Last Weekend

[3wt]

Went to Taney for my third attempt at tailwater fishing. It's been a few years, but I learned a lot the first two attempts and finally got a feel for wonky tailwater trout. Pretty much fished early mornings Sat-Mon.

Saturday was 0 generation. great wading down around rebar. Lots of fish rising for nymphs pretty much everywhere. started catchign them on a black zebra ~12" from the film. Caught one or two w/ a PMS and several swinging soft hackles near rising/nymping fish; that's alway a fun way to catch fish and loose flies. I think a total of 9 or 10 in a few hours. Mostly stockers with a few in the 12-14"

Sunday I think had 1 generator going. Mad the wading trickier for an amateur. The fog and off color water made it hard to read the water depth. Did well stripping PMS and other streamers in the current. I think about 5 total in a couple of hours. My fishing buddy cautght a fewer than I did, but cauth one that was probably over 18". Also saw a blond girl wade in to about 2" below the chest wader top - thought she was in for a cold day, but was helped out by some folks with her. In hindsight I think I recognized one of the rescuers as Leonard??? Just based on other pictures in the low water post.

Monday had more water. Really tough wading. Fishing buddy caught one over 20" and a rainbow and a brown that was probably 15 or 16. I finally caught one nice rainbow down near rebar right before we left. It went >18".

Tailwaters are still not my thing, but they do have a certain charm to them. Tough to read water, but I really liked long-line streamer fishing, just kind of searching out all the water. Still think it's weird that trout just hang out in appearently structureless shallow water, but where else would they go? Finally figured out that you can just fish the water and find fish without trying to hard to read where they should be. Searching worked much better. Strangely enough, I couldn't get them to touch a scud. Altogether I appeared to be catching more fish than anybody within sight, so I felt pretty good about myself.

The fish I caught were healthy and strong fighing. And catching fish on 50' of line swinging a steamer makes the hook setting and playing fish a different game than I'm used to - probably could have caught about 3X the fish I did catch if I could have gotten the hook to do its job. Lots of fun. Hopefully it won't be 4 years before I go again.

[vanven]

If you like tossing streamers, hard hook sets, and more solitude you should try fishing Taney at night.

-Jerod

[laker67]

If you like tossing streamers, hard hook sets, and more solitude you should try fishing Taney at night.

-Jerod

Night time also includes beavers, muskrats, snakes, and the occassional bigfoot. Actually we are not quite sure if it's really bigfoot or just leonard roaming the banks and splashing in the water.

[Leonard]

Dont forget about the squid....

[Micheal Kyle]

The squid is back:(

[3wt]

Last time I went to Taney (2007?) I remember asking some questions about fishing there - at that point the biggest concern was, and I quote, "some of them boys be arkies." Sounds like the situation has gotten only slightly scarier in the past few years.

I'd love to try night fishing. I'm barely brave enough to fish in daylight on that water. I'd need to meet up with some of y'all if I was going to consider it. Also these branson trips are really family trips. I just sneak out for the mornings before anybody else wakes up - so I'm not sure I'll be able to sell all night fishing.

[vanven]

Night time also includes beavers, muskrats, snakes, and the occassional bigfoot. Actually we are not quite sure if it's really bigfoot or just leonard roaming the banks and splashing in the water.

Scary or exciting seems like a toss up to me. I generally fish by myself at night. It peeks the senses and makes me really focus on what I am doing. I find it rather exhilarating. I will admit that I have freaked myself out a few times, a couple times enough that I had to leave. One night I felt a tug on my waders and clicked my headlamp on to find a small muskrat or beaver clinging to my leg. He got launched half way across the lake. Another night a heron crept up on me and gave me a good spook. Those were good startles.

There was one night I was the only car in the parking lot. The water was low and I decided to fish the cable. I was able to wade most of the way out in order to fish closer to the opposite shore. That opposite side of the bank is steep and very difficult to access, yet I could hear something heavy shuffling back and forth through the underbrush and the rocks on the shore. I couldnt see anything through the fog and my headlamp only made it worse. I believe I ran back to my car and drove off with my waders still on.

-Jerod

[3wt]

Scary or exciting seems like a toss up to me. I generally fish by myself at night. It peeks the senses and makes me really focus on what I am doing. I find it rather exhilarating. I will admit that I have freaked myself out a few times, a couple times enough that I had to leave. One night I felt a tug on my waders and clicked my headlamp on to find a small muskrat or beaver clinging to my leg. He got launched half way across the lake. Another night a heron crept up on me and gave me a good spook. Those were good startles.

There was one night I was the only car in the parking lot. The water was low and I decided to fish the cable. I was able to wade most of the way out in order to fish closer to the opposite shore. That opposite side of the bank is steep and very difficult to access, yet I could hear something heavy shuffling back and forth through the underbrush and the rocks on the shore. I couldnt see anything through the fog and my headlamp only made it worse. I believe I ran back to my car and drove off with my waders still on.

-Jerod

Not really selling night fishing here.

Taney must be a hotbed of cryptozoology.

[laker67]

Scary or exciting seems like a toss up to me. I generally fish by myself at night. It peeks the senses and makes me really focus on what I am doing. I find it rather exhilarating. I will admit that I have freaked myself out a few times, a couple times enough that I had to leave. One night I felt a tug on my waders and clicked my headlamp on to find a small muskrat or beaver clinging to my leg. He got launched half way across the lake. Another night a heron crept up on me and gave me a good spook. Those were good startles.

There was one night I was the only car in the parking lot. The water was low and I decided to fish the cable. I was able to wade most of the way out in order to fish closer to the opposite shore. That opposite side of the bank is steep and very difficult to access, yet I could hear something heavy shuffling back and forth through the underbrush and the rocks on the shore. I couldnt see anything through the fog and my headlamp only made it worse. I believe I ran back to my car and drove off with my waders still on.

-Jerod

I'm with you vanven. I have had the hair on my neck stand several times over the past 36 years of night fishing at taney. Like you, I fish alone and have had many a lone week night at taney. You almost welcome a set of headlights shining across the river. One of those foggy nights at rebar, four deer crossed the creek just above me. Not knowing what was making all the commotion, I would have ran if there had been anywhere to go. They were right beside me before I could see that they were deer. Another foggy night, way back in the 70's, I was walking up to what I thought was another angler in a light colored vest. Turned out to be one of the first herons that I had encountered at night. It's worse than stepping in the middle of a covey of quail. I fished one night, right after the bear sighting at the overlook. I wore out a completely good flashlight that night. I was actually too nervous to enjoy fishing. That same bear was trapped near ozark a week later. I am positive that bears, cougars, and bigfoot roam the banks of taney at night. Throw in the occasional escaped wolf and tiger from predator world and that pretty much describes a night time fishing trip to taney.

[Gatorjet]

The squid is back:(

But the Gator hasn't been seen since late May!!!