The fish have been super aggressive lately, hitting hard with no pecking around. Along with this aggression, our trophy release program has really kicked up after a slow spring.
Our guides are doing very well in the afternoons fishing the Provo rig, but I’ve had success simply drifting a straight line with a weight on the bottom and a drop shot loop about 18 inches up. I’ve been using Vanish fluorocarbon for my tippet material, a trick I learned from guide Blake Wilson. The fluorocarbon line is stiffer than mono, which holds the fly away from the main line and allows for a more natural drift.
If you’re having trouble catching fish, try dropping down to a 2-pound line. You don’t need to re-spool your reel; just tie a few feet of 2-pound line onto the end of your 4- or 6-pound line. The trout have been line-shy, so this will significantly increase your odds.
Quite a few rainbows were recently stocked below Fall Creek. When the water is off, anglers are catching them on night crawlers and PowerBait, with white or yellow paste performing best. The water is still quite clear, so use a 2-pound line if possible. A 4-pound line should work well once the afternoon generation picks up. In the mornings, when there is less than a unit of generation, the pink power worm has also been productive.
The water temperature was just over 50 degrees Friday, up from 47 a couple of weeks ago. Table Rock Lake’s surface water is currently very warm. In the winter, the surface water cools, becomes heavier than the water below, and causes the lake to turn over, trapping the coldest water at the bottom. Taneycomo’s water is drawn from the base of the Table Rock Lake dam at a depth of 130 feet. When the SWPA runs the generators, it pulls that deep, cold water into Taneycomo. After heavy summer generation, the coldest water passes through the dam and temperatures begin to rise. While warmer water contains less oxygen and late-summer drops in fish activity are usually blamed on low dissolved oxygen, we haven’t seen evidence of that yet this year, though I haven’t taken formal readings.
I attempted to fly fish this morning, but generation started early, cutting my time short. Although my session wasn’t very successful, the fish were midging heavily, so I recommend starting with a zebra midge.
I have also tried fishing marabou jigs without much success. However, I noticed anglers doing well trolling downstream from Monkey Island. I recommend slowly trolling a medium-sized jerk bait that doesn’t dive too deep.
