 75-85 degrees, no rain and only a little wind. Generation patterns . . . again, hardly any change. Most days, water is running any where from a half unit to two units, 25-85 megawatts, and varying during the day. Some days the generation starts at 3 p.m. and runs through the night. On others it starts at midnight and runs through the next day. The only consistent pattern is that there's no pattern at all. Little water runs on weekends, but not always, except that there is usually no generation most of the day on Sundays.

Fishing -- if anything it has slowed a bit. That's what we're hearing from guests and guides alike. But the minute or hour you think there's no trout in the lake, they turn on, and you can catch a bunch of nice rainbows. It's still fishing. Not biting? In the fall, low oxygen in the water usually gets blamed, but the rainbows I have caught fought hard and swam off quickly, indicating they have plenty of oxygen. The other reason suggested for the slowdown was fewer rainbows in the lake, but the Missouri Department of Conservation is still stocking. Fishing pressure has actually decreased the last week, too, and will continue to decrease in the coming weeks.

Night crawlers are still king, by far. We're carrying live minnows due to so many requests, but I don't think they're working any better than worms or Power Bait. The Gulp variety is still catching some rainbows but mostly smaller ones. And we do have some real small rainbows swimming around right now. I caught one last evening that didn't stretch to four inches. I was drifitng a san juan worm and a scud using a small split shot and felt something kind of like bumping gravel, but not quite. But not big enough to be a real fish? It was. It didn't stop bumping in a weird way, so I reeled it in and fought a fish on the hook. They are small!

I have a new recipe for a drift rig I want to share. I've been using it lately and I think it's a great rig. Tie the normal rig with a hook or fly on one end and a loop closer to the other end, but leave off the bell weight. Instead, make a loop, loop it through and make a small, simple knot in the line real close to the end of the line. That's it. Then pinch a split shot on the line and slide it down to the knot. What makes this better is, first, if your weight snags on the bottom, the shot will just pull loose. Tie another knot and pinch on another shot. This also allows you to change size of split shots easily. I really like this since our generation has been changing so much during the day lately. If it slows I can put on a smaller shot. If it speeds up, I can pinch on a little bigger shot. No, I don't have these in our tackle shop yet, but I'm working on getting them tied up.

I used one of these rigs yesterday, drifting a light brown san juan worm, medium chenille, 6x tippet, #10 hook and a #14 dead peppy scud on the bottom and caught some real nice rainbows. I boated to the dam about 11 a.m., after water started running at 9 a.m. There was just enough water to get all the way to the cable, although I was holding my breath running through the rebar area. I threw a 1/8-ounce sculpin jig from the cable down past rebar and caught five rainbows in the 15-to 18-inch range. They hit hard and fought hard. They were hungry. No browns. I didn't do as well through the big hole area but caught a few smaller rainbows down closer to the boat ramp. I worked the KOA stretch with no results. Started drifting my worm and scud at Lookout and quickly boated an 18-inch rainbow. It jumped three times and made five hard runs. I was amazed that this fish was this full of fight this time of year, pleasantly surprised. Caught six more rainbows before heading back to the resort, all in the slot. I could see our small rainbows as I drifted down, but I guess the big ones were getting to the flies first. Same result in the evening, but I found the dinks, too.

Night fishing below the dam has been a mixed bag. With water running so much at night, it's been tough for most who aren't used to fishing at night. There's some room at outlets #1 and #2, but tangles and trees cause most anglers to head back to a warm bed and dreams of doing better at daylight. But if you do catch the water down, there's a variety of flies to try and ways to work them. I would think the big browns would go after a larger fly but you know, we've been catching big browns at night on smaller wooly buggers for years. On moonlit nights like last night, don't be scared to try a white streamer. Check out my last report for a list of night time flies we have in the shop. Or, as I tell people when they ask about the flies in their own collection -- give them a try! They'll probably work.

To try night fishing, first, carry a light but keep it off the water you're fishing . . . and off the water others are fishing. Light will spook fish and they will leave the area--quickly. Second, don't be in a big hurry to wade out in the water. A lot of these trout cruise the banks for sculpin. Third, don't crowd the angler who's already in the water. Remember, there's current. If you wade in just below someone who's fishing, you're probably standing where he was casting. Keep a long space between each other or don't wade out very far.

If the water isn't running, in the area above Fall Creek, micro jigs in olive, tan or black are working. Fish them four-to six-feet deep under an indicator. These are also working below Fall Creek. We've been getting a good midge hatch in the evenings, and rainbows have been taking them off the surface. Tie on a zebra midge in red or black, #14 or #16's and place an indicator 12 inches from the fly. Target these midging trout as they rise. You can throw this rig with a fly rod or spin cast rod and reel.

Scuds imitate freshwater shrimp, which are the staple food for our trout. Shrimp live mainly in the upper end of the lake where it's shallow, but they are found throughout the lake living in gravel and dead, lying timbers. Beaded scuds can be used under an indicator, just like a micro or marabou jig, and worked close to dead trees and steeper banks and docks.

Scuds are a great fly to use above Fall Creek just off the flats in the channel. If the water is off, you can use a tandem rig (two flies about 18 inches apart) under an indicator. Set the depth according to the water you're fishing, and make sure your flies are on the bottom. Use a weighted scud or use split shots to get them down. Move the indicator every 10 to 15 seconds to make the flies hop off the bottom. Scuds swim and do come off the bottom when swimming. You're flies should mimic these bugs as closely as possible to attract a bite. If the indicator moves in the slightest, set the hook!

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 7/16/2010 - Branson, MO

It's been an amazing year so far here on Lake Taneycomo. In the past three years our lake/river has seen a great deal of water -- water from the upper White River basin, Beaver and Table Rock lakes, as well as major river systems feeding each lake. This constant flow over this period has created fertile conditions for trout food, namely freshwater shrimp. These small crustaceons, that live in the gravel at the bottom of our lake, are very high in protein. You'll find dried freshwater shrimp, called "scuds," sold in pet stores to feed various small pets like turtles. When a fishery has an abundant population of scuds, its fish will exhibit very healthy growth rates. That's what we're seeing for our trout right now.

In the past, we would see big, fat rainbows after a lengthy shad run from Table Rock Lake. Threadfin shad would flow from the dam, dead or stunned from their trip through the turbines, and our trout would feast on them until their bellies would bulge. They would grow so fast that we'd see two-pound rainbows in no time, but that wouldn't last. In less than six months, most of these rainbows would move out of the trophy area and be caught out of the lake, ending a seemingly steller trophy run. The resident food base would not handle the growth spurt and the larger rainbows in the system. Why? In time, we'd experience long periods of no generation on our lake when water would not run, would not move, thus depleting the population of freshwater shrimp down to levels that could not sustain the size and number of rainbows.

Because of the three years of flowing water on Taneycomo, we are seeing big numbers of big rainbows throughout the lake, not just in the trophy area. Our scud population doesn't stop at Fall Creek, the lower boundary of the trophy area; it extends down further that anyone suspects. Back in the "hay day" of big trout on Taneycomo, the 1960's and early 1970's, huge schools of scuds were found in the Branson downtown area. A friend who then worked on the Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise remembers how the crew would stomp on their dock to knock the scuds off the floatation, causing a trout feeding frenzy. They would drop their lines in the water and pull out three- and four- pound rainbows one after the other. We might not have that kind of scud population, today but it's still amazingly good when we see two- and three- pound rainbows caught fairly consistently well below the trophy area.

