Lake Taneycomo
Fishing Reports This page was updated 5/17/08
This report was submitted by Leonard Keeney of Ridgedale on 4/7/08
Date of Trip: 4/4 - 4/5/07 Times fished: Night and Day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Flood State Water quality: Slightly Clouded What worked: Stickbaits
With the high water, most everyone is still using spinning rods. Stickbait are producing anything and everything!
Jigs in white, olive, black and brown. Leeches were working GREAT if you got them out of the fast water.
Scuds, sowbugs, eggs and SJ worm.. No matter what anyone thinks. If you have the fever to fish, Taneycomo
is fishing AWESOME!! Friday night, Saturday and Saturday night, the fishing was AWESOME. After the crowd
got there it slowed down. Leeches, stickbait and PMS jig (with a trailer unweighted PMS). OH man every cast. I
was rolling it slow. The only bad thing that really happened Saturday night was a boat came up to outlet 1 and found
some still water -- right where I was throwing my baits. After a couple of tangles, I left and went downstream to find
Fly2Fish and Joel.. About 30 minutes after the boat left, the fishing picked up again.
I tell you what folks. I've been listening to Leonard's stories about the flood stage
fishing for a few weeks now, and it sounds crazy there right now. In addition to the
normal big trout, they're catching 5lb smallmouth, whopper walleyes like in the pic, and
they've even pulled out a couple of gar and an 80+ pound spoonbill. Crazy! Thanks for
the report Leonard. Leonard owns Taneycomo Nights
guide service, specializing in night fishing for whopper trout on Lake Taneycomo --
although he's quickly learning the ropes on other species as well!
This report was submitted by Randall Coffer of Springfield on 2/26/08
Date of Trip: 2/23/08 Times fished: 3:00pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Overcast Water Level: Very High Water quality: Slightly Clouded What worked: Kastmaster and Thomas Buoyant
My friend and I and our girlfriends got there about 3:00 in the afternoon. There
were more more poeple there than I thought there would be. I went right next to
the hatchery outlet and threw out a kastmaster first. It took about 15 minutes for
me to get a small one. Later, I switched to a thomas buoyant, green and white
with black dots, and caught a pretty good size one. Threw both fish back. I was
the only one to catch anything with my group.
Too bad your friends got skunked. When the lake is crowded, lure
fishing is certainly not easy. Thanks for the report Randall.
Welcome aboard.
This report was submitted by Leonard Keeney of Ridgedale on 1/16/08
Date of Trip: 1/15/08 Times fished: Night time Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Overcast Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Gin Clear What worked: Midges, sowbugs, leeches
If you can bare the cold windy nights, Taneycomo is fishing at its best right now for this time of year.
Last night I got to the water about 8:30pm and stayed til almost midnight. When I got there the water
looked like it was going at 3 units, so I started with the Midge/egg combo catching 9. Took off the
egg as the water really started to drop out and put on a gray sowbug, catching 12 more. The water
had really dropped out by now, and the wind picked up a little more (just before 10pm). I went up
top to outlet 1, changed rigs and started throw the PMS with a few good hard strikes and no takes.
I went to a smaller leech (something I been working on) Light gray... and then it broke loose....
Fishing on a dead drift sinking it to the bottom, stripping it fast, stripping slow... no matter what kind
of retrieve it was, they hit it. I even hooked one as I was releasing a fish. Dropped the fly into the water
and bam, had another without even having to cast. I did this from the lower part of outlet 1 all the way
down the flats. I lost count of the number -- well over 50. What a Night!!!
Shut up Leonard! You're getting on my nerves, dude! :-) Leonard owns Taneycomo Nights guide service,
specializing in night fishing for whopper fish on Lake Taneycomo. He doesn't
catch 50+ fish every night, but he absolutely catches more than his fair share
of fish, and I haven't heard anything but high praise from his clients.
Thanks again for the help Leonard.
This report was submitted by Frank Van Dijk of Overland Park, KS on 11/5/07
Date of Trip: 11/2/07 Times fished: 7:00am - 6:30pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What worked: Zebra
I drove to Branson early in the morning on Friday the 2nd of November and parked behind the hatchery, close to the
dam. I wanted to fish the rebar hole, but that spot was already taken, so I waded over the other side and fished
between the rebar hole and the big hole. It got busier during the day but not the crowds I had expected. Actually when
I got there at 7am there were only a handful people on the water.
First thing in the morning (just before sunrise) and later in the afternoon when the sun was down, egg patterns worked
really well and I landed several small (up to 10") Browns on peach colored glo-bugs. I couldn't buy a bite on them after
the sun hit the water. The rest of the day it was a bit hit and miss but black zebra midges (size 16-18) worked really
well. I also had good luck with tan and black colored scuds (size 16-20). I personally only caught 1 fish on a black
woolly bugger but a fellow fisherman across the stream from me did really well (for a while) on a green woolly bugger
pattern. The fish were quite line shy and I had to fish at least 6X to keep the action going.
They didn't run the water at all this day and I think that slowed the bite down a bit as well. If you are planning to drive
down to Taneycomo you can find out the waterlevels and whether or not they are running the generators by calling
417-336-5083.
Thanks for the report Frank. Sounds like pretty normal stuff for daylight on Taneycomo:
tie this one on, get a few hits... tie that one, get a few hits. That monster fish is
lurking out there, though. Just the chance at hooking into a world record brown makes
the trip worthwhile.
