Phil Lilley

Trout fishing on Lake Taneycomo has been pretty good the last few weeks.  About six weeks ago, a big number of rainbow trout were stocked in short order.  My understanding was that our hatcheries were over crowded, and officials had to reduce numbers.  These rainbows were a little on the small side, and most were stocked well below Branson, but they've made their way up lake.  Catching trout has been good lately!
Newly stocked trout are generally easy to catch.  They're not very smart.  They've been hand fed all their lives, so they're going to eat or chase about anything they see for a while.  So spinners and spoons, flies and baits under floats and bait on the bottom -- all are effective for these fish.
Generation has been consistent with no water running at night and in the morning.  Then early to mid-afternoon, operators are running as little as one unit and up to all four units, most of the time until dark or after.
It's September, and our water flowing from Table Rock Lake is low in oxygen.  This is seasonal and not surprising.  When they run water, liquid oxygen is injected into the turbines, and that keeps lake water safe for our fish.  I personally have not seen the trout lethargic, lacking fight.  On the contrary, they have been fighting pretty hard.  But you do need to keep this in mind when you catch and release.  Land them as quickly as you can, keep them in the water while unhooking them and ideally release without taking them out of the water.  If you want pictures, take them quickly!
Article: Seasonal Oxygen Issues & Handling Trout, Lake Taneycomo
As I reported, fish have been chasing spoons, especially when the water is running.  Also jerk baits late in the evening and past dark with the water running have worked fairly well.  Black jigs have been the best after dark for catching bigger trout.  Throwing jigs (without a float) has also been good.  I'm using two-pound line most of the time now except when four units are running  and I'm throwing 1/8th ounce jigs -- then I'm using four-pound line.  Best colors have been brown, sculpin, black, white and sculpin/ginger.
Under a float, we're using jigs, mega worm, beaded scud, zebra midges and pink Powerworm.  Best jig color for me has been the sculpin jig with an indy-orange head.  I'm using two-pound line.  Find the chop on the water for the best fishing.  Wind helps!
Baits - night crawlers are still the best bait, although Powerbaits are catching those stocker rainbows.  Use two- or four-pound line.
When the water is running, drift flies or bait on the bottom.  Again, worms are the best, but drifting scuds is pretty good, too.  Try a #12 gray scud or an egg fly, both in the trophy are and below it.
Fly fishing - the trophy area still is the best place to fly fish, although you can do well below the line fishing flies under an indicator.  In the mornings, fish a zebra midge under a float using 6 or 7x tippet, #16 or #18 black, red or olive midge.  Fish a scud under an indicator close to the bottom.  Try a #14 to #18 gray or olive scud using 6 or 7x tippet.  If you're in choppy water, strip a wooly bugger, crackleback, sculpin or other medium-to-small streamer.
 

Trout fishing on Lake Taneycomo has been pretty good the last few weeks.  About six weeks ago, a big number of rainbow trout were stocked in short order.  My understanding was that our hatcheries were over crowded, and officials had to reduce numbers.  These rainbows were a little on the small side, and most were stocked well below Branson, but they've made their way up lake.  Catching trout has been good lately!
Newly stocked trout are generally easy to catch.  They're not very smart.  They've been hand fed all their lives, so they're going to eat or chase about anything they see for a while.  So spinners and spoons, flies and baits under floats and bait on the bottom -- all are effective for these fish.
Generation has been consistent with no water running at night and in the morning.  Then early to mid-afternoon, operators are running as little as one unit and up to all four units, most of the time until dark or after.
It's September, and our water flowing from Table Rock Lake is low in oxygen.  This is seasonal and not surprising.  When they run water, liquid oxygen is injected into the turbines, and that keeps lake water safe for our fish.  I personally have not seen the trout lethargic, lacking fight.  On the contrary, they have been fighting pretty hard.  But you do need to keep this in mind when you catch and release.  Land them as quickly as you can, keep them in the water while unhooking them and ideally release without taking them out of the water.  If you want pictures, take them quickly!
Article: Seasonal Oxygen Issues & Handling Trout, Lake Taneycomo
As I reported, fish have been chasing spoons, especially when the water is running.  Also jerk baits late in the evening and past dark with the water running have worked fairly well.  Black jigs have been the best after dark for catching bigger trout.  Throwing jigs (without a float) has also been good.  I'm using two-pound line most of the time now except when four units are running  and I'm throwing 1/8th ounce jigs -- then I'm using four-pound line.  Best colors have been brown, sculpin, black, white and sculpin/ginger.
Under a float, we're using jigs, mega worm, beaded scud, zebra midges and pink Powerworm.  Best jig color for me has been the sculpin jig with an indy-orange head.  I'm using two-pound line.  Find the chop on the water for the best fishing.  Wind helps!
Baits - night crawlers are still the best bait, although Powerbaits are catching those stocker rainbows.  Use two- or four-pound line.
When the water is running, drift flies or bait on the bottom.  Again, worms are the best, but drifting scuds is pretty good, too.  Try a #12 gray scud or an egg fly, both in the trophy are and below it.
Fly fishing - the trophy area still is the best place to fly fish, although you can do well below the line fishing flies under an indicator.  In the mornings, fish a zebra midge under a float using 6 or 7x tippet, #16 or #18 black, red or olive midge.  Fish a scud under an indicator close to the bottom.  Try a #14 to #18 gray or olive scud using 6 or 7x tippet.  If you're in choppy water, strip a wooly bugger, crackleback, sculpin or other medium-to-small streamer.
 

We've seen a great deal of water pass our dock this spring and summer!  And it continues to run but there's a light at the end of this tunnel.  Table Rock Lake is dropping one foot every 3 days and is almost down to it's power pool lever (917 feet).  Before it gets there, I predict we'll see some variation of flows and possibly some periods when the water is off.  We will see.  It's below 919 feet now and they're still running 3 units at about 10,000 cfs.  By the time we publish this report, flows may have changed.
Fishing on Lake Taneycomo has been fair for most of the summer.  I say fair because it's been tough for most anglers.  But the past couple of weeks it has improved.  It's been tough I think because of the heavy flows which has not stopped in well over a month.  It's just simply hard to get a lure or bait to the bottom where most of the fish are holding.  Some have mastered it.  Our guides are consistently reporting catches of trophy trout most days - there are good numbers of 20+ inch rainbows and browns in the lake.

I have personally caught 5 trophy rainbows this week, all on the 1/16th-ounce sculpin/ginger jig with a brown head.  All the rainbows have been in the trophy area except one.  Several guides have told me their clients have landed up to 3 trophies in an 4-hour trip.  Captain Blake Wilson says the bite actually isn't picking up till later in the morning, about 9 a.m. lately.

In the trophy area, they're been drifting the following flies on drift rigs and using the Provo Rig:  #12 tan scuds, fl.orange egg fly, cream mega worm, cerise San Juan worm.  As the water slows down, instead of using a #12 scud, use a smaller size, down to a #16.  These flies do work below Fall Creek but you can switch to Powerbait and worms.  Both have been doing pretty good.  Gulp Eggs in white and orange have been the best.  We have had a few trophies caught and released below Fall Creek using night crawlers.
I have talked to guests here at the resort drifting bait the last couple of weeks and one thing is for sure -- there's no one hot spot.  Usually I advise people to drift from Fall Creek to Short Creek or go down by Monkey Island or the Landing.  But right now, all those places are good, plus drifting down in front of our place.  Rainbows seems to be spread our throughout this area.
 
 

Trout fishing on Lake Taneycomo is holding up fairly well this fall.  We can't complain about the weather, that's for sure!  If anything it's been on the warm side.  Table Rock's water was in the 70's for most of October.  It really needs to cool down for Table Rock Lake to turn over.  Looking into the future, I see some cool weather coming, but not really any cold temperatures yet.  Depending on what the second half of November does weather-wise, the lake won't turn over until well into December.
Our water quality hasn't been terrible, in my opinion.  Of course in the fall months, the water we get from Table Rock is low in oxygen because it comes from a depth of 130 feet.  When the U.S. Corps of Army Enginers runs the turbines at Table Rock Dam, officials inject liquid oxygen into the water to bring the O2 levels up to at least four parts per million.  I've been taking some readings and finding levels between four and six ppm during generation and about four ppm when the water isn't running.  Our lake water temperatures are holding at 54 degrees right now.
The trout I've been catching are fighting hard when hooked.  I've been very happy with the condition of the trout, so I don't think the low DO has affected them very much.  BUT we have been seeing a fungus on our larger trout called saprolegnia that has cause some problems.
Our Missouri Department of Conservation has studied this fungus and published an article just the other day with information on the issue and what can be down to minimize damage to our trout.  Here's the link to the article - Mold-based infection being seen on some Lake Taneycomo trout.
As stated, this is a common problem our coldwater fisheries have to deal with and is treatable within the raceways.  But MDC cannot treat the trout in the lake, so they have fight off the fungus themselves.  I assume as soon as our lake water quality improves, this fungus won't be a problem.  But we should continue good handling practices regardless if there's an issue with fungus or not.
Generation patterns remain the same.  Most mornings there's no generation until noon or after.  Then the water is running anywhere from 25 to 90 megawatts of water until dark.  Then it's off again until the next day.  Cooler weather may change this a bit.  We may see less generation with less power demand, but some running water does distribute good oxygenated water downstream where it's needed.

The following report is written by Blake Wilson, a dock hand here at Lilleys' and a full-time fishing guide.
In the mornings with the water off, many fish can be found from Cooper Creek all the way to the Branson Landing.  They can be caught using the Berkley's Pink Power Worm trimmed to  one inch on a 1/80th-ounce jig head.  The head color doesn't matter much.  Fish it anywhere from two-to nine-feet deep, moving it deeper as the sun gets higher in the sky.
October has been fairly windy this year.  Most afternoons you could find a good chop on the surface of the lake anywhere on the lake.  In the trophy area, when the water isn't running, use a miracle/egg fly in orange or yellow, paired with a #14 to #18 zebra midge in black/copper, root beer or ruby as a dropper.  Fish this under a float and keep that bottom fly within a foot or so of the bottom.  The white or chartreuse mega worm under a float is also catching some nice rainbows and browns, along with a Lilley's 1/50th-ounce sculpin jig under a float. 
With generators on in the afternoons, the UV orange egg fly #14 paired with a #14 to #16 crystal gray or tan scud, using the slip bobber (Utah Rig) is great, drifting from the dam clear down to Trout Hollow.  Also try an orange or red San Juan worm.
Be mindful of the algae that is kicked up when generation starts at the dam.  This mucks up the water for about 30 minutes before clearing out.
~~~

I (Phil) have been throwing a few jigs and catching fish, with the water running mainly.  I've heard a few people using white jigs and catching some nice browns and rainbows up below the dam during generation, but I  haven't had any such luck.  Black and brown jigs, along with sculpin, have drawn the fish for me.  The weight of jig depends on how much water. 
Fishing off our dock has been spotty.  Night crawlers have been best, injected wth air when the water isn't running.  Use two-pound line for best results.
