Phil Lilley

MDC congratulates Craig Barulich on breaking the pole-and-line state record by catching a 3-pound skipjack herring on the Missouri River.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that Craig Barulich of Kansas City became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri when he hooked a skipjack herring on the Missouri River using a rod and reel.
The new “pole and line” skipjack herring record caught by Barulich on Nov. 12 weighed 3 pounds. It broke the previous state record of 2 pounds, 11 ounces. Barulich was using a 3/8-ounce white Bink’s Pro Series Spoon for bait trying to catch walleye and saugers when he caught the skipjack herring.
“The day I caught the state-record skipjack herring was the day I actually caught my first skipjack,” Barulich said. “I was so grateful that day to just catch skipjack that I didn’t even know I caught a state record fish until I got home.”

Barulich noticed how large one of the skipjack herrings was when he was taking it out of the cooler to freeze it for catfish bait.
“I weighed the large skipjack and googled to confirm that my fish was a possible state record,” he said.
MDC staff weighed Barulich’s skipjack herring on a certified scale at the Kansas City regional office and confirmed it was a new pole-and-line state-record skipjack herring.
“I am so honored and humbled to hold a state record here in Missouri,” Barulich said. “Just thinking about holding a record for a unique fish makes me speechless.”
Anglers often catch skipjack herring to use for bait. The fish is boney, lacking in flavor, and is seldom used as food. But it fights spectacularly when hooked and can provide considerable sport on light tackle. The oil present in its flesh is said by fishermen to attract catfish. Skipjacks can usually be found in swift water below dams and around the ends of wing dikes.
Barulich said he plans on using the fish for catfish bait and having someone make a replica of the state-record skipjack herring.
Missouri state-record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include: throwlines, trotlines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, spearfishing, snagging, snaring, gigging, grabbing, archery, and atlatl.
For more information on state-record fish, visit the MDC website at http://on.mo.gov/2efq1vl.
 
Congratulations to Craig Barulich on breaking the pole-and-line state record by catching a 3-pound skipjack herring on the Missouri River.

On an evening fishing trip on Lake Taneycomo, you may have swatted at a swarm of bugs over head, assuming they were mosquitoes. But you were flailing at some of your best fishing buddies. Midges -- not mosquitoes – swarm on Taneycomo and the trout you were targeting absolutely love those tiny bugs. If you were fly fishing, their presence should have cued you to tie on a midge pattern.
Midges, or true flies, are part of the order Diptera. The presence of a single pair of wings distinguishes true flies from other insects with “fly” in their name, such as dragonflies and mayflies. Diptera is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species of mosquitoes, gnats and midges. There are others, as well, but for now, those are the flies that interest fishermen.

Enough background science; let’s talk fishing.
The most popular midge we fish here on Lake Taneycomo is the zebra midge. It best imitates the midge in the stage where it’s rising in the water from the bottom to the surface to hatch. This is where it’s easiest to be taken by our hungry trout. Just imagine a small pupa drifting slowly towards the surface. All a rainbow has to do is cruise around just below the surface and eat. They don’t have to chase them down, and, therefore, expend very little energy. All we have to do is drop a zebra midge in front of them and they’ll take it, at least most of the time if they’re feeding.
There are literally dozens and dozens of types of midges. Their size and color differ widely, so you can imagine how many different midge patterns there are. But I’ve found there are a few go-to patterns that work most of the time. You can make them as simple or as complicated as you want. I like simple, and I like to catch fish, so I stay with a few patterns and colors and do well enough to satisfy my fish catching addiction.

First, where do you look for rainbows feeding on midges? Everywhere. Midges can hatch on every square inch of Lake Taneycomo—any lake or stream for that matter. The depth of water makes no difference. Late afternoon and evening seem to be the best times to look for hatches, but again, they can hatch at all hours of the day, and night. Clouds, wind, weather patterns and even generation all trigger hatches.
One of my favorite areas to look for midging trout is above Fall Creek in Taneycomo’s trophy area. The water is not as deep, and I find this factor enhances my chance of catching fish, Plus there are more trout per cubic foot of water than other parts of the lower lake. More trout means more competition for food and, therefore, more aggressive strikes. The other area is out in front of my resort (Lilleys' Landing). In the evenings, if they're not running too much water or if the water is off and not moving, I love to go out and fish the last 45 minutes of the day for midging rainbows. If they are fallen leaves on the lake's surface, trout till hang under them and that's where I target them.
You can identify trout feeding on midges by their rises or dimples on the water’s surface. There are three distinctive signs of varied “takes” displayed by trout when they feed. “Tailing” is when you see only the trout’s tail rise out of the water. He is feeding on pupa under the water’s surface. “Midging” is where the nose of the trout just barely rises above the surface and takes a midge pupa that has attached itself on the underside film and is about ready to emerge into a fly. The third is when trout chase and take a “dry” or a midge that has hatched and is on the surface drying its wings. These trout make a splash, or at times, come all the way out of the water, their momentum thrusting them through the surface and into the air.
Any of these signs signal that trout are actively feeding and you should target them using a midge pattern.
For the purpose of this article, I’ll stay with identifying ways to present zebra midges, although there are other types of midge patterns such as thread midges, soft hackles, emergers, brassies and many others.
Color and size vary with what the trout are seeing and liking. My go-to colors are red and black any where from a #14 to #18 in size. I like gold or nickel tungsten beads with red or black and copper with olive or rust thread with copper wire wrap. There’s also a pattern called primrose and pearl (P&P), which is tied using pearl flash with a copper wire wrap. Then there's the Rusty, a rust color thread body, black bead and black wire wrap. And the Ugly which is a dark green thread body, black bead and black wire wrap.
Zebras are almost always fished under an indicator, suspended under the surface at varied depths. Depth is dictated by where the trout are “cruising” since you want to put it right in front of their faces.
 

I tend to like to aim at feeding trout. I see a rise and throw at it. It’s really a lot of fun for us fly casters. Having to cast both long and short casts, landing the fly within a foot from where you last saw a rise is challenging and good practice for accuracy. The reward is a nice rainbow on the end of your line.
I use a small palsa float or something that is small and light enough to go under if the fly is taken ever so slightly. This also helps when I’m fishing in very shallow water and I don’t want to spook a school of trout when they’re feeding. I also use a long leader for the same reason.
We present a zebra midge in deeper water as well. This is where we get creative . . . Tandem rigs using a zebra along with a scud, egg, a san juan worm or even a micro jig can be very productive. The depth depends on the depth of water as well as where you think trout are holding in the column. If you’re using a scud as a second fly, it should be the bottom fly. Fish it close, if not on the bottom, with the zebra tied about 18 inches from the scud.
If there’s a fly pattern that’s foolproof, this is it. Fishing a zebra midge on Taneycomo is by far one of the best ways to catch big numbers and big trout on our lake.

 
By Brett Rader ~~ As we walked down the stairs near outlet #2 on Lake Taneycomo I told my son Marlin to watch out for the back casts from the throngs of anglers drifting their hardware through the current of that outlet. The occasional upward yank from the elbow to elbow masses crowding that 8 foot stretch of current meant another trout had bumped a line, escaped a snag to the pectoral, or perhaps even taken one of the many parade floats that get thrown in front of their faces on a constant basis.
There was a time in my life that I would stand there like the rest of them, looking like opening day at Bennett Springs...OK, maybe not that bad...but hoping to get that prime spot at the base of the stairs where I could drift my bug through holding fish that are longing to get back to their birth place...the hatchery. Are there fish there? You Bet! Hundreds of them sometimes. They're always there...every day, and they're easy to catch. But that's not why we were there. We had much bigger things in mind today.
What we needed right off the bat were the right conditions. We knew we had those conditions before we left the house. Looking off our deck I saw a quiet and still Lake Taneycomo. We're about 4-5 miles downstream from the dam, so I called 417-336-5083 to hear what they may be generating as it can take a half hour or so before generation makes it down to our place. Good news! Zero units generating. We had our ideal conditions...we had our plan of attack. Today we would be stalking and sightcasting to trophy browns and rainbows.
 
If you're a fly fisherman I'm sure you've heard the term sightcasting before. It simply means visually spotting a holding fish and throwing your fly in an attempt to catch that one particular fish. I think a lot of people get a little intimidated by that term. Maybe they question their casting accuracy or maybe they just don't know how to spot holding fish underwater and therefore don't bother trying. They'll try their luck dredging the deeper, darker holes hoping to pluck an unseen trophy on a hope and a prayer. Don't get me wrong...the deep holes hold fish and I fish them often. I'll even pull a big one out of there from time to time, so they're always worth exploring. But you would be amazed at how many fish over 20" can be caught in water barely deep enough to cover their backs...sometimes not even that deep!
 
Have you ever walked along a bank on upper Taneycomo and watched fish dart from the shore as you take those first few cool refreshing steps into the water? Maybe you just saw a swirl or a big shape pushing water away on the surface as it raced to deeper cover. Maybe you frantically throw your big indicator, weight and fly in the general direction as you mutter something like..."man, those were some nice ones!". It happens again as you splash through shallow water towards one of your favorite runs like Rebar or the Big Hole. You think to yourself that you can't catch those fish...way too shallow...couldn't even set my float shallow enough to fish it and they never take softhackles or dry flies there anyway. So you trudge on through, watching the wakes of some big fish part like the Red Sea as you blindly make a bee line to your favorite hole... you know, the same one you've been talking about in the truck with your buddy before you even got to the river. You know where you're going but first you have to walk through that shallow water to get there and all those spooky fish just get you more excited about reaching your predetermined destination. Well let's take a step back for a second, take a breath...practice a little patience and really examine what's going on there in that shallow water on the banks.
 