Fishing Report

Generation has been, well, difficult to gauge. Southwest Power Administration's generation schedule is set midafternoon the day prior, but it was off yesterday after holding closely to projection for a couple of weeks. We've had front after front cross our area with downpours that last 5-10 minutes, but these rains are localized to the degree that we might get a big downpour here at the resort, but up the road two miles on the Branson strip they might stay dry. . . and visa versa. Table Rock has not seen a bump in it's level, but Bull Shoals has jumped almost two feet. Yesterday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ran, for the first time in quite a while, some serious water through Table Rock Dam, opening four turbines but not quite full. Our lake level topped 710 feet, nine feet higher that our power pool which is 701.3 feet.

Fluxuating water levels: Typically when generation is started at the dam and water starts to move, our trout start feeding. Bugs and worms get washed into the lake when the water floods the bank edges, weeds and grassy areas. Scuds might start moving up out of their hiding places in the rocks. Midge larvae don't usually move unless we see a drop of movement, say when the Corps is shutting down the turbines. But when the trout see generation flows they haven't seen in a while, I believe they don't feed as well as they do when they see consistent flows. When the Corps fluctuates the levels during the day, for instance, the flow and level of the lake will vary by six inches to a foot several times an hour -- up and down -- and our trout don't seem to like that or at least they don't think about eating during those periods. Not sure why they do that, but we wish they'd stop!

Guessing what the Corps will do the rest of the week would be tough. I would just go fishing and take whatever comes. You should start early in the day, not necessarily because you'll catch more fish early but to give yourself the best chance to find when the trout will feed the most. I'd say later in the afternoon and evening is going to be the slowest, assuming that the Corps might be running a lot of water at that time. We're finding the best times to catch trout are from 8 a.m. until noon, but that depends on cloud cover. We've had cloudy days for the most part this month, which is great for fishing, but if the clouds clear in the afternoon and it is supposed to hit the 90's, the rest of the week, mid- to late afternoons will be unconfortable at best. High sun and no wind together yield the poorest fishing time.

But early, catching has been pretty good. Our guides have been doing the best, bait-wise, on night crawlers. It's surprising how many anglers step into our office and ask what the best bait is and expect a colored answer -- "pink Power Bait" is what they want to hear. When we answer "night crawlers," it's as if we said that the fish were all dead, or at least not biting. Live, "real" bait generally catches more fish than artificial bait. Now Eddie Ketchum, my Berkley fishing buddy, may not agree, but we see stocker rainbows being caught on Power Bait more than the larger, wiser rainbows. We float our worms, injecting them with air using a blow bottle. This floats the worm off the bottom so that the trout will see them quickly and eat them quickly.

The best area has been from Short to Fall Creeks, but this area has been the hardest hit the last few weeks. Fish numbers have been dropping from the pressure, so some of our guides and clients have been heading down to Monkey Island, just above downtown Branson, and finding good numbers of rainbows. Same thing, floating night crawlers off the bottom. Use a pre-made drift rig or just a small #6 hook and a split shot up the line about 18 inches. Use only the head half of the worm but save the tails. Hook the worm once, leaving each half of the worm hanging off the hook freely. You don't have to hide the hook!!! Inject the worm on the head half and let 'er fly. One more helpful hint - set the rod down and secure it. Wait for the bite, lift the rod and let the trout take the worm, then set the hook.

If they swallow the bait, and you want to release the fish, don't touch the fish, just cut the line close to the fish's mouth and drop it back into the water. Digging the hook out will likely kill the trout.

Yes, Gulp Power Bait eggs will catch rainbows, too. Use one white egg with another colored egg. The odd color varies, so buy all the other colors and keep switching until you find the right combination. Only use two eggs, though. I've seen people using a whole chain of eggs on larger hooks. I don't think rainbows are into eating candy necklaces.

Jig and float fishing catches more trout than just about any other technique. Tie on a small barrell swivel, but before that, slip on a float. Then tie on about six feet of two-pound line, preferablly flourocarbon. We use Vanish. Then tie on a 1/256th-ounce micro jig, either tan or olive. We've been fishing this rig anywhere from Lookout Island in the trophy area down to Monkey Island and catching trout. Throw it out and let it sit a minute, then twitch the float a bit and watch for the slightest movement. Have to be quick at times, but other times, they'll take it under.

Fly fishing below the dam is very good, but you have to know what you're doing. Early is best. It does get tough as the sun rises high in the sky. The water is clear and shallow and the trout up there are pretty smart -- they've seen and have eaten a lot of flies. As I told a young man the other day in the shop, you can use 6x tippet, but if you want to hook up more often, use 7x. The other thing you must have is an arsenal of flies in your box of different colors and sizes of scuds, midges and woolies.

If the water is running, you'll be limited where you can access the lake . . . and there will be a crowd at those accesses. Scuds will be your friend. Weighted #16 to #20's in various shades of gray, olive or tan. San Juan worms in red, brown and purple. Zebra midge #16 to #18's in red, black and olive. Small egg patterns in orange, white and brown. If you catch the water down, strip a #16 red or yellow soft hackle or an olive #14 wooly bugger. If you catch the water down at night, we have some great night patterns created just for our water. Hibernators and PMS, as well as leaches and buggers in large sizes (#6 to #2's) and mostly dark colors.

If you're fly fishing from a boat in the trophy area, if the water is running you'll need to drift your fly on the bottom. Best way is to use a fairly large indicator and allow plenty of line below it to drag the bottom. From Lookout down to Fall Creek, stay in the middle to shallow side of the lake and fish your fly about 10 feet deep, depending on how much water they're running. Add a split shot if you think your fly isn't making contact with the bottom. You can sub your scud or egg fly for a micro jig. Pink with a chrome head or a tan jig has been working pretty well.

If you catch the water off, shorten up your line under the indicator and use a micro jig in olive or tan. If you're using a scud, get it to the bottom and switch it to attract a strike.

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 4/01/2010 - Branson, MO

Floodgates were opened last week at Table Rock Dam to move water from Beaver and Table Rock lakes. The last three rains poured a total of 6 to 10 inches in the area.  One unit is down at Table Rock Dam, so floodgates make up for the loss of flow, plus some.  Beaver’s level is not dropping yet, but Table Rock is at a clip of four inches per day.  Table Rock’s level has dropped from 918.5 feet to 917.4 and should be down to 915.0 by next weekend. 

 

Report amended:   The floodgates have been shut off, and the fourth generator is back on line.

 

All this water has intimidated a lot of anglers.  As I’ve been sharing with them, it’s not the water flow itself but the 15-20 mph winds that’s making fishing tough.  As I’ve preached for many months, you’ve GOT to be on the bottom to get bit.  With this flow and the added effect of wind, it’s challenging!  Trout have been biting pretty well if you can present something to them in a good way – and that’s the trick.

