nomolites

January is almost half gone, and we've yet to see any down water on Lake Taneycomo.  Table Rock Lake had lowered to 913 feet, two feet below powerpool, but after a couple of rains, it has jumped up to over 916 feet.  Beaver Lake is in better shape at only one foot over pool, but water is running at Beaver Dam 24/7 which is adding to Table Rock's volume.
Today, Table Rock's flow bumped up from two to three units, 6,000 to 9,600 cubic feet of water per second.  Table Rock has crested and is starting to fall just a bit.  I would guess we'll see this flow for about a week, then a dropping in volume until Table Rock is back down to 913 feet.  Whether or not we'll see any periods when the water is all shut off remains to be seen.


We hosted a private trout tournament Saturday in which 47 two-man teams competed for cash prizes and plaques.  The generation was about 6,000 c.f.s. of flow all day.  The trophy area and feeder creeks were all off limits, but live bait was allowed.  The weigh in was eye-opening.  Big trout after big trout were brought up for weighing.  At least 10 trout topped 20 inches, including two brown trout, and many rainbows weighed over two pounds.  We've never hosted a tournament in 30+ years with these kind of weights.
There are a couple of things to take away from this display:  Catch and Release works!  And the Missouri Department of Conservation management plan is growing big trophy trout on Lake Taneycomo.  In 2020, we had 531 trophy trout (20-inches and longer) registered as caught and released.  That's an incredible number.  And in 2018, M.D.C. reduced the number of rainbows stocked from about 720,000 to 560,000.  Reducing the number of mouths to feed in the upper lake gives trout more to eat, and they are growing bigger.
Most of these nice rainbows and the two keeper browns were released, although anglers were not required to do so.  A few of them were either kept or the fish not survive.

As far as I can tell, these trout were caught in various parts of the lake in a numbers of ways.  I think most were caught on artificial lures and some on bait.  I heard jerk baits were very productive, either throwing and jerking them back or dragging them on the bottom.  Jigs were good.  Black and brown colors were mentioned by several people.  And even spoons down by the Branson Landing netted some good fish.  I just think it was a good fishing day -- the fish were biting!  And there were a lot of hooks out there for the offering.
With this present flow, I'd be more apt to drag something on the bottom rather than working a jig or spoon, at least on the upper lake including the Trophy Area.  Getting your offering on the bottom will take a bit more weight, but that's where it needs to be.  For flies and lures, scuds, eggs and San Juan worms versus a medium-size, suspending stick bait should work best.  And I'd consider dragging these not just from the dam to Short Creek but on down past Cooper Creek.
If you're going to throw marabou jigs, go with an 1/8th-ounce and work the banks.  White is still a good color, but I'd also try black/brown and other earth colors.

Table Rock Lake Current Fishing Report Mid-Lake 4-15-20

Fat Jaw got me started.
Got started this morning pretty early for me in this cold weather.  Launched out of Baxter at 7:30 and fished till 2.  Little hazy at first then the wind swept in about 8:30 and it got super bright and windy.  Surface temps this morning 56.1 when I launched and the water is kind of a green tea color with visibility about 4-5 ft.
After these last few cold nights I almost didn't go but thought maybe the same jerk bait fish I caught Easter morning would be hanging around.  Started on that 50 yrd. point stretch that I caught most of them on Sunday.  I also almost went to Taney.  First 20 minutes I threw the Megabass in pearl and had zero bites.  I could see some fish relating to the bottom and I moved out from about 20' to 30'.  
Nothing on the jerk bait but I continued to see fish not on the bottom,but maybe a foot off and suspended.  I pulled back out on the  point boat in 20' and picked up the Pig Sticker 1/2 oz. in GPO with a Reaction Smallie Beaver on it and chunked it up into I'm guessing maybe 8 to 10 feet.  Big Brown fish caught it, then another and another and another.


  I lost count but I think it was about 15 to 20 straight throws with a keeper.either a jaw or a K.

 As the haze lifted, the sky brightened and I never caught another SM.

 K's continued to bite like they were at the last supper.

Another 4 plus Toad brown fish.
Continued to catch fish just drifting around this point in the wind by then, bout 9:30.  I was not catching them every cast but I was kind of shocked at some point when I didn't get a bite.  I left them biting.
Pulled back to a really similar interior gravel point going into a big deep spawning pocket put the boat in 20 and there they were again.  Cast after cast on the Pig Sticker.  I tried a jerk bait and a Keitech and I could catch one on it but it was just not the deal, they wanted it on the bottom.

They thought the Pig Sticker was Food.
Next location same type deal but I only caught two on it.  One nice K and the other a solid LM on a Megabass.