This report was submitted by Mike _________ of Ballwin on 7/9/07
Date of Trip: 7/4-7/8/06 Times fished: Night and Day Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What worked: Pine Squirrel & Sculpin
Fished Taney most mornings and evenings from 7/4 -7/8 and caught a lot of fish from the dam to the
big hole on olive bead head scud size 16 & 18, white jig with red thread size 14, firecracker orange
w/grizzly cracklebacks size 14 & 16 and primrose scud size 16................but, the best time was had
when my son and I went out on 7/5 at 1 am with Leonard (Taneycomo Nights)! We caught a ton of
fish on pine squirrel, sculpins and several others. We had a blast! My son got cold around 3:30 am and
headed to the truck to warm up, but Leonard and I fished for another hour until I was numb! If anyone
is looking for an AWESOME guide, Leonard with Taneycomo Nights is your guy!!
I've been hearing more and more of this sort of thing Mike. When I lived in
Springfield in the 80's & 90's, I quickly became a Taneycomo night fisherman
almost exclusively. It's an absolute blast. I can't wait to get down to
go fishing with Leonard. FYI for everyone else, Leonard's website is
www.TaneycomoNights.com
This report was submitted by Rodney Holland of Springfield on 7/9/07
Date of Trip: 7/7/07 Times fished: 10:00am - 1:00pm, and 4:00-7:00pm Air Temperature: Sultry Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin Clear What worked: Black Zebra Midge, Brown & Grey Scuds
A couple friends and I went to Taneycomo for the day. Although we stayed within the first
1/4 mile of the dam, we had a great day. We were all using the midges and scuds under a
strike indicator with great success. I ended up catching 11 in total with another 10 that got
off before I landed them. Between the 3 of us we caught 31 trout, all in the 14"-17" range.
All in all it was a great day to be on the water with my friends catching fish!
Nothing better! Thanks Rodney.
This report was submitted by Kerry Ogle of Webb City on 7/4/07
Date of Trip: 7/3/07 Times fished: 10:30pm - 2:30am Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Very Low Water quality: Gin Clear What worked: Mohawk Scuplin
I've been listening to all the hubbub about night fishing down on Taney. And since the last
few times I've tried to go during the day, they seem to start generating while I am on the way
down. I decided to give it a try. Heck, what did I have to loose... I sure wasn't doing a lot
of catching that's for sure.
I showed up around 10ish, and they had just stopped generating for the night. Leonard and
Duckydoty were already in the parking lot and were gearing up. We had never met and I told
them that I was a total n00b at night fishing. It wasn't too hard to convince them either after they
looked at my setup.... You know it.... 9ft 5wt with a tapered leader and 6x tippet and a lot of
14-20 sized flies. I guess I looked pretty pathetic because Duckydoty stared giving me some 'proper' night flies
and Leonard re-rigged my rod. He also said he would take me on a tour and show me a little
night action. I finished gearing up and we headed out.
When we got there, Leonard pointed me to an area to cast and helped me with my stripping.
Bam! And I had a hit... You gotta love it when you get a hit on the first cast of the day (or night).
Pick up and recast... This went on for some time.. I seems that I just wasn't able to set the hook.
If I would have figured out how to set the hook I'd had a least 50 fish on. Leonard changed out
my flies until we could find a balance between the fish's desires and my skills (or lack there of).
Heck, he even caught two himself while he as tying flies on my line with his rod tucked up under
his armpit. After a while, I started to get the hang of it and began hooking up fish. The action
was on top and there was plenty of it. We were having a hoot. Lots of catching going on.
Leonard said he was a gonna get me a big fish... He showed me where to cast and after a few
attempts I was able to hit the spot and started stripping... Bam! It was a really nice 'bow. Definitely
bigger than the dinks I catch during the day.
By now the moon was really out and they stopped hitting on top. We changed to one of Leonard's
flies he calls a 'Mohawk sculpin' and started moving downsteam. They were working really well... a
fish here, a fish there.... strip it in, Bam! And then it happened.... KaBlam! I thought some body tied
a boat anchor on my line and threw it downstream (or it was Terry's man-eatin squid). My 5wt was
doubled over. All I could do was holler 'Oh Sh#$' and the fight was on! Leonard heard all the commotion
and headed on over to help with landing it. She was a beautiful brown. I'm not gonna say how big,
cause I didn't bring a tape measure nor a camera. But I will say that I see all kinds of pictures of folks
holding up fish only 2/3rds this size. It was definitely the biggest fish I have ever pulled out of Taney.
After it was all said and done it was some awesome fishing... I had enough adrenalin pumping through
me for the two hour drive home making it in just in time to see the sun a coming up and enjoy some cold brew.
I know there a lot of other N00bs looking at getting into night fishing so I would like to throw my .02 in. First,
Polish up on the basics... Learn to cast with your eyes closed and do it without hooking yourself (or others like
your guide). And learn to set the hook (this especially helpful if you like 'catching' fish). Second, do not attempt
to do this alone! Get in touch with the experts! I thought I would be able to pick it on my
own, like I have always done. I was totally wrong, had it not been for Leonard and Duckydoty. I would have
been skunked, and for no good reason. One night fishing with them has shaved years off of the learning curve.
As far as I am concerned, I am pretty much done fishing under the sun this summer. I'll be a night stalking from
now on. Maybe I'll even be able to talk my son and wife into staying up all night with me.