The banks and shallow water on the shores of upper Lake Taneycomo are loaded with monster brown and rainbow trout. You've seen them before in all the situations I've described above. If you look close you'll see quite a bit of surface activity created by these fish. If you look REAL close you'll even see a tail or dorsal fin waving in the air at you now and then like a bonefish on a Bahama flat. What are these fish doing? They're digging for scuds. Trout predominately eat two things in Lake Taneycomo...midges and scuds. And with all things being equal, scuds are their favorite, and provide the most nutrition for the energy expended. Our lake is LOADED with scuds. It's why all those trout follow you around and bump your ankles as you walk around. Your shuffling feet disturb the bottom causing scuds to lodge free from the gravel bottom as they frantically swim back down to the safety of the riverbed. Well, there's a ton of scuds in the shallows around the banks up there and these fish are always on the prowl for the occasional stray and, in fact, move the gravel around with their snouts attempting to dislodge the bounty beneath. By now you're saying..Ok Hemmingway!...get to the point! How do I catch them. Would you believe me if I said it was easy? How about if I said you stand a good chance of catching a 20" plus fish without even getting your feet wet. OK, here we go.
 
One word! Presentation! They key is putting your fly (a scud) in front of these active fish in a natural and non-threatening way. If a fish is moving in any way, shape, or form, it's a target. Even those that are just hanging in a current or on the bottom (like brown trout) not budging at all, can be caught at times so if you see a fish you want to catch...try it!
Lets start with equipment. We're talking fly fishing here. Your basic 4-5 wt rod...8 1/2 - 9 feet is just fine. Heavier than a 5 is getting a little clunky. Lighter than 4 and you'll have a hard time landing these bad boys. WF or DT floating line...no sinking or sink tip. You won't be using a lot of line so the line quality is really not too critical.
 
Tippet...I'm a huge believer in fluorocarbon. In fact, I use nothing but Rio Fluoroflex Plus or the new Deceiver fluorocarbon from Umpqua. I'll use 6x if there's a chop in the water or if it's overcast. If it's clear and calm, I'll typically use 7x. Here's where a 4 wt rod or a mid to full flex 5 wt will pay dividends as it will protect your tippet more. Your strike indicator isn't always necessary but I typically use one half of one pinch-on Palsa float. If it's windy I'll use a whole Palsa, but I always use the regular white Palsa and not the colored ones. There are two reasons for that. I think the white is the least threatening. From under the surface it's the least contrasting color even being mistaken perhaps for bubbles on the waters surface. The other reason is that the colored versions have that sharp edge where they apply the color that can cause a few more tangles on false casts. That theory I have for all indicator fishing and not just for stalking.
 
What comes next??...the weight right??..No! In fact, I don't use any weight with this method in most cases. The reason is, we don't want to cause a lot of surface noise when we make our presentation, PLUS, you want your fly to drop slowly and naturally in the water column and not 90 miles an hour behind a chunk of lead. That may sound odd to you but trust me, it makes a big difference.
 
Next comes the fly. I won't lie to you...this is critical. In this case, size matters and I never fish anything bigger than a 16 and usually prefer fishing #20's. What I typically do is tie a size 20 fly on a #18 hook to get a little better hookup percentage. What also matters is a natural looking scud. No bead heads, wire ribbing...holographic dubbing, shell backs or any of that eye catching, flashy material typically found on today's popular patterns. My favorite pattern as you might have guessed is one of my own Chartered Waters creations I call the Bit Scud. "Bit" meaning just a little bit of a thing. A simple, understated beauty that would get overlooked in anyone's fly box. Another solid pattern I tie is the SoftShelled Scud in the same sizes as above. Lastly, is the G-Bug. It wouldn't be a stretch to say I've caught over half of the fish I've ever caught in my life on a G-Bug in one form or another. In this case I'm using #18's to #22's. Lastly, is the depth. You want your fly about half a foot deeper than the water you're fishing. One and a half feet deep is a good rule of thumb as most of this fishing is done in about a foot of water. OK...you got all that? Now it's time to catch some fish!
 
The first thing you'll notice when you walk along a bank looking for fish is that you're the only one doing it. Nobody fishes this way. I took a client out this Memorial Day weekend and we had the North bank from outlet # 2 down to #3 all to ourselves, so you'll love the elbow room. 99% of the time I'll never put a foot in the water when I'm stalking. There are a few good flats where you can walk out over them but most of it is done from the bank. One reason is to remain hidden and to let the fish remain calm in their regular routine. The other reason not to enter the water is, you're taking away targets. Remember how those fish follow you around when you wade? We'll...if you're in the water the fish are attracted to your walking. Unless you're a shuffler (and we know you're not a shuffler right?)...we don't want the fish at our feet. Lastly is, standing on the bank you have a better view of the fish below you...and don’t forget your polarized sunglasses. All are subtle advantages you gain, but you always want as many advantages as you can get.
 
The next thing you want to do is take out about 10 feet of fly line from the end of your rod while holding your fly in your non-casting hand. The goal here is to be ready to flip your fly out in front of a cruising or scudding fish without having to strip line or false cast and it's really just a flip of the wrist to shoot it out there. I'll sometimes slowly wave my line in a soft figure 8 pattern as I walk the shore to keep it out of the moss and water and ready to shoot towards my target. I know it sounds a little too "River Runs Through It" cute, but it really does allow you to quickly respond to a target fish. Keep a low profile. I'm not talking hands and knees here but you can bend down a little and flip your fly sidearm to keep commotion down to a minimum.
 
Sometimes you'll find fish working a particular area and you can actually wait in one area for fish to cruise past you as opposed to hunting them down. Before you send one towards a fish, take a second to get your fly wet and to squeeze all the air out of it while holding it underwater. Remember you don't have any weight so you need a saturated fly so it slowly falls in the water column. While your primary target is moving fish, don't pass up a big stationary fish either as they will react to this presentation. That being said, the active ones will make more decisive moves on it. The water current is slow to nearly nonexistent in these areas so you want to put your fly sometimes up to 10 feet or more in front of the fishes general bearing depending on how fast the fish is moving. The key is to have your fly arrive at the bottom at the same time to just before the fish arrives at the same spot. Watch how long it takes your fly to fall in the water column while you're fishing so you know how long it will take to get it in front of the fish as it moves towards your offering. It takes 7-10 seconds for my Bit Scuds and G-Bugs to fall a foot and a half with no weight.
 
Keep that in mind as you cast ahead of your target. So now you've found a fish. You're rigged and ready....you've been quiet and he's about 10ft off shore moving slowly to your left. Flip your fly out there about 10 feet in front of him trying your best to land your rig straight out over the water with a soft touchdown. By that I mean you want to cast farther than the amount of line you have out, so the rig will straighten out over the water and not land fly first followed by tippet, indicator and leader. You know when you have a real good cast...all the line you have stripped out shoots through your guides so hard that it pulls a few clicks off your drag before straightening out then softly floats down completely straight?...That's what you're looking for in a very short distance and not quite so hard. The goal is to have as little "slack" between your fly and your indicator as your fly floats (sinks) down in the water. Don't despair when you spook a few fish. It will happen. It still happens to me. The good thing is these fish get over it pretty quick and there's a good chance you'll see him again within 4-5 minutes.
 
So now you've done everything right. You're fly is in front of that fish...it reaches bottom about a foot or two ahead of the fish...what next? Watch the fish's reaction. You'll know if he saw it and if he's interested. Often, if you're a little off target but the dropping fly catches the fishes eye he will make a move towards the fly...you're getting close to payoff now. You'll see the fish quicken the pace as it moves in for the take. Don't get nervous!...Ah, go ahead and get a little nervous. That's what it's all about anyway, right? The adrenaline rush...the anticipation...the moment of truth...if you're not a little nervous then it's not fun. Your fish will slow right before inhaling it...it will probably cock its head a little to get a better angle before picking it up...you may see the mouth open as it sucks it in but the real image you're looking for is that tell tale flash of white from the inside of the fishes mouth. That little flash of white means the fish has inhaled your fly and that's your key to pull the trigger. Set it quick!...but not hard.
 
Remember, these are educated fish that have lived in this river for a few years and they've seen and felt more than one phony scud. You typically have less than a second to react before he's spitting it back out and won't be interested in that pattern for the rest of the day. They will occasionally hold on to it longer, but don't count on it. The one thing my clients have a hard time learning is, being quick enough with the hookset. Even veterans find it surprising how quick you need to be. At this point you may be asking yourself why the need for an indicator? My eyes are the first indicator I use. If I can see the fish and I can see my fly (or at least the general area where my fly would have fallen to) I'm looking for the white flash. If the fishes body obstructs the view of its mouth or there's a chop on the water or even a glare where you can't see the fish clearly...then I'm watching that indicator for the slightest little twitch and I mean slight. That is the reason to get that cast out there straight so when the fish does take it there's a direct connection to that indicator.
 
Did I say the slightest twitch?? I meant the SLIGHTEST TWITCH!!! When I take clients on a stalk I tell them to set the hook when I say go. I want them to watch the indicator (or the fish) so they learn, but often, especially early on they tell me "How did you know there was a fish on there?" I saw the twitch! Rarely will that indicator go under. Sometimes it will just start moving without a twitch, meaning the fish sucked it in so passively that it didn't even make it twitch. It's subtle no doubt, but soon you'll be picking it up and it will come much more naturally to you.
 
Lastly you need to do a little preventive maintenance before you send your fly towards a fish. Make sure your line is tangle free...no wraps around the tip or butt section...you're not standing on your fly line , etc. When you stick these fish they will run like a bonefish out of that shallow water taking every inch of slack you have out and then some. Keep your drag light and be patient. Their first instinct is deeper water and you'll get some blistering runs. Again, isn't that what it's all about? The thrill, the excitement. The anticipation of the take, the explosion of water and power and it all happens right before your eyes. You'll learn a lot about how a trout behaves by sight fishing. The subtleties of how a fish reacts to different situations will surprise you and most definitely educate you. It is by far the most exciting method of fishing you can experience.
 
In my humble opinion it is the best way to catch trophy trout here on upper Taneycomo. This method works all year long and is best with zero to one unit of water generating. You can find fishable pockets with two units running but you start needing more weight, bigger indicators and it becomes less of a finesse presentation game and more typical of indicator fishing. Do you want to catch a brown trout of a lifetime? Try this around October through January up by the dam when they're spawning and you may just want to stay here forever. The pictures shown here are of my 11 year old son Marlin and myself on a June 6th 2004 trip fishing, about 1-1/2 hours total. All these fish were over 20 inches and all different fish. We lost two bigger browns and probably caught about 30 fish total in that time. Every day isn't this good but many are.
 