Caught a few on a stick bait and a swim bait but it was just not the deal.
Next spot same similar gravel run and it was totally Ri Dick U Lating.  Every throw was a 15 to 17 inch K on the jig.  I bet I didn't catch 5 short fish all morning and I'm just spit balling but probably 50 plus keeps.  That is super conservative, as the real number is not a number, it is nonsense.

About 1:30 pulled back on the original location and caught 5 more in 5 casts and put it on the trailer.

They were just inhaling the jig.
I've had great days here catching really big fish.  I've had days catching literally hundreds on a drop shot, but I have never had a day on a jig like today.  They wanted nothing swimming or really cranking as I threw a Rock Crawler to try and get them to eat it.  I would catch one on a jig, pick up the jerk bait and throw it.  Nothing.  I would pick up the swim bait and throw it. Nothing.  I would pick up the Rock Crawler and throw it.  Nada.  I would pick up the jig and throw it up there and "Thump there she is."  These fish were totally packed full of crayfish.  I don't think I caught a single one that didn't have at least one in its throat.  And these were monster craws.
Two big SM over 4 were the champs of the day, but just the sheer numbers of quality K's was something to always remember  I'm going to say the best 5 at just under 17 pounds, so not a tournament bag but for sure the kind of day that keeps up getting up early and going back out.

Best K of the Day.

Only Bummer of the day was I lost 2 very large walleye right at the boat.  I had my net out but both had the jig back deep and both cut the 10 lb. line before I could get them in the net.  Man would that have made a day catching supper too.
I get to fish a lot and I'll catch them good again.  Probably not like today but I wish one of you all could have had this day.  I was going to say I wish my son would have, he loves to fish a jig, but he would not have hung in there for that many fish.  He is a 2-3 hr. guy even if they are tearing it up on a Redfih, he just won't fish that long.
The rest of this week and into next might be record breaking, so if you can get out there and enjoy it, by all means do.

I'm sure glad I didn't write an extensive fishing report on Monday for Lake Taneycomo because everything changes today.  After more rain fell in the White River Basin above Lake Taneycomo in the past 24 hours, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have decided to open 5 spill gates at Table Rock Dam one foot each this morning, on top of the 3 turbines running at the facility.  That equals 15,000 cubic feet of water per second pouring through Taneycomo presently.  This equals 4 full turbines. 
Beaver Lake is inching up and is at 1128.66 feet, less than 18 inches below its flood pool level.  The Corps really haven't made any attempts to drop this level since they had it down to 1121 feet about 3 weeks ago.  Table Rock Lake has been holding steady at about 916.5 feet but is now rising slowly because of the rains.  Its seasonal power pool is 915 feet but with Beaver so high and Table Rock rising, they really need to move some water!!  I'm not sure why they aren't dumping Beaver Lake plus they have been only running 2 units at Table Rock the last 5 days.  They need to keep moving this water through... please!!

Fishing continues to be very good, even with heavy generation.  With the spill gates coming back on, there's always the chance of threadfin shad coming over, plus a few bass and walleye.  We will be testing the waters!!
We have 3 trout tournaments under our belt so far this winter and in the last 2 contests we saw very good quality rainbows come in which is a great sign.  Our first tournament was plagued with off colored water after a big rain so fishing wasn't very good.  This last Saturday, out of 76 teams, 50 weighed in 7 pounds or more, an 8 trout bag.  That's very good.
There are a lot of rainbow trout to be caught in the Branson Landing area right now.  We've been fishing down there and catching big freshly stocked rainbows that are over a pound each.  We were catching them on various colored jigs while fishing for crappie -- yes crappie!
Some of the tournament contestants were fishing an 1/8th ounce jig on the bottom down close to the Kanakuk Camp and catching rainbows too.  I'd imagine you could catch them on PowerBait as well.
With more water running from Table Rock, we'll go back to heavier weights to get to the bottom when drifting baits, lures and flies.
There is a pattern we've seen when they first kick more water on and that is scud flies get real hot.  It might be because the heavier flows dislodge scuds from the bottom and up into trout's mouths.  It's plausible!  So we'll be drifting big #12 gray scuds from the dam down to Short Creek this week along with an egg fly and/or a San Juan Worm.
If you don't book a trip with Duane Doty and don't have his custom painted jerk baits, the MegaBass 110+ is a good match to throw for big browns and rainbows.  Good colors would be French Pearl,  Ozark Shad, Perch and Elgy Bone.

One of our Outdoor Writers who attended our conference this week brought in a big brown just as I was writing this report this morning.  John Neporadny, nationally recognized fishing writer recently inducted into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame,  caught and released this 13 pound brown on one of Duane's jerk baits.  He caught it below Fall Creek about a half mile around the docks.  He was fishing with Scott Pauley, outdoor marketing representative for Missouri Tourism.
So we're back to dragging hard minnow baits on the bottom using the carolina rig, 1/4rd-ounce bell weights and 4 to 6-pound line.  We carry several lengths and styles in our shop, knock-offs from China because we do lose quite a few baits to the bottom monsters.  These baits are like the F-5 and F-7 Rapala, from 2.75 to 3.25 inches long, floating and shallow divers in perch, shad and sculpin colors.