Sounds like a great trip. I'll ask Leonard for a size estimate on your fish and will
post it here (for entertainment purposes only!). For all concerned, the Leonard mentioned
in this report is Leonard Keeney of Taneycomo Nights Guide Service. His website is
now up at www.TaneycomoNights.com.
Thanks Kerry.
This report was submitted by Pat ________ of Oakville on 5/23/07
Date of Trip: 5/18/07 Times fished: Noon - 2pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What worked: Tri-colored Glo-bug
My Buddy Aaron and I spent the weekend @ Table Rock. We weren't having any
luck with the bass there, so we left the chicks at camp and headed to the dam. Called
on the way there and they had no units running. Drove faster. We both caught 4 in
about 40 minutes, all bows, no lunkers, but on such an awesome day, who cares.
Tons of anglers downstream from us, I went back to truck to take a leak and tie on
some top water, and of course, the horn blew, they started running 2 units, so we
split, hoping to surprise the gals, since they didn't expect us back until at least dark.
Guess we showed them! All in all, one great day on the water with my best bud.
Sweeeeeeet. Gotta get back.... soon.
Good to hear from you again Pat. Glad you had some luck, but I
have to ask: Bass? What were you thinking???
This report was submitted by Leonard Keeney of Ridgedale on 1/17/07
Date of Trip: 2/16/07 Times fished: 8:30pm - 12:30am Air Temperature: Frigid Weather: Overcast Water Level: Very High Water quality: Slightly Clouded What worked: Pine Squirrel Sculpin, Mink Streamer, Mohawk Sculpin
High winds blowing about 15-25mph. With 4 units on I started fishing chute 1. Went though
a small chain of flies that works the best for me at night. Just after 9pm they shut the generators
down to 2. I finally found that a brown Pine Squirrel Sculpin was the fly of choice tonight
(at least for now). Ended up catching 3-4, then went to the car for some coffee. I remembered
I had some Mink (gray) streamers in there. Well I caught another 3 on it. Then I went to a
white Mohawk sculpin (for a little bottom fishing) and ended up catching a few more. I think
I totaled out about a dozen fish. No real size to them. I had 1 pushing 16", maybe weighed
1-1/2 lbs maybe close to 2lbs. That may sound like BS, but the spawn is getting ready to start.
And, oh by the the way, did I mention there's a shad kill right now? They are so FAT on shad,
they are spitting them out when you catch them. I had 2 big ones hooked but never got to see them!
Thanks again Leonard. Large numbers of shad getting sucked through the dam
doesn't happen very often on Taneycomo, but I remember a shad kill when I
was going to school in Springfield (many moons ago). Before the event, the
average sized fish I caught was 12-13". Within a very few months, they were
averaging 15-16". FREAKY!
Leonard is owner of "Taneycomo Nights", a fishing guide service specializing
in night fishing Lake Taneycomo. Give him a call. You'll have a great time.
Leonard Keeney
Taneycomo Nights
(417)-779-8061
This report was submitted by Leonard Keeney of Ridgedale on 1/23/07
Date of Trip: 1/21 & 1/22/07 Times fished: 11am-4pm (1/21)and 7pm-10pm (1/22) Air Temperature: Chilly to Freezing Weather: Overcast Water Level: Very High Water quality: Slightly Clouded What worked: Roo Bugs, Midges, Eggs
1/21/07:
3 units on... although they did drop it alittle, but in about 30 minutes it came back up.
With only a few place to fish, I went to chute 2. Started with a scud and San Juan
worm dropper, picked up 2. Then changed to a roo bug (#12).. with a roo dropper
(#14). Within about 30 minutes I caught about 12-15 fish and had a couple hooked
that could have went a good 20". Then they slowed down again, so I put on a peach
egg, caught 4, and switched again. This time to a "new roo". WOW does it work!!
I think he tied it up in a size 16. Well, I fished it for about 30 minutes and hooked into
a really big bow (24-25" on the small side). It was a MONSTER. With the rookie
daytime fisher that I am, it ended up being "an up close and personal, But dont touch
me release". As I was reaching for the line it flipped the hook at me and straight into
the back of my hand. NOTE: when fishing big flies debarb your hooks!! In comes out
easier. After that, I decided to go back to the double roo, finishing off the day at chute 2
with somewhere around 25-30 fish. All in all a good day.
Here is the roo bug (scud) tied from real kangaroo. The mixture of colors is natural --
that's how it came off the skin.
1/22/07:
I got there just after 7pm, and we fished til just after 10pm. My buddy was already in the
water. I started with a midge and scud dropper -- 1 fish. He started with a midge and an
egg and was catching more fish then me -- about 5 -- so I changed over to an egg also.
We stood in chute 2 for almost an hour and a half and probably caught 20-25 fish EACH.
Got bored with that and went to chute 1. First cast out, fish on, still with the midge and egg
dropper. Well, we didn't do as good in 1 as we did in chute 2, but we totaled out maybe
9-12 each there also. Moved back down to 2 and caught more. By this time we lost count.
It was a good night. It seemed to us they shut down a generator tonight. The water dropped
down enough to expose the big rock below the stairs at chute 2. Average size fish for the night
were between 15-17", maybe an 18 or 20. We had fun, and it was great fishing.
Thanks for the reports Leonard.
Leonard is owner of "Taneycomo Nights", a fishing guide service specializing
in night fishing Lake Taneycomo. Give him a call. You'll have a great time.
