White Vs Taneycomo - My Observation

[Phil Lilley]

While fishing the White River this past Thursday and Friday, I couldn't help but notice that most if not all the rainbows we were catching were fairly small and all silver - hardly no color. We threw marabou jigs of varied sizes and colors, fishing mostly between Cotter and Rim Shoals with either minimum flow or 100-150 mw of generation.

While I didn't take any pictures of the rainbows we caught on the White, I did take these pictures this morning while fishing a jig on Lake Taneycomo.

I drifted from the dam down to just below Fall Creek, a 3.5 mile stretch. They're running 25 mw of power with is 1/2 unit. I used an 1/8th ounce white jig, 1/8th ounce sculpin jig and a 3/32nd once sculpin/peach jig.

Note- I made a short drift when I first got up there and caught maybe a dozen rainbows and one brown before deciding to make the long drift and take pics. I caught the smallmouth on the first cast. The second to the last rainbow was about 11 inches - the only rainbow under 12 inches I landed. I lost a couple of smaller rainbows at the boat.

It's not so much the size but the color that struck me as odd. Why are Taney's rainbows so much colorful. Granted, it is the time of year when we see our rainbows color up so pretty - mostly because of the spawn. Our water is darker too more silt because Table Rock is turning over. The water on the White was much clearer.

Now if you compare the rainbows you'd catch below BS Dam in their trophy area and Taney's, the White has bigger rainbows on average. But it seems, at least right now, Taney has better sized rainbows overall, throughout the lake/river system than the White, This really surprises me given the fact the White has had a minimum flow in place for a year now. I'd think their food population (bugs and forage fish) would be through the roof.

That's another thing we noticed. Didn't see many if any forage fish on the White. Taney has tons of shiners all up and down the lake along the banks. That's what is visible. I know we have sculpin, but so does the White.

[Phil Lilley]

I'm not sure what's going on with these images... but I think they're all there. Not sure of the order though...

The last image is the smallest rainbow although there's another image of a rainbows caught below Fall Creek. I caught several there but only took the one photo.

[Greasy B]

Thanks for the pictures, those fish do have some fine color. On our 3 day trip to White River last month we found very few rainbows with color and even fewer fish of any size. I chalked it up as another put and take disappointment. Maybe later this winter we'll find some fish that have been in the river longer than two weeks.

[Phil Lilley]

Just so everyone knows... I'm not putting down the White River. These are only observations from a 2-day trip there. I know fisheries go in cycles too.

The White River is a mighty river in its own right. I wish Taney was more like it in structure.

[Greasy B]

White is a beautiful river. Even when the fish aren't up to my expectations there are few things I enjoy more than swinging soft hackles to midging trout in a quiet back channel or working my way up a shoal that others consider find too difficult to navigate and having a mile of water to myself.

[Ham]

I'll try to start taking some pictures of colored up Bows. There are about 8 strains of Bows they put in the White below BSL. So there are various colors to be seen. There are a fair number of silver bullets to be sure. I truly believe minimum flow has helped a bunch. As the winter comes on, fishing pressure decreases and thousands of trout get extra time in the river.

[Ham]

[Ham]

[laker67]

Well some pretty fish for sure, and I could not help but wonder, what the difference between holding a fish with a boga, and the way you were holding these fish, supporting them with the jig. Just saying because of the extended argument over the boga grip.

[Mike Worley]

IMHO, I think the Silver bullets are younger stockers that really havent had time to feed on natural insects, crayfish & minnows. I also would like to comment on Phils statement about the lack of visable baitfish (minnows). Not long ago perhaps 2-3 years ago it seems the minnow population really took a whack. We used to be able to trap minnows on just about any gravel bar from the state park just below the dam all the way down the river. I think as Phil mentioned minamum flow should have seen the river minnow population explode, that doesnt seem to be the case. Please don't think I'm saying we don't have minnows in the river, just that we don't seem have as many as we once did. I wonder if the Zebra mussels that now have infested Bull Shoals lake have had an effect on the plankton in the river that the minnows need to feed on. They (zebra mussels) have already had atleast one adverse effect on the river & lake by causing the closure of the Pot Shoals growout faciltiy which supplied the river with quality (larger) trout so now we have more silver bullets. Hopefully they will grow out durring the winter while the fishing pressure is down. We did seem to have plenty of quality sized & colored rainbows all season (April-October) Maybe Mojo rig (AGFC)will have some input on this thread.