Category: Outdoors

The Corps of Engineers Table Rock Project office is now temporarily closed due to unforeseen complications in office renovations.

This closure will include the Dewey Short Visitor Center as well as the walk-in customer service area at the Corp’s Duty Room. It is anticipated that the closures will continue for 14-21 days. The Corps regrets any inconvenience this closure may cause. The facilities will re-open as soon as the construction is complete. The date will be announced in a future news release.

To make a reservation at Table Rock or any Corps of Engineers park, call the National Recreation Reservation Service toll free at 877-444-6777, or log onto www.recreation.gov and make your reservation via the Internet.

For more information about Table Rock Lake, visit the website at www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/tablerock or contact Chief Ranger Jeff Farquhar at 417-335-3301.

Publication of this press release, on this site, sponsored by Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected sellers of Branson show and attraction tickets, lodging, and travel services which can be reached by calling 800-785-1550 or by clicking here to visit their website www.BransonTourismCenter.

Branson, Missouri, celebrating its 50th year of live music shows and known as the live music show capital of the world, but Branson also offers a choice and variety of activities perhaps unequalled at any other destination city in the world. Golf is one of those activities and those having a passion for golfing can tee off to their hearts content in Branson.

Paul Miller, General Manager for the Branson Tourism Center, said, “For those wanting to golf, Branson is a fabulous golfing destination and has a choice of courses offering a great golfing experience for beginners as well as more experienced golfers.” Miller said that there are three championship courses located within the city limits of Branson the Thousand Hills Golf Course, Pointe Royal Golf Course and Branson’s newest course, the Payne Stewart Golf Course. He also pointed out that within a ten minute drive of Branson’s famed strip there are the championship courses of Branson Creek and Murder Rock and the Holiday Hills course.

The Thousand Hills Golf Course is a very popular course in Branson and centrally located about two blocks south of the famed Branson Strip on South Wildwood Drive. Thousand Hills is a four star Golf Digest rated course designed by Robert E. Cupp with Michael Riley as its architect. The 5,111 yard 18 hole course has a par of 64, USGA Rating of 66.5 and a Slope of 125 when played from the back (Blue) tees. It features bent grass greens with Zoysia Grass fairways and tees and has been described as “a thrilling test for players of all skill levels.”

The Pointe Royale Golf Course, located just opposite the entrance to the Welk Theatre on State Road 165. Pointe Royale, was designed by Ault-Clark and Associates and constructed by Carter Golf and is considered Branson’s original championship course. The newly renovated 18 hole course plays 6,400 yards, has a par of 70, a USGA Rating of 70 and a Slope of 128 when played from the back (Black) tees. It features rolling Bermuda Grass fairways and eight water holes with twelve holes having some sort of water hazard.

Branson’s newest golf course, the $32 million Payne Stewart Golf Course located in Branson Hills just off of Branson Hills Boulevard, was designed by Chuck Smith with consultation from PGA golfer Bobby Clampett. The 18 hole course plays 7,324 yards, has a par of 72, USGA Rating of 75.1 and a Slope of 135 when played from the back (Gold) tees. The course is a tribute course with each hole designed to honor the career and memory of Payne Stewart.

Although the course statistics are given from the back tees, Miller notes that all the courses mentioned have tee placements to accommodate most levels of play and have rental clubs available. He also pointed out that advance reservations for tee times should be made whenever possible and all the golfing packages Branson Tourism Center features for Thousand Hills and Pointe Royale include specific tee times.

Branson is blessed with three lakes, Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo, and Bull Shoals Lake, providing it with a variety of water related activities, that when added to all the rest Branson has to offer, shows, attractions, golf, shopping and other activities, makes Branson unique among travel and fun destinations. Table Rock Lake, conveniently located to Branson area visitors, is Branson’s major lake for water activities.

Towering high above the lake is the majestic and regal Chateau on the Lake, one of the area’s most complete and luxurious resorts while enjoying her waters are boats of all kinds and sizes. Some are filled with people and families just boating, fishing or water skiing and one, the Show Boat Branson Belle is filled with people eating and enjoying a show and a cruise. Yet, down on the water’s edge, according to Paul Miller, General Manager, Branson Tourism Center, in the shadow of the Chateau, is one of the neatest water activities of all “Moonshine Beach.”

Miller said, “Although most people are aware of the great fishing, boating and other recreational uses of Table Rock Lake, a lot of Branson’s tourists are not aware of the fact that it has a major beach that is readily accessible for them to use.” It is located just north of Table Rock Dam on State Highways 165/265 and is operated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers. In addition to its large swimming beach Moonshine Beach’s amenities include a play ground, showers, picnic areas, a boat launch ramp, flush toilets and showers. It is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and, normally, there is a daily charge of $4.00 per vehicle.

Miller points out that the Army Corps of Engineers has recently announced that they will be waiving all day use fees Aug. 1 through 9 at its parks nationwide. Although the waiver does not apply to fees for camping, group shelters or special event permits, it does include fees collected at boat launch ramps and swim beaches including Table Rock’s Moonshine Beach.

The timing of the Corps actions comes during one of the normally hottest times of the year in the Ozarks and when a lot of families will be visiting Branson. Miller says that Moonshine Beach is a wonderful place for families to beat the heat, relax and bask in the wonders of the Ozarks and suggests that even at $4.00 per car Moonshine Beach is one of Branson’s greatest entertainment values, but for free between August 1 and August 9 it’s just about unbeatable.

Madison Patton with his first Lake Taneycomo Trophy Area Rainbow, a beautiful 17 plus incher.

Branson, Missouri is blessed with Lake Taneycomo, one of the finest trout fisheries in the nation. Lake Taneycomo is actually an impoundment of the White River running from Table Rock Dam to the Power Site Dam near Forsythe, about 22 miles downstream. Formerly a warm water lake, Lake Taneycomo became a cold water lake virtually overnight when Table Rock Dam was completed and started generating electricity through its turbines in 1959 using the cold water from the depths of Table Rock Lake.

In anticipation of the colder water and the impact it would have on the then existing warm water fishery, the Missouri Department of Conservation built the Shepherd of the Hills Trout Hatchery at the foot of Table Rock Dam. With their aggressive trout stocking, trout management program and the introduction of the Gammarus Shrimp as a food source, Lake Taneycomo has blossomed into one of the premier trout fisheries in the United States.

On the evening of July 2, one of Lakes Taneycomo’s newest professional guides, Steve Dickey, took Madison Patton, the 14 year old son of Lamar Patton, the co-owner of Scotty’s Trout Dock, and yours truly, on what was to be a “water running” fishing trip. In Lake Taneycomo, at any given time, they are either running water through the generators at Table Rock Dam or they are not. If they are not running water you fish one way and if they are running water you fish another way.

Well, actually, if they are running water, depending on how much water they are running and how you are fishing, there are a variety of ways you can fish. Although this writer has lived on the banks of Lake Taneycomo for over 20 years he has never gotten the “water running” method of fishing artificials down, hence, his interest in fishing under “water running conditions.”

This trip was set up a couple of weeks in advance in the hopes that Table Rock Dam would be generating water because we wanted to see the techniques Steve used under “water running conditions.” Although he has only been guiding full time for a year and a half, Steve has been fishing Lake Taneycomo for years and has specific effective techniques for all types of trout fishing on the lake. He better because he guarantees his clients will catch fish or they don’t pay for the trip.

We left the offices of Anglers Advantage and walked out on the deck overlooking Lake Taneycomo, at about 6 p.m. The view just set the mood beautifully. Steve called the “dam” number that tells if they are running water and how many generators are being used. The word was “two.”

On all his trips Steve furnishes all the equipment and flies, jigs, etc. All the client has to do is show up and be ready to go fishing. Although he has equipment for any type of trout fishing including fly rods etc. we decided on the open faced spinning reels with nine foot rods. The equipment was nearly new Cabela spinning rods and open faced reels with what appeared to be freshly spooled line.

Steve uses the nine foot rod set ups to accommodate the water running type of fishing we wanted to do. He uses shorter rods and a different set up for “water off “fishing. The rigs were set up and ready to go, we grabbed the nine foot setups, walked down the stars to his boat and were off.

In less than 10 minutes we had reached the Lookout Hole. Steve showed us the tandem rig set up, with two scuds, which resemble the Gammarus Shrimp, tied about 18 inches apart and fished deep enough to be just off the bottom.

It was a joy to watch him work with this young teenage boy, explaining the set up and techniques that would be used. With a nine foot rod, a tandem fly rig, indicator, and weights on over 12 feet of line there is a specific way to cast and Madison got it down in short order. Steve and Madison worked together getting the precise drift technique down to insure that the flies were getting a natural drift. There were a number of missed hits and then there was a firm hook set, the rod bent, and 15 minutes later Madison had a beautiful 17 and a half inch Rainbow in the boat.

As we finished that initial drift we decided to boat up above the boat launching ramp near the dam. Unfortunately, the” running water scenario” ended as we got to the ramp and Steve announced that they had shut the water down. On his way up he noticed the depth readings were lower than they should have been and that the water line on rocks etc. dropping. A call to the “dam” number confirmed that they were not generating.

With the right techniques, fishing is generally good when the water is off, just turned on and coming up, or running steady. Most Taneycomo fisherman would allow that one of the worst times for fishing is when the water has just been turned off and is dropping which was exactly the situation we were faced with.

That didn’t faze Steve in the slightest as he assessed the situation and made adjustments for the constantly dropping water we were experiencing. The situation was made even more challenging because we had intentionally left the equipment for this type of fishing back at the Angler’s Advantage office based on our plan to fish running water.

Again, it was a joy to watch this professional work with Madison as we switched over to the “water off” techniques involving less weight, shallower depths and micro and other jigs. Steve is a marvelous teacher and explained the new set up, and the way to fish it, that in a matter of moments had us back in the game.

Over all, in about an hour and a half on the water, under some of the most difficult normally occurring fishing conditions that Lake Taneycomo can present, we caught four trout, had six more hooked and missed countless strikes. It was a wonderful evening of fishing with a guide that is personable, a great teacher, and provides a great Lake Taneycomo trout fishing experience. Guide Steve Dickey and Angler’s Advantage can be reached by calling 417-619-9377 or visiting his website www.anglersadvantage.net.

The Professional Anglers Association has joined forces with the Central Pro Am Association to offer a one of a kind opportunity for anglers fishing Central Pro Am in 2010. The new affiliation brings together two organizations with a unifying theme of tournament bass fishing, and support of the membership, the fishermen. According to John Crews, President of the PAA, “We are excited to implement partnerships such as this, as we feel it gives strength to both organizations, and as a result creates more opportunities for the anglers, which is important to the PAA.”

The partnership paves the way for the 2010 Central Pro Am Angler of the Year, along with the Co-angler of the Year, who will each receive a guaranteed slot in the 2011 PAA Tournament Series. In addition to covering entry fees for the anglers, Central Pro Am will also be providing assistance with expenses, making this a truly inexpensive shot at becoming a touring pro in 2011. “This could make a couple of our Central Pro Am’s anglers lifelong dreams come true, just by fishing a season with us…two of our anglers will be competing against some of the best talent in the country in 2011,” said Jim Thompson, owner of Central Pro Am.

Two lucky Central Pro Am Anglers also have a chance to compete with touring PAA pros in the 2009 PAA Corporate Cup, to be held September 10-12 on Lake Pickwick in Florence, AL. This unique opportunity is part of a joint PAA/CPAA membership drive. All members of Central Pro Am in good standing that join the PAA between June 1 and July 31, 2009 are registered for their chance to win this all expense paid trip courtesy of Central Pro Am.

For more details on the Professional Anglers Association, the PAA Tournament Series, or the 2009 PAA Corporate Cup please visit www.fishpaa.com. For more information on the Central Pro Am Association, their tournament series, and how you can participate in this partnership, please visit www.central-proam.com.

According to a recent press release, the grand reopening of the Branson, Missouri KOA Kampground will be held on Wednesday, July 1 at 1 p.m., in its new location at 397 Animal Safari Road in Branson. The new location was formerly “Chastain’s Camp Ground” and is close to Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo, Silver Dollar City and the famous Branson Strip.

In addition to a new location, the KOA reopening involves over $500,000 of renovations and improvements. Owners Ralph and Kim Newell realize the importance of upgrading to meet the needs of today’s camper even in today’s economic climate.

According to the press release, the renovations included the addition of Deluxe Patio Sites. These sites include landscaped concrete sites with patio furniture and personal fireplaces. Inspectors with Trailer Life Directory were quoted as saying “In our 30 years of service, these are by far the best deluxe sites we have seen, bar none.”

The renovations also included more than 30 patio sites; 30 to 50 amp service at every site, Wi-Fi throughout the park and the addition of 10 Kamping Kabins and 3 KOA Lodges. Also added were a few unique features such as an ornate gazebo, elegant patio next to the KOA Kafe, one of the most upscale bathrooms at a campground and energy efficient devices. The camp ground also has a jumping pillow; the first of its kind for Missouri campgrounds.

New services for campers include a pontoon boat and golf cart rental, breakfast served seven days a week in season, and shuttle service to area shows and attractions. Four-legged campers will enjoy the new Kamp K9 pet playground area. The KOA Kafé features pizza, ice cream, homemade fudge, gifts, souvenirs and a large selection of RV parts and accessories. Branson KOA strives to be simply the best for everyone.

The ribbon cutting ceremony, performed by the Branson Chamber of Commerce, will be at the campground at 1 p.m. Following the ceremony, tours of the renovated campground will be available on golf carts and a hayride. Attendees can see the new lodging options, jumping pillow and pet playground, and sample new treats and refreshments available at the campground, including pizza, ice cream treats and homemade fudge.

Branson KOA has been the recipient of several awards in their short tenure. These include the KOA President’s award for 2007 and 2008; Top 300 Campgrounds by Trailer Life; 5 Star status by Woodall’s; and Best Branson Convention Center Award for 2007 and 2008. It has more than 150 full-hookup sites and its groups/reunion facilities include a 7,000-square-foot convention center, meeting room and pavilion. There’s even an event planner to assist with catering, entertainment and transportation needs for your group, rally or family reunion.

When Jim Thompson, long time competitive bass fisherman and local Branson businessman, acquired the ownership of the Central Pro-Am Tournament Association (CPAA) a few months ago he said, “I am very excited about this new opportunity and challenge that I have been blessed with.” Thompson went on to say that the number one goal of CPAAwas to meet the needs of the fishermen.

Under the leadership of Thompson, the CPAA Advisory Board and staff have revitalized the CPAA and are guiding it through an extremely successful 2009 tournament season. In striving to give its fishermen a better fishing experience the CPAA has just announced a partnership with one of the fastest growing fishing associations in the country, the Professional Anglers Association (PAA).

Scarcely able to contain his excitement Thompson said, “This is huge, for CPAA and our fishermen.” He went on to say that the PAA is the only angler driven and owned professional fishing organization in the country and the partnership that provides, except for a $50.00 general membership in the PAA, a no cost means for CPAA fisherman to progress to the next level up the tournament trail, the PAA.

In a recent letter announcing the partnership, Danny Blandford, PAA’s Business Development Manager said, “It is with great excitement that I draft this letter, as it is the start of a partnership between the Professional Anglers Association (PAA) and the Central Pro Am Association. Our new affiliation brings together two organizations with a unifying theme of tournament bass fishing, and support of our membership, the fishermen.” In the letter John Crews, President of the PAA said, “We are excited to implement partnerships such as this, as we feel it gives strength to both organizations, and as a result creates more opportunities for the anglers, which is important to the PAA.”

Thompson pointed out that the first immediate benefit to CPAA anglers is that, as a supporting partner, the PAA provides PayDay Sanctioning of the CPAA tournaments, and will reward PAA members taking first place in any CPAA with an additional $250 bonus. He said the bonus applies individually to Professional, Non Boater (Amateur) and Team division anglers for their CPAA wins. In addition, all CPAA members in good standing,who join the PAA by July 31, 2009 will be entered into a drawing to win an all expense paid trip to fish the PAA Corporate Cup on Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL September 10 – 12, 2009.

As he explained what will happen in 2010, Thompson said that 2010 Central Pro Am Angler of the Year, in both the Pro and Non Boater (Amateur) Divisions will win an expense paid “ride” to fish the entire 2011 PAA Tournament Series including paid entry fees, food, fuel and lodging allowances for the entire season.. To qualify anglers must be members of both Central Pro Am and the Professional Anglers Association before the start of the 2010 Central Pro Am season.

In his letter, PAA’s Blandford said, “This is truly a one of kind opportunity, which no other tournament organization has to offer. We at the PAA feel that a program such as this illustrates the commitment of Central Pro Am to their anglers, and this partnership.”

Thompson pointed out that the PAA schedule coupled with all the fees and expenses being paid will give CPAA anglers a viable opportunity to move to the next level of tournament competition without having to quit their current jobs. He said, “This could make a couple of our angler’s lifelong goals come true in one year.”

Further information on the CPAA and PAA is available on their respective websites.

The opening of Moonshine Beach, a day-use park on the north end of Table Rock Dam near the Chateau on the Lake, has been postponed until June 5 because of weather-related construction delays.

Nevertheless, reservations are already being accepted for the group shelter for dates from June 5 to Oct. 31. The shelter, which accommodates groups of up to 75 people, is directly above the swim beach and offers 12 picnic tables, two large grills, a rock fireplace, and counter space with electrical outlets. The facility is Americans with Disabilities Act accessible. The fee is $75 for the entire day. Park hours will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

To make a reservation, call the National Recreation Reservation Service toll free at 877-444-6777, or log onto the Internet at www.recreation.gov. For help or information on other Branson attractions, shows, accommodations please contact the Branson Tourism Center by phone at 800-785-1550 or through their website www.BransonTourismCenter.Com.

Via press release the Central Pro Am Association (CPAA) advises that they have elected to move the Pro Am and Team tournaments scheduled June 6th and 7th on Bull Shoals Lake to StocktonLake. While Bull Shoals Lake will still be accessible in other locations the official tournament weigh in location, Bull Shoals Boat Dock, will have minimal facilities and parking for the event. Bearing in mind the safety and satisfaction of our anglers, Central Pro Am staff and Advisory Committee determined moving the tournaments was the best option.

Orleans Trail on StocktonLake will now host the June 6th and 7th Pro Am and Team events. Central Pro Am looks forward to exciting tournaments on StocktonLake and appreciates the patience and understanding of our anglers and supporters during this unexpected modification to our schedule.

Contact Central Pro Am Association at (417) 263-0373 for further information.

Lodging and additional information is available at: http://www.stocktonlake.com/lodging.php

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Randy Emerson (left) and Ron Hedgpeth with two bass from their 5 bass limit.

In some tournaments it is a matter of hundredths of an ounce that separates first from second place, but not in the second stop of the “2009 Missouri Skeeter Tour” hosted by the Central Pro-Am Association (CPAA) held May 9 on Table Rock Lake. With a total of 72 teams competing, the local team of Randy Emerson and Ron Hedgpeth won 1st place and $10,000.00 by over 4.5 pounds over their closest competitors with an impressive five fish limit weighing 23.83 pounds. They said they caught their bass on the White River and were fishing jigs in the brush.