 
 

Our generation schedule here on Lake Taneycomo has been almost exactly the same every day for the month of August with very few exceptions.  The water is off every morning, while generation starts about 1 p.m. continuing until dark or after.  The flow is dictated by how hot it is on that day, meaning how much generation is needed to produce electricity.  So that being said, as fall temperatures arrive, we should see slower flows in the afternoon.  But I don't think the pattern of no generation in the mornings will change.
Our lake temperature is about 53 degrees while the dissolved oxygen content has plummeted to two parts per million (raw water coming through the turbines.)  This is normal for this time of year.  Liquid oxygen is injected into the turbines during generation, bringing the DO levels up to five ppm-plus.  This will continue until Table Rock "turns over" later in December.
While fishing Friday morning, I took water readings just above the Narrows in the trophy area and found the DO to be five ppm and the temperature 55 degrees.  I also found the trout I caught very strong and active.
There are reports that good-sized brown trout have arrived at the hatchery outlets below the dam.  This brown trout run should continue through the month of October, and with low lake levels in the system, we should see a lot of down water for ideal fly fishing conditions through the run this year.
Very good catches of browns and rainbows have been reported on stripping sculpin flies, wooly buggers, cracklebacks and soft hackles, as well as midges and scuds.  Egg flies should start showing up on the top of our lists for good flies to use later in September.  For night fly fishing, stripping a PMS, sculpins, leaches and other streamers should be hot for weeks to come.  Also use a glow indicator and a black mega worm or a black 1/50th ounce jig under it.
In and out of the trophy area, when the water is off, we're using a mop fly or mega worm in white, cream and peach under a float and good catching some nice browns as well as rainbows.  Also, the 50th-ounce black jig is out-producing most other colors of jigs, even in still, clear conditions.  The Zebra Midge is working most of the time under a float.  Good colors are black with red rib, red flash with red rib and root beer with black rib, all with a black tungsten head.  But there's a midge that's doing very well and that's the "snow cone" midge.  It's a white head and fished with black/red rib or black with gold rib.  Use size, but #18 to #20 in still condition and #14 to #16 if there's a chop.  Use 7x fluorocarbon tippet in most conditions, but if the water is running you can go to 6x.
Scuds are working fair when the water is off and good with it running.  The Provo rig is our guides' choice to drift flies.  Fish an egg and a scud combo with the scud on the bottom.
We usually get a fair topwater bite in the fall, and after a very good cicada bite in June, I thought this year our trout would be looking up more than past years.  I believe I’m right!
We’re seeing a lot of activity on top lately, along the banks and out in the middle of the lake.  And we’re also a good number of takes using hoppers, cicadas, beetles, ants and other terrestrial flies.  This bite should continue through October.
You can also drift a scud using a spin cast.  I just tie the fly at the end of the line and add a split shot 18 inches above it.  The size of the split shot depends on how much water is running.  Use two- or four-pound line.  And use a #14 to #18 size scud.
Drifting below the trophy area has been pretty good lately, especially down at Monkey Island.  I've found a good number of rainbows down there eager to eat.  I've used both Power Eggs (pink) and night crawlers and have done exceptionally well when the water is running.  I've also used minnows up in the area of the resort and caught some nice rainbows.  Use four-pound line.
Our guides have been catching big trout on jerk baits early and late in the day.  They are starting before daylight most mornings and the good bite ends before 7 a.m.  Starting about 5 p.m., the bite is good along any bluff bank and continues well into the night.



Look at the colors in this brown Darren Sadler caught the other day. Amazing!

Our generation schedule here on Lake Taneycomo has been almost exactly the same every day for the month of August with very few exceptions.  The water is off every morning, while generation starts about 1 p.m. continuing until dark or after.  The flow is dictated by how hot it is on that day, meaning how much generation is needed to produce electricity.  So that being said, as fall temperatures arrive, we should see slower flows in the afternoon.  But I don't think the pattern of no generation in the mornings will change.
Our lake temperature is about 53 degrees while the dissolved oxygen content has plummeted to two parts per million (raw water coming through the turbines.)  This is normal for this time of year.  Liquid oxygen is injected into the turbines during generation, bringing the DO levels up to five ppm-plus.  This will continue until Table Rock "turns over" later in December.
While fishing Friday morning, I took water readings just above the Narrows in the trophy area and found the DO to be five ppm and the temperature 55 degrees.  I also found the trout I caught very strong and active.
There are reports that good-sized brown trout have arrived at the hatchery outlets below the dam.  This brown trout run should continue through the month of October, and with low lake levels in the system, we should see a lot of down water for ideal fly fishing conditions through the run this year.
Very good catches of browns and rainbows have been reported on stripping sculpin flies, wooly buggers, cracklebacks and soft hackles, as well as midges and scuds.  Egg flies should start showing up on the top of our lists for good flies to use later in September.  For night fly fishing, stripping a PMS, sculpins, leaches and other streamers should be hot for weeks to come.  Also use a glow indicator and a black mega worm or a black 1/50th ounce jig under it.
In and out of the trophy area, when the water is off, we're using a mop fly or mega worm in white, cream and peach under a float and good catching some nice browns as well as rainbows.  Also, the 50th-ounce black jig is out-producing most other colors of jigs, even in still, clear conditions.  The Zebra Midge is working most of the time under a float.  Good colors are black with red rib, red flash with red rib and root beer with black rib, all with a black tungsten head.  But there's a midge that's doing very well and that's the "snow cone" midge.  It's a white head and fished with black/red rib or black with gold rib.  Use size, but #18 to #20 in still condition and #14 to #16 if there's a chop.  Use 7x fluorocarbon tippet in most conditions, but if the water is running you can go to 6x.
Scuds are working fair when the water is off and good with it running.  The Provo rig is our guides' choice to drift flies.  Fish an egg and a scud combo with the scud on the bottom.
We usually get a fair topwater bite in the fall, and after a very good cicada bite in June, I thought this year our trout would be looking up more than past years.  I believe I’m right!
We’re seeing a lot of activity on top lately, along the banks and out in the middle of the lake.  And we’re also a good number of takes using hoppers, cicadas, beetles, ants and other terrestrial flies.  This bite should continue through October.
You can also drift a scud using a spin cast.  I just tie the fly at the end of the line and add a split shot 18 inches above it.  The size of the split shot depends on how much water is running.  Use two- or four-pound line.  And use a #14 to #18 size scud.
Drifting below the trophy area has been pretty good lately, especially down at Monkey Island.  I've found a good number of rainbows down there eager to eat.  I've used both Power Eggs (pink) and night crawlers and have done exceptionally well when the water is running.  I've also used minnows up in the area of the resort and caught some nice rainbows.  Use four-pound line.
Our guides have been catching big trout on jerk baits early and late in the day.  They are starting before daylight most mornings and the good bite ends before 7 a.m.  Starting about 5 p.m., the bite is good along any bluff bank and continues well into the night.



Look at the colors in this brown Darren Sadler caught the other day. Amazing!

Our generation schedule here on Lake Taneycomo has been almost exactly the same every day for the month of August with very few exceptions.  The water is off every morning, while generation starts about 1 p.m. continuing until dark or after.  The flow is dictated by how hot it is on that day, meaning how much generation is needed to produce electricity.  So that being said, as fall temperatures arrive, we should see slower flows in the afternoon.  But I don't think the pattern of no generation in the mornings will change.
Our lake temperature is about 53 degrees while the dissolved oxygen content has plummeted to two parts per million (raw water coming through the turbines.)  This is normal for this time of year.  Liquid oxygen is injected into the turbines during generation, bringing the DO levels up to five ppm-plus.  This will continue until Table Rock "turns over" later in December.
While fishing Friday morning, I took water readings just above the Narrows in the trophy area and found the DO to be five ppm and the temperature 55 degrees.  I also found the trout I caught very strong and active.
There are reports that good-sized brown trout have arrived at the hatchery outlets below the dam.  This brown trout run should continue through the month of October, and with low lake levels in the system, we should see a lot of down water for ideal fly fishing conditions through the run this year.
Very good catches of browns and rainbows have been reported on stripping sculpin flies, wooly buggers, cracklebacks and soft hackles, as well as midges and scuds.  Egg flies should start showing up on the top of our lists for good flies to use later in September.  For night fly fishing, stripping a PMS, sculpins, leaches and other streamers should be hot for weeks to come.  Also use a glow indicator and a black mega worm or a black 1/50th ounce jig under it.
In and out of the trophy area, when the water is off, we're using a mop fly or mega worm in white, cream and peach under a float and good catching some nice browns as well as rainbows.  Also, the 50th-ounce black jig is out-producing most other colors of jigs, even in still, clear conditions.  The Zebra Midge is working most of the time under a float.  Good colors are black with red rib, red flash with red rib and root beer with black rib, all with a black tungsten head.  But there's a midge that's doing very well and that's the "snow cone" midge.  It's a white head and fished with black/red rib or black with gold rib.  Use size, but #18 to #20 in still condition and #14 to #16 if there's a chop.  Use 7x fluorocarbon tippet in most conditions, but if the water is running you can go to 6x.
Scuds are working fair when the water is off and good with it running.  The Provo rig is our guides' choice to drift flies.  Fish an egg and a scud combo with the scud on the bottom.
We usually get a fair topwater bite in the fall, and after a very good cicada bite in June, I thought this year our trout would be looking up more than past years.  I believe I’m right!
We’re seeing a lot of activity on top lately, along the banks and out in the middle of the lake.  And we’re also a good number of takes using hoppers, cicadas, beetles, ants and other terrestrial flies.  This bite should continue through October.
You can also drift a scud using a spin cast.  I just tie the fly at the end of the line and add a split shot 18 inches above it.  The size of the split shot depends on how much water is running.  Use two- or four-pound line.  And use a #14 to #18 size scud.
Drifting below the trophy area has been pretty good lately, especially down at Monkey Island.  I've found a good number of rainbows down there eager to eat.  I've used both Power Eggs (pink) and night crawlers and have done exceptionally well when the water is running.  I've also used minnows up in the area of the resort and caught some nice rainbows.  Use four-pound line.
Our guides have been catching big trout on jerk baits early and late in the day.  They are starting before daylight most mornings and the good bite ends before 7 a.m.  Starting about 5 p.m., the bite is good along any bluff bank and continues well into the night.



Look at the colors in this brown Darren Sadler caught the other day. Amazing!

It's been an interesting spring season for fishing on Lake Taneycomo.  If I had to script it, I'm not sure I could create a better scenario as far as the water conditions we've had so far.  We've seen up to nine gates opened at the dam, bringing in a lot of shad and other food for our trout.  Plus, the warm water has spurred some great, active trout feeding most days on white jigs, jerk baits and scud flies.  And then the cicadas started to hatch, providing some awesome dry fly fishing -- which will continue well into June.
