[Editors Note: The most comprehensive fishing report available for Branson’s Lake Taneycomo submitted by people who fish the lake on just about a daily basis. As used in this report “Trophy Area” refers the portion of Branson’s Lake Taneycomo between the mouth of Fall Creek and the base of Table Rock Dam. It is the primary wade fishing area, a trophy management area and has special regulations and limits in effect within the area.]
Lake Taneycomo Trophy Area – Fly Fishing – by Carolyn Parker, River Run Outfitters
HOT! Hot says in a word what the weather has been like for fishing. We did catch a little break from the sauna like conditions on Thursday when it rained and cooled temperatures into the lower 90’s! So far this morning, the generation schedule is right on and the generation is actually running about 25-30 mwh (as projected), and we will see if it stays in that range. If it does, it is certainly wadeable below the fish ladder, once known as outlet 3.
Besides being at the mercy of the heat, it was impossible to predict tailwater conditions. Last week on Monday and Tuesday the conditions were good for waders early mornings till noon when heavy generation started. Wednesday through Friday the mornings started out at two units and ramped up a step at a time all afternoon making it difficult to find the fish settled into feeding areas. The power generation followed the projection Saturday with the low one generator spike in the morning and again in the afternoon. Otherwise, the water was off all day Saturday. Sunday, the projection was for a low one generator until early afternoon, but that did not happen. They ran the equivalent of one full generator, using two units.
Near the outlets, tan or brown glo balls, or gray and tan scuds are consistently working. Downstream from Rocking Chair and through to Lookout Island where our guides do most of their fishing, we caught fish in the higher water on the drift with a #12 pink midge, Big Ruby, a #14 tungsten red midge, and a red or hot pink San Juan worm. When the water was off or running at a lower 2 units, we used Primrose and pearl, the purple, black and rusty zebra midges. Guide Jim is still dropping size 22 bloodworms from a black thorax midge. The tan b-bug, dark gray sowbug, and light and dark gray scuds also worked. Most days early in the morning with the fog on the water, we did okay with the 12 olive or black wooly buggers and the olive floozieplume. With the sun out, Stan did well having his clients strip the holographic green crackle back.
Fishing can still be rated fair to good– again, that depends on where you are fishing and what you are throwing. In the early mornings, if the water is off, try a black zebra or the rusty zebra. If there is any surface activity, especially if the fog is still on the water, the small, 18-20 black thorax midge has been working. Otherwise, strip olive or black buggers.
Submitted by Carolyn Parker, River Run Outfitters
Lake Taneycomo by Eric Prey, FocusedFishing.com
The Corps has been running a small amount of water in the morning and picking up generation in the after noon to meet power needs. The jig bite has been very good before generation picks up, olive, sculpin and ginger jigs worked erratically will produce numbers and quality around cover. Micro sculpin or white jigs fished below an indicator have been the top bait in the trophy area through Fall Creek. Once the generation picks up drift rigs with Gulp or Power bait eggs and inflated crawlers have been the best option.
Submitted by Eric Prey, Focused Fishing
Lake Taneycomo by Phil Lilly, Ozark Anglers
After a searing week, the heat streak has broken, and we’re seeing temperatures in the lower 90′s with a nice breeze, too. Yes, that’s actually cool, cooler than the triple digits we and most of the Midwest were enduring. But you know . . . trout fishing hasn’t been all that bad, even through the hot weather. The water has been running almost every day, most of the time in the afternoons but lately in the mornings, too, which has kept the lake water nice and cool for our trout. Water temps have risen from the low 40′s to 46 degrees right now — still too cold for those tempted to jump in. Generation has been high in the afternoons, running up to four units. Lilley’s Landing guests have still been out catching trout, but the best time has been early in the morning before the fog burns off.
This fishing report could be a copy-and-paste of my last report. It’s amazing how many nice rainbows keep coming out of the area between Fall Creek and Short Creek. Most of the fishing guides have gravitated to the same pattern: Head up to the trophy area and fish a jig-and-float for two hours to catch nice trophy rainbows, then head down out of the trophy area and fish night crawlers for rainbows the clients want to keep.
I had a trip Thursday and again this morning, but we stayed below Fall Creek the entire time and fished night crawlers. On Thursday, we drifted crawlers on four-pound line with small bell weights (1/4-ounce) since two units were running. We used a small #8 bronze hook and shot a little air in the worm to make it float. We tried to stay in the middle of the lake and caught a couple of dozen rainbows. This morning they ran one unit for just a little bit. We started at 6 a.m., anchoring below Fall Creek about 800 yards in the middle of the lake. The trout bit well until the water started moving about 7:30 a.m.. We pulled the anchors and started floating. I thought the fishing would improve, but it actually slowed unusually. We made one slow drift down to Short Creek, then headed back up. As we started another drift, the water slowed. We dropped anchor, and after the current slowed to a crawl, we started catching fish again. The two boys ended up catching 25 rainbows, the biggest was 17 inches.
Night crawlers are by far the best bait right now. Inject them with air and float them off the bottom about 12 to 18 inches.
Above Fall Creek, a straight jig or jig and float is best. If you’re using a jig and float, use two-pound line. If you’re throwing a jig–1/8th-ounce to 1/16-ounce–you can get away with four-pound, but two-pound is still better. Since our water is clear, our trout are growing particular.
For fly fishermen, the trout are starting to look up! Dry flies like beetles, hoppers, ants and midges are hot flies right now. When the water is down and when it’s running just a bit, the spots along the bank’s edge and under overhanging trees are best. Scuds are still the go-to fly on Taneycomo. When the water is off, you may have to drop to 7x tippet and #18 or #20 scuds, but when the water is running you can get away with 6x or even 5x tippet and #10- to #14-size scuds. Use them in gray, olive, tan or brown.
Night fishing is great. Wade below the dam or get out in a boat. Both have been very good lately. The boat thing is tricky due to the lake fog every night, but when the moon gets brighter, you can make your way around fairly well. Dark 1/8th or 3/32nd-ounce jigs work best. Throw them straight and work them off the bottom, fishing from the dam to Fall Creek and even further down. When we fly fish, it’s mainly in the shallow water below the dam so sink tips are not necessary. Weighted or unweighted dark wooly buggers, leeches, muddlers, streamers, PMS, pine squirrels, and hibernators are working great.
Submitted to multiple sources by Phil Lilley, Ozark Anglers
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