Second place went to the team of Bryan Herndon and Larry Herndon who won $1,365.00 with a five fish limit weighing 19.10 pounds. The rest of the five top finishers were: 3rd place Terry Thomas and Bob Cobb, $820.00 for a five fish limit weighing 18.93 pounds; 4th place Greg Ryan and Brad Johnston, $740 for a five fish limit weighing 16.58 pounds and 5th place Larry Wilcox and Darren Plank, $605.00 for a five fish limit weighing 16.55 pounds.

The $910.00 for 1st place in the “Big Bass” competition with a bass weighing 7.11 pounds was the team of Randy Emerson and Ron Hedgpeth. The team of John Goodman and Tory Iverson took 2nd place in the Big Bass Competition with a bass weighing 4.97 pounds.

As the fishermen weighed in, Master of Ceremonies Korey Mitchell asked many of them if the fish were still on the beds. Interestingly, there was a split with some of them saying they were and some saying they were not. Jim Thompson, the Branson owner of CPAA, explained that the difference could relate to whether or not they were fishing Table Rock Lakes rivers or in the main lake because fish could be in different stages of the spawn in each.

The third and last stop on the 2009 Skeeter Tour will be for a guaranteed $10,000.00 1st place on Truman Lake on July 26, 2009.

Submitted to multiple Sources by Phill Lilley, Ozark Anglers

Vince Elfrink with his Missouri State record Yellow Perch.

Vince Elfrink of Branson has a new personal best. And it just so happens it’s a Missouri best, too!

Elfrink, fieldhouse supervisor at College of the Ozarks, loves to fish — and hunt– for that matter. A native of southeast Missouri, he came to the tri-lakes area in the late 1970s to attend College of the Ozarks and there he has stayed and made the lakes area home with his wife, JoBeth, and their three children, Joel, Micah and Luke. Despite his faithfulness to his job and his family, Elfrink takes advantage of every opportunity to either be in the field or on the water.

Three years ago he furthered his love for fishing and bought a bass boat and acquired his OUVP Coast Guard License and now moonlights as a part-time fishing guide.

This past Sunday, he left church and headed straight to the bank on upper Bull Shoals. He was in search of the white bass and walleye that have been running the last few weeks. Armed with spinning rod, swimming minnows and his hand-tied buck tail jigs, he sprawled down the mud bank to the water to start his "restful" afternoon of fishing. It turned into a bit of a circus though.

Hooking and landing a few decent white bass on his quarter-ounce white buck tail jig, he hooked another one – or so he thought. This fish fought about the same, but when it broke the water’s surface, it had a different shape and color. It was a yellow perch.

Yellow perch are not native to this part of the country. They normally are found farther north and are found primarily in the Great Lakes. But somehow they’ve found their way into Bull Shoals, much to the chagrin of the Missouri Department of Conservation. In another words, they were not stocked by MDC officials but rather by a third party — without permission. But they’ve flourished and are now listed as an official game fish, at least on the record books.

This yellow perch was a nice one. Elfrink knew he had something special. He made a call and found out the current state record was one pound, seven ounces. He thought his perch was bigger — and he was right.

He contacted the local MDC agent, Buck Nofsinger who asked him to bring the fish up to the local Country Mart in Forsyth to be officially weighed and verified. He weighed in at a whopping 1 pound, 11 ounces, several ounces bigger than the record.

Vince Elfrink is now the Missouri state record holder for a yellow perch. The fish was picked up by officials from Bass Pro Shops. They will hold the perch in quarantine for 30 days and if it lives, it will be placed in their tank at Bass Pro on the Branson Landing.

Weigh Master Kory Mitchell and Jackie Davis holding two of the five bass making up his teams winning 24.44 pounds total.

Neither snow nor ice shall keep the dedicated tournament bass fisherman from the pursuit of a $10,000 first prize. Despite the early spring and ice and snow storm that impacted parts of Missouri and Kansas last weekend, the Branson based Central Pro-Am Association (CPAA) held the first team tournament of the “2009 CPAA Missouri Skeeter Tour” at the Lake of the Ozarks, Sunday, March 29. Jim Thompson, CPAA’s owner said that 92 boats took off from the ramp at Public Beach #2 in Osage Beach in 31 degree temperatures.

He estimated that, without the wintery weather forecast for the tournament site and the actual snow and ice storms to the north and west the day before, there would have been at least 125 boats in the tournament. He said, except for the 31 degree temperature at the take off, it was a wonderful day for fishing and all the participants were enthusiastic and excited.

Thompson said that this was the first of three team tournaments making up the “2009 CPAA Missouri Skeeter Tour” with a guaranteed first place prize of $10,000 for each tournament. The Tour uses the Team format with one team of two fishermen in each boat. The winner and tournament placements are determined by the highest total weight with a team limit of a maximum of five bass.

Thompson said the fishing was excellent and that each of the 18 teams receiving a payout weighed in a “bag” with a limit of five bass. Thompson stated that $18,400.00 was collected from the fishermen and all $18,400.00 was paid back in prizes. The guaranteed First place prize of $10,000 was won by the team of Jimmy Davis, Jr. and Jackie Davis, brothers from Willard, with a total weight of 24.44 pounds. They won an additional $630.00 for catching the second biggest bass in the tournament weighing 7.35 pounds. The team of Dave Thomason and Todd Eddington won $1,170.00 for catching the biggest single bass in the tournament, weighing 7.79 pounds.

Second through Tenth place with the total weight in pounds and prize payout are as follows: Second, James Edge and Jerry Roark, 23.05 pounds, $1,760.00, Third, James Watson and Robbie Dodson, 20.52 pounds, $1,050.00, Fourth, Stan Snelson and Butch Belt, 19.48 pounds, $950.00, Fifth, Bobby Sullivan and Jim Bible, 19.28 pounds, $780.00, Sixth, Mark Wiese, Jr. and Kelly Power, 18.59 pounds, $630.00, Seventh, Lupe Garcia and Joey Penzo, 18.30 pounds, $530.00, Eighth Dave Thomason and Todd Eddington, 18.04 pounds, $430.00, Ninth, Andre Dickneite and Joe Wieberg, 17.52 pounds, $330.00, and Tenth, Bob Richardson and Lynn Luther, 17.44 pounds, $285.00.

Thompson said, unlike the regular CPAA Tournaments where, in addition to the prize payouts in each tournament, cumulative points are earned toward a free entry championship at the end of the season. Each of the three “CPAA Missouri Skeeter Tour” tournaments is non-cumulative and has a $10,000 first place guaranteed by Skeeter. The next two CPAA Skeeter Tour Tournaments are on May 9 at Table Rock Lake and on July 26, at Truman, Lake.

One of Branson’s greatest tourism and scenic assets is Table Rock Lake, but trash ending up on the shoreline of the lake happens even though, in a perfect world, it shouldn’t. It is the result of the intentional and accidental infusion of trash into, onto, or around the lake resulting from the traffic Table Rock Lake and its immediate surrounding area receives from fishing, hunting, camping, boating, swimming, hiking, and other activities.

Even as people “volunteer” to create the problem through their intentional or negligent acts, it takes other volunteers to clean up and mitigate the problem others have created. Table Rock Water Quality Inc. (TRLWQ), a not for profit corporation whose main mission is maintaining and improving the quality of the ground and surface waters of the Table Rock Lake watershed, is coordinating the annual shoreline cleanup of the lake.

According to a statement on its web site, www.trlwq.org, 2009’s annual shoreline cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, April 4. David Casaletto, Executive of TRLWQ, said the 2009 cleanup is named the “Table Rock Marina Association Shoreline Cleanup,” after its major funding sponsor. The web site statement also points out that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Table Rock Lake will supply trash bags, dumpsters for the trash collected, and other major assistance for the cleanup in support of the hundreds of volunteers who typically participate in the cleanup.

Statistics on the web site indicate that weather and the high water lake levels over the last two years, particularly in 2008, resulted in a drastic cut in the number of shoreline miles that have been cleaned and the total tons of trash and tires collected and removed from the shoreline. Those same statistics show that since 2004 the number of volunteers has dropped from 1016 in 2004 to about 600 in 2008.

It is anticipated that near normal lake levels this year will expose more shore line and make it easier to get to and collect the trash. Casaletto confirmed that will only happen however, if there are enough volunteers to take advantage of the situation.

Normally volunteers are organized into teams made up of members of civic organizations, homeowner’s associations, scouting groups, college students, businesses etc., but Casaletto said that a “team” could consist of just an individual. Teams can register either on line, by going to the website www.trlwq.org and following the appropriate links, or by calling TRLWQ at 417-739-4100.

He also pointed out that, because of the hundreds of miles of shoreline involved in the cleanup, there is no one central gathering place and teams can obtain supplies such as bags, gloves, water, dumpster lists, etc., at the TRLQ office located 2 Kissee Avenue, Kimberling City or by calling 417-739-4100 and making appropriate arrangements. He went on to say that each team member participating in the shoreline cleanup will receive a shoreline cleanup t-shirt and a camping voucher for Table Rock Lake U.S. Army Corps campgrounds.

Lance Williams, of Billings, Mo, winner of the Professional Division of the Skeeter/Yamaha CPAA Tournament at Beaver Lake, displays two of bass contributing to his tournament winning total of 22.17 pounds.

The first tournament of the “2009 Central Pro-Am Association (CPAA) Schedule,” sponsored by Skeeter/Yamaha is history. The bass tournament was held recently on Beaver Lake with the take off and weigh in at Prairie Creek. It was the first tournament under the new ownership of Jim Thompson and using the new format of two separate tournaments, a one day Pro-Am Tournament on Saturday followed by a separate Team Tournament on Sunday.

Prior to the tournament Thompson said, “We are getting everything ready and are very excited about it.” When asked how he felt, after the tournament he said, “We were just tickled to death,” the fishing was great and all the participants just seemed glad to be there and were having a great time.

He went on to explain that in the “Pro-Am” tournament there are two divisions, “Professional” and “Amateur.” For the “Pro-Am Tournament” on Saturday, March 7, Thompson said that 78 fishermen fished in the “Professional Division” and 54 fished the “Amateur Division.” Each “Professional” has to have a boat for the tournament. Each “Amateur” is randomly assigned to fish with one of the Professionals.

He said that although there are two people in the boat they are not fishing as a team, but against the other anglers in their respective divisions, the professionals are fishing only against the other professionals and the amateurs only against the other amateurs. Thompson also pointed out that the professional controls the boat, fishes from the front of the boat while the amateur must fish from the back of the boat and has no control over where the boat goes.

Although Beaver Lake is the smallest of the Tri-Lakes’ lakes some hefty bass were caught. In the Professional Division Lance Williams, Billings, MO, won the first place prize of $2,615.00 with a five bass limit of 22.17 pounds. Matt Jones, Spokane, MO, won the second place prize of $1,802.00 with a five bass limit weighing 19.94 pounds and the top three was rounded out by Don Woolsey, Rogers, AR, who won the third place prize of $1,495 with a five bass limit weighing 14.78 pounds.

In the Amateur Division Matt Pruden, Springdale, AR, won a first place prize of $1,022.00 with three bass weighing 8.04 pounds. Scott Jones, Rogers AR, won the $730.00 second place prize with three bass weighing 7.84 pounds and Bobby King, Gentry, AR, won the third place prize of $620.00 with three bass weighing 7.05 pounds.

On Sunday, March 8, the tournament was a “Team Tournament” composed of two angler teams. Each team could weight in a total of five bass with the highest team weight determining the winner and placement. The first place prize of $1,476 was won by Mike Webb and Tim Sainato with five bass weighing 15.79 pounds, second place with a prize of $996.00 went to David Barker and Billy Bird with five bass weighing 15.78 pounds and the third place prize of $756.00 went to JR Beehler and Kyle Sarratt with five bass weighing 14.95 pounds.

In addition to the prize money for the tournament, each of the top ten finishers in each division of the Pro-Am Tournament held on March 7 and the Team Tournament held on March 8 qualifies to fish the no fee “Skeeter-Yamaha Central Pro-Am Association Championship” providing they have fished in at least five of the seven “2009 Skeeter-Yamaha CPAA Schedule” Tournaments.

The Pro-Am Championship, with a minimum 1st place prize of $12,000 for the Professional Division and $6,000 for the Amateur Division will be held at Stockton Lake Sep. 12-13. The Team Championship, with a minimum 1st place prize of $10,000 will be held at Bull Shoals Lake Oct. 3-4.

(Branson, MO) The Branson based Central Pro-Am Association (CPAA) has announced the first bass tournament of the “2009 CPAA Missouri Skeeter Tour.” The format used for the Tour is the “Team” format with each two person team getting to weigh in five bass. The highest team total determines the winner and placement.

The Tour’s first tournament will be held at Lake of the Ozarks, Sunday, March 29, 2009. The others will be held at Table Rock Lake on May 9 and at Truman Lake on July 26. Each will have a 1st place prize of $10,000 guaranteed by Skeeter.

The Lake of the Ozarks tournament take off will be from Public Beach #2 in Osage Beach at 6:30 a.m. or “safe light.” The registration fee for the tournament is $200.00 per team and may be made through the Central Pro Am Main Office by calling Chris Maples at 417-335-5075 prior to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 27 or at the tournament launching ramp prior to 6:00 a.m. March 29.

The tournament host for lodging is the Inn at Grand Glaize, (800) 348-4731. They are offering a discount to those fishing in the tournament. The host tackle shops are Bryant’s Osage Outdoors at (800) 909-3528 and Osage Beach Bait and Tackle at (573)348-9333.

David Walker of Sevierville, TN picture holding a 7 pound 7 ounce Table Rock Bass that won him the Folgers Big Bass of the Day prize and was part of the 26 pound 11 ounce total that placed him in first place for Day 1 .

In terms of weather the statement, “You should have been in Branson last week” would have been appropriate for those wanting warmer weather. But, the cold front that just moved through Branson earlier in the week and the threatened snow on the first day of the FLW-Mart Tour Bass Tournament on Table Rock Lake March 12 – 15, didn’t seem to hold the competitors back much.

The tournament has a total of 156 professional and 156 co-anglers competing for prizes ranging from $100,000 to $10,000 on the professional side and $20,000 to $800 on the co-angler side. The professional angler pays more to enter the tournament than the co-angler, controls the boat, determines where to fish, and fishes from the front of the boat. The co-angler pays less to enter the tournament, fishes where the professional chooses, and fishes from the back or the boat. The professional and co anglers are paired up for each tournament randomly by computer.

The field of 156 competitors in each division will be narrowed down to 10 finalists after the second day of competition, Friday March 13. The ten professional finalists will be competing for prizes from $100,000 for first place to $15,000 for tenth place. The co-angler finalists will be competing for prizes ranging from $20,000 for first place to $1,500 for tenth place. In this tournament prizes will be awarded at back at least 40 additional places and will range from $12,500 to $10,000 on the professional side and $1,300 to $800 on the co-angler side.

At the end of the first day of the tournament, David Walker of Sevierville, TN, from the BP, Team had caught a five fish limit of the 26 pounds 11 ounces including a 7 pound 7 ounce Table Rock bass that won him the Folgers Big Bass of the Day prize of $750.00. Amazingly, Walker’s BP Team mate, Sinichi Fukae from Mineola, TX was in second place with a five fish limit of 22 pounds 5 ounces. The professionals caught 94 five bass limits of which six were 20 pounds or greater and another 39 were 15 pounds or greater.

On the co-angler side Zac Cassill of Fairfax, IA is in first place with 17 pounds 6 ounces and David Laur from South Bend, IN is in second with 16 pounds four ounces.

The Take-Off for each morning of the Tournament is at the State Park Marina off of State Highway 165 at 7:00 a.m. The weigh-in will be at the marina on Friday March 13 at 3:00 p.m. and at the Branson Convention Center on March 14 and 15 at 4:00 p.m.

Click on the appropriate catagory for a full list of Professional and Co-Angler Results.

Stan Parker, River Run Outfitters, launching a McKenzie style drift boat for a fly fishing trip on Lake Taneycomo. It is just one of the many fishing experiences available on Branson’s Tri-Lakes.

Could Branson, Missouri, known as “the live music show capital of the world” also be the “fresh water fishing capital of the world?” At the very least, it certainly is one of the most unique.

As the White River winds its unique northern route through the Branson area turning south to the Mississippi River, between Rockaway Beach and Forsythe, Missouri, it flows through three impoundments that form Branson’s Tri-Lakes, Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo, and Bull Shoals Lake. Each provides a varied choice of fresh water fishing and together they provide a combination of quality fishing for both “warm” and “cold” species, and natural scenic beauty, all within minutes of all that Branson has to offer.

From Beaver Lake in northwestern Arkansas, the White River flows into Table Rock Lake, one of the premier bass fishing lakes in America. Table Rock Lake has a surface area of approximately 43,100 surface acres, 745 miles of shoreline, and a lake elevation above mean sea level of 915 feet at the top of its Conservation Pool. It offers a wide variety of quality fishing for “warm water” species from Paddlefish to Crappie and Bass.

Table Rock Lake’s reputation for being a quality multi-species bass fishery has lead to many national and regional tournaments being held on the lake. The prestigious FLW Stren Series Championship was held on Table Rock during the first week of November 2008 and the Walmart FLW Tournament will be held March 12-15, 2009. Regionally Table Rock Lake hosts numerous bass tournaments two of which will be hosted by the Central Pro-Am Association.

As the White River flows out of Table Rock Lake Dam it forms the “headwaters” of Lake Taneycomo providing 22 miles of some of the finest “cold water” Rainbow and Brown Trout fishing in the Midwest. In terms of pure numbers of trout caught per hour of fishing and convenient public access to trout fishing Lake Taneycomo is hard to beat. The current Missouri state record Brown Trout, weighing 27 pounds 10-ounces was caught from Lake Taneycomo.

A unique aspect of fishing Lake Taneycomo is that it runs right past downtown Branson and it’s biggest shopping attraction Branson Landing. Fisherman can be out fishing for trout and pull their boats up to one of the landings marinas get out and eat lunch at one of the landing’s restaurants or get a takeout meal from Shorty Small right on the lake front.

The “tail waters” of Lake Taneycomo, just below the Powersite Dam near Forsythe Missouri is the southernmost portion of Bull Shoals Lake, the third of the Tri-Lakes area lakes. Although the 45,000 thousand acre impoundment, with over 1050 miles of shoreline offers the same type of “warm water” fishing as Table Rock Lake it is more “rustic,” does not have as much development around its shoreline as Table Rock Lake and the vast majority of it is not conveniently fished from Branson, but the portion that is provides some great fishing.

The area right below Powersite Dam is called the “Pothole” and is noted for White Bass run in the spring. The entire southern area of Bull Shoals from the Missouri Stateline to the Powersite Dam and its tributary creeks is noted for its Crappie, Blue Gill, Walleye, and Bass, particularly “Stripers” fishing. The Missouri State Record Large Mouth Bass, Striped Bass, and Walleye have all been caught in this area.