Leonard Keeney
Taneycomo Nights
(417)-779-8061
This report was posted by Walt Fulps (your humble host) on 11/27/06
Date of Trip: 11/25/06 Times fished: 6am - 10am Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Low Water quality: Gin clear What worked: Nothing worked great
Took the family to Branson over the Thanksgiving holiday and managed to sneak
away for a bit of fishing on Saturday morning. Haven't been down for over a
year, and I was pretty bummed out by what I saw. They're building additional
hatchery raceways in place of the old rearing pond, which is fantastic news,
but it requires that you drive around the upstream side of the hatchery
buildings to get to the first parking area, AND it temporarily has eliminated
the outlet below that part of the hatchery, which definitely hurt the fishing.
So, why was I so bummed? I pulled in at 5:45 am and discovered there were
already 60 cars parked there -- no kidding, I counted them. All morning long,
I fished with a "comrade" 10 feet to my right and another 10 feet to my left.
It seemed that almost everyone was struggling, with a handful of us getting
hookups from time to time. One kid who looked to be about 14 or 15 was
absolutely tearing them up, and you could see the steam coming off the nearby
adult fishermens' frustrated brows as they strained their eyes trying to see
the miracle fly he was using. I was within ear shot of the kid the entire
morning, and not once did anyone have the courage to ask him what he was using.
How's that for pride?
I also did not ask him what he was using, but it was mainly because I know that's
not generally the most important thing. I did watch his technique, though, and
it appeared that his advantage was fairly simple. He was sight-fishing and targeting
specific fish, and he was striking the moment the fish opened its mouth. Unfortunately,
my eyesight isn't good enough to accomplish what he was doing, even though I was wearing
polarized glasses (he didn't even have sunglasses on). How great would it be to have perfect
eyesight again?
So, here's the breakdown of what worked for me. I hooked 5 and only landed 2. The three
I lost were directly related to not being able to play the fish properly due to the crowded
conditions. I broke off the fish of the day, which was a brown of probably 20" or so, when
a neighbor dropped his fly across my line, causing me to instintively yank -- quick break off,
and the guy didn't even apologize. My five hook-ups came on the following: black wd40 #22,
black midge emerger #22, sowbug #18, chamois worm #14, orange micro-egg #16.
As an aside, I took my 8 year old son to Dogwood Canyon for a bit of fee fishing on
Sunday. He's learning to fly fish, and if he's not catching fish, he loses interest.
We won't be going to back Dogwood Canyon. We paid $48 to fish for 2 hours, and portions of
the fishing area didn't even have fish in it. I don't know about you, but if I'm going
to pay to fish, I expect the river to be overstocked with bigger than average fish, and
I expect the fishing to be easy. My son was pretty darn disappointed, even though he
did catch one. After he gave up, I continued fishing, but only caught three in an
hour. All four fish were in the 11-12" size range. Next time, we'll stick with Westover
or Windrush. They're closer to home, cheaper, and the fishing is 10x better!
This report was submitted by Pete Weaver of Branson on 10/15/06
Date of Trip: 10/8 - 10/9/06 Times fished: All Day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Very Low Water quality: Gin clear What worked: None
Fishing was extremely slow these two days. Full moon at night. Two days of fishing, 13 fish. Would look up from below the rebar hole up to
shoot one, many a times, and no fish were on. One guy with the most luck had indicated he was using a soft shelled scud. He had a 25"
brown on but lost it. Other than that, a good few days to be out on the water, but they were long ones.
Unlike many Octobers, trout fishing results have been spotty across the state. One day you might tear them
up, the next day you might get skunked. This October is challenging even the best fishermen among us. Thanks
for the report, Pete.
This report was submitted by DJ Shafer of Kansas City on 10/15/06
Date of Trip: 10/7 - 10/8/06 Times fished: 6am - dark Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin clear What worked: #22 "Bit Scud" & small midges during the day, large streamers at night
Fishing pretty slow overall. The browns are making their annual spawning run and are thick in the trophy area. Saw several that would
push the 15 pound mark. Hooked one big brown early in the morning that probably weighed 7-8 pounds. It came off after about a 5 min.
fight. Saturday I caught about 15 fish. Couldn't find anything that would work consistently. I would pick up one or two on a pattern and
then would have to change to find something else that would catch one or two. Sunday I landed 20-25 fish mostly using a tan "bit scud"
size 22 tied with a red head. The red head was really important drawing hits 3 to 1 over one with a tan or brown head. Most fish caught
sight fishing to feeding fish on the flats. Cast 1-3 feet in front of the fish depending on how fast the fish is moving and watch the fish to see
if it picks up your fly as the takes are very soft and rarely move a strike indicator. This technique allows you to target the larger fish. I
hooked 5-6 fish over 20" and landed 3, all rainbows. Only caught one brown using this technique.
Welcome aboard DJ. Even though Taneycomo is packed with fish, they sure can be finicky at times.
Still sounds like you had a good trip.
This report was submitted by Leonard _________ of Ridgedale on 10/16/06
Date of Trip: 10/4/06 Times fished: Night Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Overcast Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What worked: size 12 tan scud
This fish was caught about 1am... the big browns are in!!!
NICE!!! Thanks Leonard.
