Gatorjet

Thanks Bill, well said. Might I add that thinking you are being safe, or courteous by cutting back to 1/4 throttle or so is not either safe, or courteous. The stern drops deep in the water, and plows a deep wake for others to have to deal with. Also, the bow can be elevated so much that it obscures your view of what is ahead. I was almost T-boned by some guy with a big, deep tiller controlled backtroller type boat. He had the bow up so high he didn't see me until he was within about 50', then made a sharp turn, throwing a giant wake that almost fliped my 20' inboard jet. A difficult thing to do. I imagine something like Phil's green boats, or a smaller Tracker would have gone over!

Doesn't look like it was at night, no stern navigation light post in the socket. Unless he was also running without lights. Looks like something we do with Gators. 'Cept we just push 'em off the rocks and keep going.

Listen to richy, he knows his stuff about bass on Taneycomo. As to how far up lake you can safely run your bass boat, further than you want, or need to go.

From the Missouri Conservationist Magazine SEPTEMBER 2001 ISSUE

Well, the best inside info I have is the contract has been let, and work should begin in August. That bridge is pre-cast slabs set on piers, and they are replacing the slabs, then paving over them. Not replacing the piers. Suposed to take about 30 days. Sot the ramp will get about twenty nine miles closer for us, but no more convenient fishing off the bridge. Didn't brave the heat to fish, but from folks I talked to the crappie have slowed considerably, but the channel cat are hitting pretty good. Also, thaked to a guy that fishes the T causway bridge a lot when we saw him fishing the brige on upper Long Branch. He said things slowed up at Thomas Hill, so he came up there. He did have a pretty good bag of channel cat.

The word I have gotten is that the bridge will be getting redone in August. The area will be closed to boat traffic, so the Northern portion of the lake will be inaccessible by boat. Not sure what they are going to do about fishing in the imediate area of the bridge. Thinking it will be off limits as well. As I understand the entire span, excluding the piers. I'll probably be up there next week, and get more information from a friend that works for MODOT. Not an engineer or anything like that, so I don't know how detailed, or accurate it will be.

That bridge being closed is a bummer other than fishing off of it. The parking lot at the boat ramp can be seen from my friends cabin But now it's 31 miles away!!! You might have seen him, and sometimes me fishing on the bridge. You'd know him, GIGANTIC head of hair! LOL

Looks like the Middle Fork from the pics. I can see the hole in the bridge LOL. They're supposed to start work on it this Summer. Enjoy it this year, next year we'll be "on the rocks" again.

Congratulations! Nice catch. Hope the fishing stays good next week. Rumor has it that a 20' Gator might be spotted on Taneycomo starting Tuesday afternoon.

I believe the chart they were referring to was the Table Rock tailwater. That would be measurements taked just below Table Rock dam, not at Powersite.

OK, now things are starting to be cleared up. They are dividing it up by dificulty level I guess. I still like Taneycomo rules better. Above Fall Creek, no live, scented, or soft baits, 12-20 slot on bows. Below Fall Creek, any legal means, and no slot.....simple. I know they swallow those little trout worm soft plastic thingies. But I think when it's on a jig head it is taken a little different. Or maybe jig fishermen just know a little more when the fish pick it up, and don't let them.swallow it. I know I have cleaned, or seen cleaned many trout with one, or more of those little worms in their stomich. But I've never seen one with a jig in it.

Again, why zone 2? Why is a "lure" fisherman different than a "spin" fisherman using a jig? Considering they are obviously considered the same in zone 1 if they are using a jig. Why aren't fly and lure fishermen given the opportunity to fish anywhere if they know that baight fishermen might be there, and they are willing to accept that. I have never had a trout swallow a Trout Magnet, or any other soft plastic bodied jig, or spinner like a Road Runner. Trout worms, powerbait, night crawlers, yes, I see that. Many people don't really care, and just use hooks of any kind, and think they need the smallest ones they can get. When I do use night crawlers, or powerbait on Taneycomo I use only circle hooks of #6, or even #4. It has lowered the incident of swallowed hooks a great deal. Probably 90% of fisofare hooked in the corner of the mouth. But I don't see any fewer hookups than with a #8, or smaller conventional hook. I think flysmallie has it nailed. Not much different than the tank of fish they set up at boat shows for kids to fish in.

And THAT is where the dumbest regulations I've ever seen come in! If a jig is a fly, it can be used in zone 1 and 2, but NOT in zone 3. But if a a jig head has a soft plastic body attached (Trout Magnet) it can be used in zone 3 only. But, according to the rules poster on the website, in zone 3 "All flies and artificial lures are prohibited". So are they then saying that Trout Magnets are not allowed anywhere? I can see a seperate artificial only area like the trophy area on Taneycomo where fly fishermen can be seperated from bait fishermen. But I don't get that middle ground of zone 2, and the prohibition of fly, and lure fishing in zone 3. It really doesn't matter. I have plenty of jigs so I don't have to use the Magnets, but it just seems pretty silly at best, or a ticket trap at worst!