Bill Babler, fishing guide, showed us this week that when he drifts these baits, he takes the front set of treble hooks off the bait, only leaving the back set.  He says he doesn't lose as many baits and believes he doesn't miss any fish because of it.
We will be throwing 1/8th ounce white jigs up below the dam this week along with other colors like sculpin, brown and black.  But white has been a pretty good color lately... white with gray and white with black also.
REPORT:  They are liking white jigs below the dam!  Here's evidence:

Snagged in the butt... but still a beautiful rainbow!!


 

I took the boat to Rim Shoals this morning and ran to an area that is somewhat protected from the heavy flows we are having (14k cfs). Got out of the boat and I could see 4 or 5 trout holding in a run just below a couple of big rocks. First cast I hooked a nice rainbow on a Y2K but it broke off on the 7x tippet. I retied and caught another 5 rainbows and 1 cutthroat in the same run. Once that spot slowed down I moved downstream and picked up another dozen rainbows on the Y2K/pheasant tail dropper combo. When it was time to quit I walked back to the boat and made a cast in the run where I lost the rainbow earlier. The indicator went down and I had another nice rainbow on. I finally got her in and when I went to remove the hook I saw my Y2K that I lost earlier stuck in her jaw along with the Y2K on my rig.
Guess she really liked Y2k's. Here's a couple of pics...
 
 
 

I know it's only been two days since my last report, but conditions have change so much that hardly none of the June 26 report holds true for fishing Lake Taneycomo.  Here's why.
The short answer is that the spill gates at Table Rock Dam were closed yesterday morning.
In just a matter of a few days, Beaver Lake was dropped from a high of 1,131.5 feet above sea level to its present level of 1,129.1 feet I think the release was about 25,000 cubic feet per second of water at the heaviest flow.  This was in response to a four-inch rain over the weekend that sent the upper White River and other feeder streams out of their banks.  Just north of the basin, flash floods sadly inundated the towns of Anderson and Cassville, Missouri, as well as other communities in the area.
All of this runoff water eventually feeds Table Rock and that sent its level from 917 to 921 feet -- its present level.  When Table Rock hit 920 feet, 10 spill gates were opened to allow a little more than 20,000 c.f.s. of water to pass through to Lake Taneycomo.  Only after a few days, the inflow of water into both lakes became manageable through only turbine releases, so spill gates on both dams were closed (Thursday morning.)

Presently, Table Rock is releasing 6,000 c.f.s. (two units) of water in the mornings and 10,000 c.f.s. (three units) of water in the afternoons.  Water temperature is about 47 degrees and clear.  And with little to no rain in the seven-day forecast, I believe this is the most water we'll see for a while. We may see even slower generation in the near future.
One other thing about lake levels.  Note that Bull Shoals is now at 687.9 feet and rising.  Beaver and Bull Shoals are being held at high levels because of the flooding on the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers.  Once these rivers can take water releases from the White River basin, both our tail water, Beaver's tail water and the White River tail water will see heavy flows, probably through the month of August.
When the spill gates at Table Rock Dam were open, we saw an influx of warm water that affected our scud population (freshwater shrimp.)  They had babies basically . . . lots of babies.  It's amazing how fast they multiply given the right environment.  We also saw a pretty good flow of small threadfin shad and other small forage fish.  Yes, the "white bite" was on!  And so was the scud bite.  And boy was it good!!  And it still is.
We are seeing some of the most beefed up rainbows in all my years of fishing this lake.  We are catching 17- to 19-inch rainbows that weigh three to four pounds, in some cases, and it's not all just big bellies either.  These fish are brutes -- big shoulders -- just big.  And fight . . . I've always said the Alaskan rainbows we catch fight harder than any trout I know, but these are giving them a run for their money.  It's exciting.
Fishing from the cable below the dam down to Trophy Run, stay in the middle and drift, using a drift rig, 1/8th-ounce bell weight, four-pound line and either a single or double fly rig -- #12 or #14 scud in dark gray, olive or brown.  You can run it with an egg, shad fly or San Juan Worm as the second fly also.  Some are using a white or cream Mega Worm and catching fish.
You can drift these flies all the way down to Trout Hollow but stay either in the middle of the lake or on the inside bend -- stay off the bluff side.
Jigs - white, of course, have been working, but as the "white bite" lessens, switch to a sculpin, olive, sculpin/ginger or peach, brown/orange or black jig.  Use four-pound line when throwing 1/8th- or 3/32nd- ounce jigs and two-pound line when throwing smaller jigs.  Try a smaller jig under a float. 
Drifting night crawlers or orange PowerEggs from Fall Creek down to Short Creek has been good.  I've been fishing the inside bank from Cooper Creek down to Monkey Island throwing a variety of jigs and catching some real nice rainbows.

