Fishing Report

[troutfiend1985]

I don't think Jeremy said no wading but you can run a boat right up to the cable.....The area would be closed to all fishing for period of time. I would never want to piss on anyones parade, so if it is trout fisherman's god given right to snag Big Brown trout, kick them up on to the gravel bar and take 10 pics of the fish to show your friends back home well so be it.1985, I know you are not the fisherman exibiting this behavior but I witnessed it alot in the last week and a half and it's pathetic!!! I guess Taney is what it is, but I do remember fishing with my dad in the mid 70's to 80's and we caught huge Rainbow after huge Rainbow.Sometimes the average fish would be 3 to 4 pounds, all fat and full of the shrimp from the lake.I will agree the Brown run, it does seem like there are some bigger Browns now but the behavior of some fisherman in front of the tubes up there is weak!!!! it makes me sick, I was always taught to be stewart of the river and your quarry.I know you most likely are the same way, hell I was getting trouble for breaking huge fish off up there last week. If they are foul hooked or you just don't want to put them in a net or beach them, just leave them in the water, help the fish to survive and grow larger.I guess Taney beeing the tailwater situation it is closing a stretch of the lake for a period of time would never happen.Thats cool, I just love the place and am always trying to improve the fishing for future fisherman. The huge Browns I catch and release out of there always put a perma grin on my face for a while so it is deffinitely tonic for my soul.

p.s. I catch big Browns that most guys would consider trophies out of three other rivers in Missouri, the Current, Meramec and the North Fork and I was wading....Justin I totally agree with you but I still love Taney

I guess I just don't know what else a restriction on wading is, other than a restriction on wading .

Anyways, I wouldn't have a problem with closing down a section of stream for a period of time, but I would wonder what the purpose would be. Taney is not a self supporting stream, and people like Lilley and other guides make their living of guiding and lodging for trout fishing. I'm not in the guiding business, but I would have to imagine that the guides are booked right now, and a restriction on fishing this area would directly affect their income. The real problem seems to be the way in which people are handling the fish they catch. The simple solution is to ban the manner of handling that is causing harm to the fish. Other than that you would have to chalk it up to bad manners, frown on the guy and walk away shaking your head.

[Trevor K]

I noticed it seemed really crowded when I was down at Lilley's this past weekend (first time I've stayed there, but don't want to stay anywhere else now). I only get to go down there once or twice a year, so I'm always just happy if I can catch a fish below the dam. Even I don't fish the outlets though for the exact reason you guys are talking about. Seems like over half the fish that people catch from there are foul hooked. I was lucky enough to get a few small fish and one nice 18 inch rainbow, which I was pretty excited about since I don't get down there much. So I did take a picture of it, but the fish never left the net and was in the water the whole time. I handled it as little and as gently as possible and it took off like a rocket when I let it out of the net.

I guess I don't really know where I am going with this, but I do think that people need to be more careful in how they handle the fish they catch. I'm sure a lot of people just don't realize what they are doing or don't care. Maybe there is some way to educate people on the proper way to handle a fish if you intend to release it.

[Smalliebigs]

I guess I just don't know what else a restriction on wading is, other than a restriction on wading .

Anyways, I wouldn't have a problem with closing down a section of stream for a period of time, but I would wonder what the purpose would be. Taney is not a self supporting stream, and people like Lilley and other guides make their living of guiding and lodging for trout fishing. I'm not in the guiding business, but I would have to imagine that the guides are booked right now, and a restriction on fishing this area would directly affect their income. The real problem seems to be the way in which people are handling the fish they catch. The simple solution is to ban the manner of handling that is causing harm to the fish. Other than that you would have to chalk it up to bad manners, frown on the guy and walk away shaking your head.

I agree!! I don't want to hurt anyones livelyhood....I guess I think off it from a purely selfish perspective, I just want the fishing to be as good as possible.Fishing always has some hypocritical opinions from someone like me... I'm a walking, talking, breathing oxymoron most of the time. Really I guess we should feel blessed that we get the oppurtunity to fish Taneycomo at all.

[Smalliebigs]

I guess I don't really know where I am going with this, but I do think that people need to be more careful in how they handle the fish they catch. I'm sure a lot of people just don't realize what they are doing or don't care. Maybe there is some way to educate people on the proper way to handle a fish if you intend to release it.

Trevor, I feel the same way I wish there was a fishing safety course you had to take and pass before you can get license in Missouri, this test would educate you in the proper stream etiqutte, conservation, fish biology, and how to handle and release them, ect. Similar to the hunter safety course in Missouri. Man I sound like an old bitch!!! even though I'm only 42.

[laker67]

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! Depending on what you call the fish of a lifetime, I'd rather catch a 25" brown or rainbow on a free flowing river, than a 30" fish next to a pipe. Nothing wrong with these fisheries, and if you want to catch lots of fish and some big fish they are great, but give me a river all to myself with the best scenery in the country and the challenge and opportunity to catch stream bred fish and I'm happy. We need to remember that trout fishing in this area is all "fake" and will be managed for the best economic benefit of an area, not neccesarily what's best for a "wild fishery". If you have never fished the 11 point or North Fork you need to try it, for me the experience trumps the catching (maybe an excuse for being a poor fisherman).