 

We’ve been sending most of our guests downstream, basically advising them to find less windy spots to drift minnows or Gulp PowerBait eggs -- one white and one of another color like pink, orange or yellow -- on the bottom using a drift rig.  Up in the creeks, we’re finding a lot of trout looking to get out of the current.  Throwing spinners and spoons is good because these rainbows seem to be in the mood for chasing.  Also put a Gulp egg on a small jig hook and fish it under a float four-to five-feet deep.

 

Guide Bill Babler had a fantastic trip fishing this morning.  Especially from 7-9 a.m. with one-eighth ounce white jigs.  His clients caught some incredibly nice rainbows ranging from 18 to 22 inches in length.  With the gates off and dim prospects for more shad, these trout will be eyeing anything white for weeks to come.

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 3/04/2010 - Branson, MO

Generation and water temperature are always the first items I talk about in my fishing reports. Why? Because everything revolves around them. How you can fish, where and with what. I don’t talk about temperature as much as generation—it’s usually not an issue, but right now I feel it is. Table Rock Dam has been running two units 24/7 for more than a week in an effort to get Table Rock to power pool—915.0 feet. I emphasize the “.0” because at the moment it’s at .3. I’ve been told by a little bird that when it reaches .0 the dam operators will back off on generation. That may mean periods of zero or at least less generation in the coming days.

Water temps have held around 39, which is really cold for this time of year. Trout don’t mind the cold — really their warm water friends don’t either. They will feed but be slower about it. The bite may be softer, not as hard as it would be in 45-degree water. So presentation should also be a tad slower to get more bites. Just think “slow motion.” That’s what you’d be in if you were cold —moving a little slower. But just as with bass or crappie fishing, if we see a rise in water temps, we’ll see a rise in motion, action and feeding. Suppose generation slows and lake temps rise into the 50’s. If water temperatures rise a little, I bet you’ll see our trout respond with a feeding frenzy. Well, even if they don’t, at least you’re on the lake on a nice warm day!

I can’t say for sure whether we have had shad come through Table Rock Dam this week. Shad are dying like crazy on Table Rock due to the cold-water temps. It stands to reason that we should see some shad, but to tell the truth, I haven’t been out to investigate in more than a week nor heard any reports of sightings. At least one team fishing in Saturday’s tournament did well with white jigs and spinners between Fall Creek to Short Creek. Two teams fished up in the trophy area and reported catching a number of nice rainbows in the 17-18-inch range. One team said they were drifting with egg flies and san juan worms.

Our tournament Saturday was for artificial only with no baits allowed. Most anglers used jigs while others cast spoons, spinners and crank baits. The $800 prize for the largest, legal brown trout went unclaimed for the fourth year in a row. I’m sure there were man anglers jerking rouges and rapalas for that one big brown, but there were no takers. Many guys I talked to reported using two-pound fluorocarbon line, putting their jigs right on the bottom to get bit. Their thinking was that the fluorocarbon got them to the bottom easier and the two-pound line let them feel the light bite better. It was sunny Saturday, but most areas on the lake were windy. Other teams said they fished around the docks, just as they might fish for bass around structures. The tighter they stayed towards the docks, the better bites they had.

Lots of males and sows were weighed in, and most, if not all. were milking or dropping eggs. The stretch of time these rainbows spawn is awfully long, it seems. We were catching milking males way back in early January.

Minnows and night crawlers are still catching the better rainbows verses the baits (Gulp and paste), but either type of bait will yield you a limit in short time. Be sure to adjust your weight when drifting. If the water slows down, lessen the weight or you’ll be hanging up all the time.

Now IF we see some down water and you have the chance to wade below the dam, bring your wooly buggers, cracklebacks and soft hackles. The wind is blowing most days, and it’s supposed to be warmer soon. Midge hatches should be off the chart, and as the water warms, rainbows should be cruising the flats looking for something moving on the surface … oh, let’s hope so!!

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 2/03/2010 - Branson, MO

Generation continues.  Beaver and Table Rock close in on their perspective power pool  levels and all wade fishermen wait with baited breath for forecasted rain/sleet/snow to hold off.  Three units run 24/7 right now at Taney, giving boaters free reign of the lake.  Drifting is the word, the key at catching trout. 

Nothing much has changed from my last report.  I do want to reemphasize the fact that the last 2 trout tournaments have been won by anglers fishing down from the Landing to Bee Creek and even lower on the lake.  Large rainbows were stocked way down at Powersite Dam over 2 months ago and it seems most have been either caught or spread out to the point that it's hardly worth the run down there to try to catch one.  Rainbows weighing an average of a pound are pretty common and found in the wide open water below the Landing.  Some talked about keying in on docks and others fishing over grass beds close to banks.  Cleos and other spoons have made a comeback of sorts along with jigs and medium cranks baits. 

I got out this afternoon and boated to the dam.  Chilly run but not too bad once stopped and fishing.  It was an off afternoon for at least fish biting.  I made 4 drifted from the cable to the KOA and averaged 4 bites per drift.  Caught a dozen rainbows total, most about 13-14 inches with one pushing 17 and it was a big silver pig.  It had a "shad belly" but from the way they weren't paying ANY attention to white tells me they've seen no shad - yet.  Best color by far was olive - 1/8th to get down to the bottom and they were hitting light.  Seems like right in the middle of these fronts, the trout take a siesta and today was the day.  Talked to Bob Wehnert and he said about the same thing.  Tomorrow through the weekend, our trout should wake up and want breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

I wouldn't miss the chance drifting a night crawler or minnow from Fall Creek down past Short Creek for a larger rainbow or possibly a brown.  I think with all the attention the lower lake has been getting, the upper lake may hold some forgotten lunkers. 

Babler fished yesterday.  I'll go ahead and write a report for him, leaving out the exaggerated numbers :)  Bill, if you don't want me to rib you, write the report next time!  He said catching was "off the chart" but his charts are alittle suspect at times.  Pink micro jig under a float and it had to be fished deep to get close to the bottom I'd say.  He fished exclusively from Andy's house to Fall Creek. 

I did drift that section, first with a jig which I got no bites half way down, then switched to a egg fly, peach, and caught 3 on the lower section.  I did quit at the Narrows cause I was needed back at the office. 

One more note:  They're starting to put sections of Fall Creek's dock in the water.  Looks like it's going to be a nice big dock. 

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 1/22/2010 - Branson, MO

Even with milder temperatures, generation patterns on Lake Taneycomo remain about the same as they were, compared to the winter blast days a couple weeks ago.  It’s pretty much round the clock generation from one to two units, frustrating wade fisherman who have wait for months for the opportunity to fish below the dam without high water levels and current.

 

Table Rock is well below power pool but the lake above, Beaver, is being dropped from it’s high level to power pool.  Some speculate that 7 feet of water from Beaver Lake added to Table Rock only equates to a 6-foot raise but regardless, it seems the Corps’s plan is to keep Table Rock’s levels about the same as they are now and move Beaver’s water through the system.  Looking at the lake level charts, Beaver is dropping 4 to 5 inches per day which means it will take about 18 days to drop Beaver to power pool, without rains.   But there is rain in the forecast.

 

So we’ll talk about boat fishing, although dock fishing off our dock (Lilleys’ Landing), and docks further down, are fishable and fishing has been fairly good.

 

Fishing pressure on the lake this month has been minimal.  Not many people braved the cold temperature earlier in the month and since the weather broke, boaters have stayed away from the lake – probably don’t want to get the boat out of storage in fear of another cold spell.  Regardless, there seems to be a huge number of rainbows in the lake right now with many of what I’d call lunker size.

