Rainbow Berms

[Trav]

I have been retooling my brain a bit the past couple weeks to figure out where the Brownies might be lurking. As a system of thought I have always found them (before the flooding) slightly downstream from congregations of Rainbows. Especially in depth transformations and substantial pockets along the main channel.

After the flood gates filled in most my "honey holes" and shifted those transformations, I have found myself looking for new ones.

So I go back to square one. Finding where the Rainbows stack when not feeding.

As anyone familiar with the lake knows, you can pretty much catch Bows at any depth, at anytime, but there are always certain areas that attract dozens of Rainbows to stage during low water generation until the Corps turns on the juice. Those areas have changed on the Lower just as drastically as it has the Tailwaters. So, to find the Brownies I have to refamiliarize myself on the cycle of life. Brownies eat Rainbows. so you have to find where the Rainbows gang up in low generation situations. And I will again be on the Brownies.

Lesson number one was to forget the old and find something new. Well, the newest part of the Lower Lake is definately the berms. There are several of them. Mostly between 10 and 20 feet of water. If you are unfamiliar with berms on Lower Taney that is because they never existed (at least in my lifetime) until now. And in 10 years ther will be better known as hump-ridges or current-knolls. And ten years from that they will be called flats. Berms are formed when high water pushes sediment and debri in piles against and/or on the lower end of current breaks.

Anyway, I have one peice of the puzzle. The rainbows have been stacking on the lower end or in the hook of these berms. Probably attracted by the new build up. When the water starts to generate after being low you can catch a couple dozen in less than an hour in these spots. Once the water has peaked they will spread out like normal and the bite will slow.

Now that I have this part of the equation I will try to focus a little and try to find my Brownies again. That part of the equation will eventually be computed. Give me some time. Then comes the fun part. Figuring out if the presentation for those brutes have changed any. Factor number Three is always the hardest. BUT, at least I have the first part down.

Hope this helps some of you guys looking for that Farm Fresh Rainbow Dinner.

And as always, I will keep you posted on the progress of my persuit as it unfolds.

[bigredbirdfan]

How do you locate these berms on the lake?

[Trav]

Most can be found on the main channel right at the end of a quick bend into shallow (wider)water. Those will resemble points but on graph the water receeds only one direction. Hence a berm. Others will be set on top of old flats where sediment built up enough to divert the water one one way or another. The ascending side is where the berm lies. The most obvious ones are at the tips of prominent points where the sediment was pushed over and built up on the down current side until the water seen fit to smooth it into a berm. The backside of those berms will be either a cove, an inlet or a creek.

Now, if I was a Geoligists, I could probably use better terminology that might make more sense.

There is a guy named Al Agnew who is very knowledgable about stream erosion that might be able to explain what I am trying to convey better.

Al....You listening?

Anyway, I hope I have help ya some BigRed.

[bigredbirdfan]

I think it will. I am just trying to filmilarize myself with this lake, rather than just fishing in random places like most pontoons seem to be doing. I poke fun, but I have been watching these folks catch fish. We fished some shallow moving water above Lilleys and caught some fish. Saw a few big browns surface near island above Hwy 65 about mid day saturday. Caught some "sports" in Bull Creek and I am slowly "learning" the lake. At least where not to lose my lower unit. On real positive note I found two new white bumpers stuck in the mud in Branson. Quite a weekend.

[Trav]

My Gramps used to randomly fish in his pontoon. He was mainly a park and bait kind of guy. But he did surprisingly well. On Taney, you park with bait long enough , you will catch some fish.

Let me know if there is anything you need to know. I will try to help.