We started the spring with very low lake conditions above and below our lake, but spring rains have caught us back up on rainfall, plus some.  The U.S. Corps of Army Engineers has not let Table Rock Lake rise too much, dumping water and maintaining the level at around 917 feet, which is our summer pool level.  With two turbines down for maintenance, anytime there was demand for more than 6,000 cubic feet per second flow, the Corps supplemented turbine flow with a flood-gate release, but that has ended with the turbines back online.  With present levels and rain in the forecast, I would say we're looking at at least mid to heavy generation most afternoons with lower to no generation in the mornings for the next few weeks.
While the flood gates were opened, the white jig and shad fly were definitely the best ways to catch trout up within three miles of the dam.  Since the gates have been closed for almost two weeks, the fish aren't really keying in on white, but you can still catch fish on white -- it's always a good color to use.  The same for jerk baits and big streamers.  Black, though, has taken back the lead as the best color to throw, with sculpin/ginger a close second.
Most of us have looked forward to this cicada hatch!  And it has not let us down.  The only slight disappointment has been the lack of multiple areas on the lake where our fish have targeted them.  From the dam down through the Narrows is by far the best area, with the bluff side from Fall Creek to Trout Hollow Resort  just okay.
Our guides have been making their living drifting night crawlers from Cooper Creek down to the Branson Landing with three to four units running.  We've seen some nice catches come in and heard of some brown trout caught and released, especially in the Monkey Island area.  The lake's current is much slower there, and it's easy to drift and bump the bait along the bottom.  I've also heard that the PowerBait Gulp Eggs are working in the pink/white combo.
Drifting scuds on the bottom has been good from the dam clear down to Trout Hollow Resort.  If the water is running pretty hard, you can get away with using a #12 gray or brown scud, but if it slows down to one or two units, drop the size down to a #14 or a #16.  Make sure you're bumping the bottom or you won't get bit.

It's been an interesting spring season for fishing on Lake Taneycomo.  If I had to script it, I'm not sure I could create a better scenario as far as the water conditions we've had so far.  We've seen up to nine gates opened at the dam, bringing in a lot of shad and other food for our trout.  Plus, the warm water has spurred some great, active trout feeding most days on white jigs, jerk baits and scud flies.  And then the cicadas started to hatch, providing some awesome dry fly fishing -- which will continue well into June.
We started the spring with very low lake conditions above and below our lake, but spring rains have caught us back up on rainfall, plus some.  The U.S. Corps of Army Engineers has not let Table Rock Lake rise too much, dumping water and maintaining the level at around 917 feet, which is our summer pool level.  With two turbines down for maintenance, anytime there was demand for more than 6,000 cubic feet per second flow, the Corps supplemented turbine flow with a flood-gate release, but that has ended with the turbines back online.  With present levels and rain in the forecast, I would say we're looking at at least mid to heavy generation most afternoons with lower to no generation in the mornings for the next few weeks.
While the flood gates were opened, the white jig and shad fly were definitely the best ways to catch trout up within three miles of the dam.  Since the gates have been closed for almost two weeks, the fish aren't really keying in on white, but you can still catch fish on white -- it's always a good color to use.  The same for jerk baits and big streamers.  Black, though, has taken back the lead as the best color to throw, with sculpin/ginger a close second.
Most of us have looked forward to this cicada hatch!  And it has not let us down.  The only slight disappointment has been the lack of multiple areas on the lake where our fish have targeted them.  From the dam down through the Narrows is by far the best area, with the bluff side from Fall Creek to Trout Hollow Resort  just okay.
Our guides have been making their living drifting night crawlers from Cooper Creek down to the Branson Landing with three to four units running.  We've seen some nice catches come in and heard of some brown trout caught and released, especially in the Monkey Island area.  The lake's current is much slower there, and it's easy to drift and bump the bait along the bottom.  I've also heard that the PowerBait Gulp Eggs are working in the pink/white combo.
Drifting scuds on the bottom has been good from the dam clear down to Trout Hollow Resort.  If the water is running pretty hard, you can get away with using a #12 gray or brown scud, but if it slows down to one or two units, drop the size down to a #14 or a #16.  Make sure you're bumping the bottom or you won't get bit.

If you like to fish Lake Taneycomo with no generation, then you've been loving the last five months.  There have been a handful of days when the water ran all day.  Most days, it has been off a majority of the time.  These conditions are a favorite for fly fishers, especially those fishing immediately below the dam.  I like it because I can fly fish a lot of places from my boat, in various ways, trying out dry flies, streamers,  and stripping film flies as well as midges and scuds under a float.
With the water off, dock fishermen have an easier time, too.  They aren't fighting the current and catching trash floating down the lake on the lines.  If you like trolling, I think it's more effective to do this when the water is off,  although it's not exclusively done during these periods.
Our water temperature is 53 and has remained steady for the past three months.  The dissolved oxygen content is also good -- with no affects to fish appetites or their ability to fight.  I haven't had any fish struggle to regain strength when released, but I also haven't caught any really big trout lately.
I have seen a lot of big browns and a few big rainbows caught up close to the dam on social media.  They have been caught mainly in the outlets, it appears, although I have seen a few anglers poising down by what I would call the old Rebar Hole riffle.  Some have been caught on the Taneycomo Sculpin, designed and tied by Leonard Keeney.  He sent me some images the other day that explained what he was fishing and why.




Note the color of the sculpin he photographed in the water.  Leonard claims, and I concur, sculpin turn various colors throughout the year depending on their environment and their life cycle.  According to Keeney, sculpins just spawned in our lake and that is why they are a gold variant color.  I've seen them in their dark green colors--almost a black.  They also have an incandescent green lining at times.  All these are considered when Keeney ties his sculpins as well as when fishes them.
Sculpins sit on the bottom of the lake, most times motionless.  When they move, they dart, fast, then come to a quick stop, motionless again.  They sit up high on their pectoral fins when resting.  We use this knowledge when working a sculpin fly.  It's a stop-and-start retrieve with quick, short strips.  In my experience, the trout will take the sculpins when they're resting, and the strike is very aggressive.
We use sculpin flies in various colors and sizes.  These flies are tied with lead eyes which makes them heavy, so I would suggest using at least a 6-weight, 9-foot rod with heavy tippet (8-10 pound fluorocarbon.)  Keeney offers the following colors - gray, cream, purple, dark olive, light olive, black, gold variant, olive variant, sculpin, chinchilla, sand variant, ginger, red, white, brown and blue.  There are two main sizes-- #6's and #8's.  All are stocked in our fly shop.
I am just now experimenting with throwing a sculpin.  From my boat, I find water that's less then three feet deep and gravel bottom.  Below the dam you'll find many areas that fit this description.  The fly is tied with the hook up so that when it is retrieved, it doesn't tend to catch the bottom.
I believe a jig can be used in the same way, using a spin cast rig.  But the jig, at least the way our jigs are designed, will tend to get snagged on the bottom more often, as well as pick up green moss, which lessens the chance of getting bit.
Speaking of jigs, we haven't been throwing jigs very much, but when we do we're using dark colors--black, sculpin/black, sculpin and brown.  And maybe we should experiment with some new colors like gold (gold variant.)
Jigs under a float are working, especially if there's a chop on the surface. Use micro to 1/32nd-ounce jigs on two- to four- pound line in the same colors I mentioned.  Fish them at least four-feet deep up to eight feet, depending on where you're fishing.
I've been fishing a combo fly rig, using a peppy scud under a zebra midge all under an indicator.  I'm using 6x fluorocarbon tippet with a #12-#14 scud and a red or black #14 or #16 midge, fishing it anywhere from three- to seven-feet deep, depending on the depth of water.  I am not fishing the scud on the bottom, but about a foot from the bottom in most cases.  Most of the time I'm catching them on the scud, but there are some days they hit the midge just as often.
The few guides who are working right now report fishing night crawlers from Fall Creek to Cooper Creek on the bottom using four-pound line.  We've seen a few big rainbows  caught this way, some longer than 20 inches.  The Berkley pink worm under a float has also done quite well -- again with four-pound line and fished five- to eight-feet deep, depending on the depth of water.

If you like to fish Lake Taneycomo with no generation, then you've been loving the last five months.  There have been a handful of days when the water ran all day.  Most days, it has been off a majority of the time.  These conditions are a favorite for fly fishers, especially those fishing immediately below the dam.  I like it because I can fly fish a lot of places from my boat, in various ways, trying out dry flies, streamers,  and stripping film flies as well as midges and scuds under a float.
With the water off, dock fishermen have an easier time, too.  They aren't fighting the current and catching trash floating down the lake on the lines.  If you like trolling, I think it's more effective to do this when the water is off,  although it's not exclusively done during these periods.
Our water temperature is 53 and has remained steady for the past three months.  The dissolved oxygen content is also good -- with no affects to fish appetites or their ability to fight.  I haven't had any fish struggle to regain strength when released, but I also haven't caught any really big trout lately.
I have seen a lot of big browns and a few big rainbows caught up close to the dam on social media.  They have been caught mainly in the outlets, it appears, although I have seen a few anglers poising down by what I would call the old Rebar Hole riffle.  Some have been caught on the Taneycomo Sculpin, designed and tied by Leonard Keeney.  He sent me some images the other day that explained what he was fishing and why.




Note the color of the sculpin he photographed in the water.  Leonard claims, and I concur, sculpin turn various colors throughout the year depending on their environment and their life cycle.  According to Keeney, sculpins just spawned in our lake and that is why they are a gold variant color.  I've seen them in their dark green colors--almost a black.  They also have an incandescent green lining at times.  All these are considered when Keeney ties his sculpins as well as when fishes them.
Sculpins sit on the bottom of the lake, most times motionless.  When they move, they dart, fast, then come to a quick stop, motionless again.  They sit up high on their pectoral fins when resting.  We use this knowledge when working a sculpin fly.  It's a stop-and-start retrieve with quick, short strips.  In my experience, the trout will take the sculpins when they're resting, and the strike is very aggressive.
We use sculpin flies in various colors and sizes.  These flies are tied with lead eyes which makes them heavy, so I would suggest using at least a 6-weight, 9-foot rod with heavy tippet (8-10 pound fluorocarbon.)  Keeney offers the following colors - gray, cream, purple, dark olive, light olive, black, gold variant, olive variant, sculpin, chinchilla, sand variant, ginger, red, white, brown and blue.  There are two main sizes-- #6's and #8's.  All are stocked in our fly shop.
I am just now experimenting with throwing a sculpin.  From my boat, I find water that's less then three feet deep and gravel bottom.  Below the dam you'll find many areas that fit this description.  The fly is tied with the hook up so that when it is retrieved, it doesn't tend to catch the bottom.
I believe a jig can be used in the same way, using a spin cast rig.  But the jig, at least the way our jigs are designed, will tend to get snagged on the bottom more often, as well as pick up green moss, which lessens the chance of getting bit.
Speaking of jigs, we haven't been throwing jigs very much, but when we do we're using dark colors--black, sculpin/black, sculpin and brown.  And maybe we should experiment with some new colors like gold (gold variant.)
Jigs under a float are working, especially if there's a chop on the surface. Use micro to 1/32nd-ounce jigs on two- to four- pound line in the same colors I mentioned.  Fish them at least four-feet deep up to eight feet, depending on where you're fishing.