There may be other areas in the country that have the same selection of warm water fishing or cold water fishing that Branson has, but it is hard to imagine any other area where the same fishing quality and experience is provided in a more convenient or accessible manner. One thing is for sure, there is no other area where this variety of fishing is offered within minutes of each other and the all the shows, attractions, entertainment, and shopping that Branson has to offer.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2009 Day Use Passes are now available for purchase [in the Branson area] at the Table Rock Lake Project Office. The passes cost $30 each, and holders of Golden Age or Access Passports or America the Beautiful Senior or Access Passports may purchase them for $15.

Purchasers of passes this year will see a change from previous years. The month and year stickers will now reflect the expiration date instead of the purchase date. This means there will not be a 2009 sticker issued but one that expires in 2010. This change will make the pass expiration more clear.

The Day Use Pass is a tag that is hung from the interior rear view mirror of the vehicle. A visitor may purchase more than one annual day use pass at full price.

Day Use Pass holders may use any day use area managed by the Corps nationwide at no additional cost. At Table Rock Lake, area day use fees are charged at Aunts Creek, Baxter, Big M, Campbell Point, Cape Fair, Cricket Creek, Cow Creek, Eagle Rock, Indian Point, Long Creek, Mill Creek, Moonshine Beach, Old Hwy 86, Viney Creek and Viola. These passes do not apply to other types of use fees, such as camping or picnic shelter reservation fees.

In the Branson area, to buy an annual pass for your own use or as a gift for someone else, visit or call the Table Rock Project Office adjacent to the Dewey Short Visitor Center at Table Rock Dam. The office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.To buy a pass by mail or telephone, or to obtain a list of additional locations where one can be purchased, please call 417-334-4101 or toll free 877-691-0558 and dial ext. 0. Credit cards are accepted.

For additional information with other aspects of a trip to Branson, such as lodging, shows or attractions, lakes, etc. please call the Branson Tourism Center either on line or by phone. Please contact BTC on line or by phone at 800-785-1550 for additional information, assistance or to purchase tickets.

Central Pro-Am Association Administrator Kris Maples and owner Jim Thompson.

Branson, MO – The Central Pro-Am Tournament Association (CPAA), a long time provider of local pro-am bass tournaments in the Branson and other areas of south west Missouri and northern Arkansas, has recently been acquired by long time competitive bass fisherman and local Branson businessman, Jim Thompson. In acquiring CPAA from its former owner, Kevin Bowling, Thompson said, “I am very excited about this new opportunity and challenge that I have been blessed with.”

Thompson said his number one goal is to serve the needs of the members of the association. “To help insure that result,” he said, “I will rely heavily on the advice of the CPAA advisory committee composed of David Barker, Billy Bird, Greg Dishman, Buster Loving, Mike Webb, Paul Rice and Lupe Garcia. He indicated that all are well known bass fishermen in the area dedicated to bass fishing and that members should feel free to contact them and let them know not only what changes they would like to see, but what they think of the changes currently being made.

The first change is the resumption of the regular publication of the CPAA’s magazine entitled “Fishin’ Magazine.” The magazine will contain information about CPAA’s tournaments and schedules, new products and techniques and articles designed to entertain and make the reader a better bass fisherman.

The second change is that the CPAA tournament format has been changed to provide for a one day Pro-Am tournament on Saturday followed by a Team Tournament on Sunday. The Pro-Am pairs a professional with an amateur selected by computer. The Team or “buddy” Tournament is two people who decide they want to fish a tournament together.Click here to see the complete 2009 CPAA Tournament Schedule.

Thompson pointed out that the prizes awarded in most CPAA tournaments are directly related to the entry fees paid; the more who enter larger the prizes. He said the prizes awarded for the Pro-Am Tournaments are more than the prizes awarded for the Team Tournaments and within the Pro-Am Tournaments the prizes awarded to the professional are more than the prizes awarded to the amateur. The fees for the Pro-Am Tournaments are $200.00 for the professional and $100.00 for the amateur and the fees for the Team Tournaments are $150.00 per boat.

A third change is a series of three guaranteed $10,000 Team Tournaments. Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Motors are sponsoring the “Skeeter Tour Missouri Division” tournaments. The $10,000 guaranteed first place prize will be paid regardless of the number of boats entered. Each participant must be a member of CPAA and there is a $200.00 per team entry fee which covers both fishermen in the boat. Thomson said there is no requirement to own a Skeeter Boat or Yamaha engine to fish in the “Skeeter Tour Missouri Division” tournaments.

He went on to say that membership or further information on the Central Pro-Am Tournament Association or its tournaments can be obtained by contacting either himself or Kris Maples, CPAA Administrator, by phone at 417-335-5075 or through its headquarters located at 220 Branson Hills Pkwy, Suite B, Branson, MO 65616.

For most people, the price of fishing on Lake Taneycomo will be going up in double digit amounts in 2009. As the result of a recent year-long review of sport permit regulations by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the Missouri Conservation Commission passed sweeping changes to its sport permit regulations that will impact on the cost of fishing in Lake Taneycomo for locals and visitors alike.

The cost of a Trout Permit will go up 43 percent from the current $7.00 to $10.00 per year for adults and be reduced 28 percent from the current $7.00 to $5.00 for youth under age 16 starting Mar. 1, 2009. Under MDC regulations a Trout Permit is required under two circumstances.

The first is to keep or possesses trout. Generally that means doing anything with the trout except catching it and immediately releasing it back into the water unharmed The other circumstance is when fishing on Lake Taneycomo in the area upstream from the Highway 65 Bridge across Lake Taneycomo to the Table Rock Dam, regardless of whether or not trout are kept. Just fishing in the area requires a Trout Permit.

The Trout Permit is a separate permit and is required in addition to any other required fishing permit, which, in most cases, will be a Resident, Non Resident, Daily Fishing Permit or the new “Fish Forever Permit.” The Trout Permit is also required in the vast majority of cases where no other fishing permit is required, such as youths under the age 16 or seniors over the age 65 by Mar.1 2009.

The Trout Permit is issued for an annual period covering Mar. 1 to the end of February each year and is not prorated based on the date of purchase. The cost is $10.00 ($5.00 for youth under 16) whether purchased on Mar. 2 or Sep. 15 and is the same for a resident as it is for a nonresident.

The cost for most fishing permits will also be going up in 2009. Resident Fishing Permits will be going up 16.6 percent from $12.00 to $14.00 while the Nonresident Fishing permit will rise 5 percent from $40.00 to $42.00. The Daily Fishing Permit, required when a permit is required and the fisherman elects not to purchase the appropriate resident or nonresident permit, will raise about 7 percent from $7.00 per day to $7.50 per day.

How will these increases reflect on the total cost of both a Trout and Fishing Permit? For residents the total cost of a Trout Permit and Resident Fishing Permit will go up 26 percent from $19.00 to $24.00, nonresident cost will go up 11 percent from $39.00 to $42.00 and the first day of a Daily Permit will go up 25 percent from $14.00 to $17.50.

Lamar Patton, the owner of Scotty’s Trout Dock and Marina, located on Lake Taneycomo in the city of Branson’s camp ground, said he didn’t think the increase in fees would impact on his business very much. Patton said, “In terms of what the typical fisherman spends to fish and what someone coming to Branson spends on their trip for fishing the relatively small increases will not keep those wanting to fish Lake Taneycomo from doing so.”

Furnished Courtesy of the Branson Daily Independent https://bransoncourier.com/view_article.php?news_ID=41

The Hollister R-V School District and the Hollister community will celebrate the opening of the new football complex on Monday, September 8, 2008. The activities for the evening will begin at 5:00 pm with a free cookout in the parking lot north of the football stadium. The cookout will be provided by New Beginnings Church of Hollister, Missouri. The pre-game activities will follow at 6:10 pm with the presentation of a football, celebrating Hollister’s first football game on September 2, 2008, to the Board of Education. The Hollister High School Show Choir will sing the National Anthem prior to the game. The Hollister Tiger Pride Band will perform during half-time. After the game, the City of Hollister will present a fireworks display to conclude the evening. You are welcome to come and share this historic event with the Hollister community.

Empire District Electric Company, with the cooperation of the Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwest Power Administration, and others, are preparing to replace the flashboards at the Ozark Beach (Powersite) Dam. Flashboards are boards projecting above the crest of a dam to increase the water elevation or depth of the water. The flashboards were removed from the Ozark Beach Dam during heavy rainfall in March.
In order to accomplish this work, the level of Lake Taneycomo will be slowly lowered to approximately the 696.5-foot elevation at the dam. This process will begin the evening of Saturday, August 16, 2008. It will remain at the 696.5 level until afternoon on Monday, August 18, 2008. However, if work at the dam is completed sooner, the lake level may return to normal sooner. The timing for this work is very weather sensitive and may be adjusted.

The normal operating elevation at the dam varies from 698.0 to 704.0 feet. During the time work is being completed, Table Rock releases will be diminished. In the event of heavy rains, the work at Ozark Beach could possibly be delayed and rescheduled for a later date. Once the work is completed, the Table Rock U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be alerted that they may resume normal operations.

The temporarily lowered lake level will offer an opportunity for others to complete dock and boat ramp maintenance.

Scotty’s Trout Dock starts it multi-modal trip back up the lake with boats pushing and a front end loader 300 yards down stream pulling on a cable..

Those fishing Branson’s Lake Taneycomo in current commonly use a “drift rig” but no one has ever seen a drift rig” as big as Scotty’s Trout Dock and Marina (Scotty’s) became early in the morning hours of April 11. The high waters, current caused y the release of over 46,500 cubic feet of water per second from the Table Rock Dam, and an increase in the wind caused the dock to break loose from its moorings and began a slow drift downstream toward the Business Highway 65/MO 76 Bridge across Lake Taneycomo.

Scotty’s owner, Lamar Patton was on the dock at the time. As the mooring arms snapped and the dock started drifting he got in a boat, went back to shore, and called 911. Fortunately, the dock was located on the shallow side of the lake where the current was slower, and the docks eight 4,000 pound anchors slowed the drift. Most importantly of all, some of those anchors, not unlike the drift rigs commonly used to fish for trout on Lake Taneycomo, snagged and held the dock about 300 yards from where its odessey started. The next morning in the light of day, with the assistance of the city of Branson, L & H Dock Service and others the dock was more firmly anchored.

On the morning of April 17, after the US Army Corps of Engineers closed the gates on Table Rock Dam, that same team got Scotty’s back to its original position and anchored. The process used was innovative with boats pushing from the water, and a cable on a pulley being pulled by a front end loader to help remove tension and provide guidance. Even at that, the eight anchors had to be cut in order to move the dock up stream and into position.

Scotty’s is currently opened for business but is without electricity or phone until Monday, April 21. The following pictures kind of follow the trip “home” for Scotty’s Trout Dock and Marina.

The Tour of Missouri is a 600-mile, six-day world-class race that features point-to-point racing. The race Starts in Kansas City, September 11 and concludes September 16 in St. Louis. It includes legs to Clinton, Springfield, Branson, Lebanon, Columbia, Jefferson City, and St. Charles. The race features some of the world’s top professional cycling teams.

The race is sanctioned by the UCI, the international governing body for cycling, and USA Cycling, the national governing body for cycling.When Branson hosts a portion of the first ever Tour of Missouri bike race next Thursday (September 13), residents and visitors need to be aware of some changes in traffic flow along the bike route in the north part of the city.

About 120 professional cyclists will be participating in the Time Trials, an 18-mile long course that begins at Branson Landing and ends at the Shepherd of the Hills Farm on West Highway 76. The race begins at 11 a.m. and ends about 3 p.m. The cyclists will start from Branson Landing at one-minute intervals and then head north to Branson Hills Parkway where the cyclists turn westward towards Highway 248.

According to Branson Police Chief Caroll McCullough, the following streets in the city limits will be totally or partially closed to regular traffic from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.

Parnell Drive east of the roundabout will be closed. Residents in that neighborhood should use Compton Drive to enter and exit their homes.\

The northbound, outside lane of Branson Landing Boulevard will be closed for the bike route, but the other northbound lane and the two southbound lanes will remain open. The north lane used for racing will be fenced off, but there will be access to businesses along the east side of Branson Landing Boulevard, and officers will be at the entrances to direct traffic in and out of businesses.

At the U.S. Highway 65 intersection, the cyclists head north on 65 and one lane of that highway will be closed as well as the northbound exit ramp at the Bee Creek interchange.

The cyclists then turn west at the Bee Creek interchange on Branson Hills Parkway to Wintergreen Road. They go north on Wintergreen and then west on Ozark Scenic Drive behind

Home Depot and back to Branson Hills Parkway where the route turns westward. Race marshals will be stationed on Wintergreen and Ozark Scenic Drive to escort residents and businesses in getting to and from their places during the race:

Both westbound lanes of Branson Hills Parkway will be closed from the Target Store to Missouri Highway 248. The eastbound lanes remain open. People wanting to access the Branson RecPlex will have to use Highway 248 only.

The cyclists turn north on Highway 248 and continue the race on roads in the county.

Highway 76 will also be closed from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Shepherd of the Hills Expressway west to the Highroad to allow race officials to set up the finish line at the Shepherd of the Hills Farm. Persons wanting to go to Silver Dollar City or Branson West will be detoured on Highway 376 over to Highway 265 and back to Highway 76.

“We just urge motorists to drive cautiously and watch for officers, spectators, and racing signs when traveling in that part of town on the 13th,” said McCullough. “We don’t anticipate any problems, and there will be plenty of locations along the route where spectators can view the race.”

Stan and Carolyn Parker doing fishing Lake Taneycomo.

How does the fact that Orvis, a world leader in the area of helping to provide fly fishermen with a world class fly fishing experiences, awarded its 2006 Outfitter of the Year award to Branson’s River Run Outfitters add new meaning to the phrase, “Someone you love is playing in Branson?” Quite simply, it defines and exemplifies the variety and world class quality of the experience that one can have while “playing in Branson.”

It shows that “playing” in Branson goes beyond the shows, attractions, and shopping that Branson is noted for. Where in the country, perhaps the world, can one get all that Branson has to offer plus the chance for outdoor adventures that are available within minutes of each other? Fishing, hiking, boating, hunting, shooting, archery, biking, or scenic beauty, Branson has it all has it all, and in most cases, in a quality that provides a world class experience.

The recent selection of Branson’s River Run Outfitters as the Orvis 2006 Outfitter of the Year testifies as to just how high a quality that experience can be. The coveted award was presented to Stan and Carolyn Parker, the owners of River Run Outfitters by Perk Perkins, the CEO of Orvis and Dave Perkins, the Vice chairman of Orvis at the 2007 Orvis Guide Rendezvous in Cody Wyoming.

Scott McEnhaney, Orvis Eastern Director for Endorsed Outfitters, said, “The award is based on customer satisfaction surveys and the evaluation of the quality of the overall operation by Orvis.” The 2006 Orvis Outfitter of the year award to River Run Outfitters is confirmation by Orvis of just how successful the Parkers and their dedicated professional staff, particularly Manager of Retail Sales, Shannon Roberts and Senior Guide Jim Lund have been in doing just that.

As they received the award, Carolyn Parker, gave the credit for the award to their great guides and staff pointing out that it’s them that “Make us what we are.” The Parkers went on to point out that the most important thing they have to offer is customer satisfaction.

According to co owner Stan Parker, with over 30 years of trout fishing experience on Lake Taneycomo and River Run’s Chief Guide, it is River Run’s pioneering use of the western style, non motorized drift boats on Lake Taneycomo that is at the heart of their outfitting operation. He feels that the combination of quality equipment, experienced personable guides with their specialized knowledge of the Lake Taneycomo fishery and its unique water flow conditions, and the drift boat experience provides their clients with a unique and satisfying world class fly fishing experience.

Another specialized aspect of River Run Outfitters is the emphasis on working with and encouraging woman fly fishers. Carolyn is not only an extremely accomplished fly fisher and guide, but has been trained and certified as a fly casting instructor by the world renowned fly caster and instructor, Joan Wulff.

Carolyn’s day to day involvement and perspective enables River Run Outfitters to focus on the needs and desires of the single largest segment of the populations getting involved in fly fishing, women. Among other things River Run conducts special classes and instruction for women, carries a full line of equipment and clothing designed to meet the specific needs of the women fly fishers, and, including Carolyn, has two women guides on staff.

In any fly fishing situation, the choice of flies used is critical but even more so in Lake Taneycomo. The entomology of Lake Taneycomo marches to its own drummer and a lot of the classic hatches one reads about in the fly fishing magazines either don’t happen or don’t happen with enough frequency to be relied on. The good news is that River Run Outfitters has one of the, if not the largest selection of flies available in Branson to equip fly fishers with the flies that are producing fish on Lake Taneycomo “right now.” A lot of these “local flies” were developed by River Run and all are tied by local fly tiers, most in the shop, and sometimes, for a really “hot fly” that is working now, while you wait.

In addition to running their business both Stan and Carolyn travel to various fly fishing clubs giving presentations on fly fishing in Lake Taneycomo, are involved with the local chapter of Trout Unlimited, and have, for the last four years sponsored and conducted a multi day fly fishing class for the children attending the Boys and Girls Club.

River Run Outfitters, in operation since 1999, is a full service Orvis fly fishing outfitter operating primarily on the head waters of Branson’s Lake Taneycomo, one of the mid-west’s finest trout fisheries. The operation is based out of its well stocked fly fishing shop located, in Branson, near the foot of Table Rock Dam at 2626 State Highway 165 and is open seven days a week to serve Branson’s fly fishing needs. Contact River Run Outfitters by phone at 417-332-0460 or via its web site WWW.River Run Outfitters.Com.

By the Staff of the Branson/Lakes Area CVB

Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce President, Ross Summers, catching an early moring Rainbow trout on Lake Taneycomo.

As quietly as possible you load your tackle box and gear into the boat. There are no other sounds as you walk from your cabin down to the dock. The chirps of a cardinal off in the trees or the sounds of ducks landing on the water don’t disturb your silence. Far removed from your usual hectic morning routine, it would take more than these sweet sounds to break your concentration. There are bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish cruising beneath the dock and along the nearby shoreline. You’ll want to fish your way out of the cove.

Branson, Missouri, is one of the most popular fishing destinations in the country. Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo offer fishermen not only great angling but also some magnificent scenery and an extraordinary variety of accommodations. From a basic cabin or regular motel room to luxury lodging, Branson has it all, with more than 100 resorts adjacent to its pristine lakes.

A fishing vacation to Branson has everything fishermen and women want. There are secluded places to fish, but you are close to all the other things you like when you are away from home: a comfortable place to stay, good food, fun, shopping and entertainment. And remember: What happens in Branson . . . becomes a treasured memory – whether it is the new fly rod you bought, the photos in your album, or a trophy fish on your wall.

