Fishing Report

[Phil Lilley]

After lengthy periods of generation on Taneycomo, flood gates opening twice, rising water temperatures in the tailwater, a lake drawdown exposing gravel bars that haven't seen the light of day in many months and frustrated anglers tired of the endless flow of water, I can now report that the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter than ever. Table Rock is down to 915 feet which is 2 feet below winter power pool, and this is giving the managers at Southwest Power Administration a break from having to run water from Table Rock due to flood control. They can now think about power demand and use lake water primarily for generating power instead of having to dump water due to heavy rains. For those who like periods of no generation on Taneycomo, that is wonderful news.

For the first time in a long time, today's generation schedule says that water will run for only a few hours this morning and then should be off for the rest of the day.

Empire Electric ordered a lake drawdown last week to repair the wood structure that forms the top 4 feet of the dam spillway. Empire, which owns and operates Powersite Dam, the dam at the lower end of Taneycomo, coordinates with the US Corp of Engineers, which operates Table Rock Dam, to draw down Taneycomo over a period of 24 to 30 hours so that imvertibrates in the extreme upper lake have a change to migrate with the water so that they aren't left high and dry, so to speak. So it was easy to see these little bugs congregated along the water's edge, swimming about. It was also easy to see the trout taking advantage of this migration, their backs sometimes sticking out of the shallow water, having a field day on the easy meal.

After the lake is down to Empire's desired levels, the COE kicks on enough water from Table Rock Dam to water the upper lake, covering the bars back up with water so that these imvertibrates aren't exposed to too much air, sunlight and drying. The thought is that even the exposed, dried gravel holds bugs underneath the surface and these bugs can survive as long as they aren't exposed too long in mild, cloudy weather. When the draw down occurs in more extreme weather such as hot or cold temps, the power-that-be try not to leave the bars exposed as long, running water sooner in the process.

A few days ago while the water was down, four feet below Taney's normal depth, I boated upstream past Fall Creek to take a peek at what the lake looks like after months of constant generation. I didn't see any changes in the channel or gravel bars.

We've seen some huge midge hatches this past week. I videoed what I thought was the biggest hatch I'd ever seen here on Taney. The water was running about 2 units and I was in my boat up below the dam, below the MDC boat ramp. There were several types and sizes of midges swarming the water and the trout were reacting to the hatch. Along the north, mud bank, there was an large surface area of water being worked by rainbows... it looked like a hatchery outlet and floating food pellets were being washed through. They must have been taking the pupa, the midge stage that attaches itself to the underside of the film before emerging because their mouths were barely breaking the surface as they slurped their food.

I fooled a couple of rainbows in this pod before moving on. Never did figure how to catch them really. The bugs must have been tiny... I couldn't match it with what I had in my fly box.

Now that we're going to see some down water, fishing techniques will change. Instead of drifting, we'll be anchoring or working areas with our trolling motors. Below Fall Creek, we'll be back to air injected night crawlers fished in the channel or just off the channel on the flats. Four-pound line is plenty small enough -- our water is still stained a bit, not near clear enough to consider using 2-pound line. Power Bait also should work well, either eggs, nuggets or paste. Scott Sandusky would tell you to give rainbow nuggets a try... that's the bait he caught his new Missouri state record brown trout on last week.

Seems like there's plenty of rainbows all through the upper lake right now. Last week, trout were being caught pretty well down by Scotty's and the Landing as well as the Cooper Creek area, up closer to Short Creek and Fall Creek. Anglers were trolling spoons and rooster tails and doing very good. Trolling is good if it gets windy during the day. Try the jig and float when the water is off -- fish a small micro or marabou jig as big as 1/50th oz under a float about 4 to 5 feet deep in white, pink, olive, sculpin/orange head, black/yellow or brown colors.

Above Fall Creek, we'll be back to jig and float using the spinning gear or fly rod. Small marabou jigs in brown, sculpin, olive and black under a float 4-5 feet deep using 2 lb line (my preference) or using micro jigs in tan, olive or sculpin. Zebra midges #14 or #16 in red. olive or black under a tiny indicator and working feeding, midging trout on the surface, especially early and late in the day. Since it appears there is a good scud population, and we have been catching alot of rainbows drifting scuds the last few months, I'd fish a #12 to #16 scud, gray, tan, brown or olive, under an indicator and fish it so that the fly lays on the bottom. I'm starting to use a weighed scud, something my friend Rolan Duffield has been using for years. He ties his scuds mainly on a 3769 hook, slight body brushed out so that the fibers are sticking out all over the place. Swim the bug back, constantly moving the indicator is one technique I think that's not used much. If you watch my video of the scuds I found the other day, you'll see they swim around alot. Trout key in on swimming scuds, I'm sure.

I'm starting to see alot of these (pic), male rainbows. Seems like most rainbows here spawn in the winter and it's most evident when we start seeing these dark rainbows showing up. I've caught several here in the last week or so. They are good fighters, solid bodies and fun to catch. Trout tournament anglers like to weigh these rainbows in because they are heavier than other trout their size.

Wading below the dam, well, anglers are giddy with excitement. They've been waiting for down water for a long time. Now I would think with the low water you'll find trout feeding on the edges, like I mentioned earlier in my report. Don't miss the oportunity to cast to these fish cause in most cases they are competing for those bugs with each other and will be aggressive, taking a bigger fly than you'd think. I would set a palsa float, something very light and small so that the landing of the rig won't spook these fish out of the shallows, and set the fly only 4-6 inches deep. Try different sizes -- I'd start with a scud as large as a #12 -- and cast it up on the dry gravel bank, if allowed, and drag it back into the water where the fish are. Wait for the float to more as if something is carrying it off. It's easy to snag these rainbows if you're not careful.

Scout the waters out up below the dam. If there's a chop on the surface, I'd try a crackleback or soft hackle or go under the water and try a woolly bugger or pine squirrel. Of course, scuds and san juans, staples for our tailwater, should be fished at outlet #1 and #2, between the two, rebar and below and down through rocking chair. Zebra midges under an indicator 6 to 20 inches in slower water and especially where there's midging rainbows.

Night fishing will, of course, be back in style with this down water. Woolly buggers, leaches, pine squirrels, PMS, swimming scuds all will probably will be hot when fishing at night.

[Gatorjet]

Great report, and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Looks like things are going to be different next week then the last couple times I've had down there. Maybe a chance to try something new I've been thinking about.