The word “consistency” isn’t in the fishing dictionary — except maybe when it comes to the generation schedule on Lake Taneycomo lately. It definitely hasn’t pertained to catching trout here on our lake. Weather patterns may have contributed to these fickle fishing trends. We’ve had mini-fronts move through several times a day with rain and some wind, yielding reports that trout fishing is good one day and not-so-good the next.
Operators have been running anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 cubic feet of water throughout the day and night for almost three weeks now. Non-stop water flow is great for the lake’s food base and, thus, good for our trout. It also makes fishing good — most of the time. Table Rock’s level has risen almost two feet in the last couple of weeks with the rain events that have moved through. It sits at 917.69 feet, which is a little over power pool for this time of year. In years past, our lake levels are much higher from spring rains but we haven’t had the normal rains this year.
Our water temperature is hovering around 46 degrees and clear, which is normal for early summer. Some have asked me about oxygen content in the lake, and I’m happy to report it’s very good, also normal for early June.
Guide Blake Wilson reports he’s been fishing the Provo Rig with a double scud rig or a combination using the mega worm and the egg fly in the trophy area. Early, during low light, he’s fishing it more in the middle of the stream, but when the sun gets high in the sky, he’s moving to the channel and fishing it much deeper. Best scud colors are Sow Bug gray, cream and tan. Best mega worm and egg colors are cream or peach. If you’re fishing an egg or a mega worm under a float, use a small split shot above the first fly to keep the flies straight under the float. He’s fishing this rig below Fall Creek and doing as well as above the line.
Darin is catching rainbows using the Trout Magnet under a float. His best color is salmon. He’s fishing it anywhere from four- to six-feet deep with an 80th-ounce jig head. He also ventured down below the Landing today and found a big school of rainbows close to the Missouri Department of Conservation boat dock where they keep the stocking boat. He caught them on a white jig, but he said he thought they’d hit about anything that moves.
Guide Steve Dickey says he’s also using the Provo Rig and catching nice rainbows on a #14 gray scud in the trophy area. This morning, during higher flows, he said his party of four had landed two trophy rainbows and lost a couple of more at the boat.