Lake Taneycomo flows through historic downtown Branson and right by the new Branson Landing. The Powersite Dam on the White River created Lake Taneycomo. And with the completion of Table Rock Dam in 1958, which turned Taneycomo into a coldwater lake, it has become one of the best trout fishing areas in the United States. Nearly one million trout are released each year from the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery into Lake Taneycomo.

This narrow lake winds through the hills and hollows of the Ozarks in Branson; and water coming from Table Rock Dam creates a current, making it seem more like a river than a lake. Fishermen go for record rainbow and brown trout, using bait as well as artificial lures. The upper portion of Lake Taneycomo is favored by fly-fishermen and waders.

River Run Outfitters, owned and operated by Stan and Carolyn Parker, is located on Highway 165, just about one-half mile north of Table Rock Dam. In the spring of 2007 Orvis awarded River Run Outfitters with the 2006 Orvis Endorsed Outfitter of the Year. The presentation was made at a rendezvous of Orvis guides and outfitters held in Cody, Wyoming. The Parkers have fished rivers and lakes in this Ozarks area for more than 30 years. Their shop offers fly-fishing equipment for men and women, as well as everything for every angler’s fly-tying needs. For a unique experience in the Ozarks, they offer guided fly fishing trips in western-style drift boats.

Lake Taneycomo is lined with resort motels and cabins, cottages, as well as bed and breakfast inns, with accommodations for every taste. If you are staying at or near Branson Landing, you’ll be close to the new Bass Pro Shops. It is a paradise for fishermen and has absolutely everything you need for fishing on Lake Taneycomo or Table Rock Lake, from bobbers ’n’ bait to boats. Table Rock Lake is more than 52,000 acres of clear water, with more than 800 miles of shoreline. Table Rock was designed built and is still controlled by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Any building along the shoreline is restricted. This means fishermen and boaters on the lake enjoy unspoiled views of Ozarks wildlife, rock bluffs and hundreds of varieties of trees. You might share your cove with a family of raccoons having a bite to eat along the water’s edge or maybe spot deer swimming across the water ahead of you.

Table Rock Lake is famous for its bass fishing and plays host to many fishing tournaments each year. Largemouth, smallmouth, white bass and Kentucky spotted bass can make a fisherman’s dreams come true. And some anglers also love fishing for crappie, bluegill, catfish and paddlefish. The submerged timber makes a wonderful environment for the fish. Table Rock State Park Marina and other commercial boat docks provide fuel, supplies, and boat and equipment rentals… Along with advice about “what they’re bitin’ on this week.” Guide services are available, too, on both lakes.

If your fishing trip to Branson includes some non-fishermen (but who doesn’t like to fish?!), there are plenty of activities to keep them happy, from morning ’til night. Table Rock Lake temperatures range from an average of 42°-47° in the winter to 85°-90° in the summer. Boating, swimming, skiing, parasailing, scuba diving and snorkeling are popular water sports here. Back on land, the shopping, shows, theme parks, family attractions and dining will entertain all of you.

The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama and Silver Dollar City have attracted visitors to Branson for more than forty years. Celebration City is the newest theme park. They all offer daytime and evening fun for “kids of all ages.”

The Live Music Capital of the World offers visitors more than 100 shows. Tap your toe to your favorite style of music or laugh it up with a great comedian, Branson has entertainment for everyone. And you certainly won’t go hungry! Enjoy cuisine from fine dining to all-you-can-eat buffets and everything in between.

Branson resorts have a wide range of amenities and services. Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock Lake offers guests rustic elegance, with accommodations that include log cabins and Adirondack-style lodges, a spa, several restaurants, boat dock and marina, as well as horseback riding, special activities for children, and more.

Indian Point on Table Rock Lake is another popular spot for fishermen and other visitors to Branson. Resorts, motels, campgrounds, RV hookups, marinas, cruises, restaurants and shops are all available. Many of the accommodations on Indian Point, and other lodging around Branson, include kitchens so that you can enjoy a meal out on your deck… before heading out again to fish!

It was in 1907, 100 years ago, that Harold Bell Wright’s The Shepherd of the Hills was published. People started traveling to Branson to see the beautiful Ozarks country he wrote about in his best-selling novel. Many things have changed over the years, but the wonderful hospitality of the people that live here is still the same! Great fishing, naturally beautiful scenery, wonderful accommodations, family attractions and Ozarks hospitality . . . Branson has it all!

Went fishing with my brother in law Craig and niece Danielle twice over the weekend, on 27 and 28, under water off conditions between about 0640 and 0930. The fishing was great on both days averaging about 30 fish to the boat each day and about twice that may hits. On Sunday one of those fish was a 17-19 inch Brown and about seven of the others were 15 inch plus Rainbows. The vast majority, 90% plus, were caught using the 100th ounce River Run Peach Fur bug fished on an indicator at a depth of about 4 feet. The rest including about a 16 inch Rainbow were caught on a size 18 Rusty Zebra Midge fished at the same depth. Both the midge and fur bug were fished using 6x Orvis Mirage fluorocarbon tippet. We fished between Lookout Hole and Fall Creek.

Other Lake Taneycomo Fishing Reports

March 13, 2007 After a couple of months without fishing the Ole Seagull went out to fish for about a half hour. In that half hour he caught 18 Rainbows and missed another 7 to 10. Even though they were all small, the biggest about 15 inches, it was a lot of fun.

All the fishing was done from a boat just above the Fall Creek Marina fishing into the condo, channel side, in about 7 feet of water. He used one of his favorite standards, the size 16 Red Bead Head Midge exclusively and fished it at about 4 1/2 feet under an indicator using 6x Orvis Mirage tippet (fluorocarbon). The water was off, very little, if any wind, it was noon, and the sky was a light to medium overcast. Simply put it was a great day for fishing interlude and just perfect for the Red Bead Head. The size 16 Red Bead Head Midge is available at River Run Outfitters.

Other Lake Taneycomo Fishing Reports

River Run Outfitters – For their latest fishing report click here.
Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop .-For the latest fishing report click here.
Lilly’s Landing – For the latest fishing report click here.
Scotty’s Lakefront Trout Dock – For latest fishing report click here.
Guide Bob Klein of “Bob’s Guide Service” – The following standard default techniques produces fish routinely:

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, bubble gum power bait, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard "Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig." which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Dam Generation and Water Levels – Critical Considerations

There is nothing that effects the fishing and the way a person fishes on Lake Taneycomo than whether or not they are running water from the Table Rock Dam. The number to call for a recorded message on current conditions is 1-417-336-5083. For on line information about water conditions go to http://www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil/WCDS/plots/Web/tab.htm or click here.

Special Regulations in Trophy Trout Area

Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek and to fishing Lake Taneycomo for trout., Click here for an overview of these regulations

16 Red Bead Head Midge

Since Table Rock turned over and the dissolved oxygen levels have increased the fishing, numbers wise, has been nothing short of spectacular. On Dec. 16, using a size 18 zebra Copper Dun I caught about 15 Rainbows in an hour and easily missed that many. Size wasn’t great but the numbers and fun was. All the guides out of the shop are doing great. Also played around with a 1/32 Brown Marabou Jig and caught a few on it. I used 6x Orvis Mirage Tippet and had the indicator set at about two feet. I was fishing from about 4 feet of water out into six feet.

River Run Outfitters – For their latest fishing report click here.
Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop .-For the latest fishing report click here.
Lilly’s Landing – For the latest fishing report click here.
Scotty’s Lakefrom Trout Dock – For latest fishing report click here.
Guide Bob Klein of “Bob’s Guide Service” – The following standard default techniques produces fish routinely:

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, bubble gum power bait, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard "Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig." which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Water Level Information: There is nothing that effects the fishing and the way a person fishes on Lake Taneycomo than whether or not they are running water from the Table Rock Dam. The number to call for a recorded message on current conditions is 1-417-336-5083. For on line information about water condtitions go to http://www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil/WCDS/plots/Web/tab.htm or click here.

Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek and to fishing Lake Taneycomo for trout., Click here for an overview of these regulations

History of Lake Taneycomo – .

More Lake Taneycomo Information – An excellent place to get your Lake Taneycomo Questions answered, or any question relating to the fishing and other outdoor topics in the Branson area, is the “Branson Outdoors Activities Forum” which is monitored by your editor and other local outdoor enthusiasts.

This report contains the Ole Seagull’s Journal, which is simply some fishing notes by Gary J. Groman, a.k.a. The Ole Seagull, who has lived on the banks of Lake Taneycomo for over 20 years and links to other major Lake Taneycomo sites.Together they provide access to the most comprehensive information on Lake Taneycomo available anywhere.

Water Level Information: There is nothing that effects the fishing and the way a person fishes on Lake Taneycomo than whether or not they are running water from the Table Rock Dam. The number to call for a recorded message on current conditions is 1-417-336-5083. For on line information about water condtitions go to http://www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil/WCDS/plots/Web/tab.htm.click.

The Ole Seagull’s Journal – Aug.19– Things were beautifully "ugly" click here for the complete journal entry.

Other Lake Taneycomo Fishing Reports

River Run Outfitters – For their latest fishing report click here.

Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop .-For the latest fishing report click here.

Lilly’s Landing – For the latest fishing report click here.

Scotty’s Lakefrom Trout Dock – For latest fishing report click here.

Guide Bob Klein of “Bob’s Guide Service” – Aug. 13– Talked with Bob on Aug 11. He has been using power eggs down near the mouth of Bull Creek because of the numbers of fish. The following standard default techniques produces fish routinely:

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, bubble gum power bait, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard "Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig." which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on Lake Taneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here.

Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

An excellent place to get your Lake Taneycomo Questions answered, or any question relating to the fishing and other outdoor topics in the Branson area, is the “Branson Outdoors Activities Forum” which is monitored by your editor and other local outdoor enthusiasts.

Editors General Comments: May 1 – 0515 Zero generators on, Taneycomo is at 701.5 and Table Rock is at 912.0 The water was off for a good part of Friday and yesterday.

Very little affects the fishing on Lake Taneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels orclick here.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Gary’s Comments – May 1 – Went out about 1600 and came in about 1830 with one genertor on, windy, and the Lake Level at 704.5. Normal is about 701-701.5.Used basically same tachnique as shown for Apr. 30 except this time it was me swtiching to the Peach Furbug. The size 12 River Run Peach Furbug. was the fly or jig of the day. Caught about 18-25 fish with the biggest in the 15-17 inch range. A bunch were in the 13-15 inch area.Apr 30 – Howard Couch and I went out at about 3::30 p.m. for an hour. Bright sun, wind, and algae on the surface but the water was off. Howard started off with the size 16 Red Tunsten Bead Head Midge and I started off with the size 12 River Run Peach Furbug. Howard, within a few minutes, for one reason or another, switched over to the Furbug. I used a fly rod and 6x Orvis Mirage Tippet with the indicator set at a depth of about 4-4 ½ feet. It didn’t make any difference whether we were fishing in 8 feet of water or 4 feet of water, the depth of the indicator was left the same. We caught between 16 and 20 fish when we left to go pick up the girls for dinner.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters – Apr. 26 – Trips this past Friday and over the weekend with one of two generators has been very good. Three boats out Friday with the water in the high 704 range and it fished very well. Two of the boats had brand new fly fishers. Everyone caught fish 15-30 each. Most on the black or olive zebra midge. Saturday fished well and Sunday was one of those days we dream of. Water was off for more than 8 hours. We were catching fish on almost every cast. Everything was working, scuds, midges, soft hackles, green holographic crackle backs to name a few. Monday we had water all day but fishing was still very good. Tuesday the water was off until 11:30 a.m. Had three boats out and one of our guides comment was “the fish are jumping into the boats”! Again, almost every thing worked. Ha good fly fishing gal out Tuesday on her birthday. If she didn’t get a hit on the third drift, we checked the fly to make certain something was not wrong as they were hitting that good. Half day probably boated 30 plus fish and missed twice that many. We fished the olive and rusty brown zebra midges. Also threw an olive flash and soft hackle. The other boats never changed from the red tungsten bead head midge.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop .-.Apr. 26 [Wade fishing at damhooking up virtually every drift most of the day. The wind stayed down and the water stayed off till around 11:00 – 12:00 then 1 unit came on. We fished the rise with pink Bit Scuds, coral Soft Shelled Scuds, wine/ginger SG Bugs and gray Razorbacks. All caught fish equally and rising water always finds the fish very active. Early on before the water rose it was ginger G-Bugs in a #20 with gray Bit Scuds also in a #20 as the top flies. I gave Michael a black #16 Soft Shelled Scud with a wine/ginger 2-Smidge and he was smoking them on those too. A lot of different things were finding success both before and during the rise. …We were [wade] fishing it at 701.5 early when it was off so the rise wasn’t significant. We did a little sight casting on our way out on the shoal below outlet #3. Some nice fish were working the shallow water and these guys were able to place some flies in the right spot and watch the take from some great fish. #18 and #20 olive Bit Scuds and the ever productive ginger G-Bug were great for the shallow fish. When we’re sight casting in water that’s around a foot deep I’ll take off all the weight (sometimes I’ll use a #10 wt) and half a palsa float and let the scud drop slowly in the water….

Just because the NAIA Division II Men’s Basket Ball National Championship National Championship recently held at the College of the Ozarks’ Keeter Gymnasium and the NCAA March Madness will be but memories by the end of April doesn’t mean that the thrill and excitement of basketball is over in Branson. Deborah Hartwig, Promotions & Fund Development Coordinator for the Downtown Branson Main Street Association, said that, “The Downtown Branson Main Street Hoops 3 on 3 Street Basketball Tournament, will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2004.”

The tournament is sponsored by the Downtown Branson Main Street Association and starts at 8 a.m. It will be held, in the heart of Historic Downtown Branson, at the Awbery Parking Lot located at the corner of Atlantic and Commercial Streets.

From “Top Gun” to “Couch Potatoes”, regardless of age, the tournaments divisions are designed to provide fun and competition for all ages and skill levels. There are divisions for many age and skill levels covering children starting at age 7, youth, high school and adults. All participants will receive a “souvenir” tee shirt and winner’s trophies will be awarded to winners in the children’s and youth divisions through age 14. The winners of other divisions will receive a “championship” tee shirt.

There is no admission charge and spectators are encouraged. Street parking is available throughout down town Branson and there is a public a multi level parking garage conveniently located just two blocks away at the corner of Atlantic and Sycamore Streets. The tournament location is within easy walking distance access to numerous restaurants, one of downtown Branson’s favorite attractions, Dicks Ole Time 5 & 10 Store, and to myriad of specialty shopping available in historic downtown Branson.

The entry fee is $40.00 per team for entries received on or prior to Apr. 20 and $50.00 for entries received after that date. The cutoff date for registration is Apr. 22. Applications can be obtained through the Down Town Branson Main Street Association at their office located at 119 W. Pacific Street, Branson, by calling 417-334-1548 or through the Down Town Branson Main Street Associations’ website.

Editors General Comments: Apr. 4 – 0600 Two generators on, Taneycomo is 707.7 and Table Rock 912.2. Were I a betting man I would estimate that is the level it will be held at for the rest of the day. Apr. 03 0530 Zero generators on, Taneycomo is at 701.6 and Table Rock at 912.3. Yesterday they put two on at about 0600 and held it at about 705.6 all day. During the week, because Empire Electric, Southwest Power Administration, and the City of Branson are working together to keep the Lake at about 701or less at the Branson Landing construction site in Branson, you can figure on about two generators and a level of 707-708 at the dam. According to recent news articles this will be the case for about two months.I guess we’ll see. Note: At 0600, even as this was being written they turned two on and the Lake is on its way back up.

Very little affects the fishing on Lake Taneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels orclick here.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters – Apr. 6 – With the water staying pretty constant, the fish are holding up in the normal high water places. We have had trips on the water every day and fishing has been very good. Saturday and Sunday they held the water at 705.5 or so and we were able to wade. Fishing was very good on red or hot pink San Juan worms and olive woolly buggers. Had to get the worms deep and they were taking the woolly on the drift or at the end on the swing. We were casting the woollies cross current, had one #1 split shot on about 16-18 inches up. Mending, and letting drift with the current. Actually caught very few stripping the woolly. Everyone caught 20-30 fish each afternoon. Nice fish from 14-18 inches. During the week, with the water at 707.7 or so and fishing out of the boats, we have done well on the zebra size 18 midges in rust and olive and the red size 16 red tunghead have been the best flies. Several 17 to 18 inch fish caught this past week.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop .-.Apr. 3 …Today 2 units were running at 705.4 feet high…We caught a few but decided to fish the edges with a lighter set up, smaller flies and floats, less weight and a little more shallow. Great action there too and some more quality fish caught as well approaching the 18″ mark. That was fun, even doing a little sight casting when we saw a target and were able to shoot one far enough ahead to get it in his zone. Black Soft Shelled Scuds were so good drifting deep and shallow. #16’s shallow and up to #12’s deep. B-52’s and Marlins were great. We caught a few on a 2-Smidge and a ginger/wine Crown Zebra on the edges. Black Soft Shelled either straight or UV versions are like candy….

Gary‘s Comments – Apr 3 – At 1100 with 2 generators on and a lake level of 707.5 went out for about an hour and a half.Drifted down from the Lookout Hole, the first big hole just downstream from the 21 mile marker, caught 12 Rainbows. Used a fly rod with s strike indicator set at about 6 feet with one BB shot about two feet up from the fly and 5x Orvis Mirage. Used a 100th ounce River Run Peach Fur Bug from Gary’s Big Four in the deeper water and a size 14 MiracleScud (Brown Flashback) in the shallower water.

Guide Bob Klein of “Bob’s Guide Service” – Apr. 3 – Things are still pretty much the same, the water flow has been steady and the fishing good to excellent. From Fall Creek to Short Creek use night crawlers and minnows. From Short Creek to Branson drift bubblegum and white power bait or night crawlers. From Branson to Rockaway Beach drift bubblegum power bait. As always, the following standard default techniques are producing fish:

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, bubble gum power bait, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

An excellent place to get your Lake Taneycomo Questions answered, or any question relating to the fishing and other outdoor topics in the Branson area, is the “Branson Outdoors Activities Forum” which is monitored by your editor and other local outdoor enthusiasts.

Editors General Comments: Mar. 30. Two Generators on, Taneycomo is at 707.5 and Table Rock is 912.5 Mar. 28 0530 Two Generators on, Taneycomo is at 707.8 and Table Rock is 912.8. Since the first of the year the days that the water has been off have been few and far between.Since Mar 23 the Tailwater level has not dropped much below 707 and has been as high as 711.

Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters Mar. 30 – With the water staying pretty constant, the fish are holding up in the normal high water places. We have had trips on the water every day and fishing has been very good. 60 fish days and less, depending on how many “pick and rolls” we have or just plain misses! Majority of the fish are in the 13-15 inch range with a few 17-18 inchers each day. The zebra size 18 midges in rust and olive and the size 16 Red Tungsten Bead Head Midge, (see “Gary Big Four“) have been the best flies. We’ve had a few opportunities to throw a holographic crackle back or a size 18 dark olive soft hackle in the slack water areas and pick up a few fish on those. Monday, the hot pink micro San Juan worm was a good fly in the slough across from the KOA camp ground. It was overcast most of that day and they were picking up that bright color back there. Most of the folks at the outlets have been fishing tan or gray scuds, some with a worm or egg dropper, or vise versa and catching some fish that way. One of our guys from the shop was out yesterday morning at the outlets and caught five on the size 16 Red Tungsten Bead Head Midge. Mar. 23 Needless to say, with the water off, fishing over the weekend was very good. We caught fish on the holographic green crackle back, dark olive soft hackle, and when they stopped hitting the crackle back and soft hackle, went to either an olive or rusty size 18 zebra midge and finished up the day. Also caught some nicer size ones during the day with the orange flashback tan scud. Monday fished a bit slower. Had trips out Monday and they were catching fish on olive zebra in slack water and the size 16 red tungsten bead head midge. Yesterday they were catching fish on the tan (when the sun was out) scud, gray scud (when the sun went in) and red tunghead midge.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop –Mar. 29…were using the 9′ Silstar spinning rods with #16 gray Razorbacks, tan #16 Mckenna Scuds, brown G-Bugs in #18, Marlins in #18 and #16 and a #18 rust Bit Scud was awesome today too. 5x Rio Fluoroflex Plus fluorocarbon tippet met the fly after 9′ 5X leaders. We fish about 10 – 16′ deep with 2 units running depending on lake depth and we were fishing about 14′ deep today. … switched the spin with the fly and back to the dam we went after a quick casting lesson. More great students with these guys and everyone picked it very quickly and they were quickly catching more fish with the fly rod than they were with the spinning if that was possible. Nothing topped Trey’s 20″er but many 16 – 18″ fish were caught today …

Mar. 26 – I had 2 half days back to back with the same family staying at Trout Hollow. Grandpa Orvis set these up for his daughter and grandchildren and it was Anne (mom) and John (18) in the morning starting with 9′ spinning rods deep drifting #16 gray and black Razorback scuds below a float….Wind wasn’t too bad today and the action kept things warm. Some great fish were caught today. 17 – 18″ rainbows and so fat at the girth I’d guess them to be in the 4 -5 lb range. The afternoon trip included two lovely young ladies, Cassidy (20) and Katie (14).…2 units of water all day long (yet fairly deep…707+) made for a pretty deep offering of bugs under an indicator. The girls got the cold and windy end of the day but hung tough till the end. Good action kept the interest peaked … these fishermen hauled in rainbows pushing 18″ this afternoon using a new black/gray Razorback Scud color combo in #16’s and #14’s (16’s better). The brown G-Bug was back in a #18 with great results. A #16 gray G-Bug (I can’t remember the last time I fished a gray one) was smoking them great as was a #16 rust E-Razorback Scud. A #18 ginger G-Bug caught a few too. The # 18 “Marlin” was very good. … It seemed the grays worked better up by the dam and the browns better down toward Fall Creek? A few bigger fish were hooked and pulled out. Smaller hooks will do that to you occasionally but I’ll take the hundreds of bites vs the dozens using bigger flies.

Gary’s Comments – Mar 29 – At 1200 with 2 generators and a lake level of 707.4 went out for an hour. In two drifts down from the Lookout Hole, the first big hole just downstream from the 21 mile marker, caught 9 Rainbows. Used a flyrod with s strike indicator set at about 7.5 feet, 5x Orvis Mirage and a size 12 Grey Scud pattern tied by Brett Rader. It was tied about 20 inches below a size 16 Red Tungsten Bead Head Midge. All the fish caught we caught on the bottom scud. Mar. 27 – At about 1200, as I looked out the window, I noticed a few fish rising down by the dock. Even though they were running about a generator, I though what the heck, and went down to the dock with the fly rod and fished from the dock. Because the fish were rising in shallow water between my dock and my upstream neighbor’s dock, I set up with a small foam indicator, Orvis Mirage 6 x tippet, and a size 16 Red Tungsten Bead Head Midge, from Gary’s Big Four, set at a depth of about 18 inches. Cast directly up stream to where the fish were rising and, as the midge drifted back stripped in line so I could maintain line control and set the hook on the strike. Caught about 8 in 35 minutes with three in the 14-16 inch range. Not being the best fly caster in the world, the wind blowing directly into my face made things a little more complicated than they probably should have been but, for the most part I just cast in between “gusts.” In any event, it was a blast and a great way to transition from the stress of reading the paper into nap mode.

For many years prior to the start of construction on the new Branson Landing redevelopment project on the Lake Taneycomo lakefront in downtown Branson, public access to Lake Taneycomo for those wanting to use their own boat or rent a boat was readily available. Such access was provided through three docks and marinas and two public boat launching ramps, all of which were conveniently located along the Lake Taneycomo lakefront.

With the construction of the Branson Landing redevelopment project in full swing, the downtown Branson access to Lake Taneycomo has changed. It is still available but just not as prevalent and convenient as it used to be. But, with a little planning, it should not cause a major glitch in ones boating plans for Lake Taneycomo.

Prior to Branson Landing, those towing their own boats had two public ramps to use for boat launching. A large one, including a shallow water ramp, located at the north end of the Branson City Campground near where Branson Trout Dock used to be and a much smaller one located at the south end of the camp ground. Like the Branson Trout Dock itself, the north ramp is but a memory. The only public boat launching ramp left in downtown Branson is the south ramp located at the south end of the camp ground just south of the new location of Scotty’s Trout Dock and Marina.

The construction of Branson Landing has resulted in two of the docks previously in operation on the Lake Taneycomo lakefront, the Branson Trout Dock and Main Street Marina going out of business. The third , Scotty’s Trout Dock and Marina, was moved to a new location on the opposite side of town from where it used to be located and is conveniently located to the Branson City Campgrounds and the remaining public boat launching ramp.

The simplest way to reach both Scotty’s and the boat ramp with a minimum of involvement with construction and other traffic is to take Business 65 to its junction with Long Street, a couple of blocks north of the Taneycomo Bridge in downtown Branson, turn east. Go down Long Street and across the rail road tracks into the Branson City Camp Ground. Scotty’s Trout Dock and Marina will be found on the lake front abutting the camp ground. The public boat launching ramp will be found on the lakefront off the south end of the camp ground.

Scotty’s is a full service marina. It offers a full range of pontoon and fishing boats, stall rental, gas, bait, and trout fishing equipment and supplies. Of course with it all comes all the advice one could need on how to catch Lake Taneycomo’s Rainbow and Brown Trout and that friendly Ozarks service provided by owners Rich and Joni Milstead.

An obvious consideration for those bringing their own boats and wanting to rent a stall is that with two of the three docks gone there will not be as many stalls available for rental. Although the Milsteads have plans to expand Scotty’s to better met this need the best way to insure that a stall is available that is conveniently located to downtown Branson and its camp ground is by making advance reservations either through their website or by telephone at 417- 334-4288.

Special Note: As of Mar. 1 new regulations go into effect that impact on fishing Lake Taneycomo. A Trout Permit is required in addtion to a Fishing Permit to fish upper Lake Taneycomo between the Highway 65 Bridge and Table Rock Dam, the daily limit for trout has been reduced to four, and the total possession limit has been reduced to eight. See the article entitled “New Missouri state fishing regulations impact Lake Taneycomo” for further discussion.

Editors General Comments: Mar. 21 1210 Two Generators on, Taneycomo is at 707.40 and Table Rock is 912.90. On the 19th they turned one on at 0630 and kept it on all day. Mar 19 0530 Zero Generators on, Taneycomo is at 701.5 and Tablr Rock is 913.0 Mar.16 0545-. Three Generator on, Taneycomo is at 707.4 and Table Rock is 913.4. Mar. 15 1610 One Generator on, Taneycomo is at 702.3 and Table Rock is 913.5. The water was off most of the day on the 14th and 15th. Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters Mar. 23 Needless to say, with the water off, fishing over the weekend was very good. We caught fish on the holographic green crackle back, dark olive soft hackle, and when they stopped hitting the crackle back and soft hackle, went to either an olive or rusty size 18 zebra midge and finished up the day. Also caught some nicer size ones during the day with the orange flashback tan scud. Monday fished a bit slower. Had trips out Monday and they were catching fish on olive zebra in slack water and the size 16 red tungsten bead head midge. Yesterday they were catching fish on the tan (when the sun was out) scud, gray scud (when the sun went in) and red tunghead midge.

Gary’s Comments – Mar. 19 Fished for about 30 minutes off my dock using bedtween 1815-1845 using a size 16 Red Bead Head Midge and the 100th ounce River Run Peach Furbug from Gary’s Big Four and a size 18 Olive Midge. Used a spining rod, 6 x Orvis Mirage tippet, and an indicator set at about 2 feet. No luck on Red but caught one on Olive, and three on the Peach Furbug. One generator was on at the time. Mar. 18 – Went out for about 30 minutes between 1230-1300 with lake level at 705.3 drifted down from Lookout Hole. Kept boat in about 4 feet of water with the indicator set at about six feet with a size 12 grey scud and 6 x Orvis Mirage tippet. Caught six and missed about that many. Mar. 14 – Fished for about an hour, 1200-1300, using a size 16 Red Bead Head Midge and the 100th ounce River Run Peach Furbug from Gary’s Big Four. The water was off, choppy, and very low and the sun was bright.. Drifted down the channel side about a cast off the bank. Had the indicator set at about 4.5 feet and used 6x Orvis Mirage tippet. It was kind of strange. Ffor about 35 or 40 minutes they hit the Peach Furbug then stopped. But did they love the Red Midge. Caught and released about eight trout and easily missed that number plus. Doesn’t say too much for my fishing prowness but what a great hour of fun!

Special Note: As of Mar. 1 new regulations go into effect that impact on fishing Lake Taneycomo. A Trout Permit is required in addtion to a Fishing Permit to fish upper Lake Taneycomo between the Highway 65 Bridge and Table Rock Dam, the daily limit for trout has been reduced to four, and the total possession limit has been reduced to eight. See the article entitled “New Missouri state fishing regulations impact Lake Taneycomo” for further discussion.

Editors General Comments: Mar. 20 0530 Two Generators on, Taneycomo is at 705.0 and Tablr Rock is 913.0. On the 19th they turned one on at 0630 and kept it on all day. Mar 19 0530 Zero Generators on, Taneycomo is at 701.5 and Tablr Rock is 913.0 Mar.16 0545-. Three Generator on, Taneycomo is at 707.4 and Table Rock is 913.4. Mar. 15 1610 One Generator on, Taneycomo is at 702.3 and Table Rock is 913.5. The water was off most of the day on the 14th and 15th. Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters Mar. 13 With the water off, fish have been hitting almost anything you throw into the water. Even with the high water earlier this week, had a couple customers come to the shop reporting a 24 inch Rainbow and a 22 inch Rainbow, and a couple of 20 inch or better fish.. Peach fur bug and olive woolly buggers were the flies on these fish. Tan or gray scuds, midges in rust or olive, and even some dries! Better get out there this weekend! Editors Note: Mar 12- Too late they’re running water again. Stan went out on Mar. 12 on a trip and caught a bunch using a size 12 yellow crackle back and the Miracle Scud, size 14, (Tan Flashback.)

Gary’s Comments – Mar. 19 Fished for about 30 minutes off my dock using bedtween 1815-1845 using a size 16 Red Bead Head Midge and the 100th ounce River Run Peach Furbug from Gary’s Big Four and a size 18 Olive Midge. Used a spining rod, 6 x Orvis Mirage tippet, and an indicator set at about 2 feet. No luck on Red but caught one on Olive, and three on the Peach Furbug. One generator was on at the time. Mar. 18 – Went out for about 30 minutes between 1230-1300 with lake level at 705.3 drifted down from Lookout Hole. Kept boat in about 4 feet of water with the indicator set at about six feet with a size 12 grey scud and 6 x Orvis Mirage tippet. Caught six and missed about that many. Mar. 14 – Fished for about an hour, 1200-1300, using a size 16 Red Bead Head Midge and the 100th ounce River Run Peach Furbug from Gary’s Big Four. The water was off, choppy, and very low and the sun was bright.. Drifted down the channel side about a cast off the bank. Had the indicator set at about 4.5 feet and used 6x Orvis Mirage tippet. It was kind of strange. Ffor about 35 or 40 minutes they hit the Peach Furbug then stopped. But did they love the Red Midge. Caught and released about eight trout and easily missed that number plus. Doesn’t say too much for my fishing prowness but what a great hour of fun!

Thanks to the combined efforts of The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Herschend Family Entertainment Corp, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and an investment of $500,000 visitors and residents alike can enjoy a new 2.2 mile multi use Table Rock Lakeshore Trail. Completed late in the fall of 2004, the trail provides easy access to areas of Table Rock Lake that most have not seen before and runs from the south side of Table Rock Dam, at the Dewey Short Visitor Center, to the State Park Marina..

The eight foot wide paved trail is available for both hiking and biking, has restrooms available at various points, and meets the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. That coupled with the relative flatness of the trail and convenient entry and egress points makes the trail available and useable for the enjoyment of those who might not normally be able to experience the natural beauty and grandeur of the Ozarks outdoors and Table Rock Lake.

The trail goes through woodlands, over wet weather creeks, and has long stretches that run close to the Table Rock’s shore line. Those traveling on the trail can expect to see native fauna, animals like an occasional deer, and birds of all varieties. One of the neat aspects of the trail is that it makes areas of the Table Rock Lake shorelines that were previously inaccessible to most accessible to all.

The trail passes through or within viewing distance of the White River Landing, the home of the Show Boat Branson Belle and the Table Rock State Park, camp grounds, marina, and boat launching ramp. In the state park the trail provides convenient access to its public use and picnic area.

The trail is open from dawn to dusk to foot traffic, bicycles, skateboards and scooters. The only motorized vehicles permitted on the trail are motorized wheelchairs. The trail can be conveniently accessed from three, trailhead, locations: the Dewey Short Visitor Center, the Showboat Branson Belle (during seasonal operating hours) and the picnic area at Table Rock State Park.

Originally Published In the Branson Courier on Mar. 15, 2005.

The best advice that anyone can give someone who has not fly fished Lake Taneycomo for trout, water running heavy or not, is to get advice from those who have. On line advice is available in the Branson Courier’s Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report found in the “Outdoor” section. Both on line and phone advice is available from these sources with which this writer has personally fished: River Run Outfitters, 877-699-3474 or Chartered Waters Guide Service 866-862-1928. (Note: River Run Outfitters has recently moved from its downtown location to a location closer to the dam at 2626 State Highway 165 in Branson. Although this writer has not fished with anyone out of Lily’s Landing, 417-334-6380, it is another source of reliable fly fishing information.

Lake Taneycomo, running near and through, Branson, Missouri, is perhaps one of the most prolific trout fisheries in the United States. Yet, because of its “tail water” status at the foot of Table Rock Dam it posses unique challenges for the fly fisher. When the dam is not generating it provides excellent and accessible wade fishing from the dam to about 2 miles down stream however, the situation changes drastically when they start generating..

How drastically? The water raises very rapidly from the normal no generation level of about 701.5 to elevations in excess of 710 or more with a current velocity to match. “Don’t scorn the horn,” when it sounds get out of the water immediately! Let the water stabilize then make the decision whether or not to reenter.

Many a day this writer has sat in the fly shop and heard fly fishers lament because they had traveled hundreds of miles to fly fish and couldn’t because of the high water. When they are generating more than one generator at Table Rock Dam, and even one if they are running it hard, except for limited space near the chutes by the hatchery, wade fishing is difficult and becomes increasingly more so as the number of generators increases.

Although one can call 417-336-5083 and get the latest information on what is currently being generated that could change ten seconds after the call. Many is the morning that this writer has called and got the report that the “number of units generating at Table Rock Dam is zero” only to get in his boat, head up the Lake and have one or more generators on by the time he is ready to fish some 15 minutes later.

Based on fishing Lake Taneycomo for over 30 years and living on her banks for just about 20 of those years, this writer feels confident in saying that there is absolutely no way to know with any certainty what the generation status will be five minutes from any given point in time. No big problem for those living in the area but quite a dilemma for those who are traveling great distances to fly fish.

In the opinion of this writer, the only way a fly fisher can be just about guaranteed that they will be able to fly fish on a certain day during a certain period of time is if they are fishing from a boat. Boats can be rented from Scotty’s Trout Dock in downtown Branson 417-334-4288 or from Lilly’s Landing, 417-334-6380.

Although a boat makes fly fishing possible, fly fishing effectively under high water conditions is another matter. What to use, depths, lay ups, seams, and the many other variable that come into play under high water conditions present a daunting challenge which is further compounded by trying to control a boat in the fast moving water.

The best advice that anyone can give someone who has not fly fished Lake Taneycomo for trout when they are running the water heavy, is to fly fish from a boat with an experienced fly fishing guide. This solves three major problems, accessibility to fishable water, boat control issues, and the expertise necessary to catch fish while fly fishing under high water conditions.

From personal experience, one could not go wrong with either River Run Outfitters or Chartered Waters Guide Service. River Run Outfitters uses the classic style “western” drift boat float, rowed by the guide, with no motor, and Chartered Waters Guide Service uses a motor powered bass boat.

Speaking from personal experience in fishing with them, Stan and Carolyn Parker and their “lead guide,” Jim Lund, from River Run Outfitters and Brett Radar of Chartered Waters Guide Service are some of the best fly fishers on Lake Taneycomo. The guides of River Run use, primarily, the classic fly fishing approach. Brett, from Chartered Waters uses some additional techniques that he has refined for high water situations, such as “flat line casting,” etc. In either case expect a great fishing experience.

Originally Published In the Branson Courier on Mar. 3, 2005.

Trophy Trout/ Artificial Area Regulation Overview

Good Patterns to Start With-“Current favorites” aside, River Run Outfitters suggests that the following will generally work as a starting point:

Night:

Black Bead Head Wooly Bugger, in size 6-10 (weighted).

Day:

Tungsten Bead Head Midge, Size 16 in either Red or Black

Chamois Leech size 12. Deaddrift it either under an indicator just off the bottom, or straight line with a size 6 or 8 split shot about 10 inches above the Leech.

Olive Wooly Buggers size 10 or 12.

Gray/Olive & Tan Flashback Scuds size 14/16

San Juan Worms, both the small red and the natural brown.

Peach colored Egg Pattern (Glo-Ball) fished below an indicator.

White or Black Grub (Thread Jig,) 1/100th oz, fish dead drifted under an indicator.

In researching for an article on Midge fishing on Branson’s Lake Taneycomo, things got a little more complex than my actual experience fishing the midge indicated they had to be. So here’s the Ole Seagull’s take on KIS (Keep It Simple) fishing of the midge on Branson’s Lake Taneycomo.

Particularly on Lake Taneycomo’s upper five miles, the midge, of the insect order Diptera and the family Chironomidae, is a major part of the Rainbow and Brown trout’s diet along with the scud. Simply put, if you not fishing midges as part of your fly fishing or fishing repertoire you are ignoring Lake Taneycomo’s primary “hatch,” as midges are constantly “hatching,” on Lake Taneycomo just about every day of the year for a large portion of the day.

