Lilley's Lake Taneycomo fishing report, June 11

[Phil Lilley]

Our weather has tamed down this last week here in the Lake Taneycomo area. The upper White River watershed has received less than an inch of rain which brought Table Rock Lake up inches and Beaver Lake about a foot. Beaver Lake is now about 9 inches from topping their flood pool, 1130 feet. If ti goes over, anything that runs into Beaver Lake gets released, no matter how much water that is. There's some rain in the forecast but not much. We'll see what happens. Generation here on Taneycomo has been fairly consistent. There's no generation mornings during the week with 2 to 3 units in the afternoons but on weekends they're running 2 units around the clock. Not sure if this pattern will continue.

Our water is very clear, temperature is running about 45 degrees. When they are generating, we're seeing quite a bit of green algae flowing down the lake. Most of this is coming from Table Rock Lake but some is breaking loose from the bottom of our lake. Algae doesn't hurt the fish -- they actually eat some of it. It does muck up our bait, lures and flies when fishing though.

Our trout have been a little fickle this past week, biting some days and not others. Even when fishing conditions are good (cloudy, a little wind), they aren't bitting like they should. That's my take anyhow. Early and late in the day is the best fishing, and stay in the shade as much as possible when fishing on bright, sunny days.

If the trout are really getting fussy, I suggest tying on a 2-3 foot section of 2-pound line or better yet, spool an extra spool with 2-pound line. I'm going to almost exclusively 2-pound line when throwing small jigs when the water is off because I'm having much better luck doing so. I'm throwing 1/32nd and 1/16th-ounce jigs when there's no generation and working them fairly deep. Best colors are sculpin/ginger or peach, olive, brown and brown/orange.

When the water is off and you're bait fishing, I'd definitely suggest using 2-pound line, especially if you're not having much luck. Under these clear-water conditions, fish will see your line when it's stationary and not bite because of it. If you're fishing a jig or fly under a float and it's stationary, again, fish will see the line and not bite. Two-pound fluorocarbon is the best thing to use when fishing anything stationary (not moving). But if you're catching fish on 4-pound line, don't change. Just keep the 2-pound line in mind.

If fishing is tough, change. Change locations, change lures, change colors, change flies, change line or tippet. Don't just expect the trout to suddenly change their mood and bite your line.

Drifting scuds, eggs and San Juan Worms is still doing pretty good. But we're having to drop to #14's in some cases to get bit. Best to drift from Lookout Island down to Short Creek and either stay in the middle of the lake or on the inside bend. Use as little weight as possible to keep it off the bottom and out of the algae. Best scuds colors have been different shades of gray, olive, tan and brown. Best egg, is peach and best S.J.W. is red or pink.

The pink Powerworm is still working most days but when it gets sunny, you have to fish it deep under a float. Duane was fishing theirs 8-9 feet deep the other day and doing pretty good. Think about using 2-pound line on this rig too.

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[Krazo]

12 hours ago, Phil Lilley said:

 

Drifting scuds, eggs and San Juan Worms is still doing pretty good. But we're having to drop to #14's in some cases to get bit. Best to drift from Lookout Island down to Short Creek and either stay in the middle of the lake or on the inside bend. Use as little weight as possible to keep it off the bottom and out of the algae. Best scuds colors have been different shades of gray, olive, tan and brown. Best egg, is peach and best S.J.W. is red or pink.

 

 

what sizes do you normally start with?  12? 10?

 

Great report!  family and I will be down 22 & 23, we'll stop in and say hello.

[Bill Babler]

8-13-19

For the past 3 or 4 days the trout bite has really varied throughout the day.  Most days have been starting with cloud cover, a bit of breeze and flat water.  Both Guide Rick Lisek and myself have been fishing 1/2 micro jigs on this flat non-moving water, with really good results.  I'm using either olive with a green head or olive with an orange head.   Rick has been using ginger almost exclusively.  We are fishing these with 6X tippet about 7' under an indicator.  If it starts to get bright they really get fussy if the water is not moving and you may need to go to live bait.

Some of this depends on your ability.  If your not comfortable dead drifting a small fly and working it ever so slightly, then go to the bait.   The past several days I have had 3 clients most days and maybe one will fish the float and do it well, the others catchem better on the bait.  

When the water starts to move you can either drag crawlers or fish the powerworm with some weight deep on a float or dragging it on a drift rig.  Rick told me his afternoon trip today was fantastic using a small pink either full micro or a 100th. oz. pink jig under a float at 9' drifting the flats from Cooper up.

You can still catch them on the Powerworm, but don't put all your eggs in that basket.  A couple of the local guides that just get to taney on a limited basis really struggled with it the past couple of weeks.  Although success has been had with it the past several years, it is just a tool and not "the tool."  There is a time and place for it as there is with all your baits.

Fish your baits to fit the conditions.  On flat water naturals and natural colors are always best.  On moving water brighter colors come more into play.

Good Luck

 

 

[Fish24/7]

I need to dust off my trout gear and get back up there this Summer.  Last time I was there was 4 years ago fishing, off the bank and some kid was kicking my butt using fig newtons  like power bait!  I managed a few fish with a spinner but that kid really had them "fig"ured out😉

[Bill Babler]

Fish, they seem to eat anything from a size 30 midge to Duck Poop, just depends how and where.  When you get her totally figured out, please let me know.  I have told this story before, Phil and I were guiding a group of Dr.'s quite a few years ago and it was about as hot and slick with no current as you could get.  Of course they were fly fishing and we were of course struggling. There was one boat that wasn't, two old boys were throwing egg flies about the size of a quarter on spinning rods catching one after the other.  Go figure.

Years later I surmised those egg flies might just have been dipped in some kind of yum-yum, but who knows the evil mind of a trout.

[Phil Lilley]

On 6/12/2019 at 7:17 AM, Krazo said:

what sizes do you normally start with?  12? 10?

 

Great report!  family and I will be down 22 & 23, we'll stop in and say hello.

I'd start with #12's.  Move smaller from there.