This has not been a typical spring start for Lake Taneycomo. Our area is still in a drought; although we’ve had some rain this winter, it has not been enough to keep our lakes above power pool levels. And it’s been very warm, except for a couple of very cold spells in January and February. So we haven’t seen the flows we’re used to in late winter or early spring.
Our generation patterns have been fairly consistent lately with no generation at night or in the mornings but with some flow late in the day for a few hours. So no generation during the day with flow starting about 5-6 p.m. and lasting into the night. Operators are running anywhere from one to two units up to 6,400 cubic feet per second of water. Our lake water temperature is about 46 F coming out of the turbines.
It’s going to take quite a bit of rain to bring lakes up to the point that we see more generation. Spring time temperatures don’t usually demand a lot of power, so we’re looking at low flows in the next few weeks at least. Again, not your typical spring time water patterns.
Catching here on Taneycomo has been on the slow side lately. In the years I’ve been here, there have been unexplained periods of time when our trout are not active — they don’t seem to be hungry. I believe they feed mostly when the water runs, then when it’s not, they rest, chill out, and lose interest in chasing a fly or eating a crawler. It’s hard to imagine — refusing a juicy worm — but that’s what they do sometimes.
This seems to happen some years, and it usually happens in the spring and in August, for some reason. We start to think there’s no fish, or something happened to the fish, or MDC isn’t stocking fish. But every time, that’s not the case. Every time they show back up in big numbers and start eating normally again.
Okay . . . If the water isn’t running, look for the chop. Look for where the wind is creating some sort of surface disturbance. Under the chop, the trout will be more apt to feed, or at least be interested in moving around and being in the mood to feed. Our lake is like a river, so with the bends in the river you’ll find windy spots and other areas will be sheltered from the wind. Find that happy medium if there’s a gale blowing.
When the fish are biting, we’re catching them on the basic flies – scuds, midges, San Juan Worms, mega worms, miracle fly (egg fly), small streamers, sculpin fly and emergers like a crackleback or soft hackle. I’m using 6x tippet on almost everything except the bigger streamers, for which I’m going to a heavier tippet — 5x to 2x.
Night crawlers are usually the best live bait. Only use a half crawler and hook it so it looks natural. The best Powerbait is yellow paste with glitter. Use a small #18 treble hook, and if the fish swallows the hook, cut the line to release it. Using the crawlers, I use a #8 bronze baitholder hook. Again, cut the line if the fish swallows the hook.
If the water is running, throw a suspending jerk bait in shad colors. Also throw a white or sculpin jig and work it off the bottom. I use two-pound line when throwing jigs, unless the water is running hard (three to four units) then I’ll use four-pound line to throw a bigger, 1/8th-ounce jig. I’m also throwing a jig and working it off the bottom. I’ve had a little success with white but the best has been black or sculpin.
The jig under a float is working most days when there’s a chop on the water. Best colors are black, sculpin and brown. That indy-orange head is working with the sculpin and brown marabou. My second go-to would be a chartreuse mega worm (mop fly.) I haven’t heard much about the pink Berkley Powerworm on a jig head under a float lately, but that’s always been a staple technique for our guides in the past.