 

I talked to some guys that fished yesterday and they did very well using 1/16^th oz black jigs, working them off the bottom of the lake down below Branson down the Kanakuk Camp clear down to Bee Creek.  These anglers have been fishing here for a number of years and said they’d never caught trout like this, ever.  Many of the rainbows they caught were over 16 inches, big and fat and fought like steelhead.

 

Other anglers are heading down lake from the resort and having the same results using Gulp Powerbait eggs in varied colors – white, pink and orange.  Above the resort up to Fall Creek, night crawlers and minnows seem to do better that Gulp Eggs.  The current varies depending on where you are and how much water is running.  When they are running only one unit, the current here at the resort is very slow and even gets slower the further down lake you get.  So it’s almost like still fishing and dropping an anchor isn’t out of the question. 

 

Bill and I got out yesterday in the boat for a while.  We were out while that cold front moved through and temperatures dropped from the high 60’s to low 40’s.  The water dropped out from two to one units too – we thought fishing wouldn’t be very good, but it was.

 

We boated up not quite to Lookout and started… Bill using his fly rod, pink micro jig under an indicator 9 feet deep and me using my jig/spin rod and throwing an 1/8^th oz sculpin jig, working it off the bottom.  They were running 2 units at 706 feet but the level had already started dropping out on our first drift.  The top end didn’t produce much, it was only when we got below the tennis courts did the rods start bending, and they bent quite a lot.

 

Both techniques caught rainbows, many were small dinks from 8 to 11 inches.  There were a few “eaters” as Bill calls them – right below the 12-inch mark.  And there were the Taneycomo Trophy Rainbows we are accustomed to – 16 to 18 inches, beat red sides and gill plates.

 

Bill switched to his spin rod but stayed with his jig and float.  He bought a 10-foot, Okuma Steelhead Rod for jig and float fishing and it worked pretty well.  I tried it – it was a little heavy and awkward to cast but setting the hook even on a long cast was no problem.

 

All in all, we caught quite a few rainbows in the 2 hours we were out.  Hopefully he can get the video to work on his new site at http://whiteriveroutfitters.com

 

Remember, we have our first public trout tournament next weekend, January 30, here at the Landing.

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 1/11/2010 - Branson, MO

Fishing in zero temps… are you crazy? Most things breaks in cold, everything else doesn’t work. Livewells and water lines freeze. Exhaust clog and motors melt. Boats freeze and stick to trailer bunks. Guides on rods pack with ice in seconds.
Fingers and toes as well as face freeze.

Shall I go on?

But these guys wouldn’t miss it for the world! A group of guys have fished one weekend each winter for the past 30 years. It turned into a friendly fishing tournament in honor of a fallen comrade, Elmer Boswell.

So this past Saturday morning, with temperatures close to the zero mark, they left our dock in boats to fish over 8 hours in weather most of us would be looking for a warm spot next to a fireplace instead.

I’ve always told the Boswell group their trip nets them some of the best trout fishing Taneycomo has to offer. Why? November and December are the least fished months of the year. MDC continues to stock trout during these months so rainbow populations grow. Less pressure on our trout allow them to grow accustom to their environment as well as grow in size. Thus, the first of January is prime time trout fishing proven by the bags of trout brought to the dock for weigh in the Boswell Tournament.

In addition, this past 18 months we’ve seen almost non-stop generation which means our lake’s food base is in excellent shape, evident by our fat and healthy trout.

Just consider the weighs from yesterday’s contest – the top eight teams weighed in 8 trout averaging over a pound apiece. Largest rainbow was over 6 pounds and it was caught all the way down at Powersite, the bottom end of Taneycomo, on a jig. Many of these rainbows aren’t being caught close to the trophy area. The Boswell group aren’t allowed to fish above Fall Creek so none came from the trophy area. I know for a fact that most were caught below Cooper Creek.

All that to say this…. trout fishing on Taneycomo is pretty darn good right now.

For a New Years present, the Corp gave us 3 days of no generation. Since then we’ve had 24/7 water, from 1 to 3 units depending on… well I’m not sure. Usually temps like we’ve had merit 4 full units but we haven’t had 4 units. On the contrary, most of the time we’ve had less than one unit. At the dock, you could barely see the water moving. But with lake levels below normal and warm days in the forecast, we may see more periods of no generation this week.

Midge hatches, we’ve had big hatches since the water has been slowed. When the water was off, it seemed like nonstop hatches. Rainbows were really keying in on the little buggers, dimpling the surface, picking off hatchlings. I caught rainbows on Zebra Midges, #16 olive, under an indicator from 6 to 20 inches deep, depending on the depth of water I was fishing. Also did well stripping soft hackles, #14 red or black, when the surface was choppy due to wind.

Jig fishing has also been really good, either tossing a 1/8th ounce straight or a small 1/125th ounce under a float. Dark colors seem to be the ticket – Sculpin, brown, black, olive but I did talk to someone yesterday that said ginger worked real well for him.

Minnows were popular this weekend. Unfortunately, we hadn’t gotten our first shipment in so we sent our guys down to Scotty’s Trout Dock. Our trout seem like they start keying in on minnows in the winter. That would make sense if shad had been coming through Table Rock Dam’s turbines but they haven’t… not yet. Night crawlers were also good as well as Gulp Eggs.

Some guys trolled Rapala Countdowns and caught rainbows and a few browns. One angler said he caught a 19-inch brown on Friday trolling a countdown.

Merry Christmas from Lilleys' Landing Resort!

Merry Christmas from Lilleys' Landing Resort!

If you plan on taking in a Branson Christmas show this year, remember that most of the standbys such as Baldnobbers and the Presleys end by Dec. 12, as well as the new Peter Pan musical with Kathy Rigby.  Others such as the new Miracle of Christmas at the Sight and Sound Theatre and the Branson Belle have limited shows through Dec. 19-21, while a good variety have limited times through New Year's.  Those would include the Amazing Pets, Dixie Stampede, Grand Jubilee, Haygoods, Kirby Van Burch and the Legends, so please check individual listings. Silver Dollar City will also be open after Christmas, and the light displays in Branson Hills and at Shepherd of the Hills will be open until New Year's. The Uptown Cafe hosts a free lunch hour broadcast, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to spotlight area talent, which you can also hear on KBFL 1060 AM and KBFL 99.9 FM. 

Remember we stay open year-round, so please call us if you can take a short getaway to Branson to enjoy the Christmas festivities here -- or just to escape on the lake!  We have plenty of openings up until Christmas and some limited rooms open between Christmas and New Year's, so please call us at 1-888-LILLEYS (545-5397) even at the last minute. 

Don't forget we can also expedite a gift certificate to you for a special someone for any amount of $20 or more.  We can designate whether you want it to be applied toward a room, boat rental or just for their choice. You can shop ouronline tackle store or call us to purchase a gift item from the store. 

As we close out the last year of the first decade of the 21st century, we still stand in awe that God provided us this beautiful place for people to make memories with family and friends amid the peaceful solitude of His creation.  But then how can we doubt His goodness when He gave Himself through Christ to bring our hearts home to Him!  "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, forever and ever!" Revelations 5:13

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from all of us at Lilleys Landing!

