Ryan Miloshewski

Great information @netboy and @Greasy B! Really appreciate the help. I've heard small is the way to go. I'll be out there for work so I'll have some free time in the evenings so it should be doable. Heading to Durango one day as well, so that's perfect.

Hi Everyone: I will be in Farmington, New Mexico in August and I want to fish the San Juan River. Has anybody ever fished near there? If not, does anybody have any contact information of local guides/fly shops I could visit while there? Thanks in advance! Ryan

Haha I've only lost like 3 Megabass, and two were on fish. So, it's their fault not mine. I'm sticking to that story.

Yea it's an occupational hazard. Luckily @duckydoty was there to rip it out for me..on the second try, that is hah!

Lol yea I'm not a fan. I stick with the Provokes and Megabass. But that big brown ate the RCSTK like it was his last meal. Must've been in a good mood..

Going after big fish on Taneycomo is a challenge, but I think I'm close to getting it narrowed down. I spent a week on Taney last week and fished three ways, exclusively--dragging cranks (which Duane and I have written about), jigs, and throwing jerkbaits. Jerkbaits produced the biggest fish this time around I am a big fan of the 6th Sense Provoke 106x and 106DD jerkbaits in Ozark Juice, Grape-Treuse, and French Bone Pearl colors. They are only $10, as opposed to a Megabass (which I do like, too, but at $25 a pop they can get expensive). Word must have gotten out because they are almost sold out of everything. But here's the link: https://6thsensefishing.com/collections/6th-sense-provoke-106-jerkbait. We also threw Spro McStick's, Megabass 110s and 110+1s, and Luck-E Strike Rick Clunn STK jerkbaits. Anything that looked like a shad worked well, as expected. When they cranked the water on in the afternoons we boated up to the cable and beat the heck out of the banks all the way to Lookout. Then did it again. We'd average 2 fish on a drift, which is not a ton, but the fish were always 15-22-inches. My buddy hooked into a giant brown below Rebar but it broke the line. He set the hook, it jumped three times (giving us a great look), and swam straight at the boat. He gained the line but as soon as it reached the boat, it immediately turned for a big run. At that point, it was over. The brown was at least 26-inches long, but I think it was closer to 28-inches. I got good looks at him in the air and under the water before he swam out of our lives. When the water was off, we jig fished on the bend above Monkey Island. There's a big school of fish up there and most were 13-15-inches. We also beat the banks around the landing. On one occasion I had a tank of a brown chase my jerkbait out from the shade right across from Garfield's on the bluff bank. Right above the dike about 30 feet. He was 10-pounds or so, easily. Duane and I have talked, and I think if you hit the bluff banks from the landing down you'd get into some big ones. I have caught some nice browns across the lake from the resorts on Lakeshore Drive over the years, too. Just didn't get a chance to try it this time. Another thing we were catching was giant white bass by the cable on the south side of the lake. They schooled up toward the early evenings every day (from 4-6pm) and we caught 2-4 each day. All of them measured 16-17.5-inches long, and were easily 2-3 pounds. Such a blast! Went with Duane early one morning and ended up catching three nice walleye, too. That day we ended up with seven species from Lookout to the cable (whites, walleye, kentuckies, smallies, browns, rainbows, and a sucker) on the jerkbaits. I landed a 22-inch rainbow where the whites were schooled up, too. Weighed 4 lbs and fought like a tank. On the last day, finally landed a 20-inch brown below the boat ramp. Didn't weigh him. It was extremely fun (and tiring) but required some persistence. If you're going to fish this way, stick with it! It can be hard work, but you know the reward is swimming around out there. We worked them all different ways, too. Jerk-jerk-pause, constant jerking to the boat, and sometimes 6-8 jerks and a pause. They hit each way. Just try different techniques and when you get bit, replicate that--until it stops working! We went some drifts without a bite, and on the second drift on the same bank hooked into a 17 or 18-incher. We had a bunch of fish following and "rising" at our jerkbaits on every drift, too. They were usually browns in the 18-20-inch range. Sometimes they bite, but 9 out of 10 they would investigate and scurry back to the bottom. My grandpa even landed a 19-inch rainbow, his biggest trout in eight years! We were using 8-lb test on medium-heavy baitcasting rods. We were prepared for the big one, but he had a little more in him than we liked! Until next time...

I had to pull a swamped kayaker out of the lake near Cooper Creek last week. Guy was freezing and definitely afraid. I saw some get caught around Trophy Run, too, and couldn't get out safely as the water rose. They needed help and some guy up there assisted. I think it's a nice idea to have recreation like that, and sure they have every right to be there, but I agree with Travis. It's getting to be dangerous. I've been coming to Taney since I was a baby, and it's always been mainly a fishing lake, not a recreational lake like LOZ, TRL, etc. I saw a jetskier hauling around by Monkey Island, as fast as he could go, last week, too. I'm sure you all know how crowded it gets in that area. Why on earth would you want to jetski anywhere above the Gold Mine?? Too dang cold!