Made a trip to Ackerman Access this morning. Water was scheduled to be at minimum flow until early afternoon. There were lots of midges and what looked like small tan colored mayflies coming up. I caught a few nice rainbows on a size 22 Griffith's gnat and then saw a few (very few) caddis come up. They didn't last long as the trout pounced on them. I put a size 18 elk hair on and caught some more rainbows and then got this nice brown. Hatch pretty much died out around 10 am but caught a few more on midges, eggs and a couple on a soft hackle. Beautiful day out there and very few fisherman out.

I had the honor today to captain a couple of Jr High boys from Springfield in the aforementioned tournament today on Table Rock.  I had William and Sam Kuzemka in my boat.  We launched out of State Park, first cast at 6:35 a.m. on the first point NW of the ramp close to the Branson Belle.
They started out throwing a swim bait (grub) but I quickly switched them to a ned and it was on.  They fished my smallmouth banks in Jakes, Powerline and Clevenger Coves... all the ones I could remember.  I don't think I got over there any last spring so I was going off my long-time memory.
Set the boat in 16-20 feet most of the time until the fog burned off about 10 a.m., then we backed out to 30 feet.  I had them fish the bottom although every 3rd or 4th cast came back with the green slime.
They had about 13 keepers, all smallies expect one spot.  We culled a couple of 16-inchers and had one kicker brown about 3.5 pounds.  All bass except the spot appeared to have spawned - they had no pouches at all.... but what do I know, I'm a trout guy.  Had may be the same number of shots plus 3-4 nice gogs (which I'm going back for this week!!).
The boys weighed in at 13.58 and took 2nd out of 60 teams.
260 teams in the high school division... weigh in at White Water.  Needless to say there was a traffic jam getting into the lot, which was basically full when I left at the beginning of the High School weigh in period.  I hope they pulled it together cause .... well you know.
Ulrich was there with 2 pontoons/tanks for the catches.  Babler said they do a good job keeping them alive and back in the lake.

Went down to my cousin John Neporadny's place this past weekend with my grandpa. He lives in the dam area so we stayed around there mostly. The bass fishing was very good. We caught multiple fish on jerkbaits and Rock Crawlers. No spinnerbait bites or jig bites, but we really just focused on the jerks and crawlers. They were slamming them. A majority of the fish were just inside main lake points. Some on secondary's but it was a weird weather weekend, with 60 Friday, 54 Saturday and snow on Sunday. Welcome to MIssouri.
We caught crappie, but it was tough. They just weren't up on the spawning banks yet like they usually are. We would catch 2 or 3 on some banks, and that was it. All males. Most banks, which we know are spawning banks, were empty. Could be a number of factors so who knows. I bet this weekend will be a slaughter with the full moon. 
Here are some pics of the better fish. 

