Favorite Egg/Dough bait set up

[MSUFisherBear]

Looking for some feedback here from the experts. It has been a while since I've really done much trout fishing, but recently the wife and I moved closer to Taney and so I expect more frequent trips. Most of my set ups are for the warmer water varieties.

I got a fly rod last year which is something that I really want to get in to around the dam area, but I'm also looking for a pretty good set up for fishing with salmon eggs or dough bait in the middle to lower ends of the lake. Any favorites that come to mind in this regard? I know I'm looking at something with a light to ultra light spinning set up and somewhere between 2 lb and 4 lb test for the line. I've got a set up that has a 6' medium action rod (graphite) with a Pflueger Supreme reel spooled with 6 pound line that I use primarily for crappie fishing, but I'm thinking I need to go lighter for better success rates.  Any recommendations from those more experienced?

Thanks for the help!

[Gatorjet]

For drift fishing eggs, powerbait, or even better, live nightcrawlers your medium action with 6# line will work fine. You just use a drift rig made up with 2#, or 4# line. I don't do a lot of that type of fishing on Taneycomo anymore. But when I take a newbie, or someone without a lot of experience that is what I set tyem up with. I use 6# MAXIMA line with a snap swivel. The rig is a piece of lighter line about three feet long with a #6 Circle hook on one end, a weight appropriate for the amount of flow of the lake, and a loop tied in the line a foot to 18" up from the weight to attach the rig to the snap swivel. Just remember to set your drag for the weight of the leader. Others just use split shot on the line, and light line on the reel. The reason I like tye rigs is when you get hung up, the rig breaks off, so you don't have to tie everything on again, just snap a new rig on. I have those roynd rubber leader holders with several rigs ready to go.

I do use this type of rig in the restricted area replacing the bait with San Juan worms, egg flies, and scud flies.

[MSUFisherBear]

Gator,

Thanks for the tip! That's a lot cheaper than buying a whole new outfit and I can switch back and forth if I decide to look for some crappie.

[Gatorjet]

If you don't want to do the swivel thing, just use a double surgeons knot to add the lighter leader to your main line. My son prefers just tye split shot on the line. I like the snap swivel rig better.  Also, premade rigs are available in Lilley's Fly Shop. They use a bell sinker, but I use small bullet weights with a split shot as a stopper on the end. I think they tend to slip through snaggs a little easier without getting hung up as much. Plus if the weight gets hung up the split shot will often slip off freeing the line from the weight so you at least save the hook.

[trythisonemv]

You pretty much nailed it on the rig! As far as bait,powereggs and nightcrawlers always catch fish, so do flies like he said. Dint be afraid to try fly rod mid lake as well. Creek mouths and eddies and around docks hold a lot of fish you can cast to.

[MSUFisherBear]

Good advice on both. I'll give it a shot and see what I can come up with. Like I was saying before, it's a pretty new ball game to me as my extent of trout fishing trips could probably about be counted on 1 hand. Not that fishing for the warm water varieties don't offer up some unique challenges; I just wanted to give something new a whirl and with the quality and quantity of fish in Taneycomo it's been all the more enticing.