Definitely a fun time! The end goal is always the sea monster brown! We had him hooked..just couldn't seal the deal. I can still hear my buddy pleading "No, no, no!" as the brown turned haha. When we caught the walleyes, the water was off and we were using small Megabass-looking baits on 4 lb test--now that was fun! Careful though, the hooks are sharp. Took one in the finger...

Going after big fish on Taneycomo is a challenge, but I think I'm close to getting it narrowed down. I spent a week on Taney last week and fished three ways, exclusively--dragging cranks (which Duane and I have written about), jigs, and throwing jerkbaits. Jerkbaits produced the biggest fish this time around I am a big fan of the 6th Sense Provoke 106x and 106DD jerkbaits in Ozark Juice, Grape-Treuse, and French Bone Pearl colors. They are only $10, as opposed to a Megabass (which I do like, too, but at $25 a pop they can get expensive). Word must have gotten out because they are almost sold out of everything. But here's the link: https://6thsensefishing.com/collections/6th-sense-provoke-106-jerkbait. We also threw Spro McStick's, Megabass 110s and 110+1s, and Luck-E Strike Rick Clunn STK jerkbaits. Anything that looked like a shad worked well, as expected. When they cranked the water on in the afternoons we boated up to the cable and beat the heck out of the banks all the way to Lookout. Then did it again. We'd average 2 fish on a drift, which is not a ton, but the fish were always 15-22-inches. My buddy hooked into a giant brown below Rebar but it broke the line. He set the hook, it jumped three times (giving us a great look), and swam straight at the boat. He gained the line but as soon as it reached the boat, it immediately turned for a big run. At that point, it was over. The brown was at least 26-inches long, but I think it was closer to 28-inches. I got good looks at him in the air and under the water before he swam out of our lives. When the water was off, we jig fished on the bend above Monkey Island. There's a big school of fish up there and most were 13-15-inches. We also beat the banks around the landing. On one occasion I had a tank of a brown chase my jerkbait out from the shade right across from Garfield's on the bluff bank. Right above the dike about 30 feet. He was 10-pounds or so, easily. Duane and I have talked, and I think if you hit the bluff banks from the landing down you'd get into some big ones. I have caught some nice browns across the lake from the resorts on Lakeshore Drive over the years, too. Just didn't get a chance to try it this time. Another thing we were catching was giant white bass by the cable on the south side of the lake. They schooled up toward the early evenings every day (from 4-6pm) and we caught 2-4 each day. All of them measured 16-17.5-inches long, and were easily 2-3 pounds. Such a blast! Went with Duane early one morning and ended up catching three nice walleye, too. That day we ended up with seven species from Lookout to the cable (whites, walleye, kentuckies, smallies, browns, rainbows, and a sucker) on the jerkbaits. I landed a 22-inch rainbow where the whites were schooled up, too. Weighed 4 lbs and fought like a tank. On the last day, finally landed a 20-inch brown below the boat ramp. Didn't weigh him. It was extremely fun (and tiring) but required some persistence. If you're going to fish this way, stick with it! It can be hard work, but you know the reward is swimming around out there. We worked them all different ways, too. Jerk-jerk-pause, constant jerking to the boat, and sometimes 6-8 jerks and a pause. They hit each way. Just try different techniques and when you get bit, replicate that--until it stops working! We went some drifts without a bite, and on the second drift on the same bank hooked into a 17 or 18-incher. We had a bunch of fish following and "rising" at our jerkbaits on every drift, too. They were usually browns in the 18-20-inch range. Sometimes they bite, but 9 out of 10 they would investigate and scurry back to the bottom. My grandpa even landed a 19-inch rainbow, his biggest trout in eight years! We were using 8-lb test on medium-heavy baitcasting rods. We were prepared for the big one, but he had a little more in him than we liked! Until next time... This post has been promoted to an article

