Taneycomo Report

[Bill Babler]

With the Rock fishing as hard as its name, most all the guides are fishing Taney. Fishing has been better than good this week in several areas and lots of methods.

Resticted Zone on 2 units and up, has been fishing excellent. Please know this area very well to boat there with under 3 units of generation. On an earlier thread I read of a guy speaking of a Navtronics Chip. FORGET ABOUT IT. THIS BOTTON IS NOTHING LIKE IT WAS 3 MONTHS AGO.

If you are going to anchor fish, please anchor out of the channel, or expect boat traffic to be on or over your junk on a constant basis. This is a navigatable waterway and the channel will be used. Boat will not go around you into the shallows to pass, nor should they have to. Anchor on the flats and toss your goodies into the channels and you have no problems.

Drift fishing with either a white or sculpin 1/8th. oz jig has been excellent. Dragging a size 8 white wooly bugger has also produced very quality fish. I have had flyfisherman for the past 3 days and we are catching fish deep nympthing, using a size 8 red sanjuan worm and egg combo, or a egg and size 12 grey scud combo. I am fishing them on 3 units at 16 to 18 ft. below the indicator.

There has and is still going on a dry fly bite, and it is fasinating. Maybe 4 or 5 takes from the dam to Fall Creek, but real exciting casting and very fun stuff, if you don't expect a load of bites and you are an above average caster. Fly does not seem to matter, as long as it is big and yellow, red, chartruse,or and bright combo. Best bite is right on the bank, under the overhanging limbs.

Fall Creek To Cooper Creek has just been wonderful for BIG BOWS. Lilleys' has given out multiple pens and certificates this last week for 20 plus inch fish being caught and released. Most on Crawlers. It has slowed some in the past day or two with the heavy fishing prussure, but they are still biting.

Powerline above Monkey Island thru Bee Creek is loaded with rainbows. Most are small, but there is a lot of bites down there. Best deal is orange and charturse gulp powerbait.

Again let me mention here that early in the morning in the fog, Please keep on the right side of the lake. With all the boats and guide boats down there, you need to watch what you are doing. If you are going down the wrong side of the lake in the fog, with no lights on your boat, you are in the wrong. It is no different than driving down the wrong side of the hiway at night with your lights off. If you are concerned or apprehensive about the boat operation, wait a bit. Fishing has remained good so you don't need to be out there when it is a challange for your operating ability. Be safe.

Spoke to a few people today pulling out at the Cooper Creek Ramp that were down town today and they said the water skiers were just thick from K Camp to Bull Creek, and not all of them were Campers. Lots of boat traffic.

Good Luck

[kc outdoorsman]

good advice on staying out of the channel- I wish more folks would follow that advice

[crazy4fishin]

Thanks Bill - will there be some kind of updated map for us uneducated? I have been above fall creek in the past and it was tricky even then. I have read about the changes but I am having a hard time visualizing - especially the sand bar that I read now comes across the area.

I am running a 19.5' bass boat so I am not intested a hull remodel ...nor a lower unit replacement project.

Thanks C4F

[Phil Lilley]

I'm planing on doing a new map but not until the lake level is back to normal... which means the boards have to be back up on Powersite. Then we'll be able to tell what the normal level will be.

The channel is basically the same except it's deeper in spots and narrower in others.

[crazy4fishin]

Thanks Phil - I read the boards are going up soon so that is a good thing. You guys do a great job of taking care of us that live far away and live vicariously through your posts.

C4F

[Idylwilde]

I went on a short road trip yesterday and ended up at Shepard Of the hills and the Hatchery. Being someone that can't stand the heat and always has a 4-5wt rod four fly boxes in the vest waders & boots I could not stand not wading in about wast deep. 99 degrees when I arrived at about 1:20. Just as I was about to leave the car the horn blew. I had not thought I was going there to fish I suspected them to run all 3 because of the hot weather.but they only ran 1.

Another angler was good enough to tell me a midge was working and a crackleback. When I heard crackleback I was already ready. Their was quiet a crowd around the outlet pulling stockers out of the current. Being from Montauk and The current I just don't like to do the crowd and the easy thing. I went just arounf the bend towards the dam and found no one there. As I was walking up I saw a beautiful bow about 4# swimming by a small cut in the bank. I had a #16 black wooly bugger on and cast it just above and the the right of it. Bam it turned and took it then went wild. It took about 20 yards off the reel before it stopped mid stream.

Being from a smaller stream and not fished Taney I had forgot the trick that the fish do there. Hug the bottom and open their mouth into the current.Then when they see that is not going to work let you get them up close then go wild on a second run and leap, which set the free. But it was fun.

I then put on one of my home fly's a Bule/Balck Crackleback, the fish did not like it on the dry side but at the end of the drift and about 3 to 7 short strips at the end of the drift they loved it. and in 3 hours I had 18 fish and about that many short nipps. And to top it off I had one at just shy of 22". I love that place LOL

I Intended to drop by Lilly's but time and the cool air made me late to leave. You guy's down there have a great stream.

[Phil Lilley]

Glad you had a good time. Thanks for the report.

[back2roots]

We were back down this past weekend doing some stuff at the house. We noticed the lake level was down so we did a quick run to Empire Park .....sure enought they were replacing the boards WOOHOO!!!!!!!

Maybe back to normal sooner rather than later!!

Blessing All!!

Bill