Phil Lilley

I got out about 5 pm and boated up to Fall Creek. They are running less than one unit, much less. Wanted to relax and fish a jig and float with my fly rod. Went back to the sculpin/orange head 1/125th marabou jig about 4-5 feet deep. But didn't really do any good at first. Then about the Riverpointe boat ramp, I picked up 8 rainbows between there and Short Creek. It started misting some and then a midge hatch came off. Rainbows started midging the surface so I tied on a #16 red zebra and set the float at 12 inches. Caught several before heading down. Once I got within sight of our dock, trout were all over the place midging so I shut it down and started to catch rainbows at will... almost. I targeted a rise and most times got a hit. Most were small rainbows but there were a few pushing 13 inches. Lots of fun!

Leonard....

I've got several new maps done of the upper end, mapping the changes we've seen. Lower Trophy 2011 Changes.pdf 2011 taneycomo lake map of upper 5 miles of the lake 72 dpi.pdf

Chris- you shouldn't have any problems up to Trout Hollow and you could possibly get up past there to Short and then Fall Creek. Depends on the levels. Fishing should be about the same as now- fair. People are catching rainbows pretty well. Should stay consistent through the fall months.

Now at some point, the Corp has agreed to leave the water off for a day or two in October so that MDC can go in and add fish habitat to the stream bed. The plan was to place boulders in key areas and it may stay the same but they want to look at it again since the river bed has changed.

No- they will run one unit. The level will be about what it is now, may be a little less deep but not much. They do this every time it's lowered to work on Powersite. They can't leave it off, especially during the day and leave the gravel bars exposed to the air.

Keep in mind, they will run water at Table Rock and pull from Powersite's turbines at the lower end at least during the day light hours.

As we have been visiting about for some time now Empire is ready to schedule the gate installation job at Ozark Beach. We will start the Taneycomo draw-down on Saturday evening of October 22, 2011 with the idea of dropping the elevation slowly through Sunday and having Taneycomo to the 696.50 level by early Monday morning the 24th. The gates that we are installing are manufactured by the Obermeyer gate company WWW.Obermeyerhydro.com take a look. The work that we have to do involves removing the flashboards and pipe that are now there, grouting the top of the crest to make it as level as possible, installing the rubber bladders, installing the steel gate, sealing from gate to gate, and then adjusting everything. We are trying to do everything possible before we start this actual install to keep the lake draw-down as short as possible. Having visited with the man that does the installation from Obermeyer we are saying the installation will take between two to three weeks. It will be our intention to work long hours and as many day as it take to get the job done quickly but I’m sure you are all aware that there are many factors that get involved in this the weather being the biggest. We will try to communicate with everyone as we go to let you know of our progress. Empire, The Corp of Engineers, SWPA, and the Mo Dept of Conservation are working together to insure the fisheries are protected during this extended drawdown. We are aware that this will be a hardship on those people that make a living on Taneycomo and an inconvenience for those who use Taneycomo for recreation but we really are trying to keep this is install as short as possible and are sure that when we get the new gate installed will have better control over Taneycomo elevation during high flow. Tom Snyder Plant Manager Ozark Beach