You can drop me an email or go to our website at Chartered Waters or call 1-866-362-1928 if you need further explanation of this technique or if you want to pick up a few of these fly patterns. Of course we'd love to take you out on a guided trip for a hands on education and our guarantee that you will catch fish or your trip is free. Folks, you have to try this technique! You'll be amazed at the results and how much more water will suddenly become available to you. With a little more patience and a little more concentration you may never leave the bank again! At the very least you'll think twice about splashing through those shallows before scoping out a potential fish of a lifetime. Stalking trophy Lake Taneycomo trout. It's my favorite way to fly fish for trout. It just may become your favorite way too!

Not sure how to title this one.
Went out this morning to get a baseline for a fishing report - try some things.  They are running one unit of water, lake level 705.3 feet.  I didn't get out till about 9 a.m. - boated up to just above the Narrows in the trophy area.
I threw some jigs -- black, sculpin and olive -- with only a couple of bites.  The midges were hatching in clouds and rainbows were taking them along the current edges close to the bluff bank.  I didn't have my fly rod in the boat or I would have been throwing a small dry.
I wanted to try one more thing before heading back -- a bead.  We use beads in Alaska to catch big rainbows during the salmon spawning season and I'd been experiment with them here.
You peg the bead, which comes in various sizes and colors, to your line about 2 inches above a small hook.  Then you pinch a small split shot above the bead about 2 feet.  I was using 4 pound line.  Throw it out and drift it like you would any fly or bait.  Bump it on the bottom.
I picked up 2 small rainbows and had 3 more good strikes.  Both rainbows had the hook in its mouth, not outside of it.
Then I thought, let's do a comparison.  So I boated back up to the top of the Narrows and drifted a #12 grey scud (200R hook) using the same split shot.  Caught one small rainbow right off the bat.  Then got a good strike, then another.  I thought it would be about the same result.  But towards the end of the faster water, I hooked something that surprised me.
Why surprise?  Well, I wasn't ready for something to pull hard enough to break my line, plus my drag wasn't set for it either.  Nor did I have my anti-reel switched so I couldn't reel backwards like I usually do.  Luckily, my line held up as the drag started to slip a little.  Then I was able to flip the switch and reel backwards.
It was a good fish but the hard fast run fooled me.  I didn't think it was as big as it was.  It stayed deep for almost the entire fight, making 3 long runs and fought hard close to the boat to stay down. 
I grabbed the Gopro, turned it on and set it up on the bar.  The video shows the fight towards the middle to the end, not the long runs.
I netted the fish but kept it in the water.  I called Duane at the resort and asked him to come up with the camera to take some pics.  He was on a room repair mission so it took a while for him to boat up to where I was.  I drifted down to a spot on the bank where I could get out with the fish.  It's way too hard to get good, SAFE pics of a trophy trout while in a boat.  I say safe for the fish, not me.  I didn't want to raise the rainbow out of the water unless it was for a few quick pictures.
The color of this big sow were incredible!  I was blessed to have landed and released.  I did get a measurement, marking my spinning rod against her length while in the net.  I set it on a measuring board and was surprised to see it was 28.25 inches long.  It didn't seem that long in the water.




The release.....
 
 

Cooler weather has brought less generation to Taneycomo.  The water has been running for an hour or two in the evenings and that's about all.  That makes fishing off the docks and wading below the dam more enjoyable for sure.
Below Fall Creek, we're catching trout in many ways actually.  Fishing has been pretty good.  The pink Berkley's Powerworm has been the go to bait for most of the guides... still!  We've demonstrated that on One Cast a couple times this week and caught fish on both occasions off the dock.  Night crawlers are catching fish too but so is Gulp and Powereggs and traditional salmon eggs.  Still using 4-pound line for most bait applications but 2-pound when using anything under a float like the pink worm and small jigs.
Look for the chop!  Preached it many times and will continue to do so.  The wind has been blowing fairly well this week but still, if you're in an area where there's no wind, go find it if it's around.  Fish bite much better when there's a chop on the surface.
I found out black is the color, at least it was the other evening.  Black or black/olive marabou jig.  This was late in the day into the evening and there was a little water running at the time.  It's not that they won't change at any time -- you just have to keep trying colors until the right one is found.  This isn't a trophy area only thing... it's lake wide.  And colors will change with the time of day, brightness of the sun and even wind and current conditions.

I mentioned in the video about line size and using small jigs.  I don't think there's any question that lighter line like 2-pound will catch more fish than bigger line like 4-pound but it's more about the lure you're using.  You can't throw a 1/16th ounce jig very far when using 4-pound line.
I absolutely hammered them using a #16 red Zebra Midge the other day.  I tied on a black and a red about 12 inches apart, 6x tippet about 3 feet deep and was fishing the flat below Fall Creek on the east back above the boat ramp.  Never caught one on the black.  It was towards evening with no water running.

Not sure how to title this one.
Went out this morning to get a baseline for a fishing report - try some things.  They are running one unit of water, lake level 705.3 feet.  I didn't get out till about 9 a.m. - boated up to just above the Narrows in the trophy area.
I threw some jigs -- black, sculpin and olive -- with only a couple of bites.  The midges were hatching in clouds and rainbows were taking them along the current edges close to the bluff bank.  I didn't have my fly rod in the boat or I would have been throwing a small dry.
I wanted to try one more thing before heading back -- a bead.  We use beads in Alaska to catch big rainbows during the salmon spawning season and I'd been experiment with them here.
You peg the bead, which comes in various sizes and colors, to your line about 2 inches above a small hook.  Then you pinch a small split shot above the bead about 2 feet.  I was using 4 pound line.  Throw it out and drift it like you would any fly or bait.  Bump it on the bottom.
I picked up 2 small rainbows and had 3 more good strikes.  Both rainbows had the hook in its mouth, not outside of it.
Then I thought, let's do a comparison.  So I boated back up to the top of the Narrows and drifted a #12 grey scud (200R hook) using the same split shot.  Caught one small rainbow right off the bat.  Then got a good strike, then another.  I thought it would be about the same result.  But towards the end of the faster water, I hooked something that surprised me.
Why surprise?  Well, I wasn't ready for something to pull hard enough to break my line, plus my drag wasn't set for it either.  Nor did I have my anti-reel switched so I couldn't reel backwards like I usually do.  Luckily, my line held up as the drag started to slip a little.  Then I was able to flip the switch and reel backwards.
It was a good fish but the hard fast run fooled me.  I didn't think it was as big as it was.  It stayed deep for almost the entire fight, making 3 long runs and fought hard close to the boat to stay down. 
I grabbed the Gopro, turned it on and set it up on the bar.  The video shows the fight towards the middle to the end, not the long runs.
I netted the fish but kept it in the water.  I called Duane at the resort and asked him to come up with the camera to take some pics.  He was on a room repair mission so it took a while for him to boat up to where I was.  I drifted down to a spot on the bank where I could get out with the fish.  It's way too hard to get good, SAFE pics of a trophy trout while in a boat.  I say safe for the fish, not me.  I didn't want to raise the rainbow out of the water unless it was for a few quick pictures.
The color of this big sow were incredible!  I was blessed to have landed and released.  I did get a measurement, marking my spinning rod against her length while in the net.  I set it on a measuring board and was surprised to see it was 28.25 inches long.  It didn't seem that long in the water.




The release.....
 
 

Not sure how to title this one.
Went out this morning to get a baseline for a fishing report - try some things.  They are running one unit of water, lake level 705.3 feet.  I didn't get out till about 9 a.m. - boated up to just above the Narrows in the trophy area.
I threw some jigs -- black, sculpin and olive -- with only a couple of bites.  The midges were hatching in clouds and rainbows were taking them along the current edges close to the bluff bank.  I didn't have my fly rod in the boat or I would have been throwing a small dry.
I wanted to try one more thing before heading back -- a bead.  We use beads in Alaska to catch big rainbows during the salmon spawning season and I'd been experiment with them here.
You peg the bead, which comes in various sizes and colors, to your line about 2 inches above a small hook.  Then you pinch a small split shot above the bead about 2 feet.  I was using 4 pound line.  Throw it out and drift it like you would any fly or bait.  Bump it on the bottom.
I picked up 2 small rainbows and had 3 more good strikes.  Both rainbows had the hook in its mouth, not outside of it.
Then I thought, let's do a comparison.  So I boated back up to the top of the Narrows and drifted a #12 grey scud (200R hook) using the same split shot.  Caught one small rainbow right off the bat.  Then got a good strike, then another.  I thought it would be about the same result.  But towards the end of the faster water, I hooked something that surprised me.
Why surprise?  Well, I wasn't ready for something to pull hard enough to break my line, plus my drag wasn't set for it either.  Nor did I have my anti-reel switched so I couldn't reel backwards like I usually do.  Luckily, my line held up as the drag started to slip a little.  Then I was able to flip the switch and reel backwards.
It was a good fish but the hard fast run fooled me.  I didn't think it was as big as it was.  It stayed deep for almost the entire fight, making 3 long runs and fought hard close to the boat to stay down. 
I grabbed the Gopro, turned it on and set it up on the bar.  The video shows the fight towards the middle to the end, not the long runs.
I netted the fish but kept it in the water.  I called Duane at the resort and asked him to come up with the camera to take some pics.  He was on a room repair mission so it took a while for him to boat up to where I was.  I drifted down to a spot on the bank where I could get out with the fish.  It's way too hard to get good, SAFE pics of a trophy trout while in a boat.  I say safe for the fish, not me.  I didn't want to raise the rainbow out of the water unless it was for a few quick pictures.
The color of this big sow were incredible!  I was blessed to have landed and released.  I did get a measurement, marking my spinning rod against her length while in the net.  I set it on a measuring board and was surprised to see it was 28.25 inches long.  It didn't seem that long in the water.




The release.....
 
