Strange upcoming trip to Branson

[hankinsfly]

So I have somehow book this weird bass pro shops trip to Branson. You go on this discounted 3 night stay and they give you some bass pro gift cards (think this was the main reason why I booked this a year ago). Also, you sit through a 2hour pitch about time share properties or something. Well I'm committed. Already spent the money. So in an effort to qualify this whole thing, does anyone have any experience fishing Taneycomo? Also, what above the river right below Table Rock? Any fishing here in town? I'm not looking for advice that includes anything like Dolly Parton's Stampede or any of these weird shows. Tell me the quickest way to hook a trout or smallmouth. Is this anything like below Bull Shoals Dam? Generation schedules similar? Thanks.

[danimal]

James river near Springfield is very good smallie water. Not sure about the trout in that area. Check Ozarkanglers.com. They have forums on taney and I believe Phil Lily (the guy who runs the website) is a guide/outfitter on that stretch of water.

[golferjeff]

right below the dam are the hatchery outlets. There are three of them. you can catch as many 12-16" colorful rainbows as you like. Eggs, scuds, pellet flies, and midges. You can see every fish. Taneycomo is more of a lake with some current running thru it on no or low generation. you can't wade it on 2 or more generators. The further downstream you go the less people and less fish. Not much wading after about the first mile or so. The secondary dam backs all the water up. Fishing is for largemouth and catfish in Branson.

Easy to catch a few if you don't have any moral hangups about fishing hatchery effluent. Some decent water above and below if you want a bit of a challenge. Holly can catch a few, read a book on the bank, or stay in Branson. There are a few browns in the mix too. Fall run browns get real big, but most residents are 10-14".

The 1st pic shows what the water is like on no gen right below the dam

[hankinsfly]

Thanks, guys! I can put my moral objections on hold and go catch some fresh out the hatchery. I mean come on, what's the difference if they get trucked 6 hours to a river or pumped right from the hatchery into the river? I've never had any issues disobeying my conscience in other matters. 😁 If I can no longer suppress my feelings of guilt over fishing for contrived fish, I'll find a smallmouth stream. But I'll bet I can make due with the trout.

[dainw]

I watched Jeff gleefully fish hatchery effluent for like 3 hours on our last trip. I’m talkin close too. Like if you over shoot the cast by a foot you’re in the raceway kind of close. That being said fish of the trip came out of that hole.

Taney is actually the only river in Missouri with documented brown trout reproduction. Some big browns are caught out of there every fall. Night fishing is pretty popular there too from what I understand. Good way to beat the crowds anyway.

[golferjeff]

Yeah, that little 'Lost Creek' area of the Current was fun. And it was 2 hours..... and yes, that big fat Brown did come from a pool 3 feet from the concrete....

Suspend your morals for a few hours and catch a dozen rainbows.... the last time I was there I happened upon a photo shoot for one of those "girls in waders" deals. Even my wife thought it was pretty cool.

[hankinsfly]

Jeff- why does that not surprise me that you found yourself fishing next to girls in waders photo shoot??

[jonbo]

Hey, how come I never get invited to "Girls in Waders" photoshoots? A man can dream...

[hankinsfly]

Jonbo- you've mentioned a simple grey scud pattern you like, "little more than gray dubbing..." Can you take a photo of this pattern?

[jonbo]

Man, I don't know how to insert a picture. I took one, downloaded it to my laptop/tablet, and now I don't know what to do to get it into a post. A long time ago I used to use photo-bucket. That doesn't seem to work anymore. Someone help me?

[troutbum54]

I feel like the pattern he could be talking about could be a ray Charles

[darrelln09]

May 15, 2018 19:33:39 GMT -6 jonbo said:

Man, I don't know how to insert a picture. I took one, downloaded it to my laptop/tablet, and now I don't know what to do to get it into a post. A long time ago I used to use photo-bucket. That doesn't seem to work anymore. Someone help me?

I usually just hit “Add Attachment”, add the file, and then choose to “insert” it.

[jonbo]



Thanks, Darrell. I just "inserted"it, but it isn't showing up here. Let me post this and we'll see if it shows up.

Attachments:

[jonbo]

Thanks again, Darrell! I feel dumb. Anyway, "Hank", that's what it looks like. I don't know how to photograph well, so you can't see the color well, but it's charcoal. As far a I can tell it's just some charcoal dubbing and a tiny white split tail. It's supposed to represent a sowbug, I think. Works well on the Little Red River, is all I know. It's about a size 14.