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1072" title="Lake Taneycomo Canoeist 9-20-11 on OzarkAnglers.Com" src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2011/09/Lake-Taneycomo-Canoeist-9-20-11-on-OzarkAnglers.Com_.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="232" /> Generation patterns remain the same as last week, the same almost each day. They are running what amounts to be 1/2-turbine or 30 mw of power for most of the day and night and double that late afternoon for a few hours. Oxygen levels seem to be holding nicely and the trout we're catching are fighting pretty hard. It doesn't seem like the Corp will change these patterns anytime soon. <img title="Lake Taneycomo Wade Anglers 9-20-11 on OzarkAnglers.Com" src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2011/09/Lake-Taneycomo-Wade-Anglers-9-20-11-on-OzarkAnglers.Com_.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="150" /> I've been out several times this week with mixed success. Earlier in the week, I spent quite a bit of time up in the trophy area trying to catch fish on the fly rod. Had some success stripping a soft hackle (#16 red or black) below the Big Hole. There's dead water on the north side of the lake and the seam towards the middle where the current starts. Rainbows were holding close to the surface taking small midges off the surface and in the film. I also got them to take a small WD40 (#20 cream) as well. <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1073" title="Lake Taneycomo Fly Guy 9-20-11 on OzarkAnglers.Com" src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2011/09/Lake-Taneycomo-Fly-Guy-9-20-11-on-OzarkAnglers.Com_.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="257" /> Drifting from there down to Lookout, I tried several colors and sizes of scuds and didn't do well. May have been middle-of-the-day blues, don't know. I did catch rainbows on an olive or sculpin jig 1/8th oz pretty consistently. That's my fall back. From Lookout down, I threw a dry- #4 sofa pillow and a #2 big ugly along the banks and got nothing- no action. Felt like the current needed to be faster along the bank. Too many eddies and lots of fallen leaves. Again, the jig worked, but nothing of any size. No browns. Darin said he got out the other day and they drifted his white shad fly on the bottom from the cable down and did real well. His first fish was a 20-inch rainbow. I did see a big school of small fish in the Big Hole. They weren't shad and they were not trout. Not chubs. Long and slender like trout. But they were just the right size to be eaten my a big rainbow or brown. I do think there's still threadfin shad up below the dam and I still hear of people catching crappie, white bass and black bass. . . just not that many. <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1075" title="Lake Taneycomo Rainbow 9-20-11 on OzarkAnglers.Com" src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2011/09/Lake-Taneycomo-Rainbow-9-20-11-on-OzarkAnglers.Com_.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="214" /> The 1/8th oz sculpin jig did real well working the bluff bank from Fall Creek's dock down one evening this week. I didn't catch that many rainbows but what I did catch were good sized ones. Today, this evening, they were running 30 mw when I got out but I think they increased it while I was fishing but not by much. I started above the River Pointe Estates boat ramp 4 docks up. I'd planned just to fish a jig and float and drift lazily down till dark. But some midging trout caught my eye over in the shallow water on the south side. They were up real close to the bank and then out further but still in less than 18 inches of water. I tied on a black zebra midge #16 and pinched a half-palsa on the line 8 inches above the fly and proceeded to catch 4 small rainbows and one small brown. Then tried a soft hackles with no takers. I was still determined to go to the jig and did, tying on a 1/125th oz marabou jig, sculpin with an orange head, 2-pound tippet and a float I set at 5 feet deep. I kept to the middle to shallow side of the lake and drifted down past Short Creek, picking up 8 rainbows between 9 and 12 inches. Caught 3 more before hitting the tree field goals above Trout Hollow. Wanted to fish the water up and in front of the resort before it got dark so I headed down. The have been midging consistently so I knew I'd have some luck and did. I think altogether I caught 16 rainbows and a small brown in about 90 minutes of fishing, much better than I thought I'd do. And gosh, what a gorgeous evening! Fishing off our dock has really picked up the last couple of days, mainly on Power Bait and night crawlers. Curtis said some guys went out mid day today and weren't out very long and came back from the Trout Hollow area with their limit of rainbows caught on Power Bait.

What about fishing in the fall? Say during the week, is the traffic much less? I guess a question would be what's the best time to fish it if you had the time whenever... Weekdays of course are best off-season, right? I'd think winter would be good too during warm spells.

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Good info- perfect. Thanks Gavin. Any other thoughts? Anyone?

Not making myself clear. On my maps I did for oa, there are mileage points but with so many access points, which are the most common/popular floats- between what points? The float companies have their favorites and may be that's what I should go with. But more than that, since I've never been on this river, I'd like to provide a fishing description of different sections of the river, different floats. The distances are not necessarily important because I can figure it out but it is important in fishing cause you don't want to do a big long float in a day when you want to take time and fish. In a recent post here, someone mentioned, Gavin I think, that one section is a dead zone. That's good info for an angler. Thanks.

Yea- I copied and pasted but didn't change the name of the river.

Looking at the map- this is what I see: Tan Tav Access Baptist Camp Access Akers Access Access at Boyd's Creek ? Round House Access Jack's Fork Access Access at 106 ? Log Yard off HH Access Beal Landing Access Van Buren Access Clubhouse Landing Access Catarac Landing Access Hickory Landing Access Gooseneck Campground Access Forest Service Camp Access Deer Leap Access Dun Roven Access Doniphan Access Just asking for description of river and fishing info on sections - general info. Advice for anyone wanting to float and fish.

I'm compiling general info on a few rivers and need some help. First, what are the sections you can float on the Elevenpoint, mileage, put-in's and take-out's. Second, describe what the river is like generally and what the fishing is like on those sections. This of course pertains to fishing. Thanks

I'm compiling general info on a few rivers and need some help. First, what are the sections you can float on the Current, mileage, put-in's and take-out's. Second, describe what the river is like generally and what the fishing is like on those sections. This was covered some in a post recently- that's what spawned this idea. I'll do this for the Elevenpoint too. Thanks.

This will be our 2nd lab. I trained the first one. But this lab is officially my dad's and he will spoil the heck out of it unless I do something like send it off. He's a softy and won't discipline it- feed it from the table, let it on the couch... so on. But it will be over here a lot and I won't tolerate it- Marsha won't for sure. So- we'll see. Still looking at options. They're 5 weeks now. Will get him next week.