 

Started off early this morning with a buddy, launching the boat at 5 am.  Headed down the lake for a sit in the woods. On the walk in, we jumped 8 deer, so I did not think we would have a chance of seeing another. That was ok with me, because I was hoping for a chance at turkeys. Just after shooting time, I could hear a turkey behind me about 75-100 yards up in the roost.  After that I heard one to my left fly down. About that time a giant murder of crows flew in raising all kinds of ruckus, flushing the still roosted turkey off in another direction.  I could see my buddy's ground blind from where I was at and apperrently he had deer skirting the limits of his shooting range all morning.  About 10:30 we gave up on the hunt and changed gears to chasing walleye.  Good move on out part!  We had rigs in the water about 10 minutes when we caught the first keeper. We kept trolling the flats from just below K Dock to almost Snapp.  Had 3 different areas we picked up walleye in 20-27 feet of water. Tried one long run back down the lake and again picked up walleye in the same 3 areas. Decided to concentrate on the 2 most productive of the 3 and that was w the flat just above K Dock and the one just across and below K Dock. Trolled 1.9-2.3 mph depending on if we were in 20 feet of water (1.9) or 27 feet(2.3). Had enough line out with 3 ounce bottom bouncers to hit the bottom ever few seconds.  We averaged 1 short for ever keeper we caught and had a welcomed bonus of a 13 inch crappie. Did not catch any of the stinking bass which was awesome!  Only target species today. Ended up with 2 limits of keeper walleye and 8 shorts in 5 hours of fishing. Great day filled with adventure and good company!
Oh, and got to meet Paco while taking out.  Lots of fun chatting with you!

Generation is still constant during the day and night on Taneycomo.  About a half unit night and most of the day with a shot of heavier water mid to late afternoon.  Water quality remains good enough for the fish to eat, and fight.  The fears about bad water and fish kills this fall have not materialized, but we have about 5-6 weeks left of low DO season.
Just a quick report to show off a couple of nice trout.  I took a family fishing Wednesday in the rain.  Thought it would be excellent catching because fish usually like rainy, cloudy days.  No so.  It was tough.  All the guides were calling each other trying to find the bite.  We started with a pink worm under a float, then to a night crawler and finally boated to the dam and threw jigs.

My party had never used spin cast gear... mom and dad were lifelong river and creek floaters, fishing for smallmouth bass in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma.  Now in their 80's and most of their fishing days behind them, they were trying trout fishing for the first time.  I was wishing for better conditions and the fish to bite.

Forrest caught a few rainbows on both crawlers and a jig.  Thelma did too.  I let their son Randy and wife Kim have the back of the pontoon and concentrated on the couple in front.
At one point, we were drifting past outlet #2 when I casted for Thelma and showed her how to lift and jig the jig while reeling slowly.  Of course a big rainbow just had to grab on -- I set the hook and handed her the rod.  I knew immediately it was a good trout and adjusted the drag so the 2-pound line didn't snap.

She fought it perfectly.  I made one swipe with the net and missed, hitting the lunker instead.  I thought for sure I'd knocked it off but to my surprise, it was till hanging on just past the net's edge.  I lunged one more time and got it.
Big male, spawning colors, big hooked jaw.  We got a few pictures and back it went, didn't even measure it.

The family shared with me that on the trip back to Oklahoma, Forrest shared that he thought his fishing days were behind him, and that he was so glad to get out on the river again.  I'm hoping he and Thelma come back and go out again, even if the fish aren't biting.  It was a wonderful trip!
Yesterday afternoon, fishing guide Kris Nelson called the office and said they were coming in with a big brown.  So Duane and I got out the scales and watched for them.  Kris and his wife bought a small lodge on Stockton Lake last year and that's where he guides most of the time.  But he makes trips to Taneycomo in the fall when fishing on Stockton slows down.

Kris and client, Jack Slaughter, were throwing stick baits against the banks below the dam when Jack hooked what turned out to be a 25.5 inch big male brown.  The brown was in great condition when it arrived at the dock so we took good care of it.  We netted it in a large rubber net and set it in the basket to weigh it - it showed 6.76 pounds.  Kris put it in our big minnow tank which is constantly aerated with fresh water.  We showed Jack how to hold the fish without hurting it, but also to show the whole fish.  But the light wasn't good and the flash bleached out the fish.

We put the brown back in Kris's livewell and pulled the boat to the outside of the dock where the light was better.  We kept the fish in the net the whole time to keep from handling it further.  Jack pulled the fish out and up to take a couple of series of pictures, never keeping the fish out of the water for more than 20 seconds at a time.  As a precaution, Kris held the big net under the fish so as to catch it if it pulled out of his hands.  When it was released, it swam off like a shot.

I have been asked a few questions recently about fishing Lake Taneycomo. After rereading all of my replies, I thought I would compile them and post them here for everyone.
This information is just some of the things that have been productive for me over the years. They are not the only way to fish and not set in stone, but they are productive for me.
Question.....
"Do you fish big articulated streamers like Dungeons and such on Taneycomo? Do you catch more larger fish or are medium sized fish caught more often? What size tippet do you use?"
I have fished T&A Rainbows on Taney during the fall brown run with success on both rainbows and browns. I don't normally fish the big articulated streamers though. I do most of my streamer fishing at night and mainly do sight fishing during the day. During the day after sight fishing all my favorite spots, I will play with some small streamers, wet flies, and even do some midging. During the day I will use 6x if I can get away with it, but most of the time, 7x. If I'm throwing the small streamers, like that minnow fly, I will bump it up to 4 or 5x tippet. It seems like on a fast strip, you can get away with bigger tippet. More of working on a reaction strike than a feeding strike.
Sight fishing in the slower water, they have too much time to study it and you hardly ever get away with anything bigger than 6x. Night fishing, I mainly throw the streamers size 6 and smaller. 10's are probably may favorite, most productive sizes. The simple pine squirrel sculpins with a cone head work fine but pine squirrel does not come in white, so I use mink for that. I normally use 2x or 3x tippet at night.
Leonards PMS, and Hybernators along with Mohair leeches are all great streamer patterns to use at night also. One thing to remember about night fishing......If you don't get a hit or a fish in 10 casts, you need to change it up. Change color, change fly, change stripping action. There are too many fish out there not to get a bite in 10 casts. I normally start with a black streamer on a dark night and a white one on a bright moon lit night. The first thing I change, usually within 3 cast is my strip. Either a dead drift, to a slow strip with a pause between strips to short very fast strips. If nothing with in 10 casts trying all those stripping methods, I change color.
Colors I carry in the different streamers I use are White, Grey, Olive, Black, Red, and Purple. Once I run through all those colors in a certain pattern, I then change patterns and start running through the colors again. Sometimes you can get lucky on a good night and put to hand over 100 fish. Most of the time Ill catch 15-30 in a night. I do not always just catch big fish. Most of them are average fish, but after fishing down there for several years, I have got spots that tend to produce bigger fish every now and then, so as you can imagine, I hit those spots every time I go.
Question.....
"What are your most productive daytime patterns besides your minnow fly?"
During the day, my most productive fly is the white chamois worm, midges, and sow bugs. As far as streamers other than the minnow fly...the pine squirrel cone head sculpins and white mink sculpins in a size 10. I normally will catch more fish on the worm, midges and sow bugs though. You might want to tie up some micro eggs because some of the bows are trying to spawn....match the hatch...
Some crackle backs and some soft hackles can produce just as well as the streamers during the day also. Like I said, I only throw the streamers during the day when I get bored with the other stuff
Question.....
"Where do you buy your chamois? Are the midges just generic zebra-type midges?"
You can get the chamois on eBay. It has to be white sheep skin that is very thin for doll clothes. My 4 favorite midges are zebra, rusty, prim rose and Pearl, and solid black.
Question.....
"What are the best flies to use if there is higher generation and the best way to rig them?"
On high generation, if fishing the bank, I use White Chamois, Sow Bugs, Micro Eggs, San Juan Worms, and Midges. Favorite to least in that order. There are a lot of places you can still make your way down the bank with up to 3 units on. I use lots of weight to get it down fast. Sometimes up to 4 number 4 split shot. I place the split shot about 12 inches above the flies. Now on the midges, of course you would not use any weight. I only use the midges when I can see lots of fish rising in the seems and eddies close to the bank and then will put one on about 12 to 18 inches under the smallest indicator I can get. Most of the fish will hold close to the bank during generation so you don't need to cast out very far. Work the close seams and eddies within 10 feet of the bank. If I can see my flies on the short drifts, I will not us an indicator. If I can not, then I will put the indicator on.
I love fishing down below outlet #2 with 2 units on. The water is perfect for fishing that bank under 2 units of generation. Just below outlet #2 is a tree that hangs out over the water with 2 units running. From that tree down, within 6 feet of the bank, usually holds lots of fish. There is a nice eddie just below the tree and then some giant boulders that create great fish holding eddies also. You can also drive over the dam and get access to the south side. The back side of the Island is a great place to fish during generation also.
Note:  Duane Doty guides on Taneycomo and other creeks and rivers in S.W. Missouri.  He works at Lilleys' Landing Resort & Marina.

We started at the cable and fished the bluff or south side to the island.  The lake level was 705.4 feet and the release was 4,000 cfs (60 megawatts).  This is just over one unit of water.
Duane tied on a #10 hopper and I tied on a smaller #12, just to give them a little different look, both pink though.  We drifted down stern first, me on the trolling motor to the fish saw D's hopper first... that was my undoing, so to speak.  He said he was picking all the good spots, thus he caught most of the fish.
Note to self:  Make him run the trolling motor next fishing trip.

We both had lots of looks and tastes.  Duane caught on skating the hopper across the surface - they wanted to chase.  
When we fish hoppers, or any dry fly for that matter, we generally see larger fish but this time most of the rainbows were on the small side - 13-14 inch.  He did have a couple pushing 16 inches though.  No browns.
We fished both sides down to Trophy Run and the south side from the cable to the island was the best run.
The last drift, we threw jigs - 1/8th ounce gray/white and 1/16th ounce sculpin/ginger.  Both caught fish, better than the hoppers.