This report was submitted by Matt Rhees of Cedar Hill on 9/14/06
Date of Trip: 9/9 Times fished: morning & evening Air Temperature: Frigid Weather: Sunny Water Level: Very Low Water quality: Gin clear What worked: #22 Scud
The air was really cold in the morning. I started off with a size 22 scud and brought in 36 for the day. A couple were 18
inchers and one 20 inch. Lately I've been told the smaller flies are working better becuase not too many fisherman are using
them. Once the generators get going the fishing dies a little, but goes back to normal when the water goes down.
Scud are definitely the go to pattern at Taneycomo, especially when nothing else is working.
Thanks for the report, and welcome aboard.
This report was submitted by Eric _______ from Texas on 8/2/06
Date of Trip: 7/19 - 7/29 Times fished: various Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin clear What worked: Scuds & Midges
Fishing the trophy area at low water was awesome!!! 25- 30 fish within a couple of hours. Scuds worked the best for me
on this trip. Once they start generating the fishing gets real difficult, a few stragglers hang out at the discharges from the hatchery
(fishermen and fish). As soon as the water calms down the trout turned right back on.
Glad to hear you had a good trip, and glad to hear they're generating again. The periodic "flooding"
actually helps the fishery by adding oxygen to the water and keeping the scud & sowbugs stirred up.
Thanks for the report, Eric.
This report was submitted by Andrew Maienschein of Jefferson City on 7/26/06
Date of Trip: 7/14 - 7/21/06 Times fished: off and on, mainly early & late Air Temperature: Steamy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Very Low Water quality: Gin clear What worked: Marabou Jigs, Power Bait, Minnows
Water level was extremly low, not enough to run from table rock. We took the water tempature at Blue Haven Resort one day off the
dock, it read 80 degrees. That same day a fisherman caught a catfish off that dock. I knew there were bass up in the creeks downstream
by rockaway beach but catfish!?! Bluegill were also being caught off the dock. Only success was to move deep or go up to the hatchery.
Caught a handful that week, but it was very slow. To darn hot, crying out for rain!
Good grief! When Taneycomo has 80 degree water, you know we're hurting! The good news is
that we should see a good brown trout run this fall, and it may be earlier than normal.
When water temperatures cool into the mid-60's, it triggers the browns to start their pre-spawn
migration. Everyone keep your eyes open. A few days of good rain will prompt
them to run water off Table Rock, and then the water temp will drop like a rock.
This report was submitted by Ken DeClue of Richmond Heights on 4/10/06
Date of Trip: 4/7 to 4/8/06 Times fished: 2:00pm Saturday & 12:00pm Sunday Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Very Low Water quality: Gin clear What worked: White Mini-jig, Olive Scud, G-Bug
I fished the trophy area both days, and man did I ever catch fish! Saturday was me trying to find out what would work, and I
threw quite a bit at these wary subjects much to my frustrations. It seemed like these trout knew every fly I had. I was catching
fish, but I was really working to do so. I ended the day for the most part with about 20 catches and maybe 30 bites -- nothing of
real size, a couple of 12 inchers but that was it. Sunday I fished with a friend who used a one the guides down there from chartered
waters, great people to say the least, and he showed me a few tricks. First off you need a 9 ft. leader for nymphing and 7x tippet,
and use the smallest scud you have. My buddy gave me a fly called a g-bug that his guide turned him on to. Let me tell you, when
I got back I ordered a half dozen, because these flies work! They are so good, all you need to do is wave it over the water and
they jump into your net. We caught more fish Sunday morning than I caught all day Saturday. It was real hard to leave while I was
still catching fish, but it's a long drive home and we needed to get back so one of the guys could go to the hockey game. To tell the
truth, I couldn't see why with how they've been playing. To sum things up small is good down there -- small is really good.
Sounds like a great trip, Ken. Thanks for the report. FYI to our other visitors: The G-Bug has the
basic profile of a woolly bugger, but it's tied very small. Usually sizes 16 through 20. They are
usually weighted and fished like a nymph.
This report was submitted by Ryan Frierson of Springfield, MO on 2/14/06
Date of Trip: 2/14/06 Times fished: 10:00am to 2:00pm Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin clear What worked: Wooly Bugger, Scud, Hare's Ear
I took advantage of the one nice day forcasted this week to catch up on some fishing. I was surprised to see only
a handful of others at Taney doing the same, but their loss. The flies from Walt (Trout Hunter Flyshop)
arrived just in time too. The ones I listed above worked great, and between those three things were pretty consistent. Thanks again for
the flies, Walt.
Ryan, you don't need to thank me for the flies, but I need to thank you for: (1) the report, (2) the kind
words, and (3) helping us keep the doors open and the lights on! Glad you had a good trip.
This report was submitted by Jeremy Badgett of Ft. Leonard Wood on 12/31/05
Date of Trip: 12/29 - 12/30/05 Times fished: All day Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Partly Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin clear What worked: Primrose Midges, Gray Scud, Green Hare's Ear Nymph What DIDN'T work: Wooly Buggers
We started fishing below the hatchery outlets. The fishing was slow, not only for us but everybody. Caught a few on the new local fly,
the Primrose Midge. Went down to the pools farther down and used some Wooly Buggers deep, BUT no luck. The midge hatch
started, and we switched back to the midge nymphs and had some more luck. Next day fished up in the hatchery outlet area and
had slow luck with the midges, so I tried some scuds. The grey ones caught a few. The third hatchery outlet has some construction
work being done on it, and it has very muddy water coming out of it.
Thanks for the report, Jeremy. If anyone can send us a picture of a "Primrose
Midge", we'll post it here.