Updated 9/27/2020 ~~
The fall 2020 fishing season looks to be one of the best in many years.  Why?  Simply because we're seeing a lot of down water -- no generation.  This opens up the whole upper end of the lake to wading and fly fishing.  Compare this to years past when we've had to contend with high water and limited wading access to the lake.
On top of great water conditions, we're seeing lots and lots of brown trout moving up close to the dam to go through their spawning moves.  We're also seeing an early run of rainbows brushing out spawning beds.
Add to all of it the fact that our trout fishery is in the best shape it's been in since the 70's.  Big rainbows and brown abound, not just in the trophy area but throughout the lake.
~~~~~~~~
Lake Taneycomo is a tailwater fishery.  When Table Rock Dam is not generating, the water below the dam is stable and easy to read.  I will, in this article, describe each area and how to fish for trout with a fly rod.
I going to assume you are wading.  The water below the dam isn’t very deep.  In most areas, the water won’t be over your waders.  There aren’t any holes or drop offs except directly around the boulders placed by the Missouri Department of Conservation for fish habitat.  The deepest water is up close to the cable, marking the boundary line in which not to fish above.  The water up close to the cable is deeper and wading is difficult.
Most of the bottom of the lake is gravel but there is larger chunk rock as well as bed rock.
There’s steady, slow current from the cable down to the Rebar Hole.  Moving down close to the top of Rebar, the water does pick up speed. 
**Rebar was named for pieces of rebar sticking up out of the gravel, left by workers who constructed the dam back in the late 50's.  But the flow of water has changed over the past couple of years (2019-2020).  Instead of forming a chute and crossing over to the south side of the lake, it basically runs through a wide chute almost down the middle of the lake.  There's no real deep spots to hold big fish... but the run does deepen eventually, and that's where you'll find big bruisers cruising around.
The lake opens up below Rebar to a big pool we call Big Hole.  What used to be a deep hole has filled in with gravel over the years but is still 4-5 feet deep.  The water, again, moves slowly down to the Rocking Chair area.
The Rocking Chair is marked by an access from the south side of the lake, where a person could walk down from a parking area to the lake and sit a rocking chair on the level bank there.  Here you’ll find more chunk and bed rock bottom.
Just before you get to the MDC boat ramp access (north side of the lake), the lake gets deeper and narrower, hugging the north bank.  Some of the bottom is gravel as well as clay with a big gravel bar on the south side.
At the bottom of this stretch, the lake again changes sides creating a long chute with a gravel bottom.  This chute is much longer and wider than Rebar, emptying into a stretch called Trophy Run.
Trophy Run is a development on the south side of the lake marked by a community building.  The lake is very deep here, more than 8 feet in spots, and is not really wadeable.  At the bottom of this run is Lookout Island.
At Lookout, and lake becomes very shallow again but wide.  There’s some current here but I wouldn’t call it a chute at all.  At the island, the water starts to deepen, dumping into Lookout Hole.  The bottom is all gravel through the shallow areas but turns into bed rock below the island.
Flies
Emergers:  Soft Hackles, Cracklebacks, RS2, WD40, Parachute Midge — any fly they settles just below the surface.
Soft hackle color and styles:  Bodies can be thread with wire wrap, red, black, green, yellow, orange.  Wire wrap only with copper, gold or silver.  Flash or another type of mylar material, pearl, pearl red or pearl green.  Sizes range from #14 to #20.  I usually stay with #16’s and #18’s.
Cracklebacks are tied with furnace hackle with various colors bodies.  Peacock herl is the preferred material in natural green, yellow, orange and red.  Size is usually a #14.
RS2, Parachute Midge & WD40 – olive, cream and natural brown.  Size #18 - #22.
Dries:  Blue Olive Dun, black ant, beetle, Adams, Humpy, Elk Hair Caddis, Royal Wolfe, hoppers, Griffin’s Gnat, Stimulator and cidada.   Sizes #8’s and #22’s.
Mice are fished mainly at night, skipped across the surface below the dam and down through most of the Trophy Area.
Wet Flies:  Scuds, Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail, Squirrel Tail, sow bugs, various emerger patterns, San Juan Worm, Mega Worm, Miracle Fly, egg patterns and small bead head nymphs.  Sizes vary from #14’s to #22’s.


Scuds, or freshwater shrimp, are tied with many types of dubbing material — rabbit, squirrel, mink, possum, kangaroo, dog or cat, synthetics like rayon, and combinations of all of the above.  They’re tied on either a TMC #2487, #2457, #3769, #3761 or a #200R hook, depending on your preference.  They can be weighted or not.  Some are tied with a shell back.  Scuds in the natural can be varied shades of gray, olive, tan or brown.  When they die they turn orange.  They can be fished in sizes ranging from #12 to #24 but the average size is #14 to #20.

Streamers:  Woolies, Wooly Buggers, Sculpins, Pine Squirrel, PMS, Hibernator, Mo Hair Leach.  Woolies and Buggers run from #10’s to #16’s in white, olive, purple, black, brown and pink.  Sculpins usually are fished in size #8 or #10.  Good colors are gray, ginger, olive, orange, brown or white.  Pine Squirrel, PMS, Hibernators and Leeches are fished in the same sizes, adding black, blood red, purple and white to the color selection.
Big Ugly Streamers:  For the big ones, throw anything you want but Taneycomo isn’t known as a big streamer fishery, unlike its kin, the White River.  They’re thrown at night if the water is off or during the day but the water should be running for best results.