There were a couple of sketchy spots but nothing we had to portage around or anything. Never had to break out the saw. The fishing wasn't great though. A bit high, little murky. Those that did choose to participate were very strong fish. 
Once again the PBJ Ned saved the day. 

Flowing through the heart of Branson, Lake Taneycomo is the most diverse fishing lake in the country, sporting world-class rainbow and brown trout as well as bass, crappie and blue gill angling. But it's most famous for its trout fishing.
Why is trout fishing so consistently good year round?  The Missouri Department of Conservation stocks Lake Taneycomo with about 550,000 trout annually. Stockings occur on several days of each week and are dispersed by pontoon boat throughout the lake. In the summer months, when fishing pressure is the highest, as many as 64,000 rainbows averaging  11.5 inches or longer are placed in the lake, ensuring everyone at least a chance to catch their limit of  four trout daily. Both rainbows and browns are reared locally at the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery, located just below Table Rock Dam.
Article - Justification for Rainbow Trout stocking reduction in Lake Taneycomo, 12/2017
Brown trout comprise a small percentage of stocked trout in Lake Taneycomo. MDC stocks about 15,000 once a year in the spring. Browns are considered a "trophy trout" in Taneycomo and, thus, a special lake-wide regulation mandates that a brown must be 20 inches or longer to keep, and only one may be kept per day. Four total keeper trout are allowed per day with a two-day possession limit of eight trout total.
Lake Taneycomo is a part of the White River Chain of Lakes. Our lower dam, Powersite, was built in 1908 and actually is the oldest hydro-electric dam built west of the Mississippi River. When Table Rock Dam was constructed in 1958, water from the bottom of the 200-foot dam was cold, thus supporting coldwater species of fish.  As a federal project, the government appropriated Neosho Federal Hatchery to provide rainbow trout to the once warm water fishery.  In 1957, construction of the state hatchery, Shepherd of the Hills, was started at the base of Table Rock Dam.  Shepherd provides the balance of trout stocked in Taneycomo, as well as providing trout for the rest of the state's trout program.
Table Rock Dam is managed by the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers. The Southwest Power Administration tells the Corps when and how much water to flow through the facility. Flow is dictated by flood control and power demand. As much as 20,000 cubic feet per second can be released through its turbines, but even more can be moved over the top of the dam through its 10 flood gates. As much as 78,000 cubic feet per second was released in the flood of 2015/16 (winter), a record release that will hopefully never be broken when Table Rock.  But the highest Table Rock Lake has ever been is 935.46 feet in the flood of 2011.
Water flow dictates fishing conditions and techniques. When the water is off, there is little to no current, and Taneycomo acts like a lake. But when water is released, depending on how much water is released, the current increases and water level rises -- and Taneycomo shows her river heritage.
Random Information:
Table Rock Dam:
Elevation at the top of the spill gates is 933 feet, when the gates are closed.  Of course when the gates are opened, this elevation will rise with the gates. The spill over elevation is 896 feet. The spill gates are 45 feet wide and 36 feet tall. Good Radio Program/Podcast - Outdoor Guys Radio Show featuring Phil Lilley talking about Lake Taneycomo.

Fishing License and Trout Permits
Before heading to the water for a fishing trip, be sure that you have the required license and permit. Anyone fishing in upper Lake Taneycomo (above State Highway 65 bridge) is required to have a trout permit. Adult trout permits (age 16 and older) cost $10 and a youth trout permit (age 15 and under) costs just $5. Both expire on March 1st following the purchase.
In addition to the trout permit, a general fishing license is required for anyone 16 years and older. Non-Missouri residents can purchase a one day license for $8, or a 3 day license for $24. An annual license is also available for $49. 
Missouri residents can purchase their annual fishing license for just $12. Missouri residents over age 65 are not required to purchase a fishing license.
Note: To KILL a trout, whether intentional or unintentional, is considered possession, so be careful. It might be safer just to buy the trout stamp.
Costs:
Missouri Resident Annual License is $12 Non-resident annual license is $49 Trout permits are only sold annually, and they are $10 for adults and $5 for kids under 16 years of age All Missouri licenses and permits expire on March 1 Non-resident One Day - $8 Non-resident Three Day - $24 Missouri Residents over age 65 only need a trout permit $10 Buy Missouri Fishing Licenses Online!
 
Did you know?
The name Lake Taneycomo was derived from its location in Taney, County, MO, hence Taney-co-mo. Lake Taneycomo looks like a river, but dams at both ends impound the water, making it a lake. Lake Taneycomo is one of four lakes in the chain of the White River system. Beaver, located in northwest Arkansas, is at the top of the chain, followed by Table Rock, then Taneycomo and lastly Bull Shoals. Lake Taneycomo's lower dam, Powersite, brought into service in 1913, is the oldest hydroelectric dam west of the Mississippi. Table Rock Dam was constructed in 1958. The dam's height made the water released from Table Rock cold year round, turning Taneycomo into a prime place to stock trout. The Missouri Department of Conservation's Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery stocks Taneycomo with approximately 500,000 rainbows and 15,000 browns annually. In addition, 200,000 rainbows are trucked in from the Neosho Federal Hatchery located in Neosho, Missouri. The number of rainbows stocked correlates with the fluctuating fishing pressure Taneycomo receives. In another words, 90,000 rainbows are stocked in each summer month when fishing pressure is high but only about 30,000 rainbows in each winter month, give or take a few hundred. There are four turbines located at Table Rock Dam. Two warning horns are located below the dam to warn anglers of impending water release. Water levels can rise as much as 12 feet below the dam, and the currents can be swift. Be wise and be safe. The current Missouri state record brown trout was also caught on Lake Taneycomo on September 4, 2019 by local fishing guide, Bill Babler.  It weighed 40 pounds and 6 ounces, measuring 41 inches long.  It was caught on a Berkley's pink worm fished under a float, 6x tippet which is less than 4-pound test.  Here's a link to the story. The second brown trout Missouri state record was caught on Lake Taneycomo on February 23, 2019 by Paul Crews of Neosho, Missouri.  It weighed 34 pounds, 10 ounces, measuring 38 inches long, 27 inch girth.  It was caught on an 1/8th ounce sculpin colored jig, 4-pound line.  It was released successfully and this brown, named Frank, has been seen and videoed many times since. Some years back, the dock manager at Lilleys' Landing Resort & Marina retrieved a dead brown trout floating above the dock. After measuring and weighing the dead fish, it was determined that it would have been a world record, measuring 44 inches long. The story made the Paul Harvey radio show. State Record Fish on Lake Taneycomo:
White Sucker - Four pounds, eight ounces caught Nov. 19, 1990, by James E. Baker Jr. of Reeds Spring, MO
Brown Trout - 34 pounds, 10 ounces caught February 23, 2019, by Paul Crews of Neosho, MO.

Is winter over?  The long range forecast says it might be.  But it is only February 8, and there's well over a month left before March 21 arrives here.  And even then, you never know.  Snow could be right around the corner . . . but for today, there's a 75-degree Saturday in sight (after our 75-degree Tuesday yesterday!)  And Lilleys' Landing Resort has openings.
Generation patterns have been pretty consistent.  Generation officials have been running water most mornings and evenings up to two units with no generation during the middle of the day.  We're still dry here and need some rain to bring the lakes up.
Drifting with several flies has been working, starting at the dam and working down, when the water is running and you can get up there by boat,   Red or brown San Juan Worms, egg flies and scuds are good.  Scuds in size #14 and either olive or gray.  Bill Babler said he did well Monday using a small floating minnow lure like a Rapala, Rebel or Trout Magnet on a drift rig.  The floating bait keeps your hook from getting snagged on the bottom -- most of the time.
If you're throwing jigs, good colors have been sculpin, sculpin/peach and ginger.  White isn't working since there have been no shad coming from Table Rock.  Size depends on how much water is running,  which has fluctuated between a half unit to two units.  I'd throw the lightest jig possible.  I wouldn't throw an 1/8th unless they're running more that 90 megawatts of water, or almost two full units.
The jig-and-float method has been working, too.  Colors are about the same.  As far as weights, most of the time I'd put a 1/32nd-ounce under a float three- to six-feet deep.
Line size - I'd use two-pound line no matter what you're throwing.  I talked to a good friend about line size last week, and he said he had noticed that his heavier line wasn't doing as well as his partner's two-pound line although his 4.4 pound Tec Tan line usually does really well.  He changed to two-pound P Line and started catching right along with his buddy.
Anglers have been catching some really nice rainbows below the dam and down through the trophy area. But along with the 17- and 18-inch rainbows there are more of the very small 9- to 10-inch rainbows up there and down here around our place, too.  Not sure when these small rainbows were stocked, but they seem to be schooling together and attacking everything they run into.  Take great care in releasing these beauties since they are the ones that will get smart and grow to be trophies.
If you're wading, now is a great time to come to Taneycomo.  The water conditions are very good,  and the area below the dam is full of beautiful rainbows in spawning colors.  Here's a rainbow caught today by local angler Mike Curry.

Below Fall Creek, we've seen some incredibly nice rainbows brought in at the two trout tournaments we've held in the past couple of weeks.  In the last contest, where no one fished above Fall Creek, there were more than a dozen 18-inch-plus rainbows weighed in as well as two legal browns.  I was just amazed at the number of colored-up trout that had clearly been in the lake long enough to lose their grayish, freshly stocked look.  Most of these rainbows were caught on bait -- night crawlers and various colors of Powerbait -- and were caught between our dock and Fall Creek.
Guide Steve Dickey has been catching trout on a ginger Turner's micro jig under a float four- to six-feet deep.  He's using light 6x or two-pound line.  Of course catching is better if there's been a chop on the surface.  He's also still catching fish on the pink Berkley's Power worm, too.

Roy Anderson just stepped in to my office to ask if I could take a picture of a rainbow he'd caught.  I did, and he promptly released it.  He caught it close to Short Creek on a sculpin/orange 3/32nd-ounce jig.
If you're interested in bass fishing, I've heard they're catching some nice blacks and kentuckies down on the lower lake throwing an A-Rig.

