Lilley's Lake Taneycomo fishing report, November 1

Trout fishing on Lake Taneycomo is holding up fairly well this fall.  We can't complain about the weather, that's for sure!  If anything it's been on the warm side.  Table Rock's water was in the 70's for most of October.  It really needs to cool down for Table Rock Lake to turn over.  Looking into the future, I see some cool weather coming, but not really any cold temperatures yet.  Depending on what the second half of November does weather-wise, the lake won't turn over until well into December.

Our water quality hasn't been terrible, in my opinion.  Of course in the fall months, the water we get from Table Rock is low in oxygen because it comes from a depth of 130 feet.  When the U.S. Corps of Army Enginers runs the turbines at Table Rock Dam, officials inject liquid oxygen into the water to bring the O2 levels up to at least four parts per million.  I've been taking some readings and finding levels between four and six ppm during generation and about four ppm when the water isn't running.  Our lake water temperatures are holding at 54 degrees right now.

The trout I've been catching are fighting hard when hooked.  I've been very happy with the condition of the trout, so I don't think the low DO has affected them very much.  BUT we have been seeing a fungus on our larger trout called saprolegnia that has cause some problems.

Our Missouri Department of Conservation has studied this fungus and published an article just the other day with information on the issue and what can be down to minimize damage to our trout.  Here's the link to the article - Mold-based infection being seen on some Lake Taneycomo trout.

As stated, this is a common problem our coldwater fisheries have to deal with and is treatable within the raceways.  But MDC cannot treat the trout in the lake, so they have fight off the fungus themselves.  I assume as soon as our lake water quality improves, this fungus won't be a problem.  But we should continue good handling practices regardless if there's an issue with fungus or not.

Generation patterns remain the same.  Most mornings there's no generation until noon or after.  Then the water is running anywhere from 25 to 90 megawatts of water until dark.  Then it's off again until the next day.  Cooler weather may change this a bit.  We may see less generation with less power demand, but some running water does distribute good oxygenated water downstream where it's needed.

The following report is written by Blake Wilson, a dock hand here at Lilleys' and a full-time fishing guide.

In the mornings with the water off, many fish can be found from Cooper Creek all the way to the Branson Landing.  They can be caught using the Berkley's Pink Power Worm trimmed to  one inch on a 1/80th-ounce jig head.  The head color doesn't matter much.  Fish it anywhere from two-to nine-feet deep, moving it deeper as the sun gets higher in the sky.

October has been fairly windy this year.  Most afternoons you could find a good chop on the surface of the lake anywhere on the lake.  In the trophy area, when the water isn't running, use a miracle/egg fly in orange or yellow, paired with a #14 to #18 zebra midge in black/copper, root beer or ruby as a dropper.  Fish this under a float and keep that bottom fly within a foot or so of the bottom.  The white or chartreuse mega worm under a float is also catching some nice rainbows and browns, along with a Lilley's 1/50th-ounce sculpin jig under a float. 

With generators on in the afternoons, the UV orange egg fly #14 paired with a #14 to #16 crystal gray or tan scud, using the slip bobber (Utah Rig) is great, drifting from the dam clear down to Trout Hollow.  Also try an orange or red San Juan worm.

Be mindful of the algae that is kicked up when generation starts at the dam.  This mucks up the water for about 30 minutes before clearing out.

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I (Phil) have been throwing a few jigs and catching fish, with the water running mainly.  I've heard a few people using white jigs and catching some nice browns and rainbows up below the dam during generation, but I  haven't had any such luck.  Black and brown jigs, along with sculpin, have drawn the fish for me.  The weight of jig depends on how much water. 

Fishing off our dock has been spotty.  Night crawlers have been best, injected wth air when the water isn't running.  Use two-pound line for best results.