I've been fishing a combo fly rig, using a peppy scud under a zebra midge all under an indicator.  I'm using 6x fluorocarbon tippet with a #12-#14 scud and a red or black #14 or #16 midge, fishing it anywhere from three- to seven-feet deep, depending on the depth of water.  I am not fishing the scud on the bottom, but about a foot from the bottom in most cases.  Most of the time I'm catching them on the scud, but there are some days they hit the midge just as often.
The few guides who are working right now report fishing night crawlers from Fall Creek to Cooper Creek on the bottom using four-pound line.  We've seen a few big rainbows  caught this way, some longer than 20 inches.  The Berkley pink worm under a float has also done quite well -- again with four-pound line and fished five- to eight-feet deep, depending on the depth of water.

We're heading into the fall season here on Lake Taneycomo, and trout fishing has been fairly decent for the most part.  It does seem like there are days when they just don't eat and then there are days they can't get enough food.  Who knows what triggers either mood, but it's sheer fun when they do bite.
I'm not going to harp on the hot weather.  Everyone has been in the same boat.  Even venturing out on our lake on these hot days has been pretty tough, even when the water is 51 degrees.  But we hope those days are about behind us -- at least enduring triple digits every day for a week or more. 
The high humidity has caused the lake to fog up mornings and evenings, which has made navigating a boat difficult.  But that should improve with milder temps and lower humidity.

The last few days of August we enjoyed cooler days, so the generation pattern has changed up a bit.  Cooler days means less water flow.  The generation has started later in the afternoon and stopped about dark.  As the days cool, my guess is that we'll see less and less generation.  Less power demand and low lake levels spell less water flow.
Mornings should see no real change since there has been no generation in the mornings all summer long.  Opera tors have run water most afternoons and evenings, so that is when we'll see the changes.
Black seems to be the color of choice, when it comes to jigs at least.  I've done very well using black, combining it with olive, sculpin and purple.  We've also had some reports that sculpin/peach is working pretty well, too.
I've been on a quest to fish areas of the lake that I don't routinely fish.  I started in the Cooper Creek Flats area and have worked my way down to Monkey Island, which is just above Branson/Hollister proper and the U.S. 65 Highway bridge.  The other part of my quest has been to use the lightest jig possible, which is a 1/32nd-ounce most of the time.  Of course, I'm had to use two-pound line ( Trilene Sensation ) to throw and drop the small jig down to the bottom, sometimes in as much as 24 feet of water.

I have rediscovered the Monkey Island Flats, an area just above the island that extends almost 500 yards.  The lake is about 20- to 24-feet deep before you get to the flat, where it shallows up to 7 to 10 feet.  Both rainbows and browns are schooling on those flats, and they really bite when the water is running.  I've found two big browns there, caught a couple of days apart.

I'm wanting to work my way down to the Branson Landing using this technique, as well as work bigger jigs around the docks.  You never know what I might find!  Maybe even a big bass!
There's a lot of pond weed breaking up and flowing down lake when the water starts running in the afternoons.  This can be pretty frustrating, especially when you're fishing off of a dock.  The best time to fish from a dock or the bank, of course, is when the water is not running.  Otherwise, take a nap!   Or tie jigs.
Night crawlers have been good for catching trout.  If the water is off, pump some air in them to float them off the bottom.  If it's running, no need.  I'd also suggest using two-pound line if the water is off.  Our water isn't real clear, but fishing something stationary in the water means the fish get a good look at what you're using.  Two-pound line will give you a better chance at getting bit.
Guide Steve Dickey is putting his clients on fish early in the day by using a black micro jig under a float in the trophy area.  He's using 6x tippet.  I don't know that he's using our micro jig, but I'd think ours would work fine.
Also working early in the mornings is the white mega worm under a float.  It caught this nice brown trout the other day.  The mega is made of a fluffy yarn material that really breathes and moves with the slightest touch.  That's why it works well when there's no water moving.
And the pink Berkley's power worm under a float is working below Fall Creek.  I've said this many times -- our guides make their living on the pink worm.  It flat catches trout on Taney!
When using these baits under a float, start by fishing them about four-feet deep.  Move the bait deeper when needed.
With the weather changing somewhat, cooler and less humid evenings mean less fog and enjoyable, short trips out jig fishing.  There are a lot of trout just below Fall Creek down to Short Creek, and I have been catching them on 1/32nd-ounce, two-pound line or 1/16th-ounce , four-pound line black jigs.  And it doesn't seem to matter whether the jig is on the bottom or not.

"Where have all the browns come from? " is a question we're hearing a lot last month.  On some of my evening trips, I'm catching as many brown trout as rainbows.  There does seem to be an abundance of smaller browns between 11- and 13-inches long. They are aggressive and fight really hard!  Last evening I caught one that had its adipose fin clipped, identifying it as a triploid.  That's a trout that was artificially made sterile to enhance its growth rate.
Remember, going into the fall season, dissolved oxygen levels are low on our tailwater, although the lake water temperature is a little cooler than normal at 51.5 degrees.  Fish, especially big fish, will get stressed by long fights and time out of the water.  It is most important that you KEEP YOUR CATCH IN THE WATER immediately after being caught.  Don't take it out to unhook it, admire it, photo it.  Leave it in the net, take it out to get a quick photo, put it back in the net till it's ready to swim off.
Photos courtesy of Facebook/Ozark Trout Runners.

We're heading into the fall season here on Lake Taneycomo, and trout fishing has been fairly decent for the most part.  It does seem like there are days when they just don't eat and then there are days they can't get enough food.  Who knows what triggers either mood, but it's sheer fun when they do bite.
I'm not going to harp on the hot weather.  Everyone has been in the same boat.  Even venturing out on our lake on these hot days has been pretty tough, even when the water is 51 degrees.  But we hope those days are about behind us -- at least enduring triple digits every day for a week or more. 
The high humidity has caused the lake to fog up mornings and evenings, which has made navigating a boat difficult.  But that should improve with milder temps and lower humidity.

The last few days of August we enjoyed cooler days, so the generation pattern has changed up a bit.  Cooler days means less water flow.  The generation has started later in the afternoon and stopped about dark.  As the days cool, my guess is that we'll see less and less generation.  Less power demand and low lake levels spell less water flow.
Mornings should see no real change since there has been no generation in the mornings all summer long.  Opera tors have run water most afternoons and evenings, so that is when we'll see the changes.
Black seems to be the color of choice, when it comes to jigs at least.  I've done very well using black, combining it with olive, sculpin and purple.  We've also had some reports that sculpin/peach is working pretty well, too.
I've been on a quest to fish areas of the lake that I don't routinely fish.  I started in the Cooper Creek Flats area and have worked my way down to Monkey Island, which is just above Branson/Hollister proper and the U.S. 65 Highway bridge.  The other part of my quest has been to use the lightest jig possible, which is a 1/32nd-ounce most of the time.  Of course, I'm had to use two-pound line ( Trilene Sensation ) to throw and drop the small jig down to the bottom, sometimes in as much as 24 feet of water.

I have rediscovered the Monkey Island Flats, an area just above the island that extends almost 500 yards.  The lake is about 20- to 24-feet deep before you get to the flat, where it shallows up to 7 to 10 feet.  Both rainbows and browns are schooling on those flats, and they really bite when the water is running.  I've found two big browns there, caught a couple of days apart.

I'm wanting to work my way down to the Branson Landing using this technique, as well as work bigger jigs around the docks.  You never know what I might find!  Maybe even a big bass!
There's a lot of pond weed breaking up and flowing down lake when the water starts running in the afternoons.  This can be pretty frustrating, especially when you're fishing off of a dock.  The best time to fish from a dock or the bank, of course, is when the water is not running.  Otherwise, take a nap!   Or tie jigs.
Night crawlers have been good for catching trout.  If the water is off, pump some air in them to float them off the bottom.  If it's running, no need.  I'd also suggest using two-pound line if the water is off.  Our water isn't real clear, but fishing something stationary in the water means the fish get a good look at what you're using.  Two-pound line will give you a better chance at getting bit.
Guide Steve Dickey is putting his clients on fish early in the day by using a black micro jig under a float in the trophy area.  He's using 6x tippet.  I don't know that he's using our micro jig, but I'd think ours would work fine.
Also working early in the mornings is the white mega worm under a float.  It caught this nice brown trout the other day.  The mega is made of a fluffy yarn material that really breathes and moves with the slightest touch.  That's why it works well when there's no water moving.
And the pink Berkley's power worm under a float is working below Fall Creek.  I've said this many times -- our guides make their living on the pink worm.  It flat catches trout on Taney!
When using these baits under a float, start by fishing them about four-feet deep.  Move the bait deeper when needed.
With the weather changing somewhat, cooler and less humid evenings mean less fog and enjoyable, short trips out jig fishing.  There are a lot of trout just below Fall Creek down to Short Creek, and I have been catching them on 1/32nd-ounce, two-pound line or 1/16th-ounce , four-pound line black jigs.  And it doesn't seem to matter whether the jig is on the bottom or not.

"Where have all the browns come from? " is a question we're hearing a lot last month.  On some of my evening trips, I'm catching as many brown trout as rainbows.  There does seem to be an abundance of smaller browns between 11- and 13-inches long. They are aggressive and fight really hard!  Last evening I caught one that had its adipose fin clipped, identifying it as a triploid.  That's a trout that was artificially made sterile to enhance its growth rate.
Remember, going into the fall season, dissolved oxygen levels are low on our tailwater, although the lake water temperature is a little cooler than normal at 51.5 degrees.  Fish, especially big fish, will get stressed by long fights and time out of the water.  It is most important that you KEEP YOUR CATCH IN THE WATER immediately after being caught.  Don't take it out to unhook it, admire it, photo it.  Leave it in the net, take it out to get a quick photo, put it back in the net till it's ready to swim off.
Photos courtesy of Facebook/Ozark Trout Runners.

We're heading into the fall season here on Lake Taneycomo, and trout fishing has been fairly decent for the most part.  It does seem like there are days when they just don't eat and then there are days they can't get enough food.  Who knows what triggers either mood, but it's sheer fun when they do bite.
I'm not going to harp on the hot weather.  Everyone has been in the same boat.  Even venturing out on our lake on these hot days has been pretty tough, even when the water is 51 degrees.  But we hope those days are about behind us -- at least enduring triple digits every day for a week or more. 
The high humidity has caused the lake to fog up mornings and evenings, which has made navigating a boat difficult.  But that should improve with milder temps and lower humidity.

The last few days of August we enjoyed cooler days, so the generation pattern has changed up a bit.  Cooler days means less water flow.  The generation has started later in the afternoon and stopped about dark.  As the days cool, my guess is that we'll see less and less generation.  Less power demand and low lake levels spell less water flow.
Mornings should see no real change since there has been no generation in the mornings all summer long.  Opera tors have run water most afternoons and evenings, so that is when we'll see the changes.
