Trout Fishing

Lake Taneycomo

Lake Taneycomo
Friday, January 16
Let me first say I just found this forum on Field and Stream. I don't come to F&S much but glad I had to look up an old friend here- John Merwin. I like this forum format. I'm sure F&S will do well with it.

Here in SW Missoui we've had some great fishing weather... and some rigid cold spells. We're just coming out of one of the coldest, but the nice thing about trout is they don't mind the cold. Fishermen on the other hand do but that doesn't keep the rugged ones away from the water.

http://ozarkanglers.com/images/2009/doty1.jpg

Here's Duane Doty with a trout. I was going to embed it in the post but I don't understand what Teaser Image is or don't see any editing options on the page. He fished a couple of nights ago when the mercury dipped below 10 degrees. Stripping leeches and slumpbusters below the dam at night has been hot! But it's not for the faint of heart.

Generation has been fairly consistent. About 2 units on at daylight till about 10 am, then off till dark when they kick on 2 units for about 3-4 hours. Weekends- they tend to leave the water off for longer periods of time, if they run it at all.

Out of boats, we've been drifting egg flies, scuds and san juan worms using a spit shot or drift rig to get them down, drifting them on the bottom all the way down to Fall Creek. San Juans- red or tan; Scuds- gray, olive, brown or tan; and egg flies combinations of peach and yellow. If the water isn't running too hard, using a fly rod set a float 6-9 feet above a fly and use a split shot to get the fly to the bottom. Drift the shallow side of the lake. Spin rig again- work a 1/8th oz jig off the bottom while drifting. Colors- white has been the best by far but should have an olive, sculpin, purple, black or brown/orange ready just in case. Wading with the water running- you're confined to the outlets below the dam. Use scuds, midges and egg flies and watch others to learn how to catch fish. It's really pretty easy if you can find a spot.

Water off- by boat, the trophy area has been fishing great. Jigs again, either fished with or without a float in the colors mentioned earlier. Straight line- use 3/32 to 1/16th oz and work them off the bottom like fishing for crappie. Under a float use 1/50th to 1/256 in a micro and think about dropping to 2 lb line. Four pound is fine for everything else. Fish the jigs 4-5 feet deep.

Below the dam, if there's a chop on the water, strip a soft hackle (#16 red, black, white, yellow or green) or a wooly (#12 olive, black, brown, purple, white) or a crackleback (#14 white, gray, brown) or a sculpin or leech in earth colors. My favorite is the san juan in red and I fish them anywhere there's moving water. Scuds (#14-#18 gray, olive, tan, brown or white) also in moving water or fished in the shallow flats where trout are nosing around in the gravel with their tails sticking out of the water.