Lilleys' Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report, August 16

[Phil Lilley]

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/Taneycomo-02.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="256" />

Summer can't make up its mid whether or not it's done with us or not.  Hot temperatures the last couple of days with low 80's in the near future.  Generation has followed the heat pretty much.  When it's real hot out, they are running a bit more water in the afternoon and evenings but no more than 2 units. 

The last couple of mornings have been tough catching.  Not a breath of wind and high sun, the trout had all but shut down until the wind starts and that differs daily.  That hasn't been the case all week though.  We took out a group of boys from a boys home in Arkansas Tuesday morning.  Two pontoons of kids and sponsors, we headed up past Short Creek and anchored towards the shallow side of the lake above the Riverpointe boat ramp and fished with air injected night crawlers, 4-pound line and small split shots.  In about a 3-hour trip, they averaged 7 trout apiece with one brown and the rest rainbows.  All were released.  The wind didn't pick up until about 9 a.m. but the trout bit even when it was dead still.  So you never know.

Ginger or olive/gold head micro jigs under a float 4 feet using 2 pound line is also a good way to catch trout early before the wind starts.  Use this technique from Short Creek to Lookout Island.  Once the wind starts and there's a chop on the water, a orange headed sculpin or brown marabou jig under a float 4-5 feet deep from Trout Hollow down to Lilleys' Landing on the shallow side of the lake worked very well, especially later in the afternoon into the evening.

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/23-inch-brown-2.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" />

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/23-inch-brown-3.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" />

Later afternoon into the evening especially if the wind is blowing and there's some cloud cover, hoppers have been good from Lookout Island down to the Narrows against the bluff bank.  I'm still doing well on a flesh or pink #8 Rainy's Hi Viz Hopper.  Caught a 23-inch brown earlier in the week on one plus lots of rainbows between 14 and 19 inches long.  If the water isn't running very hard and there's not a lot of wind, try a #10 black beetle or black ant in the same areas.

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/Taneycomo-01.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="306" />

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/Taneycomo-03.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="286" />

When the water is running, work a 1/8 - 3/32-ounce marabou jig in the channel from Rebar Hole down to Fall Creek.  Good colors are white, sculpin, brown/orange head, sculpin/orange/orange head, brown or purple.

Here's a report from Darin on fly fishing below the dam:

The fishing here on Lake Taneycomo has been getting better.  The weather is cooling off a little bit and we have had some rain.  The Corps of Engineers has been running the power generators usually just in the afternoon but the last couple of days they have been running them all day.

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/dry-rainbow.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="350" />

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/pat-brown.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="276" />

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/lake-taneycomo/files/2012/08/pat-rainbow.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="284" />

Wade fishing while the power generators is possible, you just have to find the right areas that you can safely fish and that are holding fish.  My favorite spot when the generators are is the Pointe Royale access.  There are two good spots to fish there.  The first one is just down stream from the access path.  Where the lake starts to curve there is a little bit of slack water that holds fish.  They hang out right where the fast and slow water meet.  Fishing this can be a little difficult with the current moving at different speeds.  I always put my fly just on the slow side of the current. 

The second place is upstream for the access path.  There is an island that has water behind it and holds fish most of the time.  I fish my way up all the way to where I can’t walk on the bank anymore.  Some of my biggest fish have come from back there.  Both places I mainly fish the Miracle Fly about five feet under a Palsa on 5x or 6x Fluoroflex tippet.  At the lower place I also fish Brad Wrights’ sculpin pattern on 3x or 4x Powerflex tippet.  I fished both these the last few days and have caught fish every time I have gone out.

Talked to Tim Homesley from Tim's Fly Shop at Roaring River State Park.  He fished Tuesday morning wading below the dam.  He said he's starting to see more larger browns move in which is pretty early.  By the end of this month, normally there are good number of brown trout in the first mile of the lake.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Cool pictures. Very colorful, especially those underwater rainbows with the pink hopper mouth ornaments. And what a beautiful brown.

[Gallagher]

Great pics!!! Thanks for the repports too.