From an Ole Seagull’s perspective, although there are arguments to the contrary, “Emerging” is a better term to use than “hatch.” Of the four major stages of a midge’s life cycle, egg, larvae, pupae, and adult, it is as the midge emerges from its pupae stage and is transitioning into the adult stage that the fisherman has the best opportunity to use midge imitations to catch trout on Lake Taneycomo. Although there are some skilled fishermen who fish size 26 and smaller larval imitation very successfully and some who fish adult imitations most fishermen will have the best results as the midge emerges from it pupae state and transitions into its adult stage.

As the midge emerges and transitions, it rises through the water column, from the bottom to the surface, where it completes its transition into adult, flies, off, swarms, mates, lays eggs, and dies, usually within about 48 hours of mating. It is as the midge gradually travels up the water column that it is at its largest sub surface size, presents the best target to trout, and, in the opinion of an Ole Seagull is easiest for both trout and fishermen to catch.

One can drive themselves crazy worrying about matching sizes and patterns but, from a midge fishing KIS perspective, on a day to day basis, the Ole Seagull has settled in on what he calls “The Ole Seagulls Small Five.” The Zebra Midge patterns, Copper Dun, Primrose and Pearl, Rusty, and Ugly in size 18 and the Red Tungsten Bead Head in size 16 have provided all the midge trout fishing excitement this old man could ask for. These patterns, their “recipes,” and other fly fishing information is available at River Run Outfitters located on Highway 165 near the Table Rock Dam.

Except for very early morning, the two must use midges every day are the Ugly and the Rusty. Only if they don’t work will I try another pattern. In the very early morning hours just after sunrise to about an hour after, I will start with the size 16 Red Tungsten Bead Head and transition over to the Ugly and Rusty as things “brighten” up or if there is no success with the red. It should be pointed out that there are others, and probably better fishermen than this poor Old Seagull, who use different flies and techniques but that’s what makes fishing the wonderful experience that it is.

Presentation is extremely important. The vast majority of my fishing on Lake Taneycomo is done under an indicator. I have standardized on the size 5/16 th Lightning Strike Ball Indicator for the size 18 flies the 3/8 th size for the 16s. Others use the Palsa or twist on foam indicators with great success. For what’s worth, in midge fishing, as in all of his fishing, I have the best results using the smallest indicator possible.

The “emerging” midge does not rise straight up to the surface, it gradually rises vertically to the surface as currents, winds, etc. are simultaneously moving it horizontally. I try to keep the drag to a minimum so the horizontal movement is as natural as possible. Although trout will hit the midge anywhere in the water column as it transitions, my theory is that they are more likely to come up for it than go down for it. Obviously, those who feel different will fish deeper. I use 6x Orvis Mirage Tippet down to the fly and generally set the depth at between one foot and four feet depending on the water depth. Typically when fishing in 5-8 feet of water I set it at four feet and forget it. As the water depth gets shallower the depth is adjusted accordingly.

With the small hook size expect to pick and roll and miss a lot. In my experience for every hook up I get there is, on average, a miss, pick and roll, or a break off but that is, not only fishing, it is excitement in itself. I love to throw the midge into water that is being rippled by the wind or through which a boat has just gone.

I must confess that I also use spinning tackle to fish midges and small jigs and that even when fishing with a fly rod, my rigging and lob and bob casting would make a classic fly fisher lose their breakfast but it works for me most of the time in the area that I fish. The important thing is that if you remember nothing else from this article please remember that if you not fishing midges as part of your fly fishing or fishing repertoire on Lake Taneycomo not only are you ignoring one of the primary food sources for trout but you are missing out on a lot of fun.

(Note: The vast majority of the time he fishes the Ole Seagull fishes under water off conditions or no more than generation than 703.5.)

Special Note: As of Mar. 1 new regulations go into effect that impact on fishing Lake Taneycomo. A Trout Permit is required in addtion to a Fishing Permit to fish upper Lake Taneycomo between the Highway 65 Bridge and Table Rock Dam, the daily limit for trout has been reduced to four, and the total possession limit has been reduced to eight. See the article entitled “New Missouri state fishing regulations impact Lake Taneycomo” for further discussion.

Annual Fishing Permits and Trout Permits expire on Feb. 28!

Editors General Comments: Feb 27 0650 Four Generators on, Taneycomo is at 710.3 and Table Rock is 914.5. Feb 21 1235 Four Generators on, Taneycomo is at 710.0 and Table Rock is 914.9 Feb 20 0625 two Generators on, Taneycomo is at 706.48 and Table Rock is 915.1.The pattern of late would be to jack it up to four pretty quick but with todays mild temperature forcast that might not be the case. Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters Feb 21 Boat out Friday and they had a pretty good day. Found fish up on the grassy area of the island across from KOA camp ground and a few in the channel behind the island. Did our best below the Pointe Royale island on the main lake side. Caught most of our fish on the size 16 red tunghead midge. Also found a new lay-up on the Pointe side downstream and about 1/2 mile up from the stairs going down to the water from Fall Creek. A nice cutback is created there when the water is high. Real calm water for the fish to lay in. Tough fishing from the main lake side as you have to mend constantly due to the extreme variations in the water speeds Had a boat out yesterday and it was tough early in the day. Improved in the afternoon and they caught 20-25 fish or so, mainly on the red midge. For you night owls or early risers, fishing has been good, especially early in the a.m. with the water off. Look for rising fish. Fishers have been catching fish on dry flies early in the morning, especially with this warm weather! Otherwise, when the water starts running, do the go-to red San Juan on the rise. Once it’s up, the hatchery area is still fishing pretty good with chamois leech, scuds (gray or UV gray), and the worm brown San Juan worm.

Editors General Comments: Feb 12 0630 two Generators on, Taneycomo is at 703.8 and Table Rock is 915.3 although the patters seems to be to run water heavy constantly they did have it off at about 0530 today and are only generating two right now. Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters Feb 9 – Fished for a little while in the high water Saturday. Caught some fish (10-12), mainly below Point Lookout island. Red or worm brown San Juan worm. Fish we caught are still looking good. Nice color and, some girth to them. Got to either lay up and fish seams, or get enough weight on to get down to the bottom. Talked to several customers coming in who have been fishing in the hatchery area at and between the chutes. They have been good with San Juan worms, especially worm brown, and gray or tan scuds.

Editors General Comments: Jan 16 0530 4 Generator on, Taneycomo is at 711.1 and Table Rock is 918.5 With Table Rock about three feet over power pool the percentage bet is that they will continue to run the water heavy. Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – Jan. 13– Table Rock is rising again due to strong storms and flooding last night. It’s at 917.6 My little buddy has been in a fishing mood lately so we hit it again this evening for another hour or so and once again smoked em on shad and scuds. I have finally fine tuned my straight line nymphing/streamer technique finding just the right combination on line, grain and length of sink tip line where I was hooking up about as well as we do deep drifting with an indicator. What a blast! Like dry fly fishing..there’s something special about catching a trout with nothing on your line but a fly. … Using it today I trailed a black Nitro Scud behind a RealEyeAble Shad and as always…caught more on shad near the cable and more on the scud down stream from there. Marlin tried new shad patterns on the bottom catching back to back fish pushing 20″.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters Jan 5 Hate to say it, but you should have been here last week. Water was off last Tuesday morning until Friday. Friday they ran one generator, Saturday ran one generator, then two, same thing on Sunday. Had it off for a couple hours Monday morning, then cranked it up. Other than a few hours early yesterday (midnight to 6:00 a.m.) morning, they have been running 3-4 generators. With all the rain we are getting, expect this will be the trend for a while…..again. We had trips out last week and this past weekend. Fishing was wonderful. Fish were as excited as us about the water being off. They hit almost anything you threw. Folks catching fish on dries…crackle backs and elk hair caddis, tan or gray scuds, and with the water off, dark olive soft hackles. Saturday and Sunday, when they had one or even two generators going, we fished the red tungsten midge or Worm Brown San Juan worms and did well. If we could find some slack water we could get to in our boats, the sulphur or holographic green crackle backs and dark olive soft hackles were the ticket. Weather really cooperated. It was in the upper 60s and low 70s. We saw the Old Year out with a great day on the water fishing with friends as well as the New Year in on the water fishing with friends.

Editors General Comments: Jan 8 0600 4 Generator on, Taneycomo is at 711.1 and Table Rock is 918.3 With Table Rock about three feet over power pool the percentage bet is that they will continue to run the water heavy. Jan 2 0500– 1 Generator on, Taneycomo is at 703.6 (normal 701.5) and Table Rock is at 913.4. (Power Pool 915.0).Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Gary’s Comments – Jan 2 Fished Mac and Bill Walden for about an hour before the rain started. Just kind of drift down from the 21 mile marker on the channel side with indicators set at about 4-5 feet. Had the best luck on the the River Run Peach Furbug and we ended up with about 15-20 fish total. The water was going down and the rain was starting up again when we stopped. January 1, 2005– What a great way to start the New Year, fishing in about 70 degree weather and catching about 15 fish in a little under an hour. No big one but lots of fun. Fished between 1200-1300, with one generator going and a lake level of about 704. Same technique as on December 31 but also used the Red Tungsten Bead Head Midge, size 16 hook from Gary’s Big Four, changed the depth of the indicator to about five feet, and fished from the non channel side toward the middle. December 31– Horns were blowing as I started fishing at Lookout Hole. Didn’t use anything but the River Run Peach Furbug from Gary’s Big Four, fished under a size 1 ESB slip float (indicator), at a depth of 4 1/2 feet with 6x Orvis tippet. The float was shot with 1.6 grams of shot, 1.2 grams about 4 1/2 feet up from the lure on the main line, and the jig at about .4 grams . Fished from a boat about a cast out from the channel side from Lookout Hole toward Fall Creek. Caught about 13 fish in less than 40 minutes. I was too lazy to adjust to the changing current conditions and hoped that the lower water I was drifting into would take care of it. Should have adjusted depth and shot placement because, except for one fish, the last 20 minutes (hour total) were wasted. A guy and his son were drifting right behind me and he had been catching them on a red scud and his son on a “brown jig.”

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters Jan 5 Hate to say it, but you should have been here last week. Water was off last Tuesday morning until Friday. Friday they ran one generator, Saturday ran one generator, then two, same thing on Sunday. Had it off for a couple hours Monday morning, then cranked it up. Other than a few hours early yesterday (midnight to 6:00 a.m.) morning, they have been running 3-4 generators. With all the rain we are getting, expect this will be the trend for a while…..again. We had trips out last week and this past weekend. Fishing was wonderful. Fish were as excited as us about the water being off. They hit almost anything you threw. Folks catching fish on dries…crackle backs and elk hair caddis, tan or gray scuds, and with the water off, dark olive soft hackles. Saturday and Sunday, when they had one or even two generators going, we fished the red tungsten midge or Worm Brown San Juan worms and did well. If we could find some slack water we could get to in our boats, the sulphur or holographic green crackle backs and dark olive soft hackles were the ticket. Weather really cooperated. It was in the upper 60s and low 70s. We saw the Old Year out with a great day on the water fishing with friends as well as the New Year in on the water fishing with friends.Dec 28– Of course, since the water was off yesterday and we are now so close to the good fishing area, Stan headed for the water to see what they were hitting on. His findings, olive zebra midge, size 18 and the size 18 dark olive soft hackle. The fish were so happy the water was off, they were popping up everywhere taking midge emergers. He is on the water today with clients and at 10:00 a.m. or so, they had already boated 20 plus fish on the dark olive soft hackle. They are fishing it with a #6 shot about 12 inches or more up from the fly and presenting it with the accelerated downstream presentation. Cast cross current, let a loop form in your line. Strip occasionally, but the fish are picking it up on the drift. You’ll generally see your fly line, where it touches the water, move before you feel the strike. One of our customers came in yesterday morning and he had caught and released two Browns around 22 inches that he had caught on scuds across from the Rocking Chair area.
December 16 – Have not had any boats on the water this past week. Do know that some folks are catching fish from boats with high water. Main thing is to use enough weight to get your fly down to the fish. Not many people fishing the chute area by the hatchery. Think it’s too cold?! Stan has run up there a few days and caught some. Small egg patterns, micro San Juan worm in hot pink, tan scud-size 16 are a few of the patterns he has caught fish with. Lake still has not turned over and think the oxygen level is down. This colder weather should help. (Editor’s note: Was in the shop on Decemeber 18 and Stan said he had discovered that the Big Ugly, a big dry fly was working in the chutes for him.). Also please note that River Run outfitters has moved from its downtown location to a location closer to the dam on State Highway 65. The best “dam fly shop” in Branson will be located at 2626 State Highway 165 conveniently located just north of the Dam and hatchery).Coming from the north on 165 it is just south of the Welk Theatre on the right hand side of the road.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – December 31 – The fishing was pretty good early and just got better as the day progressed with a few fly changes along the way. Early a #16 coral Soft Shelled Scud and a #14 pink of the same was solid. I had various midge patterns above these flies early on with very little success so I went to using two scud patterns mid day till the end and our hookups increased. After that 12:00 noon time frame where the pink/coral seems to slow, the #14 black UV Soft Shelled Scud, #14 wine/ginger SG-Bug and #16 and #14 ginger Soft Shelled Scud picked things up nicely. Even better though was #14 UV XGrey Soft Shelled Scud. A little twist on some existing patterns and it was really good to finish the day. We had many triples today and countless doubles and these boys kept me pretty busy. As always we broke off some big fish and our biggest to net was this 19 ” rainbow Russ nabbed on the #14 UV XGrey Soft Shelled Scud. I’m sure these guys broke the 100 fish mark today and man…what a day to be outside, 72 degrees with mild wind on New Years Eve day. December 30th – …A pretty tough bite for us today. (Editors Note: Yeh sure, only caught 25-30 fish!)… day started slower than it ended. Super quick and subtle bites were the order of the day and everyone had a tough time connecting. #18 XGrey Bit Scuds were the best producers with some decent action on black Crown Zebras, regular black Zebras and black UV Smidges in a #22. It was really calm early … around mid day the wind just got brutal. The best action was the shallow side of channels with the most active fish again in water no deeper than 2 feet. I could see a lot of fish swirling around our top (midge) fly with real quick takes then drops. … We probably only brought 25 – 30 fish to the net. You just had to be really quick with the hookset and even really quick wasn’t quick enough at times.December 21 – All 3 anglers caught a lot of fish today. Nothing really big, though we snapped off 3 -4 really big fish we never got a good look at. We always get a few of those a trip and with a little luck we get a few of them in. This group was pretty fun and had a good time together hooking up all day long. The day started pretty nice but a cold front was moving in and the end of the afternoon got colder and windy. A slight change in flies kept the bite pretty hot as the fish moved off black UV Scuds and really liked a #14 wine and ginger SG-Bug as well as a gray #12 UV BitShell Scud. The purple Nitros stayed pretty good all day long.” Editors Note: Brett was fishing from a boat with four generators going using a fly rod and his flat lineing technique for using heavy weight and “pegged indicators with leaders up to 16 feet.

Editors General Comments: December 31, 0700 It’s back on! All good things come to an end, December 31, 0445-0 generator(s) on, Taneycomo is at 701.5 and Table Rock is at 913.5. Special Note: December 27, 0900– The water is OFF. How long will it last, who knows but let’s enjoy it while we can. December 26, 0635 – based on the generation pattern for the last four weeks week, do not expect water off conditions during the day. At 0635- 4 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 913.4 and Taneycomo at 709.5 (normal elevation is 701.5). Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here.

Gary’s Big 4 Click for larger picture

Pictured above are Gary’s Big Four, the jigs and a fly he uses 95% of the time when fishing the upper 4 miles of Lake Taneycomo. Top center is the 100th ounce Bassnapper Olive Green Jig, size 8 hook; next row left to right is the 100th ounce River Run Peach Furbug, size 12 hook; the 100th ounce white Thread Jig, size 12 hook’ and the Red Tungsten Bead Head Midge, size 16 hook.

If pressed to pick one it would be the 100th ounce Bassnapper Olive Green Jig. This jig has consistently caught fish up and down the whole length of Lake Taneycomo for me and has been involved in the majority of the fish that I have caught over 20 inches. If I had to pick one to use on the upper three miles of Lake Taneycomo, from the dam to the mouth of Fall Creek it would be the 100th ounce River Run Peach Furbug. It seems to work real good in that water set at a depth of about four feet. Don’t know why but it works.

Whether using a fly rod or a spinning rod all are fished under an indicator at an appropriate depth. For me, with a tail water depth of 701-706, that generally starts at about 4 feet in the upper end. “Match the hatch” is fairly simple and straight forward. Above Fall Creek, start with the Peach Furbug, five casts, no fish, switch to the Red Bead Head Midge, five casts, go to the White Thread jig, five casts, no fish go to the Olive Green Jig, five casts no fish, either start the cycle over again or go eat breakfast. Under water off conditions, in the sunrise to 0930 time range, there have been very few days that I have had to repeat the cycle and none, that I can recall, where I had to eat breakfast for lack of fish. Below Fall Creek, I start with the Olive Green Jig, then continue the cycle starting with the Peach Furbug, etc.

For what it matters I use 6x Ovis Mirage fluorocarbon tippet (3.6 pound test-.005” diameter.) It works under all but the brightest of conditions in which case I switch to 7x.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. October 25- At 0440- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 913.1 and Taneycomo at 701.6. Fishing is great and water has been off a lot. Enjoy it while you can. How sporting is it to fish the chutes where the fish are stacked on top of each other? As sporting as “shuffling?” They were really rehtorical questions with the answers being “Not very” and “definately.”

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- October 24 –

Gary‘s Current Report: October 24- Haven’t fished this week but have little reason to believe that things have changed much since: October 16- 0710-0800 water off conditions. Used the spin float system, Orvis Mirage 6x tippet, and the a 1/100 ounce River Run Peach Furbug with the indicator set at about 4 feet. Put boat in shallow water and fished toward the middle of the lake. Caught about 10 in the 12-15 inch range and missed a bunch more. on the Fished from 21 mile marker down with boat in shallowPut boat in about 4 feet of water and fished back toward the middle.

Guide Bob Klein: October 24- No change from Bob Klein, of “Bob’s Guide Service“. Fishing is good from Cooper Creek to Rockaway Beach using pink and white power eggs and night crawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish:

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. October 17- At 0548- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 913.2 and Taneycomo at 701.6. One of the best weeks all season, in terms of the water being off. The fishing is great.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Editors Current Report: Overall- Excellent – October 13- 0710-0815 water off conditions.Went fishing with my good friend Joe Harrell. Fished about a 100 yeard section located about half way between Lookout Hole and the huge gravel bar at the bend just above Fall Creek. Kept boat in about 3-4 feet of water and casted east toward the center of the lake. Both of us used the spin float system, Orvis Miage 6x tippet, and an indicator set at 4 feet.. The only difference was that Joe had the the a1/100 ounce River Run Peach Fur Bug tied on and I had the white version of the same thing. Joe got twice the number of hits on the peach but we both had pently of action in the 90 minutes we fished boating over 20 trout and easily missing more that twice that many.

