Night Fishing Taneycomo Report, Oct 7

[Phil Lilley]

Got to outlet #2 parking lot after midnight last night. Waded in below outlet #2. Water was dropped all the way out. Started with sinking line and a black pine squirrel, switched to a white pine squirrel - nothing. There were a few browns jumping down from #2 so I knew there were fish there. Switched to floating line.

Using a black pine squirrel, I hooked something with shoulders. Brown! Close to 20 inches.

Fished till 2:45 am. There was a short period of time when I'd get a strike on every cast, caught 6 rainbows (no size), then it stopped as quickly as it started. Short strikes after that.

Tried white, olive, purple and black. They liked olive best. Tried a mouse and got one good blow up on it but it wasn't a big fish. Tried a sculpin and got a couple of short hits.

[Flysmallie]

Tried a mouse and got one good blow up on it but it wasn't a big fish.

Now you have my attention!

[Lancer09]

I've been catching them on floating lines and rabbit and pine squirrel sculpins, a few are coming on dubbing leeches too. For me it hasn't been any one consistent color. A fish on this, a fish on that. Any time I've tried a sinking line or tip I can't even draw a strike. How do you fish your mice? Skate them?

[Phil Lilley]

Yep- ran it across the surface.

Micheal Kyle can speak to fishing mice better than I. The only place I've used them is in Alaska for rainbows, not here. And up there my experience in limited.

[Micheal Kyle]

Good report, if they would turn the water off earlier than they have I be down there this week with no moon out so should be really good fishing this week.

I fish my mice by skating them across the top of the water cast the all the way to the bank then start stripping them back fast as you can strip the line then pause the strips and that’s usually when the fish will take the fly. You have to be dedicated to the mouse though it is not a pattern that you can switch in and out of you have to start and finish with it.

I have my best luck on the mouse on Taney on the south side of the lake which is where the channel lies. I cast all the way to the bank lots of times hitting the rocks then letting it fall in the water just a real mouse would do. I also will put a trailer hook on the fly like a 2/0 just as you would do for a spinner bait.

Here is a pic of the fly Phil should have some for sale if not let me know.

[RSBreth]

Years ago I tried that with a deer-hair popper (all I had tied up at the time) and caught a few but no real monsters. I'll have to try it again in the next few weeks. Good to know I'm not the only crazy guy trying a big surface skater down there.