Fishing Report

[Phil Lilley]

<img src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com.php5-24.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2011/10/1234-362.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="228" />

Kenneth Liberton, caught 10/16 between outlet #2 and Rebar on a #18 KB Special

We're pretty much at our fall color peak here on Taneycomo this week. The dry weather this summer hasn't really dampened autumn colors so we're enjoying bright yellows and oranges on the bluff across the lake from the resort. The trout . . . they don't care about those things. They do like the bugs that fall from the trees with the leaves though.

Generation patterns have been consistant for the past couple of weeks until yesterday when the cold front forced the Corp to turn up the power and generate through the day. I believe once it warms back up, they'll go back to no generation during the day with slight generation mid afternoon till about 10 pm.

Oxygen levels are almost nil when the water is off. The only oxygen we're getting is from the hatchery outlets and when they generate--they are injecting liquid O2 into the turbines bringing the O2 levels up to about 5 ppm. Sunlight also adds O2 to the water as well as wind. This is a seasonal issue we face every fall and both the trout and anglers have to deal with it. It tends to make fishing (catching) tough some days. The trout tend to kick back, using as little energy as needed to survive. High blue bird skies and no wind don't help either. The last couple of weeks, it seems that about every other day has been fair fishing and the other day has been poor. Again, this is pretty normal for this time of year.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1187" title="Taneycomo Brown Trout" src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com.php5-24.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2011/10/DSC00517.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="281" />

Big trout are still being caught though, not just below the dam but down here too. Steve Makarewick caught a 9-pound brown last week below Fall Creek on a sculpin. It measured 27-inches. Other decent rainbows have been caught down close to the Landing and bass are being caught down there too. The rock wall bank along the Landing walkway has been a good place to look for bass--if you walk along the rail you will see them just off the bank. Of course, the Landing security won't let you fish off the walk.

Up below the dam, we're seeing quite a few brown trout now. They are around outlets #1 and #2 as well as down in the rebar and gauntlet areas during the day. There are also a good number of big rainbows too. You'll see some fish on redds (spawning beds) in the rebar and gauntlet areas. Now on into November and December, we'll see the browns leave and more big rainbows move in to spawn.

Night fishing has been pretty good. I got out last week one night and caught a few trout but also caught a bass and 2 walleye, nice ones too! Caught them on a sculpin 1/16th-ounce jig, working it off the bottom up by the cable wading just off the bank on the hatchery side. Others have been casting hibernators, leeches, big streamers, PMS in dark colors like black, brown, purple, olive and sculpin. Also pack some light colors too - white, gray and orange. You can work all the areas clear down to Trophy Run.

During the day, scuds are working the best. I caught some rainbows this week using #12 gray or mink scuds tied on a 3769 TMC hook (straight rather than curved) and I use fire orange thread. The orange shows through the dubbing giving it a "dead" look. Freshwater shrimp turn orange when they die and dead scuds are easier to eat then live ones. I would drift them in the faster water at rebar and below.

I was sight fishing to some rainbows in the lower section of the gauntlet (shoot below the rebar), had caught a few small ones when all of a sudden a large rainbow moved up into the water I was fishing. He moved up right in the middle of my drift so I let the line go ahead and move through so as not to disturb him. But he moved right into my line and my fly caught him in the back. Darn! When he felt the hook, he bolted upstream. Fortunately the hook didn't snag him but he didn't stick around to give me another shot.

When the water is running, we've been working 3/32nd-ounce jigs from the dam down to Short Creek and doing pretty well. Good colors have been sculpin/orange, brown/orange, sculpin/ginger, sculpin, olive and white. Bites are soft so you really have to pay attention to what your line is doing.

Night crawlers are still catching some nice rainbows between Fall Creek and Short Creek. This time of year we are thinking about going to 2-pound line but not yet. Water still has some color to it--it's not as clear as it usually is for this time of year so 4-pound line it fine. In our area and down lake, Power Bait is working good, especially when the water is running later in the day. I've been watching people anchored in front of our docks catching quite a few rainbows this week.

Trolling has been good too. The trout seemed to be holding close to the surface so pulling a in-line spinner or small spoon through the water has snagging some rainbows. Problem is you have to dodge all the leaves.