Fly Fishing Tactics

Outlet #1 is a small stream that flows out a pipe, down a chute, then across a gravel bar in to the lake.  The stream is very small and really doesn’t hold fish itself.  There’s a dropoff at the end where it meets the lake.  Trout will hold on this drop and will take a variety of flies, mostly nymphs and worms under an indicator.
The lake from the cable down about 150 yards is wide with some current.  This water is good for stripping flies and dead drifting nymphs and midges.  This is one of the best places to strip sculpins along the bottom although the bottom is rocky and tends to catch heavy flies.  But that’s the reason sculpin flies are good – there’s sculpins that live in the rocks.
As the lake narrows and gets a little shallower, the current picks up.  The trout can be more active in this area, picking up midge larva as well as scuds and sow bugs because the bottom is mostly gravel.  Fish are apt to take surface and/or film flies like small dries, midges, soft hackles and cracklebacks.

Outlet #2 enters the lake as a waterfall and doesn’t run very far before hitting the lake.  Trout are attracted to this outlet more than any other because of the volume of water and the frequent run of trout food escaping from the hatchery raceways.
Fish take many kinds of flies here, mainly dead drifting.  The number one fly is a scud with egg flies and San Juan worms close behind.  Because the water is faster here, you can get away with using a little heavier tippet.
When the trout are fed in the hatchery, pellets escape and are washed in to the lake at the outlets.  You may try a pellet fly, a small brown, round dry fly.
The pool below outlet #2 is good for stripping small and medium size streamers, film flies and dead drifting midges.  Also strip sculpins along the bottom here.

Where the lake picks up speed again close to the Rebar Chute, you’re back to drifting scuds, midges, eggs and worms.  In the chute, use all of the above but add more weight so that the fly gets to the bottom quickly.
Most anglers use a strike indicator or float when dead drifting but some do not.  Either is fine.  Do what is most comfortable.
The short stretch below the chute has changed over the years.  It’s not as deep as it used to be but it’s still a very area for fishing a small dry or small midges.
Swinging and stripping flies in the Big Hole, especially when there’s a chop on the water or at night, can be excellent fishing.  Also dead drifting midges under an indicator.  This big area is where you can start fishing a jig under a float–micro and small marabou jigs under a float in various earth colors, black, brown and sculpin being the best.

At Rocking Chair, drift scuds, sow bugs, worms and egg flies in the slow current.  Strip film flies if there’s a chop on the water.  Throw small dries if the trout are rising to midges.
Back too a jig and float at the boat ramp since the water is much deeper.  Also beaded flies under a float at various depths.  Using sink tip line, throw sculpins in this deeper water because there’s a very good population of sculpins here.

The big chute is a great place to dead drift all kinds of flies close to the bottom and for stripping and swinging streamers and film flies.  Work the end of the chute, where it opens out and slows, with those streamers and film flies.
You’re jig and float will work very well through the long, deep water at Trophy Run.  Pay attention to the depth of the jig because the water here can be as deep as 10 feet.  Find where the trout are — start at 4 feet deep and work down.
When the water starts to shallow up, go back to dead drifting nymphs and midges.  As the current picks up, swing and strip film flies.  Then, after the water gets deeper, fish all of the above — jigs, scuds, midges, eggs and worms.  Also strip sculpins in this area.
Notes and Techniques
When using a fly or jig under an indicator in deeper water like from the cable down below outlet #1, Big Hole, MDC boat ramp or Trophy Run, a double fly rig is useful, pairing a heavier fly with a small fly.  Use the heavier fly (jig may be) being on top and the smaller fly (zebra midge, scud or even soft hackle) on the bottom.  We use this rig down lake in deeper water with a fly or spinning rod.  Tippet recommendation:  6x – 7x.
Use a dry fly as an indicator.  There are times our trout will readily take a dry even though there’s no hatches occurring.  Use a big enough dry to float your nymphs or midges.  Keep your leader greased well so that your line doesn’t drag your dry under the water. Any of the dry flies I mentioned are good to use.  Tippet recommendation:  6x – 7x.
In areas where there’s fairly good current, and you’re dead drifting a nymph under an indicator, add a soft hackle below the nymph.  At the end of the drift, let the flies swing up.  This is good action for the soft hackle and chances are you’ll get bit at the very end of the drift.  Tippet recommendation:  6x – 7x.
Sight Fishing – Even with the water off, no generation, water level on tailwaters is constantly changing, most times by only inches.  Fish are keenly aware of this and will work the edges of the water for bugs moving in and out with the water.  When bugs (scuds, sow bugs) are on the move they are easy to pick off.  Therefore, the edges of the shore is the best place to sight fish.
When targeting these fish, use something they’re looking for — scuds, sow bugs, midges and worms.  Don’t back down from using large imitations, especially where there’s schools of trout working a bank.  Competition spawns aggressiveness and aggressiveness promotes eating flies that don’t look anything like natural food.  Tippet recommendation:  5x – 6x.
