I’ve listened to podcasts with Jason McReynolds, a guide on the South Holston tailwater in East Tennessee known for catching 30in+ browns regularly, plus huge stripers.
He says he focuses on the last mile of trout water above the “warm water line”, where the cold tailwater meets the warmer lake water. Says this is where the most baitfish are, and thus also the big browns & stripers.
Does Taneycomo have a pretty distinct “warm water line” like this? On the Soho, Jason says the line moves around within a mile stretch depending on generation.