Black seems to be the color of choice, when it comes to jigs at least.  I've done very well using black, combining it with olive, sculpin and purple.  We've also had some reports that sculpin/peach is working pretty well, too.
I've been on a quest to fish areas of the lake that I don't routinely fish.  I started in the Cooper Creek Flats area and have worked my way down to Monkey Island, which is just above Branson/Hollister proper and the U.S. 65 Highway bridge.  The other part of my quest has been to use the lightest jig possible, which is a 1/32nd-ounce most of the time.  Of course, I'm had to use two-pound line ( Trilene Sensation ) to throw and drop the small jig down to the bottom, sometimes in as much as 24 feet of water.

I have rediscovered the Monkey Island Flats, an area just above the island that extends almost 500 yards.  The lake is about 20- to 24-feet deep before you get to the flat, where it shallows up to 7 to 10 feet.  Both rainbows and browns are schooling on those flats, and they really bite when the water is running.  I've found two big browns there, caught a couple of days apart.

I'm wanting to work my way down to the Branson Landing using this technique, as well as work bigger jigs around the docks.  You never know what I might find!  Maybe even a big bass!
There's a lot of pond weed breaking up and flowing down lake when the water starts running in the afternoons.  This can be pretty frustrating, especially when you're fishing off of a dock.  The best time to fish from a dock or the bank, of course, is when the water is not running.  Otherwise, take a nap!   Or tie jigs.
Night crawlers have been good for catching trout.  If the water is off, pump some air in them to float them off the bottom.  If it's running, no need.  I'd also suggest using two-pound line if the water is off.  Our water isn't real clear, but fishing something stationary in the water means the fish get a good look at what you're using.  Two-pound line will give you a better chance at getting bit.
Guide Steve Dickey is putting his clients on fish early in the day by using a black micro jig under a float in the trophy area.  He's using 6x tippet.  I don't know that he's using our micro jig, but I'd think ours would work fine.
Also working early in the mornings is the white mega worm under a float.  It caught this nice brown trout the other day.  The mega is made of a fluffy yarn material that really breathes and moves with the slightest touch.  That's why it works well when there's no water moving.
And the pink Berkley's power worm under a float is working below Fall Creek.  I've said this many times -- our guides make their living on the pink worm.  It flat catches trout on Taney!
When using these baits under a float, start by fishing them about four-feet deep.  Move the bait deeper when needed.
With the weather changing somewhat, cooler and less humid evenings mean less fog and enjoyable, short trips out jig fishing.  There are a lot of trout just below Fall Creek down to Short Creek, and I have been catching them on 1/32nd-ounce, two-pound line or 1/16th-ounce , four-pound line black jigs.  And it doesn't seem to matter whether the jig is on the bottom or not.

"Where have all the browns come from? " is a question we're hearing a lot last month.  On some of my evening trips, I'm catching as many brown trout as rainbows.  There does seem to be an abundance of smaller browns between 11- and 13-inches long. They are aggressive and fight really hard!  Last evening I caught one that had its adipose fin clipped, identifying it as a triploid.  That's a trout that was artificially made sterile to enhance its growth rate.
Remember, going into the fall season, dissolved oxygen levels are low on our tailwater, although the lake water temperature is a little cooler than normal at 51.5 degrees.  Fish, especially big fish, will get stressed by long fights and time out of the water.  It is most important that you KEEP YOUR CATCH IN THE WATER immediately after being caught.  Don't take it out to unhook it, admire it, photo it.  Leave it in the net, take it out to get a quick photo, put it back in the net till it's ready to swim off.
Photos courtesy of Facebook/Ozark Trout Runners.

Our fishing report for Lake Taneycomo could be a cookie cutter analogy of last month's report.  Our generation pattern is exactly the same, our water temperature is about the same, and the bite is also the same as in June and July.  The trout are locked into a daily pattern of eating and resting just like humans are.  They know when the water will start and when it will end.  It has not change day-to-day by more than an hour.
Generation starts anywhere from 1 to 2 p.m. each day and builds to a full four units within an hour.  Operators are shutting down at various times but fairly consistently from 9 to 10 p.m. late evening.  The water is off the rest of the night and the next morning.  If we get a reprieve in these hot temperatures during the day, they may lessen the flow a bit, but not much.  Water temperature is holding at about 49 degrees which is pretty awesome for the first of August.  It's usually into the lower 50's by now.  Water quality is good, too, with dissolved oxygen readings around eight parts per million.  I hope this means we'll have an easy fall season with no water quality issues in our tailwater. 
We're still seeing good numbers of trophy browns and rainbows being reported caught and released.  The interesting thing is that they're all not being caught on the same bait.  The list includes night crawlers, minnows, a few on Powerbait, pink PowerWorm, jerk baits, jigs, scuds and other various flies.  The most have been caught on evening/into-the-night guide trips using jerk baits and jigs.  We have a handful of guides who specialize in night fishing, targeting both trophy browns and rainbows.
In the evenings, as the water is dropping, the jerk bait bite is still pretty good, but the jig bite starts to get better.  Go from using an 1/8th-ounce jig to a smaller 1/16th-ounce jig in darker colors like black, brown, olive, sculpin, and the local favorite, purple.  When the water stops moving, go to a 1/32nd-ounce jig and two-pound line.  Let the jig fall to the bottom and then lift and drop it.  The takes have been hard and solid.
Lately, we've been sending a lot of people down towards the Branson Landing to fish.  There seems to be a large number of rainbows in front of and down from the Landing.  They are chasing spoons and spinners and taking jigs under a float.  And, of course, the pink worm under a float is hot down there, too.
Early morning fly or spin fishing using nymph flies, mop flies and small micro jigs under a float is working anywhere from Lilleys' Landing to Lookout Island.  The white mop worm or the black micro jig is catching quite a few trophy trout, especially browns in the trophy area. 
I've been boating in the evenings and throwing a white 3/32nd-ounce jig against the bluff bank across the lake from the resort and catching small browns and a few decent rainbows.  The browns, about 12 inches long and I presume from this year's stocking, are aggressive and hit hard.  They're fun to catch.
I've also been hitting the banks using hoppers and beetles (dry flies, fly fishing) and have had some success.  Any bluff bank in the shade is where I've found  both browns and rainbows interested in something on the surface.

Our fishing report for Lake Taneycomo could be a cookie cutter analogy of last month's report.  Our generation pattern is exactly the same, our water temperature is about the same, and the bite is also the same as in June and July.  The trout are locked into a daily pattern of eating and resting just like humans are.  They know when the water will start and when it will end.  It has not change day-to-day by more than an hour.
Generation starts anywhere from 1 to 2 p.m. each day and builds to a full four units within an hour.  Operators are shutting down at various times but fairly consistently from 9 to 10 p.m. late evening.  The water is off the rest of the night and the next morning.  If we get a reprieve in these hot temperatures during the day, they may lessen the flow a bit, but not much.  Water temperature is holding at about 49 degrees which is pretty awesome for the first of August.  It's usually into the lower 50's by now.  Water quality is good, too, with dissolved oxygen readings around eight parts per million.  I hope this means we'll have an easy fall season with no water quality issues in our tailwater. 
We're still seeing good numbers of trophy browns and rainbows being reported caught and released.  The interesting thing is that they're all not being caught on the same bait.  The list includes night crawlers, minnows, a few on Powerbait, pink PowerWorm, jerk baits, jigs, scuds and other various flies.  The most have been caught on evening/into-the-night guide trips using jerk baits and jigs.  We have a handful of guides who specialize in night fishing, targeting both trophy browns and rainbows.
In the evenings, as the water is dropping, the jerk bait bite is still pretty good, but the jig bite starts to get better.  Go from using an 1/8th-ounce jig to a smaller 1/16th-ounce jig in darker colors like black, brown, olive, sculpin, and the local favorite, purple.  When the water stops moving, go to a 1/32nd-ounce jig and two-pound line.  Let the jig fall to the bottom and then lift and drop it.  The takes have been hard and solid.
Lately, we've been sending a lot of people down towards the Branson Landing to fish.  There seems to be a large number of rainbows in front of and down from the Landing.  They are chasing spoons and spinners and taking jigs under a float.  And, of course, the pink worm under a float is hot down there, too.
Early morning fly or spin fishing using nymph flies, mop flies and small micro jigs under a float is working anywhere from Lilleys' Landing to Lookout Island.  The white mop worm or the black micro jig is catching quite a few trophy trout, especially browns in the trophy area. 
I've been boating in the evenings and throwing a white 3/32nd-ounce jig against the bluff bank across the lake from the resort and catching small browns and a few decent rainbows.  The browns, about 12 inches long and I presume from this year's stocking, are aggressive and hit hard.  They're fun to catch.
I've also been hitting the banks using hoppers and beetles (dry flies, fly fishing) and have had some success.  Any bluff bank in the shade is where I've found  both browns and rainbows interested in something on the surface.

Our fishing report for Lake Taneycomo could be a cookie cutter analogy of last month's report.  Our generation pattern is exactly the same, our water temperature is about the same, and the bite is also the same as in June and July.  The trout are locked into a daily pattern of eating and resting just like humans are.  They know when the water will start and when it will end.  It has not change day-to-day by more than an hour.
Generation starts anywhere from 1 to 2 p.m. each day and builds to a full four units within an hour.  Operators are shutting down at various times but fairly consistently from 9 to 10 p.m. late evening.  The water is off the rest of the night and the next morning.  If we get a reprieve in these hot temperatures during the day, they may lessen the flow a bit, but not much.  Water temperature is holding at about 49 degrees which is pretty awesome for the first of August.  It's usually into the lower 50's by now.  Water quality is good, too, with dissolved oxygen readings around eight parts per million.  I hope this means we'll have an easy fall season with no water quality issues in our tailwater. 
We're still seeing good numbers of trophy browns and rainbows being reported caught and released.  The interesting thing is that they're all not being caught on the same bait.  The list includes night crawlers, minnows, a few on Powerbait, pink PowerWorm, jerk baits, jigs, scuds and other various flies.  The most have been caught on evening/into-the-night guide trips using jerk baits and jigs.  We have a handful of guides who specialize in night fishing, targeting both trophy browns and rainbows.
In the evenings, as the water is dropping, the jerk bait bite is still pretty good, but the jig bite starts to get better.  Go from using an 1/8th-ounce jig to a smaller 1/16th-ounce jig in darker colors like black, brown, olive, sculpin, and the local favorite, purple.  When the water stops moving, go to a 1/32nd-ounce jig and two-pound line.  Let the jig fall to the bottom and then lift and drop it.  The takes have been hard and solid.
Lately, we've been sending a lot of people down towards the Branson Landing to fish.  There seems to be a large number of rainbows in front of and down from the Landing.  They are chasing spoons and spinners and taking jigs under a float.  And, of course, the pink worm under a float is hot down there, too.
Early morning fly or spin fishing using nymph flies, mop flies and small micro jigs under a float is working anywhere from Lilleys' Landing to Lookout Island.  The white mop worm or the black micro jig is catching quite a few trophy trout, especially browns in the trophy area. 
