Taneycomo Restrictions

[Tightline]

Trav,most of the Trout guys are really biting their lips right now.And its just because we try to keep this forum as civil as possible.The fact is you were being very arrogant.You couldn't even apologize with out being arrogant.

Now with that being said,I have been a so called (Big Bass) fisherman for the last 30 years,and decided to give this fly fishing for Trout on upper Taney a try this year.I have been humbled many times by the expertise of some of these fly guys.I'm not use to standing right beside a guy and having them literally kick my hind end fishing.Point is,grab you a fly rod and head up to the Trophy area,and just see how easy it is to catch those cheese Trout.

The lower end of Taney is not a big secret,I was chasing Bass and Trout around the lower end way back in the 60s.The 3 biggest coves just up from Powersite have some huge Bass in them.There was older man that lived in a little cottage at Edgewater beach resort that had one wall just covered with big Bass and Trout mounts.Any time we had a big rain you would see him at the back of one those coves catching the fire out of them.

Trav PM me sometime and we'll go fishing!!

[Amish Bill]

Well this has certainly been an exciting flurry of postings. I joined this website because I want to learn more about trout fishing and about Taneycomo and the local fishing etiquette. I am not a "fly" man yet but I am working my way up to that.

From what I can see, Taney offers such a wide range of opportunities to the sport fisherman... it's hard to understand why it isn't fished more than it is.

I understand the need for conservation. We practice this no matter what we are fishing for... my wife and I talked to the MDC agent at the hatchery about catch and release. He said that if we catch big bows in the upper area or for that matter anywhere in the lake, we should take them rather than releasing, as the bigger bows are usually "brooders" that have been released and need to be taken out of the "gene" pool. He also said that they do stock a few brownies, just not as heavily as the bows of course. The bottom line of all of this... whether you are a newbie just learning, a tourist coming for that guided trip because they want have a new experience on a lake they are not familiar with, a transplanted local or a guy who just wants to get his line wet whenever he can... we are all after the same thrill... and most of us would like to be able to pass this on the next generation. As long as MDC continues to stock lakes and streams with the bows you have a controlled species environment... so what are we trying to govern... MDC's stocking procedures or the fisherman?

[Phil Lilley]

Sorry Greg I wasn't offended... can't do it. I identified with Trav a bit comparing Taney to Naknek which is very unfair to Taney but it makes a point. I think Trav was making a point too, unpopular as it is, but being unfair to the upper end of the lake and the trout fishing here maybe because he doesn't completely understand the fishing up here (sorry for assuming and I know what assuming will do to a person). I honestly get real frustrated with fishing below the dam cause I KNOW what it is and I know these trout at stocked and I still can't catch them alot of the times!!! So it's not as easy as many think... or it's speaks to my skill level- one or the other.

[Project Healing Waters]

Trav,most of the Trout guys are really biting their lips right now.And its just because we try to keep this forum as civil as possible.The fact is you were being very arrogant.You couldn't even apologize with out being arrogant.

Now with that being said,I have been a so called (Big Bass) fisherman for the last 30 years,and decided to give this fly fishing for Trout on upper Taney a try this year.I have been humbled many times by the expertise of some of these fly guys.I'm not use to standing right beside a guy and having them literally kick my hind end fishing.Point is,grab you a fly rod and head up to the Trophy area,and just see how easy it is to catch those cheese Trout.

The lower end of Taney is not a big secret,I was chasing Bass and Trout around the lower end way back in the 60s.The 3 biggest coves just up from Powersite have some huge Bass in them.There was older man that lived in a little cottage at Edgewater beach resort that had one wall just covered with big Bass and Trout mounts.Any time we had a big rain you would see him at the back of one those coves catching the fire out of them.

Trav PM me sometime and we'll go fishing!!

Stop! PLEASE...no more! Let's keep the lower lake subculture off the Internet, please. We don't want every Bass Pro sponsored guide in mid-America sitting in the backs of those coves after a rain in $50k bass boats with TV camera crews alongside. For the love of God, man! Have you no shame?

[Greg]

Phil - I didn't mean to imply you were offended although I can see how my statement might have been interpreted that way. Sorry for that.

PHW - That is funny!!!!!

This thread has certainly been an interesting diversion from the normal hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I do wish everyone a happy holiday.

Greg

[Trav]

Gregg, Haha, I dont want to appear that I am picking on you or any other upper-lake flyfisherman. I am an "in your face" kind of guy. My family considers me a mix between Dennis Miller and Dennis Leary. I just call things as they are. I am a very black and white/right and wrong personality. I never concede and am aware I can be abraisive with the truth. My comments may have been "a little" offensive, but no more so than if I called your Dog ugly. If its ugly, Its ugly. Thats not at all being inaccurate though.