Lake Taneycomo Fishing News

Winter officially starts December 21, a little less than three weeks away, but it feels like winter this morning here in the Ozarks. Early temperatures dropped into the teens for the first time, giving the air a bite. Several boats left the dock this morning with eager anglers looking to catch some Lake Taneycomo trout. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is running water this morning for a couple of reasons, and you'll find these reasons pretty consistent to how water is run water all winter. Beaver Lake is still high from the rains this fall. Table Rock is at power pool or normal levels. Water is being run at Beaver Dam to drop lake levels there, and this water basically has to be washed through the system, from Beaver Dam to Table Rock through Taneycomo and Bull Shoals into the White River. Another reason for running water here: it's cold! Power demand and water management work hand-in-hand.

We did fish some down water last week as well as this past weekend. I, as well as other anglers, enjoyed getting out and seeing our lake as a lake again -- still with no current. The trout seemed to like it, too. They adjusted quickly and feasted back on midges, scuds and sculpin, their three main foods.

Looking back on this past fall fishing season, there really hasn't been any periods when trout fishing has been slow. Typically in the fall, we see fishing slow down because of the low dissolved oxygen or higher water temperatures, but fishing, or catching, has stayed consistently good all fall. Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery has kept up on stocking good numbers of rainbows, and it seems that once they're stocked, they grow fairly fast. Their colors change from dull-hatchery gray to bright silver, reds and greens. The trout we're catching now are fat, strong and sassy, pulling hard when hooked and then showing off their aquatic acrobatics.

As far as generation patterns and how to guess what may happen on any given day or weekend . . . typically little water is run on the weekends. Power demand is lower on weekends, but if the temperature dips below freezing early, generation may occur only in the mornings and be turned off in the afternoon. Otherwise, it's hard to predict. For most of this week, dam officials are running water 24 hours a day. I'm sure that is to release water coming in from Beaver Lake. Once that water is through, we will start seeing less generation unless we get more rain.

Our scud population is very good right now, especially above Short Creek to the dam. As a rule, we fish larger scuds, up to size 8, when the water is running and smaller sizes when it's off, down to size 20. But we are using size 10s during generation and size 14 when it's not right now, at least in the restricted area above Fall Creek and below Lookout fishing from a boat. Below the dam while wading you may have to size down further to get bit. Honestly, I have not been up there since they've started shutting the water down -- I'm only going by reports I hear from other anglers.

I did catch a few rainbows the other day while drifting orange PowerBait Gulp eggs between Fall and Short creeks and found their stomachs full of midge larvae. The larvae themselves were way too small to be imitated by our flies, but I bet the trout would still take a larger fly, too. We've had some incredibly big midge hatches lately, and the trout have seemed to target them.

As I mentioned, I did get out and fished the other day. I tried some different lures -- tried a jig and float using a 1/32nd-ounce brown with a orange head jig under a float six- feet deep. Dam officials were running one unit that day, all day, and I tried to keep the boat where I was fishing the edge of the channel or in water that was about six- to eight-feet deep. I'd work or twitch the float just a little every four seconds to give the jig a little more action. The rainbows I caught were all bigger than the ones others were reporting. All my trout were 14 inches or more -- and boy did they fight!

I didn't change my technique as I drifted past Fall Creek. I stayed closer to the shallow side of the lake, targeting the same depth of water and kept picking up rainbows all the way down to Short Creek. The size of rainbows didn't change either. I was amazed that these larger, older rainbows liked what I thought was a larger jig than I would normally use. I normally use a 1/100th-ounce jig or smaller when throwing a jig-and-float rig but left my small jig box at home.

Heading back up, I wanted to catch some rainbows for dinner so I started at Fall Creek and drifted PowerBait Gulp eggs on the bottom. I used a small, 7/0 spilt shot only, just enough to tick the bottom. I started with orange and caught two right off. They were smaller, whichis the size I like to eat. Switched to pink and . . . nothing. Back to orange and finished my limit before Short Creek. Now with one unit, the water is running pretty slowly, so I had lots of time to limit out in one drift. If I had been planning ahead, I would have known to pack night crawlers to drift live bait below Fall Creek. Night crawlers seem to catch bigger trout than Power Bait. But this worked out just fine.

Winter Forecast: What is a normal winter??? After the last three or four seasons, I'm not sure what is normal anymore. Global warming? Well to be honest, it was nice to have warm winters, if nothing else, to make it easy on the hands and face when fishing! But, alas, that mild pattern for a few years was tooo fleeting, and it seems we're back to cold winters. Wet? We've had more ice than snow, which is irritating for sure. I like snow -- a little. One snow and that's all. It's nice and pretty for an hour or so, but then we have to go out and deal with it. But no ice, please!! I guess I'm spelling out my wish list. No gifts this Christmas, please, just give me the weather that's good for trout fishing!

All kidding aside, weather plays a big part in fishing. Ideally, I would like to see a cold, wet winter for our fishery. We need the lakes to get cold to be healthy for the rest of the year. We also need some generation to keep the food base in good shape for the trout. That's it in a nut shell. I would also like to see a good shad kill (a natural shad kill on Table Rock), but this time I'd like to see the shad come through the turbines and into Taneycomo. Last year we saw lots of shad dying on Table Rock, but for whatever reason, they didn't get down to the inlet vents at the dam-face. Threadfin shad are our trout's dream Christmas dinner. It's gives them lots of protein and makes them mature to be lunker trout in little time.

If you like to wade below Table Rock Dam when the water is off, you might be interested in a project that the Missouri Department of Conservation is working on, in conjunction with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Bass Pro Shops, to add fish habitat on Table Rock Lake and some of its tributaries, as well as Lake Taneycomo. These entities have donated $5 million to the five-year project. Thousands of cedar trees, hardwood stumps and rock piles already have been placed on Table Rock Lake.

They are conferring with local anglers on how to add structures below Table Rock Dam to enhance the fishery. Over the years, gravel has washed in the lake from unprotected banks, filling in once-deep channels and holes where trout used to rest from the current and anglers. The topography has evolved now to a large, shallow flat area with no structure to hold fish, so anglers move to areas where there are fish, mainly at the hatchery outlets and a few other places where there's running water created by riffles and rocks. MDC wants to create new areas where fish will hold, spreading out anglers and giving them more choices on where to fish.

Work below the dam may start as soon as this spring.

And Now... The Rest of the Story

Many of you have read the story of the new state record brown trout landed by resort guest Scott Sandusky two weeks ago as he drifted rainbow PowerBait by Cooper Creek with his Arnold, MO, buddies. What we haven't disclosed until recently was our special Thanksgiving blessing of fishing for and finding the lunker a second time -- this time out of a trash truck . . .

At 37 inches long, 24.75 inches in girth and weighing 28.8 pounds, Scott obviously needed to mount his prize, which was roughly a pound heavier than the previous record. We needed to make a decision what to do with his brown while the Missouri Department of Conservation processed the paperwork needed to make his fish the official new state record brown trout. Clint Hale, Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery manager, told us that the fish could not be consumed or taken to a taxidermist until the paperwork was complete which would take a few weeks.