This report was submitted by Randall Barron of Warrenton on 12/29/05
Date of Trip: 12/23/05 Times fished: Mid-day til evening Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Slightly clouded What worked: Scud, emergers, mosquitos What DIDN'T work: pheasant tail, copper john
Got on the water about 11ish. They ran one generator for about an hour, during which I caught two on gray scuds.
As the water started to go down, I saw them feeding on the top, so I switched to a gray emerger pattern and just tore
into em. I missed way too many strikes, but landed several fish -- nothing over 14 inches though. I then moved to outlet
1, where I had no luck with scuds, so I tied the emerger back on and started catching again. I broke for food around 3,
came back with an hour of daylight to fish. I had no luck with the emerger, so I tied on a small mosquito and caught fish
until dark, including a fiesty 15-16" brown. For some reason, the only place scuds work consistently for me is the riffle in outlet 2.
Thanks, Randall. We appreciate the help.
This report was submitted by Bob Andrews of Springfield on 12/26/05
Date of Trip: 12/22/05 Times fished: Morning through afternoon Air Temperature: Frigid Weather: Sunny Water Level: Very low Water quality: Gin Clear What worked: #14 Blue Scud w/Small Tan Scud Trailer What DIDN'T work: Everything else
It was colder than a well digger's butt in the Klondike to start off (21F). Tip and guides iced up. A dip of the
rod in the water, and shake to take care of that. Small rainbows were hitting pretty well at rebar then I moved
up and begin to nail much bigger fish. At 1400 the temperature was in the 50's. The attached picture is one I
caught. I do not have a clue as to weight. I had to take a picture as my old pals from New Hampshire were
getting skeptical about my fish stories. BTW, this was not the biggest one I caught that day. Taney is running
water first thing in the morning these days during the week. It seems they are blowing a horn at the end of
generation these days. I would reccomend everyone to be careful.
Very pretty fish. Thanks for the report and the pic.
This report was submitted by Miles McClain of Lebanon on 12/15/05
Date of Trip: 12/15/05 Times fished: Morning through afternoon Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Above Average Water quality: Slightly Clouded What worked: Olive/Brown Wooly Bugger, Tan Scud What DIDN'T work: Anything else!
This was my first trip to Taneycomo, and I was very surprised at the number of big fish there. I started fishing at 8:30am and stayed
until 2:30pm. I started off with a tan scud and caught a couple right away. One was a very thick 17" rainbow. I switched to an
olive wooly bugger and caught one right away -- then nothing for a while. I experimented with several different flies with no luck,
so I went back to the tan scud and caught a couple more. That is how the day went. I could not get a consistient bite all day.
Just a fish here and there. I did end up catching several good ones including four between 16"-19". One of those was a fat brown
that was about 2 1/2 pounds. I lost the biggest fish of the day though.....of course!! It was a big rainbow, probably 22"-24".
I played him for a couple minutes and he got off about 15 feet from me. Anyway........ I had a blast and look forward to going
back. I also liked that it was more challenging than Bennett Springs. If anyone has any tips on how to fish scuds and sow bugs at
Taney I sure would like to know. I fished them dragging the ground, just above the ground and half way down. I never found
anything consistient. Thanks.
Thanks, Miles. You should fish using "Rodeo Rules". That way, you don't have to net the fish for it
to count as a catch. You just need to ride him for 8 seconds! Sounds like you were fishing the scuds
properly -- deeper is generally better. Scuds & sowbugs work well, but you won't generally tear them
up on those patterns. Anyone who brags about catching fish all day on scuds is likely either stretching
the truth or engaging in the dreaded "Taneycomo Shuffle". For consistent success at Taney, be prepared
to change flies frequently. Your flybox should have a variety of midge nymphs & dries, little wooly
worms, big wooly buggers, chamois worms, glo-bugs, scuds & sowbugs.
This report was submitted by Vince Nelson of Marionville on 12/6/05
Date of Trip: Holiday Weekend Times fished: Mid-day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin clear What worked: Scud What DIDN'T work: Fur Eggs
Had a wonderful trip to Taneycomo. Caught a big rainbow in the trophy section on a scud and a 7x tippet. He was
7 pounds and 31 inches long. The monster forced me to wade upstream with him, and it took a great deal of playing the trout
to wear him out. I then caught some 15 inchers and a nice 2 pound brown. When the shade got over the water they started
to hit well. The fishing was great!
Thanks for the report, Vince. FYI: at 31", I'd say your fish was heavier than
you think. I'd estimate him to be at least 10 pounds, and that would be a pretty thin fish. So,
congratulations on catching quite a trophy, and welcome aboard.
This report was submitted by Bob Andrews of Springfield on 12/1/05
Date of Trip: 11/27/05 Times fished: morning through mid-afternoon Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Sunny Water Level: Very Low Water quality: Gin clear What worked: Green Scud & #8 Sculpin What DIDN'T work: Scuds larger than #16
I got to Taney at first light. Tied on a 16 green scud droper and a 20 grey scud trailer. I was doing good with
rainbows from #2 shoot to rebar riffle. As predicted by the weather service wind came in from the east about
0800. It was hard to cast the little flies so I tied on a #8 Sculpin, did some stripping, and picked up a couple
more rainbows at rebar. I ended up the day between shoot one and two. I've had better days fishing, but it
was sure hard to beat the out of doors.
