Could Taneycomo Be A Smallmouth Lake?

[steveearle]

Go in the fly shop (not sure which 1 of the 2) and look at the pics of the smallies they caught last year when the warmer water was coming in from the Rock. Several pigs with one I believe that was 6-8......I have caught one under the dam on a count down Rapala in January about 20 years ago....

[Dutch]

Cool clear water surely isn't what makes the James river hold them.

[Bman]

Go in the fly shop (not sure which 1 of the 2) and look at the pics of the smallies they caught last year when the warmer water was coming in from the Rock. Several pigs with one I believe that was 6-8......I have caught one under the dam on a count down Rapala in January about 20 years ago....

Anglers and Archery up by the Dam has the smallie pics. Ask Leonard about Smallies on Taney. I've caught them.

[Bman]

Really, I just don't know. I would assume that smallmouth could survive in a lake that supports trout in the upper parts and LM in the lower parts. Couldn't smallmouth survive somewhere on the lake, and wouldn't that be a more befitting species to spend money on supporting?

Why aren't there any smallmouth in there? Or are there?

Check out pics at Anglers and Archery. Look at Leonard's posts. I've caught them.

If it's an awesome Bass pond you're looking for, just go over that big slab of concrete! Large mouth, Small mouth, Spots, mean mouth...Table Rock! Taney has them too. So whats the problem?

[ozark trout fisher]

Unfortunately this theory doesn't fly on the Niangua.

That's why I said it's generally the case. I didn't say it applies in any and all cases. I just think that largemouth have a wider range of waters they can inhabit, from really cold high country lakes in Northwest Montana and Canada all the way to the Everglades in Florida. Smallies are pretty adaptable, but I'm just saying they don't tend, in most cases, to do as well in really cold, or really warm water as largemouth. While the Niangua is technically a coldwater fishery around Bennett, I don't think it's as cold as the Meramec in it's trout water. Hence smallies can do well there. I do think smallmouth can survive well in cold waters, but they just can't spawn well. It might be an interesting put and grow situation if they stocked every year or so with smallies Taneycomo. But like I said earlier, I do not know the lake, so I really have no idea.

[RSBreth]

The main input for Smallmouth in Taney is Bull Creek. Tiny, over-fished, one of my favorite little walk-and-wade summer fisheries.

If they don't pull off a good spawn up there, you don't see them down in the big lake.

[Sam]

I associate smallmouths with a rocky gravel bottom, not a mud bottom - and Taneycomo is mostly mud.

It seems like Taneycomo would make a great fishery for walleyes, though. Cold running water, not very deep, mud bottom, weeds - that's everything walleyes like in Northern waters where they really thrive. Plus, in Taneycomo big walleyes would have all those hatchery trout to eat!

OK, trout fishermen, never mind. Have your fun, we''ve already got Bull Shoals for walleyes.

[Wayne SW/MO]

OK, trout fishermen, never mind. Have your fun, we''ve already got Bull Shoals for walleyes.

I here they even catch one once in awhile. I know you're joking Sam, but the last thing we need is more money dumped down the Walleye hole.

While the Niangua is technically a coldwater fishery around Bennett, I don't think it's as cold as the Meramec in it's trout water. Hence smallies can do well there.

I'm not sure about that, springs are pretty consistent in temperature, no matter where the exit. There are large mouth above Bennett and far below, but I've only caught one small one in the cold water part of the river. I don't know why smallies wouldn't be prevalent in the spring area and largemouth would, but I have a problem laying it on on egg survival.

Why are the two fish separated, to some degree, on the Rock? There are more smallies in the east end, even though the streams on the west end are all historical smallie waters.

[eric1978]

Check out pics at Anglers and Archery. Look at Leonard's posts. I've caught them.

If it's an awesome Bass pond you're looking for, just go over that big slab of concrete! Large mouth, Small mouth, Spots, mean mouth...Table Rock! Taney has them too. So whats the problem?

No problem...I'm not against the Taney trout program. I was just curious why smallmouth didn't do well there.

[ozark trout fisher]

I'm not sure about that, springs are pretty consistent in temperature, no matter where the exit. There are large mouth above Bennett and far below, but I've only caught one small one in the cold water part of the river. I don't know why smallies wouldn't be prevalent in the spring area and largemouth would, but I have a problem laying it on on egg survival.

Why are the two fish separated, to some degree, on the Rock? There are more smallies in the east end, even though the streams on the west end are all historical smallie waters.

I'm not saying Bennett Spring itself is any warmer than Maramec Spring. I'm just saying that the Niangua above the park has more water than Maramec above the park, so the warm water on the Niangua is less diluted by the spring's influence.

Honestly, I think the fact that smallies are more abundant on the east end of Table Rock than the west end kinda plays into my theory. The upper end (west end) of Table Rock is fed by the Beaver tailwater, which is a cold water dam. Therefore the water in that area is probably colder than the lower end, possibly too cold for smallies to do well. Just an idea.