Is winter over?  The long range forecast says it might be.  But it is only February 8, and there's well over a month left before March 21 arrives here.  And even then, you never know.  Snow could be right around the corner . . . but for today, there's a 75-degree Saturday in sight (after our 75-degree Tuesday yesterday!)  And Lilleys' Landing Resort has openings.
Generation patterns have been pretty consistent.  Generation officials have been running water most mornings and evenings up to two units with no generation during the middle of the day.  We're still dry here and need some rain to bring the lakes up.
Drifting with several flies has been working, starting at the dam and working down, when the water is running and you can get up there by boat,   Red or brown San Juan Worms, egg flies and scuds are good.  Scuds in size #14 and either olive or gray.  Bill Babler said he did well Monday using a small floating minnow lure like a Rapala, Rebel or Trout Magnet on a drift rig.  The floating bait keeps your hook from getting snagged on the bottom -- most of the time.
If you're throwing jigs, good colors have been sculpin, sculpin/peach and ginger.  White isn't working since there have been no shad coming from Table Rock.  Size depends on how much water is running,  which has fluctuated between a half unit to two units.  I'd throw the lightest jig possible.  I wouldn't throw an 1/8th unless they're running more that 90 megawatts of water, or almost two full units.
The jig-and-float method has been working, too.  Colors are about the same.  As far as weights, most of the time I'd put a 1/32nd-ounce under a float three- to six-feet deep.
Line size - I'd use two-pound line no matter what you're throwing.  I talked to a good friend about line size last week, and he said he had noticed that his heavier line wasn't doing as well as his partner's two-pound line although his 4.4 pound Tec Tan line usually does really well.  He changed to two-pound P Line and started catching right along with his buddy.
Anglers have been catching some really nice rainbows below the dam and down through the trophy area. But along with the 17- and 18-inch rainbows there are more of the very small 9- to 10-inch rainbows up there and down here around our place, too.  Not sure when these small rainbows were stocked, but they seem to be schooling together and attacking everything they run into.  Take great care in releasing these beauties since they are the ones that will get smart and grow to be trophies.
If you're wading, now is a great time to come to Taneycomo.  The water conditions are very good,  and the area below the dam is full of beautiful rainbows in spawning colors.  Here's a rainbow caught today by local angler Mike Curry.

Below Fall Creek, we've seen some incredibly nice rainbows brought in at the two trout tournaments we've held in the past couple of weeks.  In the last contest, where no one fished above Fall Creek, there were more than a dozen 18-inch-plus rainbows weighed in as well as two legal browns.  I was just amazed at the number of colored-up trout that had clearly been in the lake long enough to lose their grayish, freshly stocked look.  Most of these rainbows were caught on bait -- night crawlers and various colors of Powerbait -- and were caught between our dock and Fall Creek.
Guide Steve Dickey has been catching trout on a ginger Turner's micro jig under a float four- to six-feet deep.  He's using light 6x or two-pound line.  Of course catching is better if there's been a chop on the surface.  He's also still catching fish on the pink Berkley's Power worm, too.

Roy Anderson just stepped in to my office to ask if I could take a picture of a rainbow he'd caught.  I did, and he promptly released it.  He caught it close to Short Creek on a sculpin/orange 3/32nd-ounce jig.
If you're interested in bass fishing, I've heard they're catching some nice blacks and kentuckies down on the lower lake throwing an A-Rig.

For the most part, there's been very little generation on Lake Taneycomo the past couple of weeks.  If operators run the turbines, it's early in the morning for an hour or two (70 megawatts) and in the afternoon beginning  2 to 4 p.m. and running either for an hour or until dark.  I know that sounds arbitrary, but there really isn't a pattern.  We count on some water running every day but with extended periods of no generation most of the day and all night.
Speaking of night time, fishing after dark has been good below the dam, wading and throwing a variety of streamers.  Brown trout activity has slowed, but there are still a lot of nice trout up there to be caught.  Flies that will do well are leaches, Hybernators, wooly buggers, Cracklebacks, Pine Squirrels and sculpins.

Some of the guys who regularly fly fish below the dam say fishing has really been slow until they start generating, and then it's good around the outlets.  But fly fishing from the Missouri Department of Conservation boat ramp down seems to be pretty good.  I've fly fished a couple of times around Lookout Island and have caught a few very nice, colored up rainbows on scuds -- whether the water was off or running.  I fished both sides of the island.
I've also been throwing a 1/16th-ounce olive or black marabou jig from Lookout Island and down lake and have fared better than I did earlier in the fall and even in the summer.  Of course, I am using two-pound line when fishing a small jig.  I use Trilene XL clear.
I have heard some fly fishers are catching a few trout on dries on the upper lake.  Jeremy Hunt, a fishing guide, says his clients are throwing #16 and #18 black ants and catching big rainbows and a few browns.  He said it's best to find chop on the water for the ants to work.

For the past week, I've been fishing a scud in an area below Fall Creek, not above in the trophy area.  I got the notion to throw a scud after fishing a flat over a week ago.  Zebra Midges weren't cutting it, and as I was fishing, and not catching, I noticed rainbows cruising around in front of me nosing the gravel trying to kick up bugs.  I know there's a good population of scuds in that area, so I tied on a #12 peppy (200R hook) and pinched on a palsa indicator four feet above the fly, 6x fluorocarbon tippet.


That day, I was out about 1 p.m. and it was sunny with very little wind--not the best fishing conditions.  But the trout were actively feeding, and they liked my peppy scud.
I've gone out several times since at all times of the day.  Saturday I went out at 9 a.m. and started fishing the flat.  This is the east or inside bank from the Riverpointe boat ramp up to the first dock somewhat across from Fall Creek Marina.  It's a stretch that was formerly dotted with a dozen docks, but all have been taken out since the last flood.  Because of the trajectory of the sun right now, this water is in the shade most of the day, and that's where I was keying in on, the shade.  But it was slow . . . one rainbow and few bites.  So I boated on up into the trophy area and tried some deeper banks and set the scud at eight- to nine-feet deep.
After striking out on the deep bank, I trolled over to the shallow side, the bank below the Narrows, and started fishing some water where I knew I'd catch fish.  And I did, sight fishing to some rainbows cruising in less than a foot of water -- that was fun.  Then I fished the water just above the mouth of Fall Creek.  By this time, the wind had really picked, blowing down lake or out of the south.  That, I believe, really turned the fish on and I was rewarded with a bite on every cast.
I wanted to again hit the bank where I had started  before heading in, so I boated back down and started at the log below the log house/dock.  This log is about 50 feet from the bank and runs long ways with the root wad sticking out of the water.  I set the boat as close to the bank as I could get it without bottoming out, (although I did many times.)  So I  was fishing  50 feet or less from the bank behind me in no more than three feet of water.  Most of the time I was throwing to 18 to 24 inches of water and set the scud at five feet from the indicator.
This is what I have determined:  These rainbows are taking a scud in sunlight better than shade.  I've fished this area enough in both conditions, and every time I fished in sunny conditions, no matter what the surface looked like, they were much more active in sunlight.  Of course, Saturday's chop on the water really helped.  I caught more than 20 rainbows in that small stretch of time.  One rainbow took me to my backing, twice!  It was only 17 inches long, but he thought he was 23!
I'm going to keep experimenting with scuds below Fall Creek because I know it's an untapped resource.  These trout haven't seen many scud flies, but at the same time they're seeing lots of live ones.
Bill Babler, one of our fishing guides, reports he's using a ginger micro jig in the trophy area and catching well.  His clients caught and released 60 trout Saturday morning.  But it hasn't been like that every day for the guides.  I'd say at least three days last week, they were struggling to find trout that would bite.  Some days were better than others.
The same can be said about trout fishing in general.  Anglers using bait are having some great days catching fish and some not-so-great days, especially off our dock.  White is back as the hot color.  Last week was yellow paste.

Catching Shad has given more than one angler fits, Most people look for the schools on the surface of the water which can be productive at times, but by far the best method is getting them in backs of coves, over mud flats or best of all in small creek mouths where they have little running room to escape a cast net.
Open Water netting posses a major issue, Shad are fast and moving, I have seen many guys throw at the school with their net and then look puzzled when they come up with just a couple shad. Remember refraction which is to say you see a target under water at what looks like 2 feet when in reality it is 3 feet. Also they are moving. When you see schools follow them for a few seconds and see where they are going. Cast your net in front of the school at least 3 feet and a 2 feet beyond them. This normally will put you center of the school and a full net.
Backs of coves and mud flats are great areas to get them. You still have to use the same principles for casting a net as you do in open water but you have higher odds of catching them in these areas. Be careful though of underwater dangers to a net. Know your depth and only let the net sink to half the bottom depth will help keep nets out of danger.
Creeks and especially creek mouths. Just the simple fact most are narrow make catching shad very easy in these area. I seldom pay attention to sigh casting them in these area. I use the sight to know where they are but beyond that it’s irrelevant! Cast beyond where you see the shad and let the net sink. Normally you will be where the true school is and will be pulling in a heavy load of shad for fishing.
Keeping Shad alive is NOT easy!!! Shad do not do well in unclean water, low oxygenated water or takes that are square. The water in your bait tank may look clear but shad are like pigeons the poop everyplace and a lot as well as release a lot of ammonia from their urine. For the inventive angler a trash can be cut in half and used with bilge pump to fill it and a relief hole to allow water out. Or buy a circular or oval style bait tank. Some boats like mine have bait tanks that are oval or rounded corners. These will work fine for keeping shad from beating themselves up, but not from the water quality issues if the angler does not pay attention to it.
Many anglers do not understand how fragile this bait is. If you have a bait tank onboard that is suitable for shad you will want to have the drain running drain plug out and fill on constantly or at very least on timer. Do NOT forget to clean the screen on the filter frequently. You will want to do this for the first hour after catching the shad. After that keep your aerator on timer and once an hour repeat the full procedure.
Hooking Shad, There are three good ways to hook shad! First is nose hooking, take the hook and run it through the upper jaw through the nose {be sure not to hook the bottom jaw} you want them to breath and swim naturally. This type of hooking allows the shad to do what it wants and swim naturally.
Next is Anus hooking them, You hook them just like it says directly above the butthole. This method will cause the shad to swim down and near the bottom. The problem is it puts a lot of stress on the shad and they are only good for about 5 minutes at most, so be ready to change them frequently. It is not a good option if you are limited in bait in the tank.
Lastly is tail hooking them! You actually do not hook them in the tail but between the dorsal fin and the tail. A good rule of thumb is hooking them where the threadfin stops and just below the back bone. This will cause them to run away from the boat, you will need to play out line to allow them to keep running. When the shad stops running keep your reel in free spool and let the shad swim. I have had them live fine for 15 minutes no problem but as soon as you start reeling them in you stress them bad, So if you reel them in change them out.
Hook size’s are where I see more anglers make mistakes then anyplace else. The smallest possible hook size the better, For shad under 3’’ the best hook size is a #4 and for shad from 3’’ to 6’’ a 1/0 hook is perfect for nose hooking and a 3/0 for Tail or Anus hooking. These give the shad the best movement and least amount of stress and are perfectly capable of handling a big fish. I have personally caught Tarpon over 150pnds on a 3/0 hook.
Line is another factor. If you want natural looking bait then use the lightest line possible, I prefer Fluorocarbon line myself, 12lbs is perfect for most freshwater fish for fly lining (hook only to line no weight) and 20lbs Fluorocarbon for Bait that has a weight above it.
In summer I suggest adding ice to the bait tank to keep the temperature down. This has a negative aspect to it as most bagged ice or made at home has additives in it that can harm shad, to counter this deadly problem simply purchase SHAD KEEPER at your local bait or sporting goods store, it removes these harmful additives and also controls ammonia from the shad.
Finally do not discard dead shad! Put them in a bucket and if the fish start surface feeding toss out the dead bait to them and keep them feeding ( know your local laws on chumming before doing this though) This can also be deadly productive on getting deep fish to turn on and come up.