HEy Justin. I should have been more specific in my definition. Granted the nfow has some great fish to offer, but no other fishery than taney will produce 20 pound fish in any quantity. You called it "fake" fishing, but the browns on taney are as tuff as they come. I can fool dang near every brown that I find on the current river. Taney's browns are wary and tight lipped, far from being a pushover. Each of us have our special places to fish and taney happens to be mine. When people start talking about closing off a section of water to the wading angler, I kind of take it personally. It would be like not allowing drift boats on your river. Anyway, just wanted to clarify my definition of a fish of a lifetime.

[ohmz138]

HEy Justin. I should have been more specific in my definition. Granted the nfow has some great fish to offer, but no other fishery than taney will produce 20 pound fish in any quantity. You called it fake fishing, but the browns on taney are as tuff as they come. I can fool dang near every brown that I find on the current river. Taney's browns are wary and tight lipped, far from being a pushover. Each of us have our special places to fish and taney happens to be mine. When people start talking about closing off a section of water to the wading angler, I kind of take it personally. It would be like not allowing drift boats on your river. Anyway, just wanted to clarify my definition of a fish of a lifetime.

I agree. Taneycomo browns, or even the big rainbows for that matter, are very wary, and are the toughest fighting trout I have ever hooked into. Hooking one of the big ones is a challenge in it's own, actually landing one is a whole different challenge. Those fish are very acclimated to high water flows and are very stong. No Taneycomo trout should be taken lightly.

[Justin Spencer]

Taneycomo browns, or even the big rainbows for that matter, are very wary, and are the toughest fighting trout I have ever hooked into. Hooking one of the big ones is a challenge in it's own, actually landing one is a whole different challenge. Those fish are very acclimated to high water flows and are very stong. No Taneycomo trout should be taken lightly.

I am sure those big ones are tough to hook and even tougher to land, and I would have to agree that a 20 pounder would be the fish of a lifetime and you probably won't catch one on a free flowing stream.

When people start talking about closing off a section of water to the wading angler, I kind of take it personally. It would be like not allowing drift boats on your river. Anyway, just wanted to clarify my definition of a fish of a lifetime.

I agree it is silly to close sections of rivers for fishing on fish that are not native. They are here for our enjoyment and for economic benefit not because they might someday cure cancer. They closed gigging on blue ribbon sections of trout streams upsetting much of the local population, and while I'm not sure why they did it I assume they thought it would make fishing better which would make more people fish these areas leading to more revenue. I guess trout trump suckers even though they are not native and have changed what has historically been done on our local waters.

How long of a drive is it from Branson to NFOW?

We are about an hour and a half from Branson.

[troutfiend1985]

I agree it is silly to close sections of rivers for fishing on fish that are not native. They are here for our enjoyment and for economic benefit not because they might someday cure cancer. They closed gigging on blue ribbon sections of trout streams upsetting much of the local population, and while I'm not sure why they did it I assume they thought it would make fishing better which would make more people fish these areas leading to more revenue. I guess trout trump suckers even though they are not native and have changed what has historically been done on our local waters.

I would take objection to this part of the statement. I could see closing off a stream for spawning trout that are self-sustaining. I do not get into this native, non-native stuff, it is an arbitrary line that one person uses to subject the other side to criticism. My fish is better than your fish. Why prohibit gigging on blue ribbon trout streams? Because they are self-sustaining, something that is not common in Missouri and there are plenty of alternative waters for giggers. I would really like to know why a fish that has been in these streams, such as crane, since the late 1800's isn't deserving of protection? Because of some arbitrary native title that we attach to certain fish, i.e. smallmouth. I am not knocking smallmouth, they are a beautiful fish that deserves more protection. However, I am growing tired of this "all trout should be treated as if they are stocked" mentality. Yes, all fish are here for enjoyment to a point, but conservation is necessary to ensure that our "enjoyment" continues for wild self-sustaining blue ribbon streams.

[Phil Lilley]

Two premises have been offered for closing part of Taneycomo:

1. Spawn. Zero percent of spawn survive. Not because of anglers but because of how Taney is.

2. Abuse. But I have to say, I see this 52 weekends and some weekdays a year. It happens more during this time of year cause more fish are below the dam and more fish are being caught- in the mouth and other parts of the body.

Education and enforcement of current laws is the solution. But you'll always, ALWAYS have knuckleheads snagging, suffocating and kicking trout.

[Justin Spencer]

Why prohibit gigging on blue ribbon trout streams? Because they are self-sustaining, something that is not common in Missouri and there are plenty of alternative waters for giggers.

I would say that prohibiting gigging may help my business although I think most people didn't gig trout very often anyway. My main objection is that while there are plenty of places to gig suckers in the state, I can't put in at my boatramp and gig on the bottom of the river which I guess the state considers "my property". I guess it would be like saying you can't go out in your woodlot and hunt deer with a rifle because you might accidently shoot a similar looking non-native deer. I see both sides of the arguement and am not even sure I'm against the regulations. I just wish I could gig in my front yard because it would be a hell of alot easier than trailering my boat somewhere to do what I could do right here. I just want my freedom back (boo hoo!)