Bluegills have a bad rap. Most people think they are only good for kids learning how to fish, so like Rodney Dangerfield, they “get no respect.” Actually, they are a great ‘teaching fish’ because they are eager eaters, but as table fare their sweet tasting fillets are among the best. Here is a look at the bluegill, its habitat, how to attract and catch them, and some tips on cooking their tender fillets.

The voice on the other end of the line told me he had worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation for a number of years. "There is one thing they are afraid of," he said, "and that is public opinion. They almost have complete control of what is said about them in the news media and press. That's why you had better be careful with what you do, they will make an example of you."

That was two years ago. It had been preceded by a call from an MDC ex-director who was so angry he threatened to come to my home and do me bodily harm. He had resigned from the Department and had received a substantial bonus in the six-figure category, after being part of a very large monetary gift in the millions to a private corporation

The lake level was 659.3 (660 is normal pool level); with medium generation scheduled the lake should rise to 659.6 by the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 88 degrees with upstream temperatures of 83 to 89 degrees depending on time of day. The thermocline is 20 to 25-feet deep in most areas. Truman Lake is 2 feet over pool.

BLACK BASS – The Wednesday Evening Tournament reported taking 17.1-pounds to win, Big Bass was 6.5 pounds. Bass World reported 21.7 for an all-night tournament.

I don’t know all the details to this yet, but hope to find out more soon. The story is that a fisherman down on Bull Shoals Lake was fishing from the bank with regular fishing line and a spin-casting reel with a plastic worm for bait and he hooked a 58-pound Missouri state record striper.

The City of Camdenton continues its exploration into building a nine-hole disc golf course at City Park.

The lake level was 659.4 (660 is normal pool level); with medium generation scheduled the lake should rise to 659.6 by the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 80 degrees with upstream temperatures of 83 to 89 degrees depending on time of day. The lake has reached normal clarity. Truman Lake is 2-feet over pool.
BLACK BASS – No tournaments reported this week. Lower Osage: Good, try jigs, Berkley’s 10-inch Power Worms or Norman’s DD22 on main lake points.

The daytime surface temperature of the water is 85 to 88-degrees, almost too warm for swimming - more like bath water. Plus, the lake's arms are quite clear and lack traditional bass cover like weeds or standing timber.
These facts cause anglers to use tactics unlike those that work in other upper Midwestern reservoirs and natural lakes.

Outdoor writer Keith Sutton, one of the grizzled old outdoor veterans from down in Arkansas who really does what he writes about, sent me a story for the Lightnin' Ridge outdoor magazine about the drum, a fish that no one is proud to catch, putting it in the same class as carp or gar. And he points out that there is no reason the fish should be looked upon in a bad light, as it has a very white meat, and is good to eat, without any bones at all when filleted properly.

The lake level was 659.2 (660 is normal pool level); with heavy generation scheduled the lake should hold there through the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 83 degrees with upstream temperatures of 83 to 89 degrees depending on time of day. Most of the lake is clear. Truman Lake is 6-feet over pool.
BLACK BASS – The Wednesday Evening Tournament reported taking 18.2 pounds to win, Big Bass was 5.7 pounds.  Lower Osage: Good, try shaky head jigs, Berkley’s 10-inch Power Worms or Norman’s DD22 on main lake points.

Both of my sisters married Arkansas country boys, and I ended up with two of the finest brothers-in-law that I could have asked for. I don't know if I could have done a better job of  picking husbands for the two of them. One of the two became a highway patrolman. Billy Chadwick grew up at Witt Springs, Arkansas in the high mountains just to the north of the Buffalo River headwaters, some of the Ozarks prettiest country. 

The lake level was 659.6 (660 is normal pool level); heavy generation is scheduled to accommodate flow Truman Lake. The lake should rise to 659.3 by the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 83 degrees with upstream temperatures of 83 to 89 degrees depending on time of day, most of the lake is clear. Truman Lake is 8-feet over pool.
BLACK BASS – The Wednesday Evening Tournament reported taking 16.8 pounds to win, Big Bass was 5.3 pounds.  Lower Osage: Good, try shaky head jigs, Berkley’s 10-inch Power Worms or Norman’s DD22 on main lake points.

Jason Smith set out for a relaxing morning of fishing with his brother below Bagnell Dam.
The Rolla resident was on vacation visiting his relatives on what turned out to be an action-packed July 1 morning.

A few days ago, I changed out the memory card in the trail camera my son gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.
When I downloaded the digital photos, I found a bunch of two 2-year-old white-tailed deer bucks. The camera’s time stamp fixed the dates of the photos between mid-May and mid-June.

The pre-dawn stillness was broken by a savage ‘sploosh’ created by a bass trying to inhale my popper-style surface lure. The hookset was timed right and after a brief tussle the scrappy largemouth bass was captured, lure removed and released.
It was the third bass to fall for the fake fish food this morning, no lunkers, just fun-filled scrappy fish. What a way to spend the morning, bass fishing during the quiet hours, before the lake’s other watersports prevail on this busy summer day.

July comes, and the habits of a grizzled old veteran outdoorsman change a little. One of them I know goes out on Norfork Lake in the morning to fish just after the first hint of light. Jim Spencer, one of the finest outdoor writers in the country, and grizzled old outdoorsman if there ever was one, sent me this message just a while ago....  "I caught nine fish this morning - four hybrids, a white bass, two largemouths, a smallmouth, and a bluegill as big as a salad plate!"

The lake level was 658.2 (660 is normal pool level); heavy generation is scheduled to accommodate flow Truman Lake. The lake should rise to 659.3 by the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam is 87 degrees with upstream temperatures of 83 to 89 degrees depending on time of day, most of the lake is clear.
BLACK BASS – The Wednesday Evening Tournament reported taking 18.8 pounds to win and 15.4 to cash a 5th Place check, Big Bass was 6.75 pounds. Lower Osage: Good, try shaky head jigs, Berkley’s 10-inch Power Worms or Norman’s DD22 on main lake points.

Local wakeboarder Steven Cahail was thrilled to qualify for the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour this summer, before remembering that school always comes first. Cahail, a 2009 graduate of Camdenton High School, instead went back down to the University of Texas in Austin for summer classes.

"It was a great feeling to qualify," said Cahail, a computer science major. He went on to say that the decision to go back to school was a little tough at first.

Orange day lilies are found all over the Ozarks, and I don't know much about the plant, which I am assuming was brought over from some other country many years ago. They are the tall orange flowers you see everywhere in June, growing up about 3 or 4 feet high out of ditches and around older homes. Most people aren't all that happy about having them because once they get started you just can't get rid of them. You have to dig up the bulbs, and you almost never get all of them.

Summer officially arrived June 21 but its temperatures arrived weeks before then. With temperatures in the upper 80s and more recently, the lower 90s, the lake's water temperature has climbed rapidly.
Some areas of the lake are already experiencing a thermocline between 15 and 20-feet deep. Faced with warmer temperatures and clearing water, the fish are settling into their summer patterns.
The beginning of summer can be a difficult time for anglers because fish are in transition - going from shallow post-spawn areas to deeper summer locations. Most species are affected to a degree, some will be difficult to find and catch while others will be feeding as if there were no tomorrow.

I have been stopped by concerned citizens while out and about in the county as well as while on the water checking fishermen. Many people around the area have noticed oak trees turning brown. In some cases only parts of the tree is affected and in others the entire tree is covered in dead leaves. Do not overreact. This occurrence is not as severe as it may appear.