So we needed to find a freezer big enough for a 40-inch fish to lay flat, since its bulk had been wrapped in towels to secure its shape. The only one we could find was in the kitchen at the First Baptist Church here in Branson, so dad and I took the fish and placed in the freezer. Honestly, I did think about labeling it somehow to identify it as belonging to someone but . . . I trusted that no one would mess with it. That was our downfall.

Dad flashed the fish off in the freezer Sunday night to some fellow church-goers, at least showing off the bulk size of the fish. The towels were frozen to the skin of the trout so he couldn't back the layers, but it was still an impressive sight.

On Wednesday morning, dad drove to the church to retreive the record fish to transfer it to a freezer we had. Once the fish was frozen solid, it could be stood upright, fitting into another freezer. The trout was gone. No fish in the freezer anywhere. Jerry asked in the office, but no one know about it. Then he learned of the fish's fate. It had been thrown out into the dumpster on Monday -- only to have been picked up that very Wednesday morning by the trash truck.

"I've never been so down in my life as when I saw that fish was gone," Jerry said. He began asking us all to pray for a miracle, and Carolyn, my mother, even called friends to pray.

I was headed to a meeting, and resigned myself to the fact that the fish was gone for sure, but dad's tenacity paid off. He called the Alllied Waste company and found out where the truck was headed, drove to Reeds Spring and met the truck there prepared for dumpster diving. The attendants there were experienced in finding the treasures people have thrown out. (Once retrieving some tossed diamond earrings.) They dumped the contents of the truck on a concrete pad and started picking through it with a small bobcat. Mom had accompanied dad for "support" and both were holding their noses and hoping they'd find the fish in decent shape, but with every move, the bobcat did not turn up any light teal-green towels or fish remains.

My mom is a woman of faith. Her relationship with the Lord is astounding, and she told dad she was hearing the Lord say it was in a pile "over there." Dad had all but given up on the search, but mom pushed for one more swipe of trash in the area God was directing her to. Then she saw the towel. She waded in and dug it out. The fish was still wrapped in the towel. A small tear in its back was the only visible damage to the fish they could see. They headed back home with the trout, praising God for His constant faithfulness and mercy -- this time exhibited in finding the fish.

Scott's brown trout is once again in a freezer, but this time it's in a safer place. Trout that large are actually replicated by taxidermists and not mounted in the traditional way of using the actual fish and its skin. But when the mold is made of the actual fish and a replica cast, Scott will have the mount of a lifetime, representing his "knee-shaking" treasure of a memory:

Scott and his friends, Scott Hawkins, Greg Lawson and Craig Thomas, had planned to catch some keeper rainbows to fry for dinner Friday night, then hit the trophy area for lunkers on Saturday. They drifted downstream, using rainbow-colored, paste Power Bait, bumping it on the bottom as you're supposed to. Just below Cooper Creek, Scott set his rod in the rod holder to help with another rig. Thinking he saw a bite, Scott picked his rod back up, set the hook and knew -- he had something big.

But he didn't know what it was . . . a catfish? A big carp? If it was a trout, it was a really, really big trout. Then they saw it. It was a brown trout.

He had his spin reel set to wind backwards, not trusting the drag. Smart guy because this fish didn't want to play. The brown surged for the far bank, spinning off so much line, so fast, that it was all Scott could do release the handle and watch his line fly off his reel. Then he stopped.

Working it closer to the boat, his team of anglers started to plan their attack. One retrieved the net and the other pulled up the trolling motor -- just in time. Four-pound line doesn't last long against a prop.

When most people buy a fish net, they don't expect to land a 37-inch fish, right? Scott's net could hold half this fish. It flopped in, it flopped out. Then Scott's net man, Craig, muscled up and got it in the boat. All was made official by Missouri Department of Conservation officials at the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery. Shane Bush, MDC fisheries biologist and Quenten Fronterhouse, MDC enforcement agent, both helped in this process. Clint Hale, hatchery manager, was also present.

 

Charities We Support: Free Medical Clinic of the Ozarks

We can't let the year pass without letting you know how much we appreciate your business -- not only for the personal support for our families, but for the community outreaches we are able to undertake as well. In November, the Free Medical Clinic of the Ozarks -- where Jerry Lilley serves for free as the acting director -- completed its first year of operation, logging more than 950 patient visits for those who work in Stone and Taney counties but cannot afford health insurance. Because of community support, such as from Lilleys' Landing, the clinic has operated with a total budget of $26,000.

“It’s really a testimony to the faithful commitment of the volunteers who have such a heart for this,” said Dr. John H. Moore, a founding board member. “It’s phenomenal for a community of this size.” 

With the vision that the clinic would evolve only as the support evolved, board members began Veterans Day last year with general medical clinic hours from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in the downstairs annex building of Covenant Life Church (Marsha & Phil Lilley's church) at Third and Atlantic in downtown Branson. But with the enthusiasm of medical staff — now numbering 16 physicians, four licensed physician assistants, 31 licensed nurses, two pharmacists and one respiratory therapist — the clinic soon expanded to rotating specialty clinics on Monday nights for orthopedics, gynecology, pediatrics and respiratory therapy. 

For efficiency, patients must bring proof of identity, residency and income (200 percent below federal poverty guidelines) on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to apply for scheduled evening appointments. They also must verify by telephone later that they intend to keep their appointments. About 30 lay volunteers man the phones, keep up with the paperwork, greet patients and maintain the premises. 

In addition to evaluations by the medical staff, the clinic provides patients with their first medications and helps them acquire long-term medications through various drug assistance programs. Skaggs Hospital provides laboratory and x-ray services and has also set up the clinic with computers and technical staff to allow physicians to access all their patients’ medical records while seeing them in the clinic exam rooms. 

Eleven trained chaplains rotate to counsel each patient, offering to pray for them and their specific needs. Dr. Moore, who volunteers as one of the chaplains, said prayer is vital to the mission of the clinic. 

“No one has ever refused prayer,” he said,” and six people have actually prayed to receive Christ, professing them as Lord for the first time.” 

That kind of ministry, he said, is a fulfillment of a long-held dream for him. “I’ve wanted to be part of a clinic like this since I began in medicine,” he said. “In 30 years of practice, I had wanted to work at a clinic that provided free care and spiritual nurture as well.” 