Gary‘s Current Report: October 16– 0710-0800 water off conditions. Used the spin float system, Orvis Mirage 6x tippet, and the a 1/100 ounce River Run Peach Furbug with the indicator set at about 4 feet. Put boat in shallow water and fished toward the middle of the lake. Caught about 10 in the 12-15 inch range and missed a bunch more. on the Fished from 21 mile marker down with boat in shallowPut boat in about 4 feet of water and fished back toward the middle.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- October 17 -Editors note: No new report from River Run but the talk around the shop indicates the fishing is great and they are hitting on basically the same flies. October 7- Been on the water every day since we got back from vacation. Thank heavens for vacations! All trips continue to catch a good number of fish. Monday we had a party of three out in two of the four boats out that day. One of the three was on his second trip since finishing fly fishing school and wanted to share the great fishing in Taneycomo with his two friends. They showed up with spinning rods and tackle boxes in hand. We persuaded them they needed to learn how to catch trout on a fly rod. Much to their surprise and delight, they each landed over 10 fish in 1/2 day and had a great time. One of the other boats was out all day and they lost track of the number of fish landed….and missed! We started Monday out with the rusty zebra midge and went to a San Juan worm when the water came on at noon. My boat had a seasoned fly fisher and he also caught them on a large, size 12, insect green soft hackle. Found some Crane Flies just a little smaller than a 12 in insect green on the water. He had never soft hackled and loves it. His first love however, is still dries (from Pennsylvania) but we couldn’t get them to take any dries Monday a.m. Catch of the week, so far, was a 22 inch Rainbow caught yesterday on the size 18 rusty zebra midge. Other boats had two gentlemen from California. Boated 30-35 between them. They do a lot of bass fly fishing so they had a bit of trouble with a lighter hook set. Broke off lots of fish and flies on the hook set. One of our customers caught a 26 1/2 inch Rainbow last week on a sculpin pattern and another caught a 22 incher on an olive woolly bugger. Seeing quite a few large Rainbows…not to many Browns yet.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – October 15 – pm Dick Wilcox had been planning a trip here with his daughter Rachelle (I hope I spelled that right?) for quite some time. They got a pretty good afternoon, though still pretty windy. … Seeing and reacting to the strike was their biggest challenge but after a few misses they started figuring it out and they both caught quite a few fish. Both Rachelle and Dick hooked up with a couple of big fish only to have both break off. Maybe bad knots on my part, but they were both really nice and we saw Rachelle’s jump.

A big brown in the 18 – 20″ range that made a lightning fast run and caught everyone by surprise. Pictured is Rachelle with a couple of her trophies, one of which was in the 16 ” class. The brown G-Bug was again the fly with a few on olive GLB Zebras and Smidges along with a handful on the olive Bit Scud. …

Guide Bob Klein: October 16- No change from Bob Klein, of “Bob’s Guide Service“. Fishing is good from Cooper Creek to Rockaway Beach using pink and white power eggs and night crawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. October 10- At 0514- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 913.1 and Taneycomo at 701.5.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)– October 7 -Been on the water every day since we got back from vacation. Thank heavens for vacations! All trips continue to catch a good number of fish. Monday we had a party of three out in two of the four boats out that day. One of the three was on his second trip since finishing fly fishing school and wanted to share the great fishing in Taneycomo with his two friends. They showed up with spinning rods and tackle boxes in hand. We persuaded them they needed to learn how to catch trout on a fly rod. Much to their surprise and delight, they each landed over 10 fish in 1/2 day and had a great time. One of the other boats was out all day and they lost track of the number of fish landed….and missed! We started Monday out with the rusty zebra midge and went to a San Juan worm when the water came on at noon. My boat had a seasoned fly fisher and he also caught them on a large, size 12, insect green soft hackle. Found some Crane Flies just a little smaller than a 12 in insect green on the water. He had never soft hackled and loves it. His first love however, is still dries (from Pennsylvania) but we couldn’t get them to take any dries Monday a.m. Catch of the week, so far, was a 22 inch Rainbow caught yesterday on the size 18 rusty zebra midge. Other boats had two gentlemen from California. Boated 30-35 between them. They do a lot of bass fly fishing so they had a bit of trouble with a lighter hook set. Broke off lots of fish and flies on the hook set. One of our customers caught a 26 1/2 inch Rainbow last week on a sculpin pattern and another caught a 22 incher on an olive woolly bugger. Seeing quite a few large Rainbows…not to many Browns yet.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – October 8th – Bob, Rich and Denny took an all day spin fishing trip today and had a good one. …A cloudy, overcast day greeted us most of the time with periods of rain showers. Nothing too bad and like always…as soon as we put on the rain gear it would stop. Fishing was very good, though slow early, like it has been for about two weeks. I say slow. We’re still catching fish but from about 7:00am – 9:00am it just doesn’t get kicking until about 9:00 unless they turn on water. Midges are usually doing best then and the scuds pick up around 9:00. They caught them on a bunch of stuff today. I must admit the brown #18 G-Bug was still #1 with the ginger very strong later in the day. We caught a lot of fish on black, olive and red #18 GLB Zebras. Smidges in olive, brown and ginger in #20’s and #22’s were very good. Even caught a few on a brown and gray G-bug doing a little experimenting. Fishing??? It was great! They got no water for about 7 hours of their 8 hour plus trip. Big trout were in the 17″ class with a couple that got away bigger than that. Numbers of fish were around 100 I’d guess. Like I say before every trip…you’ll catch one fish for every 5 bites you get and that was about right. …

Gary‘s Current Report: October 9– 0710-0830 water off conditions. Went fishing with my friend Duane (Mac) McCammon. Fished from Lookout Hole about half way to Fall Creek with the boat out far enough to cast back into the “channel”. Mac used a fly rod and I used my spin float system. We both used orvis Miage 6x tippet. Mac stayed pretty close to 3 1/2 feet all the way down and I stayed at 4 feet. Between us we caught over 30 fish in the 10-15 inch range with most of them in the 11-14 inch range. Mac all of his fish on the size 16 Red Tungsten Bead Head Midge. Although I caught the magority of my fish using the a 1/100 ounce River Run Peach Jig when it slowed down I finihsed the day using the the size 16 Red Tungsten Bead Head Midge too. We fished both sides of the boat and it seemed like one of us had a fish on most of the time.

Guide Bob Klein: October 9- No change from Bob Klein, of “Bob’s Guide Service“. Fishing is good from Cooper Creek to Rockaway Beach using pink and white power eggs and night crawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. October 4- At 0600- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 913.2 and Taneycomo at 701.5.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- September 30- Came home from vacation Tuesday. Had a great time on the Little Red River in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Basically the same flies, olive zebra midges, sow bugs, etc. but we also had the good fortune to get into some great BWO hatches and terrestrials hitting the water in the afternoons. So, we got out the dries and did really well. While we were gone, had boats on the water most every day. All trips are catching lots of fish, especially on the zebra midges. Olive and rust were the colors yesterday. The tan flashback scud worked well below the KOA yesterday afternoon. Stan’s couple from Alabama were seasoned fly fishers and caught 60-70 fish. Nothing big but still decent size fish, 13-17 inches.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop –

Time for some major moves, and while I knew the day would bring improvement with a higher sun and the front blowing through, we needed fish now. I started by going down to 7x Rio Fluoroflex. I don’t do that a lot on the spinning reel set ups but drastic times call for drastic measures. I moved to an area where trout tend to start midging before all other areas and I dropped a #22 Smidge (olive and brown) behind a #18 brown G-Bug on that 7x. That was the combination as both fishermen started picking up fish nicely from there on out. We had good (but not quite as good) action with a black GLB Zebra about 18″ down then trailing a Smidge about 3 feet behind that with no weight. An all midge setup in and around those midging trout but the brown G-Bug was supreme all day. Olive Bit Scuds were not good at all and while I love that fly a lot there are times that dictate adjustments from the norm. Today was one of those days. ….

Gary‘s Current Report: October 3– 0700-1000 water off conditions. Went fishing with my friend Duane (Mac) McCammon. Fished from the 21 mile makrer about half way to Fall Creek with the boat out far enough to cast back into the “channel”. Mac used a fly rod and I used my spion float system and we both used orvis Miage 6x tippet. Mac stayed pretty close to 3 1/2 feet all the way down and I stayed at 4 feet. Between us we caught over 40 fish in the 12-18 inch range with most of them in the 12-15 inch range. Mac decaught a beautiful Rainbow that was definately closer to 18 inches than it was to 15 inches. Although, as on any trip different flies and jigs were used, Mac caught his big one and the majority of his fish on the size 16 Red Tungsten Bead Head Midge and I caught the magority of my fish using the a 1/100 ounce River Run Peach Jig. I will mention however that I started the day using a white version of the Peach Jig that Shannon, of River Run Outfitters tied for me and it did real real coming down the chute from the 21 mile makrer into the Lookout Hole. It seemed that one us had a fish on most of the time and we ended the day with out second or third double of the day. Congratulation to Betty McCammon, the beautifylhalf of the the Mac and Betty team who caught a nice 19 1/2 inch Brown on the 2nd.

Guide Bob Klein: October 3- No change from Bob Klein, of “Bob’s Guide Service“. Fishing is good from Cooper Creek to Rockaway Beach using pink and white power eggs and night crawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. September 26- At 0427- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 913.6 and Taneycomo at 701.5.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- September 22- Trips out every day this past week and weekend. Good numbers and decent size fish, 13-17 inches and catching 50-60 a day. However, no big fish. Most of the folks we have had out this past week have been new fly fishers. Even had a group of four neat children out Sunday. The youngest was 8 and he learned to roll cast and set the hook on several fish on his own. Helped him a little in bringing it in as the line and long rod were a lot for him to handle, especially with a fish tugging on the other end. The youngest girl, think she was 10, landed a 16-17 inch Brown. Each of the children landed several fish and think we have a fly fishing family. New lady to fly fishing out for 1/2 day with her husband today. She certainly had beginners luck. Boated the first two fish and probably boated 10-12 more. Won’t talk about the misses. Still need some work on the hook set. All our fish are on the size 18 zebra midges. Pretty consistent with either the rust or olive. Did well on insect green and dark olive soft hackles this weekend. When the day brightens up, especially early afternoon, generally switching to the Miracle Scud (tan flashback), size 14. Two other guides were out this a.m. and they did well on hoppers against the bank just above the boat ramp. Caught some nice 18 inch Rainbows.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – September 23rd – Bryan and Christina took a full day Combo Trip today. With all the great days of no generation…low Table Rock levels and cooler weather on the way I expected another full day of wading for these folks. At 6:00am they had two units going and they’re still going as of 9:45 tonight. While wading a shallow stream is what you might call traditional fly fishing, I know 2 units of water (after no water) is really good fishing and that’s what they got today from the boat. Easily a 100 fish day for Bryan on the fly rod and Christina using the spinning rod. I think Christina took big fish today catching a couple 17″ long but both of them lost fish 20 inches or over. Only one little brown today but Christina lost a nice one near the boat. The Coral #14 Soft Shelled Scud was king all day and a #16 pink trailer of the same was also great. We caught them on brown, beaded G-Bugs and peach Soft Shelled Scuds but the coral was so good I ended up using the 14 coral with the 16 pink trailer on both of their rods all day. Literally all day long as these wonderful people lost only one fly between them in their all day adventure

Guide Bob Klein: On September 23, Bob Klein, of “Bob’s Guide Service“, reports that fishing is good from Cooper Creek to Rockaway Beach using pink and white power eggs and night crawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Since September 12 the water has been off first thing in the morning. This has provided an excellent opportunity for wade fishing below the dam. Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. September 21- At 0500- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 913.8 and Taneycomo at 701.6.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- Fishing continues to be good. Had a couple out yesterday for 1/2 day. She had very little experience fly fishing and she boated at least 20 fish. Her friend caught a beautiful 18 inch Rainbow and boated 20 or more fish. With two generators going, all our fish were caught on the size 16 red midge. Monday had another new fly fisher out. Sister treated him to a birthday trip. With the water off Monday, they were both catching lots of fish on the size 18 dark olive soft hackle. Around 11:00 a.m. they turned on one generator, followed shortly by one more. After that we drifted and fished the red size 16 midge. While the water was rising, fished the red San Juan worm and caught 6-8 in about 15 minutes. Once the second generator increased the water flow, the fish turned off the worm. Weekend fished well on the olive and/or black size 18 zebra midges. If the water is off for a period of time, the terrestrials should still be doing well. Actually have seen some caddis coming off the water every day this past week…probably size 12-14.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – September 20th – My buddy Rudy from St.Louis came down for a half day trip today. Wading below the dam and it was another really nice day. While it was dead calm in the morning it got pretty gusty by quitting time. Rudy wanted to do some midge fishing sometime and I suggested later in the day when I’m typically seeing more midging activity. We walked the banks, sight casting with Bit Scuds and G-Bugs until then, searching for some trophy’s. Some really nice rainbows were on the far shore out from outlet #2 and we hooked several. Notice I say hooked and not caught. We broke off a bunch of fish today. I say “we” as I fished on and off at Rudy’s encouragement and I broke off a bunch as did Rudy. 7x fluorocarbon was definitely better today than 6x but we paid the price in lost fish. My excuse was a bad batch of tippet as both Rudy and I fish 7x a lot and don’t have problems breaking off. They never seemed to break at the knot but clean in the middle somewhere. I stopped putting a surgeons knot on to keep the weight from slipping to see if that helped. Maybe a little but not really. After the breeze kicked in 6x worked pretty well so I had one rod set up with 6x all the time while the other had 7x. Sometimes in calmer water we needed the 7x. After we worked a few good sight casting haunts and catching quite a few we saw a pod of some big browns and we threw a few to them with no success. I tried stripping some sculpins a few times and only a couple of hits from smaller fish. We caught small browns but not the big boys we saw. One fish looked around 10 pounds with several in the 4 -7 pound range. I wanted to show Rudy some midge fishing so we went down near the MDC ramp and put on an olive MTBB Soft Hackle with a gray midgabou in front of that. I like to midge fish from outlet #4 on down. Rudy hadn’t done any softhackle fishing and that is my favorite way to midge fish personally so it was a nice diversion from just “catching fish”. We fished a couple of runs with scuds earlier where you hook a fish nearly every cast but Rudy’s done that and likes to try different things so we did the midge thing. Soft Hackles imitate an emerging midge when you swing them through the current and the emerger in front will hang in the film and help you search for a good size and color. We hooked up a lot, at times on every cast but bringing them to net wasn’t as successful. Typical soft hackle fishing. Lots of hits and few fish in the net. If you fish soft hackles much you know how hard and fast the hits are and that always stays the same with soft hackles. Not the soft and subtle taps you get with scuds but usually a hard, running hit. Yes, we snapped a few off there too. Just one of those days I guess. Pictured is Rudy with a nice 18″ class rainbow. He lost a few bigger fish too. A nice day to be out there.

Guide Bob Klein: On September 19, Bob Klein, of “Bob’s Guide Service“, reports that fishing is good from Cooper Creek to Rockaway Beach using pink and white power eggs and night crawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. September 13- At 0630- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 913.9 and Taneycomo at 701.6.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- Fishing continues to be good. Had a couple out yesterday for 1/2 day. She had very little experience fly fishing and she boated at least 20 fish. Her friend caught a beautiful 18 inch Rainbow and boated 20 or more fish. With two generators going, all our fish were caught on the size 16 red midge. Monday had another new fly fisher out. Sister treated him to a birthday trip. With the water off Monday, they were both catching lots of fish on the size 18 dark olive soft hackle. Around 11:00 a.m. they turned on one generator, followed shortly by one more. After that we drifted and fished the red size 16 midge. While the water was rising, fished the red San Juan worm and caught 6-8 in about 15 minutes. Once the second generator increased the water flow, the fish turned off the worm. Weekend fished well on the olive and/or black size 18 zebra midges. If the water is off for a period of time, the terrestrials should still be doing well. Actually have seen some caddis coming off the water every day this past week…probably size 12-14.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – September 9th – September 9th – Today’s water was one unit and running all day long…With one unit running we could fish fairly light so we stayed with traditional casting and roll casting…If you’ve never done it, don’t be intimidated by fly fishing. It’s easy and it is the best way to catch a trout. Today the #16 pink Soft Shelled Scuds were good early. We had decent success with ginger and black scuds of the same. Late morning I went with #18 Bit Scuds and trailed either a ginger #20 G-Bug or a #20 olive Bit Scud. We went pretty small today but stayed with 6x fluorocarbon on the tippet. The last 3rd of the day was dominated by a #20 brown G-Bug. That’s a color I rarely use but it’s in the box for good now. It was just smokin em on a day when we saw only a couple other fish caught by other boats all day.

Guide Bob Klein: Bob Klein, the not pretty half of the former owners of Main Street Marina, Bob and Jackie Klein, is still guiding as “Bob’s Guide Service.” As of September 12, 2004 Bob reported that Fishing good from Cooper Creek to Rockaway Beach using pink and white power eggs and night crawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. September 5- At 0514- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 914.4 and Taneycomo at 701.5.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- August 31-Fishing has been very good. Had a group fish for a while Saturday after the rain and everyone was catching fish on zebra midges and soft hackles. Only fished for 2-3 hours. Sunday was a beautiful day. A group of nine of us fished the Rocking Chair area and caught fish till we dropped. Black zebra, rust zebra and red midge were working great. One 22 inch Brown on a size 18 rust midge. Almost all the fish were 14 inches or better. However, every once in a while we would hit a run of 6-8 inch fish. Not certain where they were coming from. If we had to order a perfect day fishing, it would have to be Monday. Weather was perfect. Not too hot. Just enough wind to ripple the water. Hit the water about 11:00 a.m. and the fish were working the banks. Four of us fishing and two put on dry flies while the other two fished the black zebra. Everyone got tired catching fish on the zebra so we all switched to dries. Catch of the day was a 23 inch Rainbow on a 3 weight rod, 7X tippet and a size 14 LeTort Hopper pattern. Other great dries were a size 16 Elk Hair Caddis, a size 14 foam and hackle black fly. Caught nothing under 13 inches and several in the 16-18 inch range. We don’t get this much dry fly action very often….better get out there and fish.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – September 1- Marlin and I took another drift yesterday since I had that trip cancel. After he finished school we motored up to the dam with two units going and took one drift down to Short Creek. We started around 3:00 I’d guess, both using fly rods. A good bite was on and my reliable #16 pink and peach Soft Shelled Scuds were hot again. Two units is great boat water and we found the fish very active as they always are with rising water. We decided to have a little contest to keep things interesting. We decided to keep a few small ones for dinner and whoever caught the fewest fish had to cook them. Now, I had to clean them regardless so I wasn’t going to win no matter how you sliced it but…it made things fun. Marlin took an early lead but spent a bunch of time battling this nice 17" rainbow (beautiful colors) so I slipped in a few small ones while he did that. I netted all his fish but he had to unhook and release them. Snags didn’t count (and I think we snagged about 5 – 6 fish surprisingly) and the fish had to make it in the boat. I caught 3 nice browns around 15 – 16". I snagged one of them in a way that I thought I hooked a big one. We upped our fly size to #12’s as we lost one rig each. I had two flies on (pink and black) and Marlin just one pink. He doesn’t like two flies as it gets a few more tangles. That is true but I probably had an unfair advantage on him for the contest. I caught half and half on the pink and black. The browns liked the black. It was Marlins idea to go fishing today and I will ALWAYS go with him any time he wants to. He also brought his rc boat so when he had enough fishing (about half way down) the contest ended and he played with his boat. He boated 10 and I had 12 when we called it quits. We finished the drift down to Short Creek and I caught another 10 – 12 before Marlin drove us home and docked the boat for the first time. A really nice afternoon out there with my buddy. Just gorgeous temps and partly sunny…not too windy…beautiful! For the record….Mom had some home work ready for him when we got back so I ended up cooking the fish anyway.

