Spring trout fishing picks up in Missouri waters

While many outdoorsmen were busy getting ready for the spring turkey season, others were spending their time fishing.

It didn't take long to find out if the trout were hitting on Lake Taneycomo last week when Phil Lilley, owner of Lilleys' Landing Resort and Marina, and I headed out on a cold and windy day. After a short boat ride up the lake, Lilley stopped the boat and said, "There should be plenty of rainbows in this stretch of water."

On his first cast, Lilley hooked a fighting rainbow, which was just the first of several dozen trout we caught in a just few hours fishing.

Lilley knows Lake Taneycomo better than most anglers. He has owned his resort for 30 years and has learned how, when and where to fish at different times of the year.

"Some of the best times to catch big trout is usually in January and February, but fishing can be good at any time of the year," he said.

Using white jigs, we caught and released more than 30 trout. "We have some of the best trout fishing in the Midwest and it goes on year-round," Lilley said.

Lilley, who fishes more than 200 days a year, hooked the largest rainbow trout he has caught in more than 29 years of living and working in Branson -- a 29-incher -- last July.

Lilley moved to Branson from Parsons, Kan., after searching for a lake to start a business. "I liked what I saw in the future in the area and I am glad I settled here," he said.

Recalling his battle with the largest trout he has caught from the lake, His first reaction was, "Oh, my God! That's a huge fish!" After the battle, he took photos of the lunker and then released it back into the cold waters of the lake.

"I judged the fish weighed between 12 and 13 pounds," he said.

Not only does Lake Taneycomo offer some great rainbow trout fishing, it also has some big brown trout swimming in its cold waters. Scott Sandusky, Arnold, Mo., can attest to that.

Sandusky was fishing out of Lilleys' Landing when he hooked into a monster brown trout. After a long battle with the trout, it was finally brought into the boat.

The big fish weighed more than 28 pounds and broke the existing state record by a pound.

"Back in 2008, we really had a really good brown trout fishery, but in September, water was released from the flood gates as the fish moved up the lake to spawn, but they got hit with 70- to 75-degree water and it killed most of them," Lilley said. "We still see some browns, but only about 10 percent of what it was before."

There are still some big browns in the lake, as shown by the new state record. The Missouri Department of Conservation has doubled the number of brown trout it puts into the lake and we are seeing more browns.

Before, they were stocking around 10,000 fish, but now, it's more like 20,000. All of the brown trout stocked in Missouri come from the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery.

Most fishing tales you read in outdoor magazines are from the eyes of the guide.

There is nothing wrong with this, but there is still a story behind the type of man who spends a lot of time in a boat and goes out in quest of a game fish, day in and day out, so that even your next-door neighbor can have a little fun and relaxation while catching some fish.

What makes a man do this more than 200 days a year, rain or shine?

For Lilley, it means he is doing what he likes and that is the difference between an angry man and a happy one. Lilley seems to have a pretty simple philosophy when it comes to fishing and the people with whom he fishes.

He enjoys people more than most because he meets them at their best -- when they are happy and enjoying themselves.

As for all the talk about trout fishing, Lilley doesn't restrict himself. He is a bird hunter and enjoys fishing for other species of fish -- including bass and crappie on Taneycomo -- as well as trips to Alaska.

In this century, it is difficult to find a man such as Lilley. He is a man of his own and I think he likes it that way.