Way to brave the elements, Bob. For those of us willing
to get a little cold, a little wet, or a little tired, the benefit is often getting
to fish alone!
This report was submitted by David Pettit of Webb City on 11/30/05
Date of Trip: 11/25/05 Times fished: 10:00am to 4:00pm Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below Average Water quality: Gin clear What worked: San Juan Worm, Foam Beetle What DIDN'T work: Zebra Midge
Fished just below the dam. I caught appx. 20 fish in that time-mostly rainbows. My largest fish was a 20" brown.
I caught one female brown that was full of eggs. Even trying to be careful in releasing her, she lost some eggs.
The rainbows swarmed to eat them. I didn't try an egg pattern but it might be worth a try. I did the best in the
morning with a San Juan worm. After it warmed up, I switched to a foam beetle and did quite well. I fished
the flats just off of the bank. Caught fish in only 6-8" of water. I hope to make it back before the end of the year.
Thanks David. Glad you had a good trip.
This report was submitted by John Jackson of Erie, KS on 11/28/05
Date of Trip: November 25-27 Times fished: All day Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Average Water quality: Gin clear Flies that worked: Olive & Gray Scuds #14, Renegade #16
Spent the Holiday weekend fishing with my wife. Friday we fished from about 9a to 4p. Hooked a few but landed none. We
fished from Outlet #1 down to the rebar hole. Really didn't see a lot of fish caught. A few here and there. Fishing was real tough.
Saturday we fished from 10a to 6p. Hooked and landed a few. Again we fished from outlet #2 down to #3 and the riffles
above the rebar hole. All rainbows around the 15" range. Fishing was better but they were still real picky. Sunday turned into
a great day. Only got to fish from 9a to Noon since we had to start home. Caught 7 in that short period using a #16 renegade
drifting in outlet #2. Missed that many or more due to very gentle takes.
Thanks again, John. Have to say you're probably making a lot of fisherman
jealous, spending so much time on the water!
This report was submitted by John Jackson of Erie, KS on 11/14/05
Date of Trip: November 12 & 13 Location: Lake Taneycomo Times fished: Mid-day until evening Air Temperature: Comfy Weather: Cloudy Water Level: Below average Water quality: Gin clear Flies that worked: Small Olive & Gray Scuds
The water seemed very low to me, but this was only my fourth trip here. You could see a lot of fish, especially
around outlet #2. Still a lot of big browns in the area. We fished for the two days and had a good trip. Landed one
Rainbow in the 19" range and had one BIG fish take me across the river before he broke off. Never did get to see him.
The rest of the fish were in the 15" range. Olive and grey scuds were the ticket this weekend. Overall I'd rate the fishing
at a "B". Of course, any time on the river is better than being home!
Thanks again for helping us out, John. Begin shameless plug:
you know, a reproduction mount of your 19" rainbow would only cost $210 at
Ozark Taxidermy :-) End shameless plug.
This report was submitted by Greg Mitchell of Springfield on 10/26/05
Date of Trip: Sunday 10/23/05 Location: Lake Taneycomo Times fished: Mid-day until dark Air Temperature: Chilly Weather: Sunny Water Level: Below average Water quality: Gin clear Flies that worked: smallish scuds, wooly bugger, and midges
Had a great day. They did not run water all day. Not my best day in terms of numbers but it was great in
terms of some quality fish. I took 4 browns ranging in size from 17" to 22". The 22" is my largest brown to date.
Caught a variety of smaller browns and rainbows as well. They were taking zebra midges, smallish scuds, and
wooly buggers for me.
Our thanks to Greg for keeping us up to date on Taneycomo.
Haven't been hearing much from you Taneycomo fishermen this fall. Hope that means
you're too busy fighting those big bruiser browns!
This report was submitted by Tim Homesley of Cassville on 8/17/05
Fished taney today and yesterday, good results on both days. I caught most of my fish early, between 5:00 and 11:00 a.m.
Caught lots of fish and starting to see a lot of browns. Caught one on Tuesday about 19" -- very fat. Also caught a lot of fish
13"-15", most of them on small "apricot" and "oregan cheese" colored fur bugs. Also caught several on wooly buggers and san juan worms.
Today I caught one about 20", two right at 18" and a bunch of small fish, all of them on a small white mohair leach pattern with a orange
bead head. Used 5X early and as soon as the sun came up I had to use 7X tippet. A very nice trip.
As always, thanks for the help Tim. I know a lot of fishermen are
excited to hear that the number of browns is already increasing.
Tim is the owner/operator of Tim's Fly Shop, in Cassville.
Be sure to stop in for a visit when you're down near Roaring River.
Tim's Fly Shop Route 4 Box 4088 Cassville, MO 65625
This report was submitted by John Smith of Springfield on 7/11/05
I went to the Taneycomo trophy area and caught one 12 inch rainbow on a chartreuse rooster tail (july 6).
Then I went to Scotties dock the next day and caught my limit of 4 (18-23 inches) on salmon eggs.
It was a good trip i am going back in the Fall.
Thanks for the report, John. Let us know how you do on your next trip.
This report was submitted by Stan Parker of Branson on 5/31/05.
Water Conditions: Water has been off most of the time. If they turn it on, it is only for 2 hours or so and it is
generally 1, maybe 2 generators.