I've been boating in the evenings and throwing a white 3/32nd-ounce jig against the bluff bank across the lake from the resort and catching small browns and a few decent rainbows.  The browns, about 12 inches long and I presume from this year's stocking, are aggressive and hit hard.  They're fun to catch.
I've also been hitting the banks using hoppers and beetles (dry flies, fly fishing) and have had some success.  Any bluff bank in the shade is where I've found  both browns and rainbows interested in something on the surface.

We've enjoyed a lot of down water this fall here on Lake Taneycomo.  And with the long cold spell in late October and into November, Table Rock Lake has turned over. Now we're benefiting from the great oxygenated water when the dam turbines are running.  We're anticipating a very good winter trout fishing season.
Fly fishing below the dam while the water is off has continued to be pretty excellent.  Lots of browns have been caught during the annual spawn as well as nice rainbows.  We're starting to see a few reds where rainbows are cleaning their spawning beds.  But the majority of the winter rainbow spawn happens later in December.
If you're having trouble catching fish while fly fishing, change flies.  Change tactics.  I'm guilty of fishing one fly way too long with little success.  My mindset is, "They should bite this!  Why aren't they biting this?"  You can't force feed fish if they don't want to eat your presentation.  Change! 
 I think zebra midges and the mega worm have been at the top of most fly fishers' lists for go-to flies.  Scuds, for me at least, have been slow except when drifting with the water running.  Then the egg/scud combo has been very productive.
My "have-to-have" flies for Lake Taneycomo right now are:
Zebra midge in black, red, olive, prism and primrose in #14, #16 #18's. Mega worm in white, peach, chartreuse. Scuds in various shades of gray (w/ flash), tan and olive in #14, #16 #18's. Micro jig (Lilley's) white, brown, sculpin (orange head). Woolies in black, olive, brown in #14, #16. Tippet -- 6x fluorocarbon and mono, 7x fluorocarbon.
We're selling a crystal egg that Jeremy Rasnik showed us that's done really well when fished with a #16 or #18 gray scud.  It's working from the dam clear down to Short Creek.
I've seen some nice trout below the dam while stripping woolies, cracklebacks and soft hackles, especially if there's a chop on the surface (with no generation.)  Also, stripping sculpin on the bottom, all above the Missouri Department of Conservation boat ramp has been successful.
I've done well with a white mega worm under a float from Lookout through the Trophy Area, then on down to our place.  The peach and chartreuse mega worm is working, too, at times.  Strangely, working scuds with the water off has worked poorly. The zebra midge continues to be one of the best flies to flat catch fish.  Most of the time I have to switch colors and sizes to find out the best one that the trout prefer at that given time.  It's surprising how picky they can be.
I'm using 6x tippet for the most part, either mono or fluorocarbon.
The pink Powerworm is still our guides go-to lure to catch fish below Fall Creek, either with no generation or with up to two units running.  They're fishing it from four- to seven-feet deep under a float.
Night crawlers and Powerbait are catching a lot of stocker rainbows from Cooper Creek up to Fall Creek.  They stocked a ton of rainbows off both Cooper Creek and Riverpointe Estate's boat ramps before the holiday weekend.  Fishing for most of the weekend was very good.
The stockers were chasing everything moving.  Spoons like Cleos and Bouyant, as well as rooster tails, were very good.  I saw people trolling very slowly and picking up fish fairly often.  When I was out, I had a lot of rainbows chase my jig all the way to the boat.
On our daily One Cast video we try to feature all the ways to catch fish that are working that day.  We don't fish bait very often simply because they work most of the time. 

For this October, we're met with a "new normal" here on Lake Taneycomo.  The minimum flow we enjoyed for most of two months ceased -- replaced by no flow.  Yes, officials shut everything down on Wednesday, Sept. 28, and it's been off in the mornings and part of the afternoon ever since.  When the water is running, it's anywhere from one to two units.  I believe this pattern will continue well into the fall.
Conditions play such a big part of fishing, especially with no water moving.  I'm talking about wind . . . chop.  If it's dead still out, it could be tough fishing.  If you're using bait, you have a  chance of having a good trip, but the wind does help even when using bait.
It's that time of year when our water quality starts to wane.  You could call it a natural tailwater occurrence, when the water down deep in Table Rock Lake loses its oxygen content.  It's call stratification, when the lake forms layers due to the density of water varying in temperature.  In Table Rock where we get  (130 feet deep), the temperatures are colder and denser but the dissolved oxygen content drops to basically zero.  That's where the Corps comes in and injects liquid oxygen into the turbines when they are running bringing the dissolved oxygen (D.O.) up to at least 4 parts per million (p.p.m.).  Subsequently, when no water is running, no oxygen is being added.  But there are more ways oxygen is added to lake water such as wind, sunlight and in Taney's case the hatchery outlets.

When fishing the upper part of Taneycomo, keep in mind our trout may struggle with low oxygen.  So if you're especially a catch-and-release angler, pay close attention to how you handle and treat a caught fish.
1.  Keep it in the water except to remove the hook and take a quick photo (if warranted.)
2.  Pay attention to how long you fight a bigger trout.  You can literally fight a fish to death in low D.O. conditions.  You should consider using heavier tippet, sacrificing more takes.
3.  Do not transport a trophy fish.  Again, keep it in the net in the water at all times except to get a quick picture.  I have taken a fish to shallow water (along the bank) and gotten out of the boat in the water to take a picture of a big trout -- sacrificing dry clothes and shoes for the survival of the fish.
4.  Keep you fingers out of the gills.
It is incredible how many trophy trout are living in Lake Taneycomo right now. Anyone, amateur or experienced, has a chance to catch one on any given trip.  Have a plan if you're planning on releasing a trophy.  Catch-and-release IS the reason we have such a great fishery.
Those who know me know I love to fly fish.  That's my favorite way to fish next to throwing a marabou jig.  Low water is the best water condition for fly fishing, so I'll go over a few things that will work this fall.
I will not cover the wading area below the dam.  I rarely go up there and fish mainly because of the crowds.  I can jump in a boat and run to great fly fishing areas on the lake and not be bothered by people standing too close to me while fishing.  Boat traffic . . . well that is a thing.  But I can usually avoid a lot of that, too.

With the water off, there are a few places where you will find some flow.  Those are at Lookout Island, the Narrows and a little at the mouth of Fall Creek.  These are necks in the lake where the lake becomes narrower, shallower or both.  These are great places to fly fish.
Trout like current, even if it's just a little bit.  It moves food, and they like food moving around, especially towards them.  You can use this to your advantage.
The main food base here is scuds (freshwater shrimp), sow bugs, aquatic worms, midge flies (larva and adults), snails, sculpins and, I would add, crawfish, small trout and other forage fish.  I would also count the grasshoppers, ants, beetles and bag worms that fall from trees.
So conditions for fly fishing, now that the water is off most of the time, should be off-the-chart wonderful this fall season.  We've had real good midge hatches, so zebra midges (#14 - #18 red, black, green, brown) fished under an indicator, thread midges (#18 - #22 green, black, red), stripping soft hackles, cracklebacks (#14 - #18 yellow, black, green, red) should be fished about anywhere trout are actively feeding.
An angler at Lookout  told me he caught three rainbows longer than 20 inches Thursday (9/29), stripping a green, flash crackleback.  He was wading around Lookout Island.
I've got a couple of reports on scuds, both are a little different.  One person said he's had to go to small scuds -- #18's and #20's --to get bit, but another said he really catching fish on #12's.  Could they both be right?  Of course.  The big scud guy is an accomplished Taneycomo anglers of 50 years and fishes gray or brown, weighted scuds.  He fishes them under a float and deep enough to get to the bottom.  He adds weight if the water is running.  The small scud guy fishes a weightless scud under a float and adds enough weight to get close to the bottom, too, no matter whether the water is running or not.  Both, I believe, use 6x fluorocarbon tippet.
Captain Jeremy Rasnick reported he's catching fish on a jig-and-float rig using a black 1/125th-ounce black PJ's jig.  He's fishing it four- to six-feet deep, mainly above and below the Narrows, but that setup should catch trout about anywhere.  Look for the chop on the water for best results, no matter where you're fishing a jig and float.  Remember to try other colors, too -- black/yellow is always a great color.  Brown, olive and, of course, pink are good colors, too.
I've had a few reports of good fish caught throwing jigs lately.  One group this week caught three trophy rainbows, including a 25-inch beauty  in the Short Creek to Trout Hollow area.  I sadly didn't learn the color of the jig used.
Night crawlers are doing well, but with the water off you really need to inflate them so they float off the bottom.  When the water is running, it doesn't make much of a difference, but with no current, the worm will just sink into the rocks and hide itself.  Best to keep it up and in the trout's face.
 
 

For this October, we're met with a "new normal" here on Lake Taneycomo.  The minimum flow we enjoyed for most of two months ceased -- replaced by no flow.  Yes, officials shut everything down on Wednesday, Sept. 28, and it's been off in the mornings and part of the afternoon ever since.  When the water is running, it's anywhere from one to two units.  I believe this pattern will continue well into the fall.
Conditions play such a big part of fishing, especially with no water moving.  I'm talking about wind . . . chop.  If it's dead still out, it could be tough fishing.  If you're using bait, you have a  chance of having a good trip, but the wind does help even when using bait.
It's that time of year when our water quality starts to wane.  You could call it a natural tailwater occurrence, when the water down deep in Table Rock Lake loses its oxygen content.  It's call stratification, when the lake forms layers due to the density of water varying in temperature.  In Table Rock where we get  (130 feet deep), the temperatures are colder and denser but the dissolved oxygen content drops to basically zero.  That's where the Corps comes in and injects liquid oxygen into the turbines when they are running bringing the dissolved oxygen (D.O.) up to at least 4 parts per million (p.p.m.).  Subsequently, when no water is running, no oxygen is being added.  But there are more ways oxygen is added to lake water such as wind, sunlight and in Taney's case the hatchery outlets.

When fishing the upper part of Taneycomo, keep in mind our trout may struggle with low oxygen.  So if you're especially a catch-and-release angler, pay close attention to how you handle and treat a caught fish.
1.  Keep it in the water except to remove the hook and take a quick photo (if warranted.)
2.  Pay attention to how long you fight a bigger trout.  You can literally fight a fish to death in low D.O. conditions.  You should consider using heavier tippet, sacrificing more takes.
3.  Do not transport a trophy fish.  Again, keep it in the net in the water at all times except to get a quick picture.  I have taken a fish to shallow water (along the bank) and gotten out of the boat in the water to take a picture of a big trout -- sacrificing dry clothes and shoes for the survival of the fish.
4.  Keep you fingers out of the gills.
It is incredible how many trophy trout are living in Lake Taneycomo right now. Anyone, amateur or experienced, has a chance to catch one on any given trip.  Have a plan if you're planning on releasing a trophy.  Catch-and-release IS the reason we have such a great fishery.
Those who know me know I love to fly fish.  That's my favorite way to fish next to throwing a marabou jig.  Low water is the best water condition for fly fishing, so I'll go over a few things that will work this fall.
