Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report

[Phil Lilley]

<p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2011/6-25a-500.jpg" width="500" height="218"></p>

<p>This is not your typical summer for us, here on Lake Taneycomo.&nbsp; Generation patterns have not been unusual, and weather has not been unusual, but other things make even the veteran Taney fisher scratch his head in wonder.</p>

<p>First thing to notice is the flow versus the height of the lake.&nbsp; It looks fast when generation is even 75% or three units, but the water level isn’t much higher than normal, especially from Cooper Creek on down lake.&nbsp; That’s because the boards on top of Powersite Dam are still off, which makes the “normal” lake level about four feet low.&nbsp; They probably won’t be fixed until later this fall.</p>

<p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2011/6-28-brown-250.jpg" width="250" height="167" hspace="5" vspace="5" align="right">The second thing to notice is the color and clarity of the water.&nbsp; There’s about 24 inches of visibility.&nbsp; Normally in the summer we see our clearest water of the year with visibility down to about eight feet.&nbsp; However, this spring’s flooding rains mixed Table Rock Lake so that even at 130 feet deep by the dam, the water is stained from the run off.&nbsp; And if you’re really paying attention, you’ll notice that our water temperature is much warmer than normal.&nbsp; It’s been running 53 degrees compared to the mid 40’s in past summers.&nbsp; Water quality is still high, but that will change in August when we’ll start to see the dissolved oxygen (D.O.) levels plummet.</p>

<p>The third and last change our fishermen are witnessing is that our trout fishing is very, very good.&nbsp; That’s not necessarily unusual for July, since the Missouri Department of Conservation stocks about 90,000 rainbows for the month, but the size and number of big rainbows is astounding.</p>

<p>Now the trophy area continues to be the best place to find larger trout, mainly because the slot-limit rules dictate the release of rainbows between 12 and 20 inches, allowing them to grow to larger sizes.&nbsp; But we’re seeing nice rainbows caught below this special area as well.</p>

<p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2011/6-28-rainbow-250.jpg" width="250" height="167" hspace="6" vspace="6" align="right">I talk about jigs a lot!&nbsp; And for good reason.&nbsp; They flat-out catch more trout and bigger trout even when they are so easy to use.&nbsp; I recently took two different people out fishing who had never cast or worked a jig.&nbsp; One was a good fisherman, about 12 years old, but he had only fished with bait when visiting Taneycomo with his grandfather in years past.&nbsp; He managed to hook and land several nice rainbows in a short period of time with little coaching from me.&nbsp; The other person was a young woman who rarely fishes but enjoys getting out occasionally.&nbsp; She landed three rainbows in about 45 minutes fishing the bluff bank across from the resort one evening.&nbsp; She wanted to catch, clean and eat what she caught, but all three rainbows were too big, and I wouldn’t let her kill them.&nbsp; It’s a personal thing for me… I don’t like to kill a rainbow longer than 15 inches since they are so fun for someone else to catch again.</p>

<p>Early in the mornings lately,&nbsp; only one unit has been running, and the lake level is low and current pretty slow, at least down here.&nbsp; Upstream, above Fall Creek, it’s higher and a little faster but not too bad at all.&nbsp; The flow at one unit is very enjoyable.&nbsp; Throw 1/16th- to 3/32nd-ounce jigs against the bluff banks and really concentrate on the eddies and seams where the current picks up.&nbsp; Throw around the big rocks up there, too.&nbsp; When the water is running hard, which it has been from about noon until 7 p.m., use 1/8th-ounce jigs.&nbsp; </p>

<p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2011/6-28-vaughn-250.jpg" width="250" height="252" hspace="6" vspace="6" align="right">White jigs have been working okay below the dam. but darker jigs are doing better every place else.&nbsp; I cleaned two rainbows yesterday for dinner that I had caught on the bluff bank across the lake from the resort, plus a white bass I caught on the same drift. All three had sculpin in their stomachs that were 1.5 to 3 inches long, thus the reason the darker jigs were so appealing —brown, olive, sculpin, sculpin/olive, sculpin/ginger and black.</p>

<p>Guide Bill Babler is still doing well drifting from the cable down to Trophy Run dragging either a white wooly bugger or a Rebel, F5001V floating black back.&nbsp; Also working well is dragging an egg fly, cream or pink, and/or a #16 brown or olive scud on a drift rig.&nbsp; I haven’t been up there all week, but I would still be working the banks with a jig, either the white or a darker jig.</p>