FLY FISHING TROPHY AREA (dam to Fall Creek)-SHALLOW WATER-WADING-
Fishing is still good. However, we have seen a lull in the morning from 8:00 to about 10:30 a.m. Had
two boats out today and we picked up a few fish in the a.m., on various flies, U.V. gray scud, gold ribbed
soft hackle and olive midge, but about 10:30 a.m. they took off on the olive zebra midge and tan flashback
scud (miracle scud) My trip of two people caught 20 fish plus on these until lunch time. Had to drag them
off the water for lunch! After lunch te stayed with the olive zebra midge and caught more fish as we drifted
down the river. Wind was tough, so we rowed on down to the Lookout Point. God out and waded.
Had the Olive zebra midge on one person and put a Chartreuse crackle back on the other. The olive
zebra midge caught several fish, including a nice 16 inch Rainbow. The crackle back got hot and that
person first started catching fish in the cross-current drift. After a while, the fish switched and started taking
the crackle back more down stream with a couple of strips and let set. They caught 30 or more fish this
way. New coule, juet finished the two-day fly fishing school. Think they were able to learn several different
presentation techniques and catch fish. They had a great time!
Thanks for the report Stan. Stan's contact information is:
River Run Outfitters
2626 State Hwy 165
Branson, MO 65616
This report was submitted by Wes Carillo on 3/2/05.
Fished Taneycomo on Saturday night and did pretty well. They ran water
until about 11:00 p.m. and then started back up at 5 a.m. Three of us fished
with some decent success. Me and another fished outlet 3 when they were
running 4 generators from about 8:30 to 9:00 and we caught 5 fish between
the two of us, nothing of any size. Around 10:00 p.m. water levels started
to drop and at about 11:00 they completely shut off. Between that time 2
of us caught some fish drifting nymphs at Outlet 2. However, the water
level never came down as low as it usually does, staying around 703 and
that seemed to make fishing a little more difficult. All 3 of us were
catching fish fairly regularly on olive and purple leeches and shad patterns,
even a few fish on a size 10 Gold Ribbed Hare's ear below Outlet 2 and the
Rebar Hole. Around 3:30 the water level was down to 702.4 and fishing
started to heat up quite a bit. We started hooking up with more and more
fish, nearly 10 a piece within an hour. But, right at 5:00 a.m. they
started generating and it was time for breakfast. All in all it was a
good time, if the water would have been lower, I think fishing would have
been much better.
As always, thanks for helping us out, Wes. The
dam has been running the generators a whole heck of lot this winter --
much more than in years past. With the mild winter we've had, we can only
surmise that they must be selling energy to neighboring areas that haven't
been serviced before.
This report was submitted by Stan Parker of Branson on 1/27/05.
Water Conditions: Three generators going this morning when I checked. Tailwater level was 707.9 and Table Rock is at 915.2.
Tailwater level is the lowest it has been for some time. Table Rock is almost at power pool (915.0), but Beaver still has considerable water.
We might see a slow down of generation in the next week or so.....let's hope!
FLY FISHING TROPHY AREA (dam to Fall Creek)-SHALLOW WATER-WADING-
Past couple of days have been in the upper 60's! Took a boat out both days and caught several fish. Fish are laying in and on the edges
of the weeds. Our most consistent fly was the red San Juan worm. Caught a fish or two on almost anything we threw, but the San
Juan worm caught more, especially when fished on the edges of the weeds and working from the seams into toward the weed beds.
On the flats where the current was fairly slow, we even caught some on dry flies! We caught several nice Rainbows, 17-18 inches,
but it was a real mixed bag. Some of them looked like torpedoes! They were long and thin. And some were the normal well-fed
looking Rainbows. Several of them had eggs and the males were very colorful. Reports from folks fishing up by the chutes that
they are still catching them on a variety of patterns, depending on the day. The UV gray scud, chamois leech, hot pink micro San
Juan worm, tan scuds to name a few. Probably tan scuds being the most consistent. Got a boat going out today, will let you know
how they do. (Did pretty good, about 20 plus fish...but not as good as the previous two days) Weather is now going to be in the
low 40's this weekend. Might get some showers Friday and late Sunday.
Thanks for the report Stan. Stan's contact information is:
River Run Outfitters
2626 State Hwy 165
Branson, MO 65616
This report was submitted by Walt Fulps of Rolla, Missouri on 11/29/04
Went to Branson over the Thanksgiving holiday and managed to sneak away for a bit
of fishing. All three days I fished I focused efforts on the Special Trout Management
Area in the wadable areas between the dam and Fall Creek. Managed to catch a few,
but the water was running high throughout most of the long weekend,
so fishing was pretty tough. Water conditions as they were, spent the majority
of the day time in sheltered spots in crowded conditions. Most of the fishermen were on
their best behavior, with only a few knuckleheads who were never taught manners.
In daylight hours, had my best luck with little wire-bodied flies -- brassies, midges,
etc. in sizes 18 & 20. Also caught a couple on chamois (aka "shammy") flies when
everything else stopped. By far, the most fun was at night. Caught around a dozen decent
fish on a #6 black wooley bugger stripped like a streamer just a few inches under the surface.
Although it was cloudy, it was also a full moon, so the fly really presented a good silhouette
for the trout to see. Casting a black wooley bugger in the dark is my favorite way to fish
this water. Didn't catch any fish of notable size biggest was around 14" or so (see pic).
Had a good time, although the water conditions were very frustrating.
The next time you fish Taneycomo, or any Missouri trout water for that matter,
please be sure to send us a
report about how you did. Click here if you would like more information on Lake Taneycomo.
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