The 2005 Bassmaster Classic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was one of the toughest in history. With only 11 fish and a measly 12 pound 15-ounce weight, Kevin Van Dam pulled off his second Classic victory. The key? Being able to adapt and change to the conditions. Other anglers were catching fish, but hardly any keepers. Van Dam switched to a classic Smithwick Rogue and boated several keeper smallmouth bass. The one thing makes any person truly successful is being able to adjust when conditions change. Staying static when everything else around you remain dynamic does not bode well for success. With fishing, anglers tend to rely on techniques and spots that have worked previously. All of us are guilty of it. Southwest Missouri, known as the Tri-Lakes area, has gone through three 100-year floods from 2008-2017. In April 2017, Beaver, Table Rock, and Taneycomo all reached or crested flood stages for a few weeks due to heavy rains. Because of federal laws and practicality, the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) began releasing 20-50, 000 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water from Tale Rock Lake into Lake Taneycomo. With the floods came a challenge for fishermen on Taneycomo: where were the fish and how do you catch them? The usual hot spots were rendered useless due to the high water. Lake Taneycomo, with four turbines and 10 flood gates open at Table Rock Dam, was raging. Extremely fast and high, some guides were struggling to find clients fish. Fish hold in slower water like eddies and breaks when the current gets heavy. Islands, points, and docks all can prove useful during high water events. In 2017, typical eddies just weren’t holding enough fish. Enter Duane Doty, the dock manager and resident jig-tyer for Lilleys' Landing Resort and Marina on Upper Lake Taneycomo. He knew the fish had to be eating—he just needed to find him. He had an inkling the fish would be holding right on the bottom of the lake, where the current was, presumably, much slower. He was right. Another part of the equation changed during the high water. While the flood gates summoned raging current, it also brought over thousands of threadfin and gizzard shad, creating a buffet for Taneycomo trout and warm water species. Doty developed a technique so simple it’s hard to believe no one else thought of it prior. Targeting the shad influx, he tied on Bomber Fat Free Fingerling Shad crankbaits that dove from 8-12 feet, he threw out near the cable. With flood gates dumping thousands of gallons of water into Taneycomo painting the background, Doty turned the boat sideways and reeled fast to get the bait to reach the bottom. Keeping the crankbait in contact with the rocks, he only went 100 yards before he felt a big tug. After a battle, he netted his first fish of the day—a shad engorged, 22-inch brown trout. From the cable to Fall Creek, he landed five trout 20-inches or greater on the trip. For the next month, Doty and his clients managed to boat numerous trophy browns and rainbows, smallmouth bass up to 5 pounds, largemouth and spotted bass, hefty walleyes, white bass, and crappie on the technique. Others were struggling to simply catch fish, while Doty was putting his clients on big ones daily. In late March 2018, heavy rains returned to the Tri-Lakes area. With one turbine out of commission, and maybe some preemptive thought, the SWPA opened the flood gates for the second straight year. I called Doty and scheduled a trip for Easter weekend. His high school friend’s sons, Blake and Dillon Harris, were headed down as well. We knew what to do. Dragging crankbaits from the cable all the way to Fall Creek, in 24 hours we landed 10 browns from 18 ½-inches up to 23 ¾-inches, as well as several fat rainbows from 17-19 ½-inches. The top locations were behind Lookout Island all the way through the Narrows. Multiple fish came from the seam in the Narrows, including Blake Harris’ 6-pound lunker. Dillon hooked into his 23 ¾ inch 5.6-pound brown just as the bend started by Point Royale past Lookout Island. Being able to adjust to changing conditions put big fish in the boat for us. With more rain sure to come this spring and the possibility of high water, be sure to add this technique to your arsenal on Lake Taneycomo. Important Tips 1. Be prepared to lose crankbaits. We lost six in a three-hour period. With the lure constantly bumping the bottom, it is inevitable. 2. Boat control is of utmost importance with this tactic. Keeping the boat sideways and flowing nicely with the current keeps the bait on the bottom and in the strike zone. 3. An East wind will make this tactic extremely hard because it pushes against the current you are riding. 4. This tactic will only be possible from the cable to Short Creek. Once you get to Short Creek, you lose the stronger current and the crankbaits struggle to reach the bottom and keep in contact with it. 5. We use a 6-foot, medium heavy spinning rod with 6-pound line. You could use a baitcasting rod and reel, sure, but I think the spinning rod gives you more control and leeway when a big fish hits. Being able to backreel on a big brown in heavy current is key. 6. You may struggle with identifying a bite at first—until you get one. It’s unmistakable. But, as Duane says, jerks are free! Don’t be afraid to set the hook if the bait stops vibrating or if slack gets in your line. 7. Check your lure for moss and other debris every couple of minutes, especially in the first mile from the cable. There’s a lot of junk up there. View full article