I will not cover the wading area below the dam.  I rarely go up there and fish mainly because of the crowds.  I can jump in a boat and run to great fly fishing areas on the lake and not be bothered by people standing too close to me while fishing.  Boat traffic . . . well that is a thing.  But I can usually avoid a lot of that, too.

With the water off, there are a few places where you will find some flow.  Those are at Lookout Island, the Narrows and a little at the mouth of Fall Creek.  These are necks in the lake where the lake becomes narrower, shallower or both.  These are great places to fly fish.
Trout like current, even if it's just a little bit.  It moves food, and they like food moving around, especially towards them.  You can use this to your advantage.
The main food base here is scuds (freshwater shrimp), sow bugs, aquatic worms, midge flies (larva and adults), snails, sculpins and, I would add, crawfish, small trout and other forage fish.  I would also count the grasshoppers, ants, beetles and bag worms that fall from trees.
So conditions for fly fishing, now that the water is off most of the time, should be off-the-chart wonderful this fall season.  We've had real good midge hatches, so zebra midges (#14 - #18 red, black, green, brown) fished under an indicator, thread midges (#18 - #22 green, black, red), stripping soft hackles, cracklebacks (#14 - #18 yellow, black, green, red) should be fished about anywhere trout are actively feeding.
An angler at Lookout  told me he caught three rainbows longer than 20 inches Thursday (9/29), stripping a green, flash crackleback.  He was wading around Lookout Island.
I've got a couple of reports on scuds, both are a little different.  One person said he's had to go to small scuds -- #18's and #20's --to get bit, but another said he really catching fish on #12's.  Could they both be right?  Of course.  The big scud guy is an accomplished Taneycomo anglers of 50 years and fishes gray or brown, weighted scuds.  He fishes them under a float and deep enough to get to the bottom.  He adds weight if the water is running.  The small scud guy fishes a weightless scud under a float and adds enough weight to get close to the bottom, too, no matter whether the water is running or not.  Both, I believe, use 6x fluorocarbon tippet.
Captain Jeremy Rasnick reported he's catching fish on a jig-and-float rig using a black 1/125th-ounce black PJ's jig.  He's fishing it four- to six-feet deep, mainly above and below the Narrows, but that setup should catch trout about anywhere.  Look for the chop on the water for best results, no matter where you're fishing a jig and float.  Remember to try other colors, too -- black/yellow is always a great color.  Brown, olive and, of course, pink are good colors, too.
I've had a few reports of good fish caught throwing jigs lately.  One group this week caught three trophy rainbows, including a 25-inch beauty  in the Short Creek to Trout Hollow area.  I sadly didn't learn the color of the jig used.
Night crawlers are doing well, but with the water off you really need to inflate them so they float off the bottom.  When the water is running, it doesn't make much of a difference, but with no current, the worm will just sink into the rocks and hide itself.  Best to keep it up and in the trout's face.
 
 

After almost a full of day of rain today, I'm expecting the lakes above Lake Taneycomo to head upwards, again.  Here's a quick run down:
Beaver Lake rose to 1127.6 feet after rains last week.  They're aren't releasing much water.  It's flood pool level is 1130 feet so it doesn't have far to go to hit that mark.  Once it does, they will surely start releasing water into Table Rock.
Table Rock Lake dropped to 915.9 feet after rising to 917.7 feet, after rains last week.  But this rain will make it's level jump.  We might see 918 feet this time.  But there's more rain in the forecast.  If Table Rock hits 920 feet, they may open spill gates and increase flows from 13,000 to 20,000 cubic feet of water per second.
Bull Shoals continues to rise.  They aren't releasing much water.  It's level is at 670 feet, roughly 10 feet up in the last 2 weeks.
We'll be seeing 4 full units running now for at least a week, and depending on future rains, even longer.

Drifting is the key to fishing on Lake Taneycomo.  Drifting scuds on the bottom is still the number one way to catch trout.  Scuds are flies that imitate freshwater shrimp that live in the gravel and rocks in our lake.  They are high in protein and are one of the main sources of food for our trout.  Sculpins are the second source, which are small, dark fish that also live in the rocks on the bottom.
The best area for drifting scuds has been from Lookout Island in the Trophy Area all the way down to Trout Hollow Resort.  Try to keep your boat from the center of the lake to the shallow side which is always opposite the bluff bank.  Make sure you're using plenty of weight to keep your rig in contact with the bottom.  You won't get bit unless you're on the bottom.
Scud color has been different this week.  We did well on tan early last week but light gray later.  We're using dubbing with some flash in it too, especially if it's sunny out.  Most of our guides are using size 12 and 14 scuds.
Numbers have been down a bit but the size of trout is amazing.  We have logged 65 trout in April measuring 20 inches or more caught and released.  That's more than the last 3 Aprils COMBINED.
We also started a new thing within the catch and release program.  It recognizes trout that are caught over a certain size.  Along with the distinction of being recognized as catching and releasing a true trophy trout, if your trophy is over 24 inches, you're inducted into the 24-inch trophy club.  There's also the 27-inch club and the 30-inch "Hall of Fame" club.  Anglers get a special decal, patch and certificate for their achievement.  Patches, I believe, are on order.
You can see April's anglers and their catch by going to our website.

Night crawlers and minnows are working good, drifting them on the bottom from Fall Creek down to Cooper Creek.  Again, stay towards the middle of the lake and not on the bluff side.  You'll lose fewer hooks and weights if you stay off the bank and away from the downed trees on the bottom.

Jerk baits are catching some nice brown trout.  Seasoned angler, Travis Swift from Kansas, fished last week and exclusively threw jerk baits and caught a lot of browns.  Here is his report on OzarkAngler's Forum.
Jerk baits are hard stick baits that are worked down in the water by jerking the rod downward fast.  The baits go down 5 to 12 feet deep depending on the type of bait you're using.  It's best that the bait is suspending, in another words, the bait won't sink or float up when and if you stop working it.  Some people do not stop working the bait while others will stop the bait several times to lure a strike.
Duane Doty custom paints jerk baits exclusively for fishing Lake Taneycomo.  You can only find his baits at Lilleys' Landing.  Here's the website link to the online store that offers them.
Other baits you can buy are Rapala, Smithwick Rogues, RC Sticks by Lucky Craft, MegaBass Plus, as well as others.  With the size of these baits, you'll need heavier equipment to throw and work them.  Using bait cast reels is not out of the question.  But most use spinning reels with a minimum line size of 6 pound test.  Just pretend you're fishing for bass because the baits are the same size and most of the trout you'll catch will be on the bigger size.
Images Credit:  Duane Doty and Travis Swift.

Our report on generation patterns is an easy one, although it may change very shortly.  Operators at the dam have been running two units of water -- about 6,500 cubic feet of water per second -- non stop for a week now.  But after about a two-inch rain Wednesday and Thursday, the lakes are on the rise.
Strangely enough, Beaver opened one spill gate yesterday and shut its turbine down, then closed the gate and started the turbine.  I have no idea what's the purpose.  Today at noon, Table Rock, while still running two full turbines, opened one spill gate 12 inches, releasing 1,000 cubic feet of water to bring the total release to 7,400 c.f.s..  An email from the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers stated there was a "hydropower unit outage."  I'm speculating that there are two turbines offline.  I have no idea how long that could last, but this could make this spring season very interesting!!
Lake water temperatures have held to about 45 degrees, but we've seen as low as 43 degrees at times.  Water clarity is very good most of the time.
Trout fishing has improved since my last report.  Compared to the first of March, anglers are doing much better, although some are still having trouble catching numbers.  Some blame it on cold water temperatures and some on the amount of algae the trout seem to be eating.  Fish don't have to eat as much when the water is this cold.  But it is encouraging to see some days when fishing is very good both in numbers and size.
Our guides have been making their money on the same combo of flies --the scud and egg duo.  Most are using a #12 gray scud and either a peach or yellow egg fly, catching fish on both flies almost equally.  The San Juan worm in big puffy pink is working well, too, and the Pink Power Worm is catching a lot of fish drifted on the bottom from Fall Creek down.
The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Neosho Federal Hatchery have been stocking rainbows regularly on the upper end of the lake.  This seems to have really helped fishing above the Branson Landing.  We're still seeing a good number of bigger rainbows caught from our place up to Fall Creek, but most trout caught are recently stocked rainbows.
If the scud/egg bite is off, it's hard to beat a night crawler.  We've sold a lot of minnows lately but have not received too many reports on how they produced.  We did hear that some anglers were fishing them around the bridges down lake and catching nice trout.
A lot of people ask if the trout are up in the creeks yet.  After this rain they surely may be.  The warmer water from the rain will draw trout up in Turkey, Coon and Roark creeks, and they can be caught on the Pink Worm, a jig or even PowerBait under a float.  They'll also chase a spoon or spinner if they are freshly stocked.
Marabou jigs have made somewhat of a comeback lately.  There's still speculation as to whether our trout have eaten threadfin shad coming through the turbines at the dam.  They are hitting white shad flies and white jigs but not like they normally do when they're seeing shad. They're also taking olive or sculpin color jigs. 
There are two variants in the green shades of baits.  One is like the algae our trout eat -- from off the bottom on the rocks and what is drifting down the lake that's either been dislodged or coming in from Table Rock Lake.  Either way, our trout do eat it.  The other shade is the olive brown that mimics sculpins that live on the bottom.  Trout love these little fish and there are tons everywhere right now.
We've been throwing jigs that weigh 1/16th-ounce to 1/18th-ounce.  I've been throwing mainly 1/16th-ounce using two-pound line.  The best areas so far are from Lookout Island to Fall Creek in the Trophy Area and from Fall Creek down to Trout Hollow.  Ironically, I'm catching nice rainbows above Fall Creek and nice browns below Fall Creek.  I'm working the middle to channel side of the lake and keeping the jig as close to the bottom as possible.  It's been fun to catch fish on the jig again.
With one spill gate open, there's a slight chance we may see some shad spilling over the top, but I wouldn't hold your breath for that.  Last spring dam operators ran spill gates quite a few times, and I don't think there were many little morsels introduced to our fishery.  But we will keep checking!!
I've seen a few boaters either tie up to downed trees and anchor or "spotlock" (with trolling motors) along the banks in slow moving water.  I know they're catching trout, fishing night crawlers, salmon eggs, PowerBait and minnows.  I recommend doing this on the inside bend and  not on the outside or bluff side.  I also recommend tying off the very front of the boat, not the side or definitely not off the back of the boat.  To be safe, always keep a sharp knife handy just in case you need to cut the rope in a hurry.
The Missouri Department of Conservation, Fisheries Division, conducted a "shock survey" last week because there was some speculation that we were short of trout in the upper end of the lake.  Our winter fishing had not been as good as recent years, and guides and out-of-town visitors were concerned.  The results showed that there is the same number, and quality, of trout in our lake as there was in August of last year.  So there's plenty of trout in the lake;  they're just getting a lot smarter -- or we're getting a lot dumber.