Was up there Saturday, but didn't get a chance to fish. A friend was fishing off the causway Friday, and caught several nice crappie, along with three hybrids around 18", and one 24". They were fishing Saturday morning while we were driving up, but weren't having nearly as good luck. We planned to get out this morning before we left, but rain, and thunderstorms moved in about 6:30or 7:00 so we just inished up some things that needed done indoors, and packed up.

Thanks gwh. I did look at that earlier, but didn't go to the last page about Winter C&R fishing where they defined "fly". Looks like that covers jigs. Still wondering about Trout Magnets. Guess being made of soft material they would be considered lures, and legal in zone 2. Except on my spacific jig and float rods, and drift rig rods I use 2# MAXIMA Ultragreen exclusively year round on Taneycomo. So that will most likely be on my reels. Is there any restriction on the number of "flys" used on a single line? I often use a micro jig under a float with a tiny midge fly dropper on Tanycomo. Maybe of no significance in the parksthough. I'm not sure there is a midge hatch on those small streams where that technique works well.

So, a friend has invited me along for a big family outing in June. I've never fished Bennett, and haven't fished any of the parks in some time. Looking at the regulations, which as written look like some of the dumbest things I've ever seen, I need to understand exactly what they consider a fly, a lure, and soft plastic bait. Are small jigs, he tells me he doesn't use anything bigger than 1/32, and mostly 1/64, considered "flys"? Are Trout Magnets considered lures? Or soft plastic as they are in the trophy area of Taneycomo? How about releasing fish? I didn't see anything, but remember from many years gone by at Maramec Springs if you brought a fish to hand, or net it could not be released. Or if you did release it you still had to count it as part of your daily limit.

If you don't want to do the swivel thing, just use a double surgeons knot to add the lighter leader to your main line. My son prefers just tye split shot on the line. I like the snap swivel rig better. Also, premade rigs are available in Lilley's Fly Shop. They use a bell sinker, but I use small bullet weights with a split shot as a stopper on the end. I think they tend to slip through snaggs a little easier without getting hung up as much. Plus if the weight gets hung up the split shot will often slip off freeing the line from the weight so you at least save the hook.

For drift fishing eggs, powerbait, or even better, live nightcrawlers your medium action with 6# line will work fine. You just use a drift rig made up with 2#, or 4# line. I don't do a lot of that type of fishing on Taneycomo anymore. But when I take a newbie, or someone without a lot of experience that is what I set tyem up with. I use 6# MAXIMA line with a snap swivel. The rig is a piece of lighter line about three feet long with a #6 Circle hook on one end, a weight appropriate for the amount of flow of the lake, and a loop tied in the line a foot to 18" up from the weight to attach the rig to the snap swivel. Just remember to set your drag for the weight of the leader. Others just use split shot on the line, and light line on the reel. The reason I like tye rigs is when you get hung up, the rig breaks off, so you don't have to tie everything on again, just snap a new rig on. I have those roynd rubber leader holders with several rigs ready to go. I do use this type of rig in the restricted area replacing the bait with San Juan worms, egg flies, and scud flies.

Any word on who bought it, or what they plan to do with it? Or is it still for sale, just moved to possibly a better location in hopes of a better chance to sell it?

Actually, just fishing I have caught a lot of really nice rainbows all the way back past the boat ramp in Turkey Creek. In the Spring with heavy current in the lake pushing them back in the calmer water. When the water in the creek warms up though, they move back out to the lake. If the water comming in the creek is cold enough you might want to try all along the bank. I'm assuming you are bank fishing at the park there where the old stone house is.

For the Masters, and the Elfrink tournaments the rule states no more than two boat lengths inside the mouthf creeks. Fishing the actual mouth of the creek is allowed. I don't think that rule is mentioned in the R.A.W. tournament. There is a completely different set of rules for that private invitational tournament.

Hopefully it will work out better for you than it did us last Friday. Looking for concentrations of good fish for a tournament on Saturday we tried the slack water just out of the current at Turkey creek without any luck at all. Really surprised me because that has always turned up lots of fish, and sometimes some really good ones. I talked to other guys that tried it Thursday with the same results. We were using 1/8 ounce PJ's jigs. I would stay with white jigs, or white/pink Trout Magnets or 1/80oz jigs under a float.

After trying various flurocarbon lines for a while, and not liking the way it handled, I switched back to Maxima Ultragreen. I will still use short pieces for leader on my jig & float rigs, and drift rigs. But I don't see an advantage over the Maxima. I use 2# all the time for jig fishing, and for the afore mentioned leaders. My main line on my drift rig rods is 6#. I have been trying 6# Nanofil on my jig & float rods. It has done very well for casting, and not showing any signs of reel memory causing those dreaded loops. But it is at the same time a nightmare in windy conditions because of the wind knots it seems to enjoy tying itself into in any slack line. I do up my line to 4# for stick baits, and Little Jake's Spin-A-Lures. But I don't use them very often.

Who needs all that wster, 1 1/2 feet? LOL. Not sure there will be as much change. Didn't the flooding in 2011 last a lot longer? Giving the high water, and current more time to move things around. But then again, just that one flash flood in July really changed things at Fall Creek.

A little incentive if your still deciding. Need to finish it off tomorrow with the rice, and one more special ingredient, but the Jambalaya is lookin' good!