The 2005 Bassmaster Classic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was one of the toughest in history. With only 11 fish and a measly 12 pound 15-ounce weight, Kevin Van Dam pulled off his second Classic victory. The key? Being able to adapt and change to the conditions. Other anglers were catching fish, but hardly any keepers. Van Dam switched to a classic Smithwick Rogue and boated several keeper smallmouth bass. The one thing makes any person truly successful is being able to adjust when conditions change. Staying static when everything else around you remain dynamic does not bode well for success. With fishing, anglers tend to rely on techniques and spots that have worked previously. All of us are guilty of it. Southwest Missouri, known as the Tri-Lakes area, has gone through three 100-year floods from 2008-2017. In April 2017, Beaver, Table Rock, and Taneycomo all reached or crested flood stages for a few weeks due to heavy rains. Because of federal laws and practicality, the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) began releasing 20-50, 000 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water from Tale Rock Lake into Lake Taneycomo. With the floods came a challenge for fishermen on Taneycomo: where were the fish and how do you catch them? The usual hot spots were rendered useless due to the high water. Lake Taneycomo, with four turbines and 10 flood gates open at Table Rock Dam, was raging. Extremely fast and high, some guides were struggling to find clients fish. Fish hold in slower water like eddies and breaks when the current gets heavy. Islands, points, and docks all can prove useful during high water events. In 2017, typical eddies just weren’t holding enough fish. Enter Duane Doty, the dock manager and resident jig-tyer for Lilleys' Landing Resort and Marina on Upper Lake Taneycomo. He knew the fish had to be eating—he just needed to find him. He had an inkling the fish would be holding right on the bottom of the lake, where the current was, presumably, much slower. He was right. Another part of the equation changed during the high water. While the flood gates summoned raging current, it also brought over thousands of threadfin and gizzard shad, creating a buffet for Taneycomo trout and warm water species. Doty developed a technique so simple it’s hard to believe no one else thought of it prior. Targeting the shad influx, he tied on Bomber Fat Free Fingerling Shad crankbaits that dove from 8-12 feet, he threw out near the cable. With flood gates dumping thousands of gallons of water into Taneycomo painting the background, Doty turned the boat sideways and reeled fast to get the bait to reach the bottom. Keeping the crankbait in contact with the rocks, he only went 100 yards before he felt a big tug. After a battle, he netted his first fish of the day—a shad engorged, 22-inch brown trout. From the cable to Fall Creek, he landed five trout 20-inches or greater on the trip. For the next month, Doty and his clients managed to boat numerous trophy browns and rainbows, smallmouth bass up to 5 pounds, largemouth and spotted bass, hefty walleyes, white bass, and crappie on the technique. Others were struggling to simply catch fish, while Doty was putting his clients on big ones daily. In late March 2018, heavy rains returned to the Tri-Lakes area. With one turbine out of commission, and maybe some preemptive thought, the SWPA opened the flood gates for the second straight year. I called Doty and scheduled a trip for Easter weekend. His high school friend’s sons, Blake and Dillon Harris, were headed down as well. We knew what to do. Dragging crankbaits from the cable all the way to Fall Creek, in 24 hours we landed 10 browns from 18 ½-inches up to 23 ¾-inches, as well as several fat rainbows from 17-19 ½-inches. The top locations were behind Lookout Island all the way through the Narrows. Multiple fish came from the seam in the Narrows, including Blake Harris’ 6-pound lunker. Dillon hooked into his 23 ¾ inch 5.6-pound brown just as the bend started by Point Royale past Lookout Island. Being able to adjust to changing conditions put big fish in the boat for us. With more rain sure to come this spring and the possibility of high water, be sure to add this technique to your arsenal on Lake Taneycomo. Important Tips 1. Be prepared to lose crankbaits. We lost six in a three-hour period. With the lure constantly bumping the bottom, it is inevitable. 2. Boat control is of utmost importance with this tactic. Keeping the boat sideways and flowing nicely with the current keeps the bait on the bottom and in the strike zone. 3. An East wind will make this tactic extremely hard because it pushes against the current you are riding. 4. This tactic will only be possible from the cable to Short Creek. Once you get to Short Creek, you lose the stronger current and the crankbaits struggle to reach the bottom and keep in contact with it. 5. We use a 6-foot, medium heavy spinning rod with 6-pound line. You could use a baitcasting rod and reel, sure, but I think the spinning rod gives you more control and leeway when a big fish hits. Being able to backreel on a big brown in heavy current is key. 6. You may struggle with identifying a bite at first—until you get one. It’s unmistakable. But, as Duane says, jerks are free! Don’t be afraid to set the hook if the bait stops vibrating or if slack gets in your line. 7. Check your lure for moss and other debris every couple of minutes, especially in the first mile from the cable. There’s a lot of junk up there.

I talked to Shane Bush, MDC Biologist for Taney, about this very topic while writing an article a month ago. We both agreed the state record could be broken within 2-3 years. The triploids are growing at 2-3 lbs a year. They shocked up a 38 lb diploid a few years back, too.

Monkey Island brown was caught on a 1/8th ounce gray/white jig with a black head.