Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report

[Phil Lilley]

<p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2010/8-7b_530.jpg" width="530" height="250"><br>After a searing week, the heat streak has broken, and we're seeing temperatures in the lower 90's with a nice breeze, too. Yes, that's actually cool, cooler than the triple digits we and most of the Midwest were enduring. But you know . . . trout fishing hasn't been all that bad, even through the hot weather. The water has been running almost every day, most of the time in the afternoons but lately in the mornings, too, which has kept the lake water nice and cool for our trout. Water temps have risen from the low 40's to 46 degrees right now -- still too cold for those tempted to jump in. Generation has been high in the afternoons, running up to four units. Lilleys Landing guests have still been out catching trout, but the best time has been early in the morning before the fog burns off.</p>

<p>This fishing report could be a copy-and-paste of my last report. It's amazing how many nice rainbows keep coming out of the area between Fall Creek and Short Creek. Most of the fishing guides have gravitated to the same pattern: Head up to the trophy area and fish a jig-and-float for two hours to catch nice trophy rainbows, then head down out of the trophy area and fish night crawlers for rainbows the clients want to keep.</p>

<p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2010/8-7a_250.jpg" width="250" height="167" hspace="5" vspace="5" align="right">I had a trip Thursday and again this morning, but we stayed below Fall Creek the entire time and fished night crawlers. On Thursday, we drifted crawlers on four-pound line with small bell weights (1/4-ounce) since two units were running. We used a small #8 bronze hook and shot a little air in the worm to make it float. We tried to stay in the middle of the lake and caught a couple of dozen rainbows. This morning they ran one unit for just a little bit. We started at 6 a.m., anchoring below Fall Creek about 800 yards in the middle of the lake. The trout bit well until the water started moving about 7:30 a.m.. We pulled the anchors and started floating. I thought the fishing would improve, but it actually slowed unusually. We made one slow drift down to Short Creek, then headed back up. As we started another drift, the water slowed. We dropped anchor, and after the current slowed to a crawl, we started catching fish again. The two boys ended up catching 25 rainbows, the biggest was 17 inches.</p>

<p>Night crawlers are by far the best bait right now. Inject them with air and float them off the bottom about 12 to 18 inches.</p>

<p>Above Fall Creek, a straight jig or jig and float is best. If you're using a jig and float, use two-pound line. If you're throwing a jig--1/8th-ounce to 1/16-ounce--you can get away with four-pound, but two-pound is still better. Since our water is clear, our trout are growing particular.</p>

<p>For fly fishermen, the trout are starting to look up! Dry flies like beetles, hoppers, ants and midges are hot flies right now. When the water is down and when it's running just a bit, the spots along the bank's edge and under overhanging trees are best. Scuds are still the go-to fly on Taneycomo. When the water is off, you may have to drop to 7x tippet and #18 or #20 scuds, but when the water is running you can get away with 6x or even 5x tippet and #10- to #14-size scuds. Use them in gray, olive, tan or brown.</p>

<p>Night fishing is great. Wade below the dam or get out in a boat. Both have been very good lately. The boat thing is tricky due to the lake fog every night, but when the moon gets brighter, you can make your way around fairly well. Dark 1/8th or 3/32nd-ounce jigs work best. Throw them straight and work them off the bottom, fishing from the dam to Fall Creek and even further down. When we fly fish, it's mainly in the shallow water below the dam so sink tips are not necessary. Weighted or unweighted dark wooly buggers, leeches, muddlers, streamers, PMS, pine squirrels, and hibernators are working great.</p>

[Bman]

Phil, Thanks for the report. I'm counting the days to my next Taney trip!

I'm wondering about another topic you started a while ago about wind proof fleece. What did you decide on? I'm in the market for the same thing.

Bruce

[back2roots]

Thanks for the post Phil!! We really miss being down there! I've got a calf tail beetle I've been wanting to try again. Had some success with it last year and was anxious to try it again. Hope you are having a GREAT season!!

Blessings!

Bill

[bigdub]

I fished Taney all day Saturday and found the action down around the Landing to be very slow and no size. Aside from the "lucky" 3lb er my dad caught it was mainly dinks and few and far between. We hit some of our sure fire spots and still not much luck. We did fish up in the late afternoon and catch a few around Fall Creek just in time to see some idiots in a Trout Hollow pontoon get arrested I think. Apparently they had caught a 13 pounder that they had chummed in with corn and were VERY DRUNK. Apparently the undercover agents in the Blue Lowe didn't think they were nearly as funny as they did. Anyway I was just curious if anyone was having much luck down the lake??

[Trevor K]

We did fish up in the late afternoon and catch a few around Fall Creek just in time to see some idiots in a Trout Hollow pontoon get arrested I think. Apparently they had caught a 13 pounder that they had chummed in with corn and were VERY DRUNK. Apparently the undercover agents in the Blue Lowe didn't think they were nearly as funny as they did.

That's good that there were undercover agents. It would be interesting to know what exactly happened.

[bigdub]

We first ran into theses guys in the Trophy area up by the tennis courts and they were telling us about this 13pounder they caught down by the Fall Creek sign after they threw in about 6 cans of corn and these fellas were DRUNK. They said some guide came along and weighed it for them, but I don't know that to be true. Also said they had another 6 pounder on ice to get mounted along with the big guy. These guys were idiots and they were just yeling about it to anyone who would listen, every boat they passed. We drifted on out of the trophy area and they were sitting there by the sign again throwing in handfulls of corn in and some undercover agents in a older blue Lowe went right by them and proceeded on up around the bend in the trophy area. They were catching all kinds of fish as we drifted by. We headed back up right as they must have left and here came the agents from around the corner as soon as they pulled anchor. The agents followed them, then they stopped and then they took off once they knew they were after them. The agents were about 15ft from their motor when they went out of sight. I din't hear what happened to them, but i am sure they got a heftyfine at the minimun, if anyone knows it would be interesting to see just how many rules they broke. People like that make me sick I hope they got what they deserved.

[Trevor K]

Yeah, hopefully they at least got a fine and won't come back.