MNtransplant

Coincidentally that corner you're talking about is where I fish most of the time 😊 I would like to up my trout success tho...maybe I'll throw in the flyrod next time and try the scud game by the outlets...ive definitely gotten rusty with the flyrod...used to be the only stick i would bring down to Taneycomo for close to 3 years..then I heard about jigs and Jerkbaits and with all the highwater Ive gotten used to leaving the flyrod at home.

Made it down for a quick 2 hour outing. Committed to throwing a jerkbait for 90% of the time. Caught a white, a pretty spot, and a little smallie all on the silver shadow rap. Noticed a bunch of small baitfish in the shallows and decided it was time for a bucktail jig..about 3 casts later scored the big fish of the day...a chunk smallie I've probably caught 3 to 1 warm water species thus far in 2020...maybe the trout are more discerning or maybe they're more focused on scuds up near the dam...tough to know.

I knew I was forgetting something! The peanut wouldve fixed it.

Well this report is a little late but I managed to sneak out for a short trip on Sunday afternoon...normally I don't ask to go when the wife has the kids to herself but I told her I was going and didn't ask. It had been one of the roughest weeks I can remember in a long time and I needed to go fishing. It started last Sunday with my very first Kidney stone...kicked my butt for the better part of 3 days and then took another day for the meds to wear off...that wrapped up in time for me to find I had made a HUGE mistake at work on my first project with my new company...luckily I work for a great company and a major disaster was avoided... but after you add all of that with the continued Covid stress I was at my wit's end and I don't ever get like that.. I got down around 4:30 and fished til 7:30. I tied on a brand new white Shadow Rap and threw it for about 10 casts when all of the sudden I was twitching it in and it simply fell off my line...I say that because my entire loop knot came back in completely in tact...the only explanation I can think of was that the line worked it self into the o ring and with the side to side action it worked itself all the way around and off...bummer there went $10. Threw a bunch of different stuff but I just don't seem to know what I'm doing when they are running 4 units. I did manage 1 pretty smallmouth on the black and Silver Shadow Rap and missed probably 3 or 4 swipes on the little Lilley's 762 signature series in French Pearl...what a great little bait that is! Has a great wobble even when retrieved slow and gets down 4-5 feet and suspends well. Super paint jobs too! I noticed while I was there this time that the water seemed extra clear...i spotted a nice walleye probably 30 feet away and 7 or 8 feet down and could see its coloring like I was at the aquarium...could have been part of the reason it was tough to get bit too.. A good relaxing trip but man I'm getting Corona-fatigue. I have a bass fishing trip to MN planned in a few weeks so maybe that'll help. Hope everyone is hanging in there!

Well, after fishing every Tuesday night for the past 10 weeks I'm headed back to reality for a couple of months 😊 I spent the first trip up at the Little Sac River catching the end of the white bass run and since then it's been 9 trips in a row to Taneycomo. Had some great trips some not so great, but that is fishing (and life) in a nutshell. Got down a little later than normal and started fishing by about 7:00. 10 casts in I started experimenting with my pause length on my Silver Shadow rap. I started counting out loud..1...2...3...4..and my line started swiming away from me 😊 landed an absolutely beautiful 17.5" smallie after some acrobatics. I wish the picture could've done it justice but just beautiful markings on this fish A little while later, I caught a chunky little rainbow on a berkley cutter 110+ in a darker color pattern. This time I was working it with shorter pauses. Then it got slow until DJ, Blake, and friends showed up after dark. I'm so glad I finally got to have someone show me the ropes on the night bite. Learned some tips and tricks that I never would've thought of on my own. Got whacked on my first cast but missed in the hookset. Next cast produced a walleye and two casts later another small bow. The one fish guarentee lives on! Then things slowed a little so I had a chance to chat with DJ some more. Thoroughly enjoyed it my friend! Cant wait to setup another trip together!

What a blast getting to fish with these guys! It's amazing the amount of information I learned in just a couple hours. Here's the walter and one of @JestersHK's chubby rainbows.

I've noticed almost everyone saying that they've been catching less numbers but more trophy fish. Does this have something to do with how they've changed the stocking practices? I remember a couple years back I was approached by a game warden in the Trophy area and they asked survey questions basically trying to decide whether people would rather catch numbers or trophies. Jist wondering if we're seeing that start to take hold.

Hey man, thanks for the offer that is very generous! I think my wife and I may have kayaks coming our way around the middle of August. My parents live in Minnesota and have a couple of Ascend sit in kayaks that have collected dust for years...they hinted at sending us home with some stuff thats "too hard to ship" when we go up to visit the weekend of the 15th. If thats the case we'll definitely have to setup a trip together. I have a 4x8 utility trailer we could use to setup a shuttle as well.

Happy 4th Everyone, Wondering if any of you spinning rod experts out there could answer a question for me...I purchased a BPS PTC Airstream Rod a week ago and I love it, mainly due to the feel and fit of the reel seat in my hand. I'd like to find a medium or medium lite rod with the same style of reel seat but the Airstream only come in UL and the only ones I've seen that are similar are the high end rods from St. Croix which are way out of my price range right now. Does anyone know of a make or model in the $100 range that looks the same?

Ive had really good luck with my pflueger trion reels, i have a size 25, 30, and 35 and they all are great. I bought a Pflueger president once that i thought ran rough so i returned it bit I'm convinced I just had an unlucky experience because everyone else I hear from loves them. A tip I learned from @fishinwrench is to make sure to match the reel size to your rod length. If you have a 7' rod or longer you may want a 30 size or larger to balance it out weight wise.

Right above Kerr to JRO. Wish I couldve fished more towards the takeout but I got scolded because this was a birthday float for my wife and I and "not just a fishing trip" so i put the rods down for about the last 1/2mile. 🙃🙃

JJ, id like to try to go with you sometime. I'm sure floating with someone that knows the river well would be a huge advantage. I feel like I wasnt throwing the right stuff half the time...I've been so Taneycomo minded over the past couple of months I almost forgot how to bass fish..😊 Next time I'd love to get out and wade some of the fishier areas, I'm sure that would have help too. Forgot to mention that 14"-er absolutely inhaled my 3" swimbait...he was mad! I 100% understand the appeal for these river smallies now that I gave it a shot. Such a unique way to chase them compared to the northern lakes in Minnesota that I'm used to. Its got me seriously considering a kayak, like pawn my deer rifle kinda serious 😊

Hey DJ, yes I'll be down next Tuesday...might have the same guys with me if they aren't too discouraged from this trip 😊.. It might be my last trip for a while as our main babysitter help, my mother in law, will be down recovering from knee surgery for a few weeks so i wouldnt mind making it a little bit longer trip. Shoot me a text next week if you think you'll make it.

Good call on the tip heavy 7' rods. I think 6-6" is my favorite length on spinning setups.

Hey Devan, Thanks for the tip on the airstream..i ended up trying the lightning rod trout - returned it, a pflueger trion - sold it, and then eventually went with an Airstream which is actually made by bass pro shops now, they must have bought out that design from Browning cuz it's the same stick. I got the 6'-6" UL and I love it. Paired it with a size 25 pflueger reel and 2 pound line and I love the feel it has. I'll probably buy another 6'-6" when i see one again.