<p>I’ve seen the guides now drifting from Andy William’s house down to the Narrows, staying the middle and drifting the same fly selection on a drift rig or using a float and fishing the flies six-to 10-feet deep depending on how much water is running.&nbsp; After the high water in May, we weren’t finding many fish in this area, but they have seemed to found their way back.</p>

<p>Bill says the MDC has stocked a ton of rainbows in the downtown area of Branson, and I think they’ve made their way up here.&nbsp; I was out this evening throwing a jig on the bluff bank from Fall Creek to Short Creek and found those stockers pretty eager to eat my offering.&nbsp; They aren’t real small, I’d say averaging about 11 inches.</p>

<p>Drifting PowerBait Gulp eggs in pink or yellow from Monkey Island to the bridges is very good, catching mainly those stocker rainbows.&nbsp; Bill has also tried using a 1/80th jig head and putting a Gulp egg on it and using a float, fishing it seven- to nine-feet deep. &nbsp;Now you need a pretty long rod to handle this kind of rig and casting it is also tricky.&nbsp; But if you don’t like bouncing the bottom, it’s a good way to catch trout.</p>

<p><img src="http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/images/2011/6-25b-250.jpg" width="250" height="168" hspace="6" vspace="6" align="right">Guide Steve Dicky says he’s been drifting night crawlers from Fall Creek to past Trout Hollow and catching a little larger rainbow than fishing further down lake.&nbsp; He does warn that there are a bunch of new trees and snags on the bottom to eat up your drift rigs!</p>

<p>Most mornings and evenings it’s foggy on our lake.&nbsp; Our fog is deceptive, too.&nbsp; You can be running in light fog conditions and, all of a sudden, you’ll find yourself in very dense fog without warning.&nbsp; That’s when you’ll run up on someone dead in the water or, more dangerous yet, someone heading in the opposite direction.&nbsp; Here are a points to heed&nbsp; when fishing in these conditions:</p>

<ol>

<li>Until the fog clears, don’t fish in the middle of the lake.&nbsp; Sit close to the bank and throw out to the middle.&nbsp; Stay out of the traffic lanes.</li>

<li>When running, go slower than you think is safe.&nbsp; Stay to the right of the lake, just as you would on a road.&nbsp; If you know anything about “rules of the road.” you know that this is a major rule on the water. (Passing boats are to slip by port-to-port or meeting with the left sides closest.)</li>

<li>If you’re vision is impeded at all by foggy glasses or objects in front of the driver like seats or tackle boxes or riders in the boat, remove them before continuing.</li>

<li>If you meet someone or run upon someone, let off the throttle immediately and put it in neutral, remembering that boats don’t have brakes. Don’t just try to slow down and swerve to avoid collision.</li>

</ol>

[Bill Babler]

Excellent advice on driving and fishing our early and late conditions. The main problem we have under any type of adverse condition or for that matter, just being on the lake, is folks driving up the wrong side of the lake. For gosh sakes keep to the right. You may not be able to go completely to the bank, but be on the right hand side of the boating lane. Early and late it is always a good idea to also display your running and stern lights.

From B Creek to Cooper, the lake right now is simply full of stocker trout. It is taking most folks about an hour to catch a limit on powerbait. If you wish to challange yourself further they are also taking a spoon and of course Phil's olive or sculpin 1/8th. to 1/4 oz. jig. Try dropping the spoon directly under the boat and then just bounding it on the bottom. Don't let it drag, or it will catch up. Same deal with the jig. I have been goofing with this while my folks have been dragging and have caught bigger fish than the power bait. You will however catch 20 to one on the bait. If you don't care about a ton of bites, but would like better fish, there you go.

Restricted Zone is still on fire. This for the most part is due to the off color water and the abundance of bait fish in the Zone. Fish are still spitting shad and loads of sculpin and scuds. Had a guy catch a Sculpin on a jig there Saturday. Right in the mouth. That is a first for me, to catch a Sculpin on a Sculpin jig while drift fishing. I have caught them on a crawler but never on a jig.

On 4 generators drift the small crankbaits on either 6 or 8 pound line with a 3/8th. oz. weight. You will lose some but the risk reward is worth a buck or two. On less generation use the size 8 white woolly bugger. Don't need to tie it fancy, with hackle just bright white chenielle, and a marabou tail. I'm dragging it on 6 with a 1/4 oz weight and am catching 30 to 50 a trip in the restricted zone. Lots of 16 plus inch fish and one day last week, 4 over 20" the same day.

When fishing the restricted zone on anything less that 4 turbines, be careful. Things are not as they used to be. Crowd the left bank going up as the flat above Fall Creek, is now extended to severly restrict the channel.

Fishing is great, come on down and get ya some.