Jeremy Hunt posted this on his Facebook Page.  he's given me permission to re post it here on OAF.
We all had a goal in mind.....put Lisa on the biggest brown of her fly fishing career. We meet up with my buddy John Holsten who has been night fishing the white with one of his friends named Trakker Young. They have been dialing in this mouse bite and we were able to link up and spend a night fishing together. It was all about Lisa on this trip so I took a back seat to watch the show, and boy did I get to do that. Within ten minutes Lisa hooked her first Brown which was the biggest of the night.
These two guides got this river dialed in for sure. If you want a big brown mousing these are the dudes you need to hire. There were a few things that had to line up to make this trip a success so I wouldn't wait too long because you never know how long it will last. Go like their facebook page and keep up with the latest info and news at straight outta cotter.
The next day it was about research fishing hoppers. I still didn't fish, I guided Lisa until 2pm and we fished from the dam down to Wildcat. Water was a little shallow to push the fish to the banks, but we still managed to hook a few. Fish are starting to look up so the hopper bite has started for the most part. Now we just need some flow along the bank with it being a little more consistent and it should be game on!! I have a few spots left if you want to get in on this action, but I'm sure they won't last long. See you on the river!!

Jeremy Hunt posted this on his Facebook Page.  he's given me permission to re post it here on OAF.
We all had a goal in mind.....put Lisa on the biggest brown of her fly fishing career. We meet up with my buddy John Holsten who has been night fishing the white with one of his friends named Trakker Young. They have been dialing in this mouse bite and we were able to link up and spend a night fishing together. It was all about Lisa on this trip so I took a back seat to watch the show, and boy did I get to do that. Within ten minutes Lisa hooked her first Brown which was the biggest of the night.
These two guides got this river dialed in for sure. If you want a big brown mousing these are the dudes you need to hire. There were a few things that had to line up to make this trip a success so I wouldn't wait too long because you never know how long it will last. Go like their facebook page and keep up with the latest info and news at straight outta cotter.
The next day it was about research fishing hoppers. I still didn't fish, I guided Lisa until 2pm and we fished from the dam down to Wildcat. Water was a little shallow to push the fish to the banks, but we still managed to hook a few. Fish are starting to look up so the hopper bite has started for the most part. Now we just need some flow along the bank with it being a little more consistent and it should be game on!! I have a few spots left if you want to get in on this action, but I'm sure they won't last long. See you on the river!!

Summer has settled in here on Lake Taneycomo; as evidence I offer the temperature today -- 98 degrees.  After a mild winter and spring, we shouldn't complain very much, right?  We knew this was coming.  Good thing our lake water is cold -- I'd hate to be on a warm water lake fishing in this heat! Generation:  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been running water a little in the mornings and then starting mid day, running it until about 8 p.m., as much as three units.  Table Rock's level is down to 916 feet, so the flow is not due to high lake levels but for electricity with the higher power demand from high air temperatures.  We may see more water running and for longer periods of time if this heat continues.  The water coming from the depths of Table Rock is still about 46 degrees.
Our guides are getting out on the lake as early as 5:30 a.m. and doing pretty well.  Most are fishing something under a float.  Below Fall Creek, Trout Magnets are tearing them up, fishing them five- to six-feet deep using a pink or pink/white magnet on a gold jig head.  Don't move it very much because the trout like it stationary.  If you don't get a bite in a minute, pick it up and move it.  Use four-pound line, or two-pound line if the water clears and the fish are real picky.
Photo courtesy of Captain Rick Lisek Micro jigs are working, too.  Olive with an orange head and ginger are the best colors.  A white megaworm on a jig head, pink or orange head is also good,  or a white maggot with the same jig head colors.
If you're fly fishing, fishing something under a float also works.  Grey, tan or olive weighted scuds, #14 or #16; red, rusty or white zebra midge; #16 or #18, red, pink or tan San Juan Worm (micro or medium) with 6x fluorocarbon is best.  If there's a chop on the water's surface, strip a purple, white or pink woolly bugger, #12 or #14 or a soft hackle, red, yellow or black #16 or #18.
Photo courtesy of Captain Rick Lisek If you're throwing jigs, white is still right!  Whether you are using them under a float when the water is running or throwing them straight, our trout are still looking for shad-colored things in the water, and it doesn't seem to make a difference where on the lake.  Of course, up close to the dam is the best, but the guys have been picking up nice brown trout below Fall Creek using white jigs.  White/gray is working just as well as plain white.
Other colors are working as well:  Sculpin, olive and brown and combinations with lighter colors like burnt orange, peach and ginger.  Jig size depends on how much water is running (or not) and what size line you're using.  If the water isn't running, ideally you're using two-pound line and throwing a 1/16th-ounce jig, even a 1/32nd-ounce jig in shallow water.  As one unit kicks on, go to a 3/32nd-ounce jig and once the generation bumps to two or more units, go to an 1/8th-ounce jig.

Don't automatically fish your jig close to the bottom.  Try throwing it and working it close to the surface.  Seems like early in the morning the trout are holding closer to the surface.  Work it fast and jerky, too, because they have been chasing lures lately.  You may get a lot of follows and short strikes, so keep working it fast and slow and see if you can get them to commit.
Photo courtesy of Captain Rick Lisek Night crawlers have been the hot live bait lately, injecting them with air and fishing them off the bottom when there's no generation.  The best area has been around Short Creek, off the channel to the shallow side of the lake.  Powerbait Gulp eggs are good, too, using a white/yellow or white/orange combination.  Four-pound line is fine with our water clarity, which is getting better each week.
 

Summer has settled in here on Lake Taneycomo; as evidence I offer the temperature today -- 98 degrees.  After a mild winter and spring, we shouldn't complain very much, right?  We knew this was coming.  Good thing our lake water is cold -- I'd hate to be on a warm water lake fishing in this heat! Generation:  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been running water a little in the mornings and then starting mid day, running it until about 8 p.m., as much as three units.  Table Rock's level is down to 916 feet, so the flow is not due to high lake levels but for electricity with the higher power demand from high air temperatures.  We may see more water running and for longer periods of time if this heat continues.  The water coming from the depths of Table Rock is still about 46 degrees.
Our guides are getting out on the lake as early as 5:30 a.m. and doing pretty well.  Most are fishing something under a float.  Below Fall Creek, Trout Magnets are tearing them up, fishing them five- to six-feet deep using a pink or pink/white magnet on a gold jig head.  Don't move it very much because the trout like it stationary.  If you don't get a bite in a minute, pick it up and move it.  Use four-pound line, or two-pound line if the water clears and the fish are real picky.
Photo courtesy of Captain Rick Lisek Micro jigs are working, too.  Olive with an orange head and ginger are the best colors.  A white megaworm on a jig head, pink or orange head is also good,  or a white maggot with the same jig head colors.
If you're fly fishing, fishing something under a float also works.  Grey, tan or olive weighted scuds, #14 or #16; red, rusty or white zebra midge; #16 or #18, red, pink or tan San Juan Worm (micro or medium) with 6x fluorocarbon is best.  If there's a chop on the water's surface, strip a purple, white or pink woolly bugger, #12 or #14 or a soft hackle, red, yellow or black #16 or #18.
Photo courtesy of Captain Rick Lisek If you're throwing jigs, white is still right!  Whether you are using them under a float when the water is running or throwing them straight, our trout are still looking for shad-colored things in the water, and it doesn't seem to make a difference where on the lake.  Of course, up close to the dam is the best, but the guys have been picking up nice brown trout below Fall Creek using white jigs.  White/gray is working just as well as plain white.
Other colors are working as well:  Sculpin, olive and brown and combinations with lighter colors like burnt orange, peach and ginger.  Jig size depends on how much water is running (or not) and what size line you're using.  If the water isn't running, ideally you're using two-pound line and throwing a 1/16th-ounce jig, even a 1/32nd-ounce jig in shallow water.  As one unit kicks on, go to a 3/32nd-ounce jig and once the generation bumps to two or more units, go to an 1/8th-ounce jig.