We're getting a lab. My daughter's lab had pups and my dad is keeping one. Would like to get it trained as quickly as possible. It's 5 weeks now. We get it next week. Train not necessarily for hunting but obedience... but retrieving and commands would be nice too. He may go duck hunting (the dog, not my dad) in a year or two. Any suggestions in SW Missouri. Thanks

You're not the only one here who likes to do that- you'll find out. Welcome.

Old man huh... I double your age tomorrow. But still playing full court with kids younger than you tonight in Omaha - he he. Seriously- glad you found our place. You'll find good fellowship here.

Nice to meet you today, Jerod.

Pete- I posted the same info from Arkansas on OA. But I think they're talking about below BS dam and referring to BS's level being so high. TR's level is below power pool now so I don't think they are thinking about dumping water- but I don't mind. In 2008, we had a real melt down when they had to run flood gates in September. I believe it killed a lot of trout, mainly browns. So no one wants to see that. That being said, it's typical the last few years that the Corp runs a minimal amount of water during the fall for whatever reason. I do wish, like you and most of us, they would leave it off some during the day. We'll see. I have not heard from jeremy yet. They have not posted the schedule for the weekend yet either.

<p><img src="http://ozarkanglers.com/taneycomo/images/Lookout-Island-Lake_Taneycomo-on-OzarkAnglers.Com.jpg" width="500" height="203"></p> <p>We’re all hopeful that fall temperatures have set in this time.&nbsp; Going from triple digits one day to the lower 40’s at night in less than 48 hours is pretty drastic . . . but welcomed after everyone’s long, hot summer.&nbsp; I bet our trout needed the break from the high temps and the lake water warming to the 60’s.&nbsp; Actually it’s not been far off 60 degrees flowing out of Table Rock Dam.</p> <p>Dissolved oxygen levels are now an issue at Lake Taneycomo.&nbsp; It happens every fall right about now, but we are dealing with it nicely since the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers pumps liquid oxygen into the turbines as they run.&nbsp; If you peek at the Corps’ chart, you’ll see dissolved oxygen measuring from four to eight parts per million, which is a healthy level for trout.&nbsp; When the water was not running, levels plummeted to less than two parts per million.&nbsp; Basically, the only oxygen infusing the lake when there’s no generation is from the hatchery outlets and from sunlight and wind.&nbsp; But we, the trout, go through this every fall and do just fine.&nbsp; Sometimes, though, fishing -- or catching -- suffers.</p> <p>So it’s been a bit slow, but not bad.&nbsp; I’ve watched a deck boat with two women and a man drift from the cable below the dam down to the MDC boat ramp the last few days, and they have caught numerous trout.&nbsp; I think they have been using an egg/scud combo without much weight.&nbsp; The women have tossed their lines out to give more line, and then set the hook.&nbsp; I’ve also seen a group of three guys in a jon boat fishing a jig and float with fly rods, drifting from Lookout to Fall Creek and catching trout.&nbsp; I was surprised at how shallow they were setting their floats, not more than four-feet deep.&nbsp; That’s not as deep as I’d normally recommend, BUT they were catching fish.</p> <p>Our guides are drifting night crawlers from Short Creek to our place and doing pretty well.&nbsp; Now all this depends on, yes, running water, and enough running water to make a real drift.&nbsp; I’d certainly shoot some air in the worms to make them float no matter if you’re drifting or sitting still.&nbsp; Set the weight about 24 inches from the hook and that’s how far you’re floating the worm off the bottom.</p> <p>One other thing -- if you’re drifting, don’t use much weight.&nbsp; Use just enough to get to the bottom of the lake and that’s all.&nbsp; If you use too much, you’ll bump the bottom too hard and you won’t be able to feel the bite; you’re probably going to get snagged up more often.</p> <p>Wednesday I caught some decent rainbows on a 3/32nd-ounce sculpin jig fishing from the cable down to Fall Creek, mainly the deep banks.&nbsp; Fish were striking short but were not very aggressive, so I missed a lot of strikes.&nbsp; I just should have been quicker and paid more attention.&nbsp; Thursday I got out of the boat and waded at the Narrows and at Lookout Island.&nbsp; I drifted mainly scuds -- gray #14 weighted -- and made sure to drag them on the bottom.&nbsp; I did better at the Narrows but did see quite a few rainbows behind the island at Lookout.&nbsp; I also stripped soft hackles off the bottom end of the island and did real well on mostly small rainbows.&nbsp; I threw a dry at them the other day, at all the usual bluff places, and didn’t have a looker.</p>

I don't think they've been running the water because of power demand. If I remember right, last fall they ran the water like this- 25-40 mw 24 hours. They have bumped it up a couple of times this week late in the day because of power demand-yes- but look at the DO level chart. When the water is off, the o2 plummets. When it's running, they're pumping liquid o2 into the turbine and the water is livable. I think they may be running it for the fish's sake. I'll check with my Corp guy and see if I can find out.