Generation pattern has held steady.  They're running 4 full units in the morning and 2 units in the afternoon every day.  Lake levels above and below Taney are close to their power pools but with snow and rain, although small amounts, it's held those levels stead despite these releases.  The 10-day forecast says not much rain for our area so we may see less flows next week.
Water temperature continues to inch down.  We're reading a flat 45 degrees coming out of Table Rock.  Water is fairly clear.
We're starting to see a little of the green stuff flowing down in the water column from Table Rock but not enough to cause issues with fishing.
Trout fishing has been slow but we are seeing a bit of an improvement the last few days.  Our local, state hatchery did stock a truck load of rainbows off the Cooper Creek public boat ramp on Thursday evening, witnessed by one of our guides, Captain Brett Rader.  Generally, freshly stocked rainbows hit about anything they see.  Throwing spinners and spoons work well as well as Powerbait.  These fish will move uplake against the current.  If you see a school of fish hitting the surface, that's probably them.
Most of our guides are still drifting with scuds and eggs and catching their limits of rainbows.  And most of these fish are being caught from Fall Creek to Short Creek.
More to come as we have more and more fishing traffic.  This week will be busy with spring breakers enjoying what looks like a wonderful warm break from the cold, winter weather.

I usually start my fishing reports, talking about generation and fishing conditions.  This dictates how we are fishing, which is most important.  But I need to report on how catching has been this past month.  And to be honest, there have been a lot of anglers who have been pretty frustrated with catching trout.
Now we've seen some great quality rainbows and browns caught, but that's really not the problem.  It's numbers . . . we're not seeing big numbers of fish caught.  And I think there's a couple of reasons why this is the case.
First, there's fewer rainbows stocked in our lake.  The Missouri Department of Conservation changed their stocking numbers a couple of years ago to hopefully increase the size of our trout.  Less little fish, more food, more big trout.  And it's worked tremendously!  We've seen more 16-inch-plus rainbows caught this year than any other year I've been on the lake -- nearing 39 years.  But it comes with a price.  Fewer smaller rainbows. 
I think the other factor is  that the mature trout are smart . . . and growing smarter.  They know what real, natural food is, and they seem to know what the fake stuff is, generally speaking.  That's why we're seeing more big trout being caught on jerk baits and scud flies.  They eat a lot of scuds and sow bugs, midges and forage fish -- minnows and sculpins.  And the bigger trout, especially browns, eat small rainbows when they graduate to big-boy status.
The number of rainbows that will be stocked in February will increase from January, which is great news.  And our trout that are here will get even bigger . . . more good news.  But you might have to work at catching them a little harder than in years past.  Little things make a difference.
The generation pattern this month has held up fairly consistently for Lake Taneycomo. We're seeing pretty hard flows starting at daylight and running until about 11 a.m., then no generation until about 4 to 6 p.m..  Then we have had more hard flows for a few hours.  There have been deviations in the amount of water releases and the duration, but the one thing that's been steady is no generation every afternoon.
The different flows give anglers various fishing opportunities, whether you're fishing from a boat, wading below the dam or fishing off of a dock. 
In the mornings, when operators are running anywhere from two to four units,  a jerk bait worked along the bluff banks as well as the middle of the lake, has been good for catching good-sized trout, including browns lately.  The best setup is a 5'6" to 6' medium-action rod with eight-pound line.  Use jerk baits that suspend and dive about five-to nine-feet deep.
Drag jerk baits on the bottom, especially when the water is running more than three units.  Use an Ozark Drift Rig and the appropriate bell weight to tick the bottom.  We carry some cheap, small jerk baits that float, shallow divers. ( I say cheap because you'll lose a fair share of them to snags.)  Remove the front set of treble hooks to help keep them from getting snagged.
Marabou jigs have been working fairly well.  White has been good in the trophy area, as well as black and olive.  Brown and sculpin are working better below Fall Creek, working the middle of the lake more than the sides.  We're using four-pound line when throwing the heavier jigs (1/8, 3/32nd) and two-pound line when working the smaller jigs (1/16, 1/32nd).
If two units or less are running, either fly or spin fishing, fishing a scud under an indicator has been pretty successful, both above and below Fall Creek.  Use a double scud rig or a scud/egg or scud/zebra midge combo, but adjust the float to where the bottom fly is very close to the bottom.  You may have to use a weighted, beaded scud or a split shot to keep the flies close to the bottom.  We fish this from the middle of the lake to over to the shallow side.
Dragging bait below Fall Creek has been fairly effective lately, especially using night crawlers or minnows.  Gulp PowerEggs in white or chartreuse have been working down closer to the Branson Landing early in the mornings.  If not too much water is running, anchoring on the inside bends close to the bank and tight lining with minnows or worms is productive.
When the water is off in the afternoons, the mentioned bait is working below Fall Creek, especially night crawlers.
If there's a chop on the water, jig-and-float using a brown or olive jig three- to six-feet deep is working.  Best areas are above our resort, Short Creek area and up close to Fall Creek.  Also try pink or black/yellow 1/50th-ounce and smaller jigs.  use two-pound line or 6x tippet for best results.
Fly fishing has been a lot of fun with the water off in the afternoons.  And I've been doing the best using zebra midges under an indicator in all conditions.  Red, black or rusty #14 midges under a float anywhere from 12 inches to four-feet deep and using 6x or 7x tippet.  There's really no bad place to use these flies, especially if you see trout working the surface.  But I've been fishing just below Fall Creek as well as in the Narrows area, fishing out of my boat.

Generation on Lake Taneycomo continues a little  9 - 11 a.m. and then again from 6-8 p.m daily.  At the most operators are running about 7,000 cubic feet of water per second.  The colder days and nights, along with some wind, has dropped Table Rock's surface temperature but not produced a massive mixture yet.  We're seeing some turbidity in our water and an improvement in the dissolved oxygen content -- great for fishing -- but  a lot more cold weather is needed to  "flip" Table Rock.  That boost to the water quality  will happen but probably not until after Thanksgiving.
Overall fishing remains fair for most anglers with low numbers but good quality fish caught.  A good number of trophy rainbows and a few browns have continued to be registered for our catch-and-release program.  A lot of these trout have been caught close to the dam when the water is off, mainly on flies like scuds and sculpins.
We're still catching fish on some tried-and-true techniques we've  reported -- night crawlers, marabou jigs, Berkley PowerBait, Berkley's Pink Worm and a variety of flies.
We've also seen quite a few bigger trout caught in areas other than up close to the trophy area.  I'm referring to areas like the Cooper Creek flats, around the bridges and at the Branson Landing.  These trophies are being caught on marabou jigs (mainly cast or trolled), trolling hard baits like Bombers and Rouges or suspending the Berkley Pink Worm under a float.
This is a pattern we've seen in the past where bigger rainbows and browns move out of the upper end of the lake after the fall and winter spawning runs.  These lunkers are looking for bigger prey like shad, sculpins and smaller rainbow trout.
We're still seeing a good number of really small rainbows, mainly above Fall Creek.  This week I've already caught several in the four-inch range, sporting par marks and perfect fins.  We cite these as evidence of at least one year class of natural rainbows spawned in our feeder creeks.  While seeing them in our fishery is cool enough, you have to know that these trout are the perfect size for bigger rainbows and browns to chase -- another reason to add jerk baits to your arsenal.

Have you noticed the lake level variation on our lake?  Even after living on the lake for almost 40 years, I'm confused by how our lake level can vary by as much as two feet or more on any day.  Or course, location on the lake makes a huge difference.  For example,  in the Branson Landing area, you'll not witness much of a difference because of the depth and width of the lake.  But if you're at the Narrows, where the lake is fairly wide but very shallow, you'll see big differences in depth.
Tuesday the gravel bars just off the channel can be out of the water as much as 12 inches although normally it's only about four inches above the surface.  Tuesday it was about six inches under water which is really high.  I think there's several reason why this occurs.
The most obvious reason is the operation at Powersite Dam, the dam that holds back water at the lower end of Lake Taneycomo.  Most of the dam is a spillway while the north side houses electric generating turbines.  There are two ways water passes Powersite -- over the spillway and through the turbines.  One is based on natural gravity and the other by pulling water through the turbine system.  The dam operators can draw Taneycomo down below the natural spillway level but at the same time  leave the level at the top of the spillway dam.
I also think wind plays a factor in at least the upper lake's water level.  A good stiff south wind does hold back water that would normally move north towards Powersite.
I've witnessed a pattern lately between higher lake levels above the Narrows and how trout, mainly rainbows, move up and feed on the shallow flats.  If the lake level is high, as it was on Tuesday, trout are not feeding on these flats as actively as when the water was lower.  These trout are feeding on bugs that live in the gravel (sow bugs, scuds, midge larva, plankton and snails).  They are very prolific in the areas that are under water all the time but don't move up into areas that are dry most of the time. 

When the lake level is normal or low, these bugs are up in really shallow water, as little as several inches.  Our trout will move up and nose around in the gravel, literally kicking the gravel to dislodge these bugs.  I've seen them in groups working an area together.  What bugs one kicks up, the trout behind it eats.    It's fascinating to watch.
So Tuesday, when the lake level was high, there were no fish in shallow water feeding.  They were out away from the edges in deeper, 18-to 30-inch water feeding on bugs.
The areas where this occurs is on the inside bends, opposite the bluff bank.  Of course,  from the dam down to Lookout both sides have shallow banks.  From Lookout down to the Narrows, which is over a mile long, there's a bluff and a shallow side.  Below the Narrows you'll find the east side is shallow along what we call Eagle Island, across from the rocked bank.  Then on down from Fall Creek, the bluff is back on the west side, and the east side is the shallow flat.  This continues down to the Riverpoint Estate's boat ramp.  Below the ramp, the lake deepens to the points where there's really no shallow edges that work.
We've been targeting these shallow flats with #14 and #16 scuds under a small indicator.  I'm using 6x fluorocarbon tippet.  Good colors have been tan, brown and light gray.  I've moved towards using only one fly instead of two simply because I tire of untangling and retying the rig.  Of course, if the lake level is high, I make adjustments and fish out where I see them feeding, moving the fly deeper to target those fish.  I used to fish the bug about one and a half times the depth of the water, but I've changed that configuration to set the depth just a little deeper than the trout.  If I'm fishing to trout that are 24-inches deep, I set the float at 30 inches, not 36.  This helps keep the fly free from algae that grows on the rocks.
I shot a video a couple of years ago of rainbows eating bugs off the bottom.  Pretty cool to watch them target food, actually eating algae and rocks, spitting them out and swallowing the bugs.  When they hit the bottom it makes an impressive noise -- they don't mess around.
This is what we'd see if looking out on the flats today.
This is perfect jig and float conditions, as long as you can find a chop on the surface that is.  Find that chop and fish a small, < 1/80-ounce jig under a float at least 4 feet deep.  I like brown or scuplin with an orange head.  I'm using 6x tippet or 2-pound line.
I've visited with anglers who are throwing spoons and doing pretty good.  Stay with smaller spoons -- 1/6-ounce is a good spoon.