Lilleys' Landing Resort & Marina Newsletter 
January, 2009

State Record Brown Trout Broken on Taneycomo in Branson, MO

Written by Phil & Marsha Lilley    Nov 20, 2009 at 11:15 PM Today was a good fishing day. It was a good catching day. Any day is good to be out on the water and not in the office, right? I think Scott Sandusky believes that. He caught a big fish today! It just wasn't a big fish. It was one of those big fish every angler dreams of. It was the biggest fish of its species caught ever in Missouri. We call that a state record catch. He and his buddies from Anold, MO, arrived here at Lilleys' Landing for a weekend of fellowship and fishing for trout. They started early, well early afternoon. The idea was to catch some small rainbows for dinner, then hit the restricted, trophy area tomorrow for lunkers. It didn't work out that way. They drifted downstream, using rainbow-colored, paste PowerBait, bumping it on the bottom like you're supposed to. Just below Cooper Creek, Scott set his rod in the rod holder to help with another rig. Thinking he saw a bite, Scott picked up his rod back up, set the hook and knew -- he had something big. But he didn't know what it was... a catfish? A big carp? If it was a trout, it was a really, really big trout. Then they saw it. It was a brown trout. He had his spin reel set to wind backwards -- he didn't trust the drag. Smart guy. This fish didn't want to play. He took off for the far bank, spinning off so much line, so fast, that it was all Scott could do release the handle and watch his line fly off his reel. Then he stopped. Working it closer to the boat, his team of anglers started to plan their attack. One retrieved the net and the other pulled up the trolling motor, just in time. Four-pound line doesn't last long against a prop. When most people buy a fish net, they don't expect to land a 37-inch fish, right? Scott's net could hold half this fish. It flopped in, it flopped out. Then Scott's net man, Craig, muscled up and got it in the boat. At 37 inches long and 24.75 inches in girth, and the lunker weighed 28.8 pounds, roughly a pound heavier than the previous brown trout record. All was made official by Missouri Department of Conservation officials at the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery. Shane Bush, MDC fisheries biologist and Quenten Fronterhouse, MDC enforcement agent, both helped in this process. Clint Hale, hatchery manager, was also present.

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 11/9/09 - Branson, MO

Back to almost normal. It's been dry for a week now! And it's sunny and warm! I think we've forgotten what this nice weather looks like here in the Ozarks. A friend said the KC area only had 7 days of sun and no rain in the month of October. This is a nice reprieve for all of us.

Generation here on Taneycomo is back to pre-monsoon patterns and soon will change again if the rain holds off. Change again? Table Rock's levels are dropping everyday and soon will drop to the point the Corp will slow down the flow and probably will shut turbines down. I know a lot of anglers who will welcome that!

Right now they are running 4 units but each one is running about half so you could say they're only running 2 units. They're running them all day and all night. Water is stained and 55 degrees. Stained is unusual for this time a year. It's due to the hard rains we've had. My sources say that Table Rock is showing signs of turning over. If that's the case, it's very, very early. One sign is the warming of the water. Last week it was 53 degrees.

Now for the fishing. It's been real good. Seems like there's lots of rainbows in the lake right now and they're biting most of the time. Had guests come in yesterday and today and say it didn't make much difference what they used, they'd catch trout. Gulp eggs in all four colors, night crawlers and other lures like medium to small crank baits and spoons. Silver CD5 Rapalas were the hot bait this weekend. Also white, sculpin and brown jigs.

Slower current has made it easier to get the bait to the bottom, especially down in our area of the lake. The speed of the water is slow and when there's no wind, like today, drift fishing is pleasant. I got this evening and drifted the trophy area... laid the rod down for a while and just enjoyed the sunset and peacefulness of the lake.

Last week, I got out before and after the flood gates were shut down and did pretty good on drifting #10 gray scuds from Lookout Island down past Short Creek (yes Short Creek). HAS to be on the bottom to get bit. It was my experience that most of the rainbows were small, less than 12 inches. It seems like we go through periods when we don't see many nice rainbows. The dinks have taken over. It's not that they aren't there, they just don't bite all the time. The small, freshly stocked rainbows -- they seem to bite most of the time.

As I mentioned, I caught quite a few below Fall Creek drifting scuds on the bottom. Surprised? Shouldn't be. There's scuds all through the lake, not just below the dam.

This evening, I got out and fished the bluff bank from Lookout down using 1/8th oz jigs. Snags tied with trout. I lost 4 jigs and caught 4 rainbows. But this time, 3 of 4 were big rainbows -- over 17 inches each. They weren't biting very well, I have to admit, but it was incredible being on the lake.

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 10/11/09 - Branson, MO

Boy what a week makes.  We were thinking this was going to be an awesome fall fishing season in the respect of fly fishing for browns below the dam followed by great rainbow fishing.  Thought we were done with high water but no... 5-8 inches later and we're right back where we were a year ago.  Well, almost.

Been having discussions on the forum about water temp and DO levels below the dam.  It's 61 degrees at the cable on the south or gates side of the lake and 50 on the north or turbine side.  Most of the readings further downstream are 55 degrees.  DO (dissolved oxygen) levels are over 8 ppm on the gate side which is great- and the temp isn't that bad either for our trout.  On the turbine side the COE is injecting liquid O2 to keep the DO levels up so really this is nothing like last year when we had about the same flow but 70+ coming over the dam and 65 thru the turbines.

Table Rock was thought to crest at 927 but looking at the chart right now it looks like it's crested at 923.  Talked to a COE guy this evening and although isn't an official, he thinks they will leave the gates open till Table Rock is down to 917.  No guesses when that might be but I'd think it will be a better part of a week.  He also said they might release more water thru the gates.

Wade fishing below the dam is extremely limited.  The water is up in the trees for the most part with some standing room at outlets 1 and 2.  I did see guys catching trout in both sites today.

I got out yesterday morning right after they opened the gates.  Lots of trash, leaves and grass in the lake made it tough to fish.  This afternoon, we got out again.  We caught a good number of rainbows in the first mile of the lake below the dam on 1/8th oz white marabou jigs.  It had to be on the bottom and with the wind blowing upstream, that was a hard trick.  But to do that well under the circumstances, we did well meaning the trout were hitting hard enough we could feel the bites.  That's a good thing!

We also drifted red san juans and #10 scuds from Lookout down past the flats on the shallow side and caught a few rainbows.  Again, they are eating- just have to get the fly to the bottom and keep it there.

Below Fall Creek, same thing.  Stay in the middle of the lake and use enough weight to get the bait to the bottom.  Gulp eggs and night crawlers should work great.  If the wind stops, catching will improve.

Sorry I couldn't come up with a rosy report.  Not many people like to fish in this kind of current.  It's scary to some and I don't blame them.  But if you're careful, you shouldn't have any problems.

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 9/21/09 - Branson, MO

Not a whole lot has changed in the past week here in southwest Missouri except a little rain on Saturday. Well, a lot of rain. Monett is cleaning up after local flooding, which is a town not too far down the road. Looking on our lake level page - SPA's Generation Site - I see that our area lakes rose from six inches to two feet. Taneycomo officials ran water all day Saturday and into the night, which turned out to be a huge blessing to those who fished Sunday. The rain washed muddy water and trash into the lake from creeks in the upper end, but the generation moved it on down lake. Sunday morning we had nice clear water greeting us, and fishing was pretty fulfilling for our anglers here.

Table Rock and Beaver lakes came up about six inches which was nothing to be alarmed about. We should not see any change in generation patterns this week because of the rains. But with more rain in the forecast, you never know what may happen.

Today's generation, Monday, usually dictates what we MIGHT see the rest of the week. The Southwest Power Administration chart reported no water would run until late this afternoon -- but nothing doing. One unit was running early and another unit was added about noon. Right now there are at least two units running. One nice thing about this hard generation is that it will clean out the lake a bit. So it's hard to say what the generation will be the rest of the week.

This morning Guide Bill Babler reported catching a lot of rainbows drifting from Fall Creek down to Trout Hollow using night crawlers. His clients caught their limits early and then caught and released the rest of the morning. Bill said their rainbows were good quality and fought hard. So if the water is running, this technique would be worth a try.