Tightline, HeHe, Dont bite that lip off. I will admit that I am extremely arrogant. Almost to level of entitlement. But no more so than Charles Barkley, Terrell Owens, or even Muhammud Ali. You know why they are that way? Because they are good at what they do and know it.

I have dedicated my entire life to excelling at the sport of fishing and not just Bass. I have worked as a guide in 3 different countries and have been in more tournements than most people spend days fishing in a lifetime. I brag because it is what I am proud of. I Know I am a prolific fisherman and with Taneycomo being my back yard for 3 decades, you can count on the fact that I spend more time on it in a year than do any 4 fishing guides combined.

As far as digging out my dusty old flyrod and standing elbow to elbow to wait for my turn to fish the Rebar hole, I will pass.

I agree that there is an art to flyfishing and it is more than just landing fish, but if I have to share a pool or a riff I can not enjoy myself. I took a relative up to the fall creek/cooper creek area like 3 or 4 years ago because he wanted to see it and there must have been 25 boats just stacked all over the place. Literally 30 feet from each other. Its insane. Not my cup of tea. Thanks for the offer anyway.

Phil, I totally understand how the upper lake is. Thanks for not assuming though..HaHa. Do yourself a favor, next time you cant get those fish up there to bite, Grab yourself some spinning tackle, drift your boat in the channel from where it starts to get deep, just up from fall creek, on down past cooper creek before you get to the ramp. Then repeat. Jig white feather roadrunners just off the bottom.

Now heres a little hint I tell everyone. In Taneycomo, no matter where, upper or lower, there is something about a little touch of blue. Take a sharpie and either tip the feathers blue or pin stripe the spinner. Or do both. Trust me, you will catch a few fish. Enough to say you didnt skunk out anyway. I never skunk out. Better to suck a little pride and fish the easy way than to catch nothing at all. Right?

Bill, To me, if the MDC dont monitor the fisherman, then the fisherman should monitor the MDC. It is our taxes. Should be full circle. There should be a minimum of two officers on the lake at all times. One for above Roark, and one for below Roark.

[Phil Lilley]

Thanks for sharing your heart.

White jigs work good in the winter and spring, some in the summer and little in the fall. Not sure why they slack off but they do for me. And if you know me, I'd rather throw a jig on 2 lb line than anything else.

[Greg]

Trav

Thanks for your last statements. No hard feelings here at all. I've got a relative that is an in your face kind of a guy too. Which is not always a bad thing.

Just one point about the upper lake though. If you think it is always elbow to elbow fishing - then you haven't been up there that much. I fish it fairly regularly (once a week on avg) and if you know where and when to go it's just not that crowded except a few holes. I can almost always find a spot to myself and some fish that cooperate (usually). The crowds are why I refuse to fish rebar (and above) in the daytime except in the winter (or at night).

Thanks for the tip regarding blue. Interesting. I'm already thinking of some ways to incorporate a little into a few favorite flies.

Greg

[Daddy Carp]

Trav, You're on it with the "blue"! I've been buying, Matzuo "rumble" shad lipless in a (blue/gray/black) shad pattern now for 2 years. The rumble shad was discontinued by Matzuo and the only place I can find them is on EBAY. I usually buy them in quantity along with a couple other colors. This (blu/gry/blk) seems to be the best "go-to" I've found on Pomme and several other lakes. Not only is the action & sound better than "rattle traps" but the color & appearance seem to be more desirable....looks so darn good, almost ate it my self! LOL

[jscheetz]

trout for they are nothing but welfare for the inept fisherman

hehehe - that was pretty funny Trav - gotta hand it to you - don't think you could come up with a better way to stir the pot and tick everyone off even if you thought about it!! But don't hold back, tell us how you really feel.

But - Phil said something that I can relate to - usually you can catch trout up by the dam - but on those occasions when they have lockjaw - it is much more frustrating than fishing some wild stream - cause you KNOW these guys were just recently taking food from a little kids hand as he threw it in the hatchery!! When I am fishing on the Madison and not catching anything it's OK - those fish are SUPPOSED to be tough! And anyone else have this experience - when you first get to Taney, until you catch that first fish - the pressure is on! You walk down to the water and see someone catch a fish, then you don't catch one for 20 minutes, you start to sweat a bit, fumbling through the fly box, tying on different flys as the guy just down from you brings in his third in a row - you want to just say what are you catching those on - but your fly fishing pride tells you "you can figure this out" - so you go back in the box etc etc - then once you land one - pressure's off and game is on.

Phil - I know you don't want to miff anyone off, but besides the beauty of the area and the wilderness aspect of it - is one of the reasons the Alaska vibe is better because of big fish? That is the only thing that could make Taney a bit better for me would be slightly bigger average size. I could deal with a few less fish if instead of mostly all being 12 to 15 they were all 18 to 22 or so. I like catching little brookies in the mountains too, but there is something nice about bigger fish if you can arrange it.

JS