[sulross]

I swore I'd never go to Branson, but my parents are in their 80's and wanted to pull their travel trailer up there. I went to help out. I had no idea that there were trout in Taneycomo until a few days before we left. What a fun stretch of water for catching trout when your alternative would be sampling fudge and looking at the 900th little shop of knick-knacks and American flag decorations! I was so happy to have a way out of the Branson scene each day, although we did catch a fun Eagles tribute show one evening. I found the best fishing (and least crowded) was about a 1/2 mile, or so, down from the dam. There is a slight bend that compresses and has a good current down that way. I caught fish until I was exhausted above that run, in it, and below it. I caught on buggers, but primarily sow bugs and scuds. On that trip, green sow bugs, and green scuds with a tiny bit of flash, were crazy productive. I likened Taneycomo to the San Juan River, as every time you take a step while wading, you release sow bugs and the trout swarm your feet. I told my son that I felt like I was trying to walk through a box of puppies.

There are plenty of 18" plus fish and you have to get more technical for them. I saw guides putting people on fish across the river from where I could wade. In that run, just do the typical cast across and let it drift, it you don't get one on the initial drift, just let it hang for about 15-20 seconds and get deeper, take a few strips in and you should get hit. I did have a nasty encounter with a female guide, who said something rude to her clients (father and teen-age son) about my productivity. Her client walked over to me and apologized. I've never encountered anything like it with a guide. I saw her again the second day and she was ice cold. I am not out of line when I say I am a really friendly, nice, and helpful guy on any river. Nonetheless, it's a fun respite from the timeshare pitches and blue-haired crowd:)

[dainw]

Sulross,

I want to hear more about this encounter with the guide. Were you just outcatching them and she got sour grapes? Did she accuse you of using powerbait or something?

[sulross]

May 16, 2018 7:51:34 GMT -6 dainw said:

Sulross,

I want to hear more about this encounter with the guide. Were you just outcatching them and she got sour grapes? Did she accuse you of using powerbait or something?

Basically, I was tight line nymphing when she brought her clients to the area I was fishing. I was the only person there. She beached her drift boat and they all got out to wade fish. I had only been at that run for about 15 minutes when she showed; she put her clients within 40 feet of me. They were new to fly fishing and she had them using indicators and casting across and swinging. Her depth was off and they were not catching fish. I was pulling in fish regularly by fishing deeper.  After about 20 minutes, the younger client asked her why they were fishing their way because "we aren't catching many at all and that guy is killing it."  She looked at me and said loudly that "anyone can pull in fish, but I have you going after bigger fish unlike his." I looked at her incredulously and she would not look back at me.  I had told her clients, "nice fish!" each time they caught one, or given a "oh, man! I thought you had that one for sure!"  She was rude.  I fished the area about 10 more minutes and moved down about 50 yards into some flats and worked the seams and rocks and continued to catch fish.

I feel that she was being crabby about not getting them on the fish and her pride wouldn't let her change course. Maybe she truly was working a big fish off a hole...? I don't know, but she was rude.  So much that the older client walked down to me and apologized. Every other guide I've met on a river has always shared conversation and laughs. She didn't match those experiences. Hopefully, she was just having a bad two days.

[dainw]

I mean that’s weak of her honestly man. If she knew what she was doing an how you were fishing, she probably could’ve explained that them being new to fly fishing, tightline nymphing was probably a little above their skill set and is more of an advanced technique. No reason to put clients that are brand new to fishing on one big fish trying to catch it either. If I’m brand new and paying a guide $400, I just want to catch fish. A skilled tightline nympher will usually catch more than even a really good fisherman using suspension tactics under similar water conditions, but still, if I’m the guide I’m changing weight, depth, flies, indicator color, tippet size whatever if my clients are getting out fished. Sounds like someone that just shouldn’t be guiding to me.

[mlough]

Sorry this is late, but if you haven’t gone on your trip yet, stop by River Run Outfitter fly shop. They are really good about telling you exactly what the fish are eating. Just came back from there this past weekend. Best time to fish was early morning until 12 when they started generating. There are tons of fish and is a great place to take first time fly fishers. Had my wife catching fish almost every cast stripping a streamer pattern. Also, grey scuds and black zebra midges.