Case in point:  The White Mega Worm.  This big, fluffy yarn worm, sometimes tied on a very small jig head, is more than an attractor fly.  Big trout are known to attack this fly in very shallow water.  It also works in deeper water.  If the fly disappears, it’s probably in a fish’s mouth — set the hook!  I suggest using 4 or even 3x tippet.  You’ll find yourself getting excited seeing the fish take the fly and setting the hook too hard can be a problem.  Plus using a big fly like this, you can get away with heavier tippet.
Midge flies are a fly fisherman’s staple on most tailwaters.  Taneycomo is no different.  We have midge hatches every day, sometimes all day and even at night.  Without going into details like a midge’s life cycle, I just want to convey what midges to use in certain conditions.
I’ve caught more trout using a simple rig where I use a zebra midge under a palsa float than any other technique.  Depth is important.  If trout are actively taking flies off the surface or in the film, set the indicator only 6 to 12-inches from the first fly.  If there’s little or no activity, set it deeper and keep adjusting until you start getting bit.  Tippet recommendation:  6x – 7x.
Soft hackles and Cracklebacks are what I call film flies.  Both can be skimmed across the surface or just under the surface in the film.  Use long leaders and make long casts.  There are many ways to retrieve this fly from short, fast to long, slow strips.  If there’s current, letting the fly just drift and swing will draw a strike.  Tippet recommendation:  5x – 6x.
Streamers are worked in and same way except the fly is further under the surface.

Sculpins are fished with heavy tippet.  Most sculpin flies are weighted enough you shouldn’t need to use sink tip leaders.  This fly is worked across the bottom so you should use it in gravel areas mainly.  Sculpin move quickly from spot to spot, coming to a complete stop when they’re not moving.  Your retrieve should mimic this action.  Tippet recommendation:  2x – 3x.

Tips
Keep in mind trout in shallow water spook easily so stay on dry ground when ever possible.  Rainbows will cruise the edges of the shore in very shallow water looking for scuds which travel along the banks.  Don’t just arbitrarily wade out to the middle of the lake — you’ll miss some of your best fishing opportunities.
Try to land your fly line as gently on the water as possible when casting.  It is true our rainbows are used to anglers casting and wading in the upper lake but you’re chances improve greatly the more stealth you are in your presence.
Proper mending of line is a must when dead drifting, swinging and even stripping flies.  Pay attention closely and make adjustments where needed.
Change.  I suggest never casting and retrieving the same way more than a few times.  Cover water like you’re painting a wall.  Vary your strip patterns till you find what the fish like and then if they get off that pattern, change again.  Same with flies.  Change color and sizes will you find something that will work.  Never assume they’re not feeding — they’re just not interested in what you’re throwing and/or how you’re offering it.
Your indicator should be as small as possible to float and/or pull the fly through the water you’re fishing.  If you’re dragging a fly across the bottom, like a scud, your indicator needs to big a little bigger so that the fly, when it catches the bottom, doesn’t stop, pulling the indicator under.  This especially works in #2 outlet and the Rebar Chute.
Dead drifting:  Always set the hook downstream, into the fish’s mouth.  Keep the rod tip low when possible and use the water to add tension to the line set.  It will be a quicker hookset as well as keep your lone/fly from ending up in the trees behind you.
Film flies:  Soft hackles and cracklebacks.  On the take, trout will almost always hook themselves.  Setting the hook will break your line more times than naught.

Read Water Conditions and Adapt
Fish will almost always feed better under a choppy surface verses a calm, slight surface.  Current does make up for no wind but still, a slight breeze does wonders for the bite.
Couple of things to consider when reading the water.  Darker skies and broken water — fly size can be bigger and so can your tippet size.  Bright sunshine and slick surface conditions mean the fish won’t be as active and can see everything more clearer.  Drop in tippet size and go to smaller flies.
** Added/Edited September 27, 2020

Considering all things, I don't think you can ask for better fishing conditions on our lake this fall.  Lake Taneycomo, a tail water, is subject to low oxygen conditions because it is a tailwater.  We get our water from the depths of Table Rock Lake where the dissolved oxygen bottoms out this time of year.  But when the water is run through Table Rock Dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers adds liquid oxygen to the water in the turbines, bringing the oxygen levels up to fish-livable levels.  But in our present case, our lake water continues to register at high levels of oxygen.  Just today we measured 8.0 parts per million -- which is incredibly high.  Our water temperature remains low, which is also helpful, at 53 degrees.
The other thing to consider is generation.  For fly fishermen who like to wade and fish below the dam, this fall season has given them just what they love - low water conditions.  They've been seeing many trophy browns - and rainbows - and they've been hooking a few of them.
Personally, I don't venture up below the dam anymore to wade and fish.  The main reason is that  I don't like crowds.  I take the option to boat to where I want to fish and thereby find good numbers of trout of all sizes to catch . . . without the crowds.  But if I did, I'd fish this way:
My friend and fellow fly shop owner, Tim Homesley, drives over from Crane and his home water, Roaring River, and fishes our tailwater several times in the fall season.  He likes to fish the "skinny water," which is my favorite, too.  Rainbows especially hug the banks with their backs out of the water sometimes, digging in the gravel to pick up a bug or two.  Casting a small sow bug or scud, even a big mop worm or mega worm, and working it in and around these feeding rainbows will catch them.  These trout are typically veterans, too, full of colors and larger than the young stockers just arriving on the scene.
In the past, I know anglers have scored big browns and rainbows stripping soft hackles and cracklebacks well below the hatchery outlets and below Rebar and the Chute (below the Missouri Department of Conservation boat ramp) where the current is still moving from the area but is slower, not calm.  If there is a breeze and a chop on the surface -- better yet.  And then there's the streamers like sculpins, Hybernators, leaches, woolly buggers and Pine Squirrels.  Strip these in the bigger, deeper pools out in front of outlet #1, the pool below outlet #2 and from the Rocking Chair down to the Chute.
Is it time to go to 7x tippet?  Maybe.  I did for a little bit last month, but our water seems to have some color to it now, so I've gone back to 6x fluorocarbon, and it's worked pretty well.

With the leaves dropping pretty fast now, we're starting to fish the Zebra Midge under a small float 12 inches deep and targeting midging trout around the leaf clusters on the lake.  There's something about these leaves that attracts fish -- whether there's bugs on the falling leaves or midges that attach themselves to the leaves before flying off.  We're doing this about any place on the lake right now, especially towards evening time.
I've been fishing with a scud (fly) a lot this week and doing very well!  So much so that I videoed some of my fishing and posted it to show exactly what and how I was catching rainbows.
We've been throwing 1/32nd-ounce jigs with two-pound line and catching some good fish around the dock and up lake around Short Creek.  Sculpin/ginger or brown/orange with a brown head best colors.  If you're using four-pound line, throw a 3/32nd-ounce jig instead.
We've had some requests for fly tying demonstrations, so Duane and I did a few this morning and posted them.
 
 
 
Bait fishing, for whatever reason, has been slow --  not terrible -- but slow. Anglers have had to work to catch them off the dock, but there have been spurts where you'll have a bunch biting, and then the bites will slow down.  Again, two-pound line will catch more fish, especially if you're fishing with a night crawler or Powerbait.  Air-injected night crawlers have been the best though.

Made it down to the lake Friday the 24th at around 4 in the afternoon and tried to find some fish in trees with little success; only catching a few largemouth and spots. Did land a few keepers all on the drop shot.
Made it out early Saturday morning and saw a ton of schoolers till the sun burned the cloud cover off around 9 a.m. caught a nice largemouth on a jig and quite a few brown bass and spots. Found a school of very nice fish that I just couldn't manage to hook up on when they would come up. Had a pig of a smallmouth knock a whopper plopper about 2 feet out of the water when they were schooling. Overall caught almost all of them on a drop shot anywhere from about 28-40 feet. Evening bite was not as strong but it was the same deal with the drop shot on deep gravel.
Sunday morning was my best morning. Caught a nice smallie and some good kentuckys too. Same deal though, drop shot in 30-40 feet. Darker colors worked best for me the whole time. The purple/brown strike king dream shot was my weapon of choice. Still my favorite lake in the state. I'll be back as soon as I can get away from school again. I was elected president of the Mizzou Bass Fishing team so if any of you would like to support us we would obviously appreciate it. Tight lines, Dave Goddard.

Have been too busy traveling with work and clearing the decks of honey dos at home to get to the lake lately - finally made a day of it Friday and dodged lightening bolts Saturday looking for fish.  Had a friend who is a lifelong Mark Twain fisherman on board and he was stunned at the quality of crappie in LOZ.  Friday AM we started looking shallow for bass and crappie but caught nothing but bucks and quickly decided to move out and try and pick up staging crappie in deeper water - we caught our 15 each dragging clown colored cranks at 18-24 ft in 30-60 FOW.  While the action was not fast and furious most of these fish were 12-14” and we only caught 1 crappie less than 10” with lots of 14-17” largemouth mixed in.  We cleaned the crappie and went back out looking for walleye and stripers; blanked on the walleye but caught a handful of big whites and 3 hybrids spooning with the largest pushing 10#.
Saturday we tried walleye early with no luck but caught some nice largemouth instead on Keitechs before round one of storms pushed us under cover.  When those laid down we went out again in the afternoon looking for crappie and in an hour had 18 before round two of storms rolled in - size was not as good as Friday with no fish over 13 but the action was better.  There was a break in the storms again and we tried to get out but rounded the corner to black skies and had to reconsider but despite limited time fishing Saturday it was great to get on the water again.  
Boat traffic was pretty heavy Saturday with some real knuckleheads out there with absolutely no spatial awareness.  I was saddened to hear about the kids Friday night and I can’t do anything but SMH when I see some of these folks behind the wheel of a watercraft on a lake with that much traffic - as time passes I become more a proponent of a REAL operators certification requirement.  Although I did see 5-O working the Osage/Gravois confluence at dusk handing out speeding tickets, they can’t fix stupid...
Mike