Don't automatically fish your jig close to the bottom.  Try throwing it and working it close to the surface.  Seems like early in the morning the trout are holding closer to the surface.  Work it fast and jerky, too, because they have been chasing lures lately.  You may get a lot of follows and short strikes, so keep working it fast and slow and see if you can get them to commit.
Photo courtesy of Captain Rick Lisek Night crawlers have been the hot live bait lately, injecting them with air and fishing them off the bottom when there's no generation.  The best area has been around Short Creek, off the channel to the shallow side of the lake.  Powerbait Gulp eggs are good, too, using a white/yellow or white/orange combination.  Four-pound line is fine with our water clarity, which is getting better each week.
 

Rain is in the forecast!  It has been a very interesting winter and spring, starting with a flooding rain event the first few days of 2016, then changing to a relatively dry and warm season from January through April.  Now it looks like the rains have returned, but how much is yet to be seen.  So far storms have split and gone both north and south of us with little effect to lake levels.  Table Rock is hovering at 916 feet, which is normal for May.  Generation on Lake Taneycomo has been consistent most days, running 30 to 50 megawatts, 22,00 to 36,00 cubic feet per second.  One full unit is 55 megawatts with a lake level of 705.4 feet, about four feet high.  Water temperature is 47.5 degrees when the water is running.
Trout fishing has also been pretty consistent.  We're seeing people cleaning rainbows every day, most catching their limits.  There have been two "hot spots" for boat fishermen.  One is starting at Fall Creek and drifting down to Short Creek, and the other is starting at the high lines above Monkey Island and drifting down through the bridges.  Granted, the drift is very slow down there with what water is running, but that's where most of the rainbows are holding after being stocked.
The size of rainbows stocked are very nice, averaging 12 to 13 inches in length from what I've seen.  I believe most anglers are very happy with their catches lately.
Night crawlers are by far the best live bait, with various colors and styles of Power Bait right behind.  Minnows are doing pretty well.  You have a much better chance of catching a brown trout using minnows or night crawlers.
The main key to fish this slow current is the weight.  You don't want to use so much weight that it hangs up on the bottom.  Start with a 1/8th-ounce bell weight; if that's too big, pinch on a split shot instead.  You want it just tick the bottom, not drag.  And, oh yes, inject your night crawler with air using a needle -- or run a Gulp Egg up the line, hook your half crawler on the hook and slide the egg back on top of the worm.  If you're doing this, use a larger hook like a #6.  Actually, I use #6 all the time when fishing a night crawler but a #8 or #10 is fine as long as you're not adding the egg.
Trout magnets have been pretty successful from Fall Creek to Short Creek.  White is the best color with pink, pink/white and chartreuse/white close behind.  Four-pound line is fine.  Set your float about four to six feet above your magnet and change the depth if you're not getting bit.  Stay closer to the inside of the bend to the middle of the lake and stay off the bluff side.
Above Fall Creek in the Trophy Area, catching has been good but, for me, only in certain areas.  Up below the dam is almost always good, but I've been hitting the stretch from Lookout down through the Narrows pretty hard with success only up close to the island and down at the Narrows.  This is mainly with that 30 megawatts of generation mainly.  I think it's because the current is pretty fast flowing through both these areas and trout are staying closer to the faster water.  The stretch below the island and above the Narrows is slow and I'm not doing as well there.  The area below the dam to Trophy Run and even down to Lookout is fishing excellent regardless of the flow.
I've been throwing jigs mainly, but I have tried a hopper every other time I've been out with no success.  I'll keep trying the hopper until they hit it, and believe me, they will.  I think this summer will be excellent dry fly fishing because of the clouded water; it just a matter of time.
White is still the best color by far, but we've had good success throwing other colors too.  Been trying some new color combinations like yellow, yellow/white, chartreuse/white, light olive/peach/golden brown and ginger/golden brown.  We've also been trying some new jig head colors like pumpkin and watermelon.  Our trout seem to like all of them.
Depending on the current and wind conditions, I been using four-pound line with an 1/8-ounce jig, and two-pound line throwing small jigs like 3/32nd-ounce and 1/16th-ounce.  I shot an hour long video that shows some of the thought put in on when to use both rigs.
Monday night the generation was bumped at 5 p.m. to two units with the lake level getting up as high as 708 feet.  Duane and I boated up to the cable, despite a little rain, and fished the north bank down to Lookout.  We had that best two-hour outing so far this year on big, quality trout.  The numbers weren't bad either.
We held the boat in the current most of the way down so we could work each area, each pocket really well.  I used an 1/8th-ounce white jig and Duane an 1/8th-ounce mottled brown/orange head jig.
Just below the cable, we both caught quality fish.  Duane's first three trout were browns, and within the first 100 feet, I caught two spotted bass.  We were hoping for a walleye since people are still catching one every once in a while up there.  We kept them and showed them off on One Cast before releasing them.

The quality of the fish we caught were impressive.  Almost every rainbow or brown topped 15 inches -- some up to 19 inches -- plus fat and colorful.  We took pictures of a few, but after awhile it was hard to stop fishing long enough to pose!  I don't know why the bigger fish were biting so well, except that more water was running than had been in weeks.  Running that much water was great for the upper lake because it cleared out a lot of the algae that had been growing on the bottom of the lake.





The Kerr family are avid fly fishers.  Dr. Albert Kerr, his wife Dawn and son James, make the trip up from Monroe, Louisiana, to fish Taneycomo many times.  When the water is running, they take our J-12 up to the dam and fly fish.  When they arrived Saturday morning about 10 a.m. to fish, I gave them a hard time about "sleeping in," teasing them that they had missed the best time of the day to fish, especially with the conditions of the day -- high, bright sun and very little wind.  No matter, they just love to get out and fish regardless of the outcome.
When they returned, they told me they had one of the best "catching" trips ever on our lake.  They'd caught "multiple 20-plus-inch rainbows," mainly on a white grub, drifting it under a float and fishing from the cable down to Trophy Run.  I know they also fish with San Juan worms, midges (Ruby Red is a favorite) and scuds.  And James loves to throw big streamers and has done well when they're running more water.

Returning Sunday, Dr. Kerr hooked and landed this 24-inch, 8.5-pound rainbow using a cerise-colored San Juan worm.

By Marideth Sisco
originally published in the West Plains Daily Quill, August 1989
There is a village In the river hollows east of West Plains that once was the center of civillzation on a wild American frontier. Now, most of the world has passed by the tiny hamlet of Thomasvllle. The casual passerby would quickly note that only the oldtlmers and memories remain. Or so it appears.
But in truth, life and memories continue side by side comfortably today in Thomasville -- the life enjoyed richly and the memories running deep for those whose names, and faces, are the same as first settled here in the long fertile valley of the Eleven Point River.
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We've seen very little generation the past two weeks.  If the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers run it at all it's midday for a couple of hours, enough to move algae out of the upper end of the lake.  A slimy algae has been growing in both Table Rock and Taneycomo during daylight hours, which is normal for this time of year.  The fish don't mind it, but it's tough on us anglers.
With little generation, our water temperature inches up on warm, sunny days.  Surface temperature may reach into the 60's, but the lower water levels are staying a safe and cool 50-something.  This is actually beneficial for both trout and other aquatic life like midges and scuds.  Plus, it makes the trout more active -- they like water in the upper 50's.
We've had some rain the last few days but not enough to change generation patterns.  Table Rock has only come up about nine inches, still under 916 feet which seems to be manageable. I see no big change in this pattern, unless we get a substantial rain, and then all bets are off.
Fly fishing has been very good with the water off.  I should say, small jigs and flies are drawing bites whether on a spin or fly rod.  Zebra midges under a float and/or micro and small marabou jigs under a float are all working very well.
We had a gentleman come in the shop today showing a jig that he couldn't keep the trout off of -- an 1/16th-ounce black and yellow marabou jig with a gold head.  We quickly stocked some in our store.  He said he was using it under a float.
Duane Doty and I chased a crappie story on our lunch break today.  We heard crappie were stacked along the wall at the Branson Landing, right in front of Joe's Crab Shack!  We worked the lower half of the wall at the Landing using jigs and caught two rainbows -- but no crappie!!
Guide Steve Dickey says the first two hours of the day have been the best for catching a lot of trout up in the trophy area on a variety of small jigs under a float.  He's using a small ginger or light olive jig (marabou) or a half-micro in olive or brown.  The best depth has been 39.5 inches deep.  You'll have to ask him why 39.5 inches...
Wayne and Rob Dickerson of northeast Kansas come to  spend a week with us every May,  renting a G-3 bass boat from us and fishing exclusively jigs all week.  Well, Monday Rob scored a trophy brown, weighing 7.2 pounds, 23.25 inches long.

They were drifting and throwing white 1/8th-ounce jigs along the bluff bank across from Cooper Creek. Sound familiar?  Quite a few big browns have come off that bank.  The fish was released at the dock after a few pictures and measurements.
Spoons are still catching fish, especially down lake from Monkey Island, the mouths of Roark and Turkey Creeks and even up in those creeks a few hundred yards.  Cleos, Kastmasters and Sin-a-Lures in varied colors thrown and retrieved are catching mainly rainbows and even a big one occasionally.  Steve Stiehr of House Springs, MO, caught this 7.6-pound rainbow down lake yesterday on a green Spin-a-Lure.  It was released at our dock.

The best live bait by far has been air-inflated night crawlers.  Set the weight 18 inches from the hook and that's how high off the bottom the worm will float.  Trout will see and bite it a thousand times faster than non-inflated.  Minnows under a float are working, too, especially up closer to the Fall Creek line.  Set them about 36 inches deep.

Vic Eldrid and his friends were drifting just above Short Creek about noon today when something struck his minnow/Gulp white egg combo. It was big. The 3 guys in one of our jon boats had a time trying to get the big fish secure, tossing the one and only net from one end of the boat to the other. But they got it in somehow. Getting into the small livewell was a chore too... and I had a harder time getting it out! It's a 23.5 x 34.5 inch brown weighing 20.56 pounds. They said it would have weighed more if it hadn't coughed up a half digested rainbows just before they netted it.
It's in a live tank reviving. If it makes it, it will be released.