Trout Fishing

Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report 10/26

We're officially out of the flood stage here on Lake Taneycomo. It's been a strange three weeks with all the high water from rains. I say strange because we all were weighing everything from water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels to the flow coming from Table Rock, wondering how the combinations would affect overall fishing and the movement of our brown trout. The guessing game is somewhat over.

Generation is back to normal, if there is such a thing. The Corps of Army Engineers restricts its generation due to the low oxygen coming through Table Rock Dam's turbines. That flow is measured by megawatts with the maxium number at 125 megawatts. But the flow is distributed throughout all four turbines to create a sloshing effect that adds oxygen by the mixing motion and the addition of liquid O2 injected directly into the turbines. The corps is supposed to keep the O2 level at or above four parts per million which is generally accomplished.

The "proof's in the pudding," as the expression says. Are the fish biting? Are they fighting hard? For the most part they are. They have been. My experience has been that when I drift from the dam down, I don't do really well until below Lookout Island. Reports from others tell me the same thing. I usually like to boat to the dam anyway and make that drift even if it's slow -- for the outside chance a bigger trout will jump on my line, but that's not been the case right now. We're seeing nice rainbows from Lookout down. And they are fighting hard. They're in good shape.

Our water turned turbid when the flood gates were opened, which isn't unusual. But that condition has continued, which makes me wonder if the influx of rain water three weeks ago reached to the degree that Table Rock's water is turbid at 130 feet deep. I also wonder how this will affect the lake turning over later this winter.

When the water was high, and flood gates were going, we were drifting big scuds -- #10's. When the water slowed down, naturally I thought we should drop the size of scuds in the trophy area. Wrong. At least this weekend I was wrong. I tried smaller scuds, #14's, and didn't do as well. Others stayed with bigger scuds and did well. Those that drifted using fly rods, set the fly about eight feet deep and added enough split shot to keep the fly on the bottom. Using a spin rod, anglers did the same thing except with no float - drifting the fly on the bottom. Staying in the middle of the lake seemed to be the best lane.

Now I wouldn't give up on jigs and crank baits. Some browns are still moving up and some are making their trek back down lake. I'd work the bluff banks using medium crank baits, especially with the turbid, moving water. As for jig colors, I would use those mentioned in previous reports, starting with white, then moving to dark colors like sculpin, brown and black. as well as olive and ginger. And I'd stay with the one-eighth ounce size.

Below Fall Creek, catching rainbows on bait has been very good, drifting PowerBait Gulp Eggs and night crawlers on the bottom. I know I sound like a broken record . . . but if it's not broken, why fix it? This combination keeps working and working, week after week.