troutenhausen

Two fishing buddies and I are going to embark on a 4D4T (4 days, 4 tail waters) trip that will conclude at Taneycomo on Saturday Dec 12. Would be really nice to wrap up the adventure with a tournament!

I will be down Wednesday thru Saturday with a couple friends. Was there three weeks ago and the fishing was really tough; hoping some steady weather with help the trout to relax and be feeding consistently. We'll be in a glitter boat, but plan to fly fish up top as much as possible, wading if they pull back on the flow at all.

Phil, We were down this past weekend, Thurs-Sun, and the fishing was the slowest I can remember. We did catch some nice size trout, but it was difficult to put a pattern together or find a consistent method or location. I was convinced that the cold front put those pesky trout's jaws on lock down, and most people we spoke to had the same experience. The bridges were our most productive spots; thanks for the advice and the reports you post! Heading back in two weeks, praying for some fair weather!

We would definitely be interested in a second day of 4 hours. Either way, thanks for putting this on. See ya in February.

My brother and I had a great time, despite the nasty conditions. The bite seemed to turn on once the rain reached a heavy drizzle, glad the heavy stuff waited until we got back to the dock for weigh in. Our weight of 6.02 put us in 7th place, much better than we thought we would finish given that we did not have a "toad" in the live well. Phil, this being called the Masters tournament, have you considered having the top 10 or so teams qualify to fish the next day, with combined weights being the winner?

Georgeous fish! Are the fish agressive as soon as the water begins falling or does it take them some time to acclimate each night? I'll be down next weekend for Phil's tourney on Saturday. Hope the pattern of no flow continues at night so i can fly a bit, wouldn't mind a short shut off during the day either.

Guten Tag!

My brother and I will be there Thursday, too. We plan to start with jigs, and our rain coats! Been fishing at Taney for 24 years, since I was 9, and I finally am bringing my own boat, can't wait to get it in the water. Usually I would be praying for no flow for the flyfishing up top, but bring on the water! Phil, we will stop by to pick up some other jigs, just in case white isn't what they want. I assume that a weighted wooly bugger should work just as well. Any thoughts?

Looks like the flow has decreased a bit according to the charts. I am heading down this Thursday. If anybody is able to get out and fish, i'd love to know if the trout are reacting to the change. Thanks for any reports.

Arrived to Tan Vat at 0730, a little drizzly, but nice other than that. Was expecting heavy rain and wind. I decided to hike upstream, right up to the cabins just below the park. That's a good 15-20 minutes, but flat and mostly brush free. Spent the next 3 hours working my way downstream. Caught fish on the olive bugger and a crackleback. Tried a caddis topwater with a brassie dropper when the sun came out... no luck. There is some beautiful water there, largest fish landed was 16" rainbow, but had a miss on the crackleback while stripping upstream that sounded like a beaver slapping it's tail! I spent the next 20 minutes fishing that hole, deep, shallow, fast, slow... I decided to leave the fish there for next time.

I took Phil up on his offer for a discounted rate during the week. Went down last Wednesday and stayed until Friday. It was Cold, Cold, Cold. The fishing was great, when wading was possible and they weren't running 4 units. It was very nice to come back to a warm and comfortable cabin after fishing hard all day and evening. I can not say enough about the hospitality and relaxing environment at Lilley's. Had a chance to meet Brian Schaefer when I was taking a break on Thursday afternoon up by the outlets. A very knowledgeable fisherman and a great listener. I am envious of all who need not travel 4+ hours to enjoy Taneycomo and all of its people. Be grateful for what you have in your backyard. We have 3 units booked at Lilley's for the beginning of April. I will definately plan to sneak a trip back before then...during the week.

I'm heading to Taney in the morning, feel pretty confident during the day, but wondering if anyone if planning on fishing at night... I could use some guidance. I'll be in a tan Jeep, Wed and Thurs night. Feel free to say hello.

I will be at Montauk on Friday and Saturday. Can anyone recommend flies they would use as droppers, as well as streamer patterns that work well this time of year. I have only fished near the camping area in the past, so feel free to point out other places in the park that I should try. Thank you in advance for any advice. Chris

When I first read the comments from Trout God back in November, I was eager to defend my neighborhood and try and set the story straight. After I thought about it, though, I thought that he was actually helping me out by lessening some of the fishing pressure on Jefferson. I am the one that caught the above trout pictured. I used a little cleo gold spoon with rainbow decal on one side. There is a lot of diversity in the city and that is why I love it! I invite everyone to come down to Forest Park. Where else in St. Louis can you go to the zoo, art museum, science center, play 27 holes of golf, ice skate, take a row boat out after dinner with live music, history museum, exercise with a six mile running and biking path, snow sled on "the hill", watch performances at the Muny, and above all else, catch TROUT! All this in one place. Doesn't seem too ghetto to me.

My brother and I are heading down from St. Louis, should be at the dam around 9. We aren't very experienced at night fishing, so meeting up sounds great. We'll be in tan Jeep.

Tell us what you can, Leonard. Are you practicing for the brown run? My guess is that it is a streamer pattern, weighted bugger? If it isn't, how have the woolies been fishing? Hope the new fly keeps producing.

Put simply, I have difficulty matching the hatch when it is above the surface. I guess the classic dry fly imitations look very alike to me. Does anyone have any pointers for the Current when it comes to dry fly hatches, or some go to imitations that seem to work in a particular situation? I always have success with nymphs/droppers, but my dry fly/indicator fly selection usually suits what I want to see, opposed to what the trout are tuned in to. I guess part 2 of my posting would be to ask about midging. I can see the trout sipping at the surface, but what color and size are they sipping?

I'm from St. Louis. Can't decide if I'm heading down on Saturday, or waiting until Sunday morning. Anyone else gonna be around?

I've never stayed in the cabins. The # is Toll Free 1-800-334-6946.

To primative tent camp is $8, an electric site is $14. The firewood is a pretty good deal... $3.50 for a large bundle. I had a fire going for 6 hours and burned 2 bundles.

Went down to Montauk Friday afternoon. Had the entire primitive camping area to myself. Built a nice big fire and relaxed. Saturday morning was able to fish anywhere I wanted, probably 20 people total all day in the park. Was successful with #14 BH Flashback PT and #18 BH PT Emerger droppers. Probably 10 fish on each. The real fun was when the sun would come out for a two or three minute period, and the trout were looking up to the surface. My indicator was a #14 elk hair caddis, and the trout tore it to pieces. As soon as the sun went behind the clouds, the hits would stop for a few minutes. I switched to a royal stimulator and it worked just as well. It is in a tree still because of an over-agressive hook set on a missed fish with a tree right behind me. Was going to camp out Saturday night too, but 10 degrees is a little too cold for a tent. Can't wait to go back.

Thanks for the report. Would you say that the fish hit the streamer on the dead drift, the turn or stripping it back? Kinda wondering how aggressive they are right now.

Thanks Gavin. Am I able to drive near Ashley Creek and walk/wade in? I am very familiar with the Current below the low water bridge, but not so much with the first 9 miles. I definately plan to drive from the park and fish the Tan Vat and Baptist areas.

I'm heading down to the Current/Montauk area this weekend. Haven't fished there in January before. Would anybody care to share any helpful tips? I'm sure the water will be up a little, flow will be a little swifter, and probably murkier than normal. I plan to fish deep and dark. Any suggestions on hot spots, tactics or flies would be GREATLY appreciated.