Yesterday, there was no current all morning. Guides reported doing very well using small micro jigs in tan or olive from the former KOA Campground site down to past Fall Creek, fishing them with two-pound line and four- to five-feet deep. There are two ways to work these -- let them sit with no movement or twitch them just a tiny bit every 10 seconds. Trout don't seem to be drawn by too much movement.

The normal Gulp Power Baits are still working. The Missouri Department of Conservation stocked twice last week and there seem to be plenty of rainbows caught in front of and off our dock here at Lilleys' Landing.

As far as fly fishing below the dam, well, I heard several reports from Sunday . . . one good and some bad. The good one was a guy stripping woolies off the point at the big hole; he did well, and he said others were catching trout, too. But others fishing below the big hole down to the former KOA said it was very slow. Farther down towards Lookout and below fishing picked back up and was excellent for most of the morning but slowed down in the afternoon after the water started.

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 9/14/09 - Branson, MO

This fishing report is going to sound like a broken record, basically because this report is going to sound a lot like my report from 2 weeks ago. Conditions haven't changed and neither has the fishing itself. It's still very good, rainbows are nice and fat and generation patterns are still about the same at the first of September.

This is one reason I haven't written a new report since September 3rd. Another reason - Marsha and I drove to Port Arthur, Texas last week to be with our daughter Sara and her husband Josh for the birth of their first child, our first grandchild, Jeriah Caden Clark. Good excuse - right?! We think so. Yes, I took my fishing rods with me but they were never unpacked. Good redfish fishin' in Port Arthur but that will have to wait for another visit!

Water is still cold and clear. Generation has been mixed but off most days with some water in the late afternoon and evening. Still funny how some people root for the water to run, even though fishing is so good. I think most anglers limited out off our dock today on rainbows (4), most using power bait is all colors and styles. I saw quite a few variations this evening. Didn't seem to matter. Quite a few rainbows midging late in the afternoon today in front of the dock. One thing I've noticed over the years is that rainbows will take midges and other insects off the surface in and on the edge of the leaf trail in the lake during autumn. A leaf trail is where a breeze pushes fallen leaves into a line in the lake, most of the time close to or against the bank. Rainbows love fallen leaves and the insects they deliver. And they love my black or red zebra midge, #14, just below a small indicator tossed just in the right place at the right time. Lots of fun! I target a rainbow just after he's taken a midge with my fly rod -- make the cast and watch for the take.

Jigs worked pretty well this week for some. Of course I'm partial to jigs -- I love to fish with them. But one guests of our had a great time last week trying jigs out for the first time. Here's his report:

We arrived at Lilleys last Saturday and now we have to leave tomorrow but while we were here I wanted to let all know that the fishing was great!

We - my wife and I - fished primarily from the Trophy area to the boat ramp...she was using pink and white power bait with good success.

I couldnt buy a bite on pumped nite crawlers so I decided to do something different....I started casting and bumping a 1/8th brown jig......when i started this the size of the fish went up dramatically. When we got back to Lilleys I was in the office and telling what I had caught fish on when Lisa told me that Bill had similar success on a Cinnamon jig.....well I figure if Bill is using it I had to buy a couple and give it a try.

Then the ultimate fishing event happened.....at least for me......on Friday we went just past the boat ramp 200 yards and I had cast out when i saw a flash of silver and my line started coming off my reel like crazy. I knew that I had a big one and she didn't want to come in at all....I fought her for at least 10 minutes to get her to the boat....my wife had the trout net....when I finally got her close enough I told her " you are going to need a bigger net" Thank goodness we had the old stand by.

You know your marriage is pretty solid when you can "guide" your wife to where the largest Trout you have EVER caught is racing all over the place and she keeps saying I cant see it....I tell here to watch the line.....and she says I cant see it! She is looking right and the fish is racing left....I think you ge the picture.

Needless to say I uttered only one cuss word when I thought she had grabbed my line and then she finally landed the trout. For the record I was using 2 lb line ...... the Trout was 18" long weighing in at 4 lbs according to Curtis.

No we didn't keep her, the fish that is - after all of the pictures and such I let her go under Lilleys dock to live to be caught another day.

By the way I have went up to that area all week and bumped either a brown or cinnamon jig and the bite has been fantastic!

While I'm copying and posting fishing reports, here's another from our guide, Bill Babler:

Fished Taney a couple of days this past week, with wonderful results. Also had the opportunity to traverse most of the upper part, taking clients from the restricted zone down to the Landing for lunch each day.

Seemed the entire upper end was catching extremely nice fish, and I'm sure it was a hangover from some very nice stocking right before the Holiday weekend. Fishing should remain good through the Fall, as it most usually does.

Restricted Zone on still flat water the ginger micro in 256th. oz. really seems to be the best nymph. Chuck from Anglers and Archery is still catching them on an egg pattern and always is doing well when I see him on the water.

Moving water for the first hr. after generation starts is really almost unfishable due to high volumes of moss on the upper section, but then as it dissipates, and the flow stabilizes pink micro's in 128th. or egg patterns are catching huge numbers of quality rainbows.

Seems we have a 20 plus inch fish on every trip to the top. Didn't say we got them to the boat, but we are seeing and getting clobbered by the biggin's.

Fall Creek through Branson, it pretty much seems as anything will work, with the brighter colors of powerbait being preferred by these fresh fish. Just driving through the boat traffic going to downtown, it seemed everyone had fish on or in baskets hanging from their boats.

Rainy cool weather this next week, should keep the fishing at a top level, until the stock of fresh fish gets depleted. As long as MDC keeps feeding the Branson Landing area to Cooper Creek, it should be great.

I have to add my personal fishing report from Saturday and this evening. Lilleys' Landing hosted a fishing weekend for the Ozark FFF Chapter out of St Louis. Brian Shaffer filled in for me Friday night with a Taneycomo Talk at the pavilion which I heard was a huge success. Then Saturday we fed them lunch at the Hatchery Shelter below the dam. I got to fish a little after lunch with Bob from the club. They had ran water Saturday morning, which confused everyone. But it was off by 1 pm and down by 2 pm. Bob and I walked down to the Narrows below the root wad and found lots of nice rainbows holding in the current. Problem was they weren't agreeable. Darrell from River Run had already set Bob up with a scud/san juan rig so I had him dead drift first the shallow, close water and then the center of the channel. He quickly hooked one rainbow and then a little later another. That would be all the action for Bob. I wondered down alittle further and caught one rainbow on a brown 1/100th jig- and that was it. I fish an egg fly and then a red san juan up by the root wad just so I could see what the heck they would do when I drifted it by their face. Most would ignore it, some would move and some would dart over to investigate but all refused any fly I threw at them. The only people catching fish were 2 kickers in the rebar hole and one other guy fishing to the side of them. It just was slow.

This evening I boated up to the red house in the trophy area- on the bluff- or what I call dry wash. Surface was slick, very dark and cloudy and a little mist. No one else on the water the whole time I was up there... really nice. I started and ended with a brown 1/100th oz jig under a palsa indicator 4 feet. The rainbows absolutely loved it. I caught over 30-35 rainbows in 90 minutes, lost 3 jigs and missed many more bites. Ended the slow drift down at the Narrows. Nothing huge- 14 inches was the biggest but most were 13-14 inch, fat and fought hard. Most jumped at least once when hooked.