No spring rains. That’s the headline for this Taneycomo fishing report. Not a whole lot of rain the last 10 months. I think the whole Midwest, and other parts of the country, are in the same boat. How’s that affect our trout fishing? Basically don’t look for a lot of generation this summer. Operators will generate but at strategic times based on power demand. No flood control releases. No shad runs.
Trout fishing is going to be easier for most anglers, for the most part. And I think we will see some generation for part of each day, so that will give anglers choices on when to fish under what conditions. Friday water was released mid- to late afternoon, but Saturday moved to all-day gentle flow. Generally it’s no more than two units or seven cubic feet per second of flow.
We saw some great mayfly hatches in April, but I personally could not find a fly that would attract any attention. I heard some reports of a dry fly bite (hoppers), but I believe the conditions need to be right for that to happen — and I couldn’t find those conditions. Midge hatches here are a given, and the trout love their pupas and emergers, so we have those to fall back on. Tiny midges (size 20 to 26) are some anglers’ pick to catch big rainbows up close to the dam down to Lookout, especially where you find the water running through shoals (no generation.)
Scuds, midges and sculpins are the main diet for our trout. Flies that match those creatures are what we use to catch trout here — followed by lures that do or don’t resemble any of those things. Jigs, spinners, spoons, jerk baits. . . all will catch fish here on Taney. Other lures that lure a fish to bite are soft plastics (pink powerworm, Trout Magnet and others). Then there’s bait. Natural baits like worms, salmon eggs and minnows are a staple bait for trout. Scented baits like PowerBait and Gulp Eggs are easy to use and effective!
Line size and color is very important when fishing in our cold, clear water. Stay away from bright-colored lines and stick with clear or green line. Unless you’re throwing jerk baits, the smallest line you should use is four-pound, but if fishing is tough, drop to two-pound. I use Trilene Sensation green line personally.
I believe we’re going to see our guides start using the Berkley’s Pink Power Worm on a small jig head under a float more and more this summer. It’s been a staple for years here and continues to be a good way to put fish in the boat. You can use this bait below Fall Creek, burt not in the trophy area.
