Taneycomo Report, May 7

[Phil Lilley]

Quick and concise...  recent rains have brought our lakes up to levels which warrant some concern.  Beaver Lake is now approaching 1125.5 feet, only 4.5 feet from its flood pool while Table Rock hovers at 920 feet, that magical level that calls for flood gates and flows at 20,000 c.f.s..   But Table Rock Dam is now running 3 turbines full while one turbine is down for maintenance so 5 spill gates are open 1 foot each to make up for the 4th turbine, equaling 15,000 c.f.s of flow.  Four gates were open for about 24 hours yesterday when Table Rock's level reached 920.3 feet but dropped below 920 feet this morning.  All the while, Bull Shoals is rising and is now at 672.7 feet, almost 10 feet higher than a week ago.

Taney's water temperature is 54 degrees on the spill side, 44 degrees on the turbine side.  When the extra gates were open we saw 60 degree water and a push of threadfin shad, just not as many as we'd like to see.  I think we got a deposit of warm water fish too, white bass, walleye and small mouth bass.

White jigs have not taken off like we would have hoped with the spill gates open but fishing is fairly good.  Some are fishing a 1/32nd ounce white jig under a float 10-12 feet deep the first 3 miles of the lake while others are throwing 1/8th to 3/32nd ounce jigs straight, 4-pound line.  I'm also using our sculpin/peach jigs and doing pretty good too.  Spoons - silver Cleo or Boyaunt - are working well too.

Work the eddies all the way down to Fall Creek using an 1/8th ounce earth color jigs like black, brown or sculpin.

Below Fall Creek, drift minnows, night crawlers and Berkley Powerworm in pink, red or while on the bottom using drift rigs.  The word is the trout are not in the creeks right now for some reason but if you're out and want to try, I would because they really should be in there.

The water isn't going to be as fast down at the Landing so fishing down there will be easier.

With this high water, watch where you're drifting and stay mid lake.  Don't anchor in current and wear a life jacket if you're at all uncomfortable in swift water.

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