Guide Bob Klein: Bob Klein, the not pretty half of the former owners of Main Street Marina, Bob and Jackie Klein, is still guiding as "Bob’s Guide Service." As of September 4, 2004 Bob reported that Fishing good from Cooper Creek to Rockaway Beach using pink and white power eggs and night crawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. August 15- At 0725- 1 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 916.0 and Taneycomo at 704.3.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- Aug 18-Saturday and Sunday were dry fly days as soon as the water dropped to tailwater normal. Hitting the banks with hopper patterns, Humpies and caddis. Saturday did best on a yellow bodied hopper cast right up near the bank just above fish rising. Didn’t catch anything under 16 inches and several in the 18-20 inch range. Sunday the color was red. Did well on red Humpies or a hopper with a red body. Also did well both Saturday and Sunday with the green holographic crackle back. Fish were taking it both on the drift as well as the strip. Monday, a black body caddis, size 16 was the ticket. Did catch a few on a yellow Humpy but they seemed to take the smaller caddis best. Yesterday morning was tough. Had two boats out and they fished everything. Finally started catching fish late morning on the size 18 black zebra. Other good fly yesterday with the high water was the tan flashback scud.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – Scott Daldrup joined me again for a gorgeous half day boating trip today. High in the low 70’s made it seem like a cool October day and that morning boat ride was down right chilly. He had another good one catching water conditions very similar to yesterdays trip. Scott is a fly rod guy through and through and he too was constantly hooked up today. It’s interesting to see ones progression as a fisherman and a student if you will. I showed Scott my flatlining technique last time he was here and he immediately took up where he left off last time, shooting out that deep heavy rig with ease. I was also very impressed with his decidedly improved reaction time on hooksets. I would say Scott was better than 50% on his hookup ratio, which is much better than average. While we didn’t catch any real big ones he managed a couple of 17 – 18 inch rainbows amongst his masses. We took some time to fish “small” today to some holding big fish in a little seam. We drifted little Bit Scuds and G-Bugs through that seam hooking two really nice fish before pulling one out and breaking one off. We caught a few there before we wore them out then decided to drift the bigger scuds deeper. There are a LOT of smaller fish out there right now and while we’re catching a ton of fish it’s hard getting through to the big boys sometimes. I know there has been a lot of stocking lately and these little guys are making their way up to the trophy area. There are quite a few bigger stockers up there too like 16 – 17″ fish as well. You can see the gradual transition from the cloudy gray, rounded fins look to the healthy, dark and rich colored river fish they become eating that staple of scuds and midges. Tomorrow Scott and I are going to try wading in the morning. We’re keeping our fingers crossed hoping for no water. With this extremely cool weather were having and Table Rock nearing the magic 915 foot level you would think they wouldn’t be generating but they have been so goofy lately I really have no idea. If we get washed out we’ll hit the boat and have a goo day doing that. Scott wants to learn the secret of a couple of my flies so we’re going to do a little tying after the trip. A busy day ahead as I’m doing a seminar in the afternoon and starting a bowling league with my wife Shelley in the evening. Nothing like kicking the day off right though with a little fishing.

Gary‘s Current Report: August 15- Went out at 0616 back by 0715. Fished spin float system with 128th Peach Jig with indicator set at 5′ and one BB split shot about 6-12″ above the jig to get it down and keep it down. One generator on and lake level at 704.3 Fished from Lookout Hole down in the middle. Caught 10 fish in less than an hour and missed as many more. Plenty of action and fun.

Guide Bob Klein: Bob Klein, the not pretty half of the former owners of Main Street Marina, Bob and Jackie Klein, is still guiding as “Bob’s Guide Service.” As of August 8, 2004 Bob reported that water flow has been consistent and that the best fishing from Branson to Rockaway Beach has been using orange and yellow power eggs drifted off the bottom. Small browns being caught below Fall Creek on nightcrawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Seemingly all summer long there has been one or more generators going at 0600 instead of the normal 0830-1100 time range as is normal for this time of year. For the last four days there has been no generator going at 0600. May we hope that they are going back to the normal summer cucle. Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. August 29- At 00600- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 914.8 and Taneycomo at 701.6. At 1645 1 genertor(s) on, Table Rock 914.8 and Taneycomo at 704.8.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- August 25 – Saturday while the water was off, we hit the banks most successfully with size 16 caddis and parachute Adams. The other hot fly was the green holographic crackle back. Fish were taking it both on the drift as well as the strip. Sunday, they ran two generators most of the day. Fished in the late afternoon and caught fish on the dark olive soft hackle, green holographic crackle back and the red midge. Monday the water level was too high to wade so we went to the gravel bar at the City Campground just downstream from the old Taneycomo bridge. Four of us fished the downstream bar and caught several fish on the same flies we fished Sunday. Nothing big, probably best fish was 16 inches but we had a good time. When the water is down or even with the generation, folks are catching fish in the hatchery area and the “chutes”. Tan or gray scuds, San Juan worms, and sculpin patterns are what most people are fishing.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – August 25th – My neighbor Bill and his friend John from St. Louis gave Chartered Waters a try today for a half day fly fishing trip. Water was running all day yesterday then dropped down to 2 units before I went to bed at 11:00. Checking the generation chart at 6:00 am I saw they had it down to one unit around 2:00 am and that’s what we found at 7:00am when we started. I figured that would be a tough bite and also thought it would be an olive day. I started with a two fly rig using a peach or pink #16 Soft Shelled Scud on top dropping an olive #16 (same pattern) below that. These guys were “ex” fly fishermen. They used to do it for bass and bluegill but never for trout, and their biggest hurdle was not setting the hook too hard. They both broke off several early, but soon got that quick wrist flip down to where they were hooking up often. Olive probably caught half the fish with peach and pink taking the other half. Good action. … fishing again at 1:00pm so we were ready and back at em ..3 units had just come on which made for great fishing for Bill and John. I set the rods up for some deep drifting using big pink, coral and peach Soft Shelled Scuds and like clockwork..the bite was strong. Bill caught a nice 18″ rainbow and both caught several in the 15 – 17″ class.

Guide Bob Klein: Bob Klein, the not pretty half of the former owners of Main Street Marina, Bob and Jackie Klein, is still guiding as “Bob’s Guide Service.” As of August 29, 2004 Bob reported that Fishing good from Cooper Creek to Rockaway Beach using pink and white power eggs and night crawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. August 9- At 0550- 0 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 916.8 and Taneycomo at 701.5.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- Aug 10- Last week fished good. Saturday morning was a little tough, but after lunch, we caught some nice fish, 16 to 18 inches on the olive size 18 zebra midge. Since we were in the boat, we found slack water near the banks behind seams holding lots of nice fish. Late morning and early part of the afternoon Saturday, the shallow bank below Point Lookout fished very well drifting the size 16, red tunghead midge. By midday, the deep side below Point Lookout fished better, but still with the red midge. Sunday the dark olive soft hackle, size 16; green L’il Easy, size 18; and green holographic crackle back, size 14 were catching lots of fish. Probably other flies working, but these are so much fun. Floated the deep bank below Lookout with the red midge on our way out and caught lots more fish. Yesterday and today, before the water started, it was fishing well on most anything. When the fish were coming up, Renegades, soft hackles, and crackle backs. Wet flies included the tan flashback scud. Really did well on the tan scud today and the insect green soft hackle. Don’t forget those terrestrials!

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – August 8th – The toughest day I’ve had all year. One unit was running when I woke at 5:00 and it stayed at 1 all day. Ken Joplin and his son BJ started the day at 6:30 at the dam. We started on the shoal out from outlet #3 and caught nothing. No one around was catching anything other than a couple of shufflers. They had a few fish on and lost but that place with one unit is usually very solid. I took them back to where I took Ken yesterday but stopped half way there when I saw several rising trout in one area sipping midges. I tied on some GLB Zebras and had them cast to those rising fish. We caught quite a few BUT…they were all those little 5 inch hatchery fish with a couple of exceptions. We arrived at that same hole from yesterday and we managed half a dozen in and around that area (pictured is BJ with a rainbow from there) but again the action was very slow. We decided to hit the boat with greater expectations in mind. We did catch more fish out there for sure but still I would call it sub par. I tried many different patterns and colors. When we found midging trout (and usually in a very concentrated area) they would take midge emergers fairly well. Black, pink, peach and olive Soft Shelled Scuds in #16 were probably best overall but no one any better than the other. I found 6x caught more than 5x. The best places were those in areas I typically don’t find a lot of fish during one unit. The bites were lighter and faster than usual and we missed many opportunities because of it. They probably caught 25 – 30 fish total today. By comparison I’d guess Ken himself caught about 50 – 60 yesterday. They both had a great time but I felt bad I couldn’t get them hooking up more. So it goes sometimes. It was tough…I kept changing all day…never found the magic combination. Not sure it was out there today anyway. We’ll hit it again tomorrow with better things in mind. Editor Note: If this is a bad day can you imagine what a good day is. I went fishing with Brett last week and caught 25 fish in about 2 hours and missed about a hundred. Visit his site, he is one heck of a fisherman and a great guy to boot.

Gary‘s Current Report: August 9- Tough day on the water, My neighbor, Howard Couch, caugtht about 15-20 fish in about 2 hours. He started with the size 16 Red Bead Head Midge in the shallow water side and switched to the 128th ounce White Thread Jig when we moved over to the channel side. Fished from Lookout Hole down stream using a spin-float system with with indicator set betwen 4 and 5 feet all the way down.

Guide Bob Klein: Bob Klein, the not pretty half of the former owners of Main Street Marina, Bob and Jackie Klein, is still guiding as “Bob’s Guide Service.” As of August 8, 2004 Bob reported that water flow has been consistent and that the best fishing from Branson to Rockaway Beach has been using orange and yellow power eggs drifted off the bottom. Small browns being caught below Fall Creek on nightcrawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. August 7- At 0550- 1 generator(s) on, Table Rock is at 916.8 and Taneycomo at 704.0.

Editor’s Observation: The normal pattern of having the water off until the 0830-1000 time period has changed. Best chance for water off conditions for any period would be to be on the water at first light.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Only by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- July 28 – Last week continued to have some tough days. Trips were catching fish, but they really had to work for them. Saturday and Sunday seemed to turn the tide. Fished Saturday with one generator and caught fish on the red midge and the rust zebra. After the water was off for a little while, the fish started coming up and we each had a 30-40 fish afternoon on soft hackles and crackle backs. Best crackle back was the holographic green in a size 14. Soft hackles were partridge and orange and the dark olive. Sunday was another good day. Size 18 L’il Easy, and a holographic silver crackle back were our best flies. In the late afternoon I fished the crackle back in about 1-2 feet of water. Cast straight downstream as far as I could and retrieved with a strip-strip, then pause action. In that shallow of water, the strikes were explosive. Several times I would have a strike and miss it but kept the fly in action and get another take. Several nicer, 16-18 inch Rainbows caught this way. Also caught a couple 13-14 inch Browns. Yesterday, one of our boats caught a beautiful 21 inch Brown on the red tunghead midge. Fish are hitting much better than last week during the high water. Reports from some of our customers that they were doing very well in the Hatchery area with Renegades, size 14 over the weekend. Also know that crackle backs were working well in this area, bright colors, sizes 12 or 14. When the water is up and you don’t have a boat the chute areas will probably be your best bets. Scuds, sowbugs and San Juan worms are good choices for the chute area.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing By Chartered Waters Guide Service and Fly Shop – July 29 – Today’s trip was with Bob and his two 12 yr old twin boys Steven and Ben. You might think that would be confusing but you do little things to keep names straight. Ben had blue shoes and Steven’s were white. Plus Ben was in the back of the boat so we kept it straight most of the time. Dad was just spectating so the boys caught the fish. They caught them really well today starting @ 7:00 with two units going we fished #14 and #16 pink and coral Soft Shelled Scuds below a float for about 2 hours. Two units are soooo good using this method. It was just nonstop and it usually is catching some quality 18 and 19 rainbows. They caught about 5 – 6 in that range (a couple just missing 20″) and countless slot fish (13 – 17 “). Ben also caught one little brown today (pictured). These guys picked up the spinning rods really well and were pumping in those big fish by the end of the day like pros. Great action all day even when 4 units came on around 10:00. We switched to the bottom rigs then and continued to catch many quality fish for the remainder or their half day trip. I showed the group some of the scuds the fish were spitting up and they found that very interesting seeing the array of sizes and colors. I found a couple of very dark (black?) scuds and a few that were black and orange…kind of spotty looking. I’m going to have to tie one of those and try it out. That was indeed a new color scheme for a scud. Maybe it was a dead and drying out scud before being washed away with the water? The kids wondered how many fish they caught. I guessed about 50 – 60 fish and with out prompting it, Dad guessed about the same. Not bad for a couple of 12 yr olds who have never caught a trout before and never used a spinning rod. We did see Glen and his family motoring up to the dam and we exchanged some info. 4 units were going at the time so I told them their set ups should be good to go. As we motored up we passed them on their first drift down and they had already caught about 6 – 8 fish including a 17 1/2” rainbow for Glen. They were having fun and catching a lot of fish. Later in the day he was saying he’d be by for more scuds so I think I made another believer. That’s cool! I love to see the satisfaction on peoples faces when they are getting it done. There’s a little more satisfaction when you do it all by yourself. They caught the fish, I just kind of pointed them in the right direction.

Gary‘s Current Report: August 1- Howard Couch reported catching between 12 and 15 fish on July 31 between about 0645 and 0845 using the 128th ounce White Thread Jig from the 21 mile marker down. He used a spin-float system with with indicator set betwen 4 and 4 1/2 feet all the way down. Water came on about 0800 and he caught fish using the same set up for about 30 minutes until the speed of the current made eating breakfast more enjoyable than fishing.

Guide Bob Klein: Bob Klein, the not pretty half of the former owners of Main Street Marina, Bob and Jackie Klein, is still guiding as “Bob’s Guide Service.” On July 28, 2004 Bob reported that water flow has been heavy and that the best fishing from Branson to Rockaway Beach has been using orange and yellow power eggs drifted off the bottom. Small browns being caught below Fall Creek on nightcrawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, Brett, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: June 13- The fishing on Lake Taneycomo over the last couple of week can only be described as fabulous! Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. July 23- At 0515 there are zero generators on, Table Rock is at 916.1 and Taneycomo at 702.0.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Report by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- July 22 – Saturday and Sunday were a little slower than we are accustomed to. Saturday we caught most of our fish on the zebra midges, rust and olive. Sunday, we were only out for a couple hours but caught most of our fish on the insect green, size 16 soft hackle. All our trips this week have caught a majority of their fish on the red tungsten beadhead midge, size 16 with two #1 shots or a size 12 pink scud fishing the seams. With so much water running during the week, we have been suggesting to our customers that they try and see if there is a space to fish up by the hatchery at the chutes. Depending on the time of day, you might get lucky. Sent a couple more customers up to chute #1 with the caterpiller type fly this week and they caught some nice fish on it. Imagine this bug has run it’s course as we are not seeing caterpillars falling out of the tree anymore. When conditions allow, good time to start trying terrestrials such as hopper patterns, stimulators, etc. Scuds, sowbugs and San Juan worms are good choices for the chute area.

Gary‘s Current Report: July 11- Have fished just about every day for over a week between 0600 and the latest 0845.fishing has been average. Averaging 7 fish per hour boated with about as many strikes and misses per hour.From Lookout Hole down to just above the Fall Creek Bend the 128th ounce White Thread Jig or the Peach Jig, available at River run Outfitters, have been working well. Have caught two nice Bows in the 16-18 inch range and my neighbor Howard Couch caught a nice 19 inch Rainbow.

Guide Bob Klein: Bob Klein, the not pretty half of the former owners of Main Street Marina, Bob and Jackie Klein, is still guiding as “Bob’s Guide Service.” On July 22, 2004 Bob reported that water flow has been heavy and that the best fishing from Branson to Rockaway Beach has been using orange and yellow power eggs drifted off the bottom. Small browns being caught below Fall Creek on nightcrawlers. As always the following standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: June 13- The fishing on Lake Taneycomo over the last couple of week can only be described as fabulous! Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. July 11- At 0450 there is zero generators on, Table Rock is at 916.7 and Taneycomo at 701.6.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Report by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- July 8- Family trips out for the holiday weekend. Two boats with a family of four, three generations out on Saturday. The grandsons and their father had their first experience at fly fishing compliments of grandmother who also fly fishes. It was an “awesome” day for all of them. One grandson caught a beautiful 17 inch Brown and they all caught lots of fish. According to a couple of our regular customers who came into the shop, Saturday was also a good day for the dark olive soft hackles. Started with the olive zebra in the morning and finished with the red midge in the afternoon. When the water was still, we did the chironmid wiggle to entice the fish. Another family of two sons and father Monday. Again, a good day with 40 fish to each boat. Lots of water today, but the fish were laying up in their normal high water places. Our one guest caught about 25 fish….all on the red midge

Gary‘s Current Report: July 11- Have fished just about every day for over a week between 0600 and the latest 0845.fishing has been average. Averaging 7 fish per hour boated with about as many strikes and misses per hour.From Lookout Hole down to just above the Fall Creek Bend the 128th ounce White Thread Jig or the Peach Jig, available at River run Outfitters, have been working well. Have caught two nice Browns in the 16-18 inch range and my neighbor Howard Couch caught a nice 19 inch Rainbown.

Gary’s Special Note: It appears that they are finally getting into the summer generation cycle. Generally you can expect the water to come on sometimes between 0800 and 1000 and stay on all day into the hours of darkness when they turn it off. I like to to fish water off conditions. That’s why I am on the water fishing by 0600.

Guide Bob Klein: Bob Klein, the not pretty half of the former owners of Main Street Marina, Bob and Jackie Klein, is still guiding as “Bob’s Guide Service.” On July 10, 2004 Bob reported Fishing on Lake Taneycomo has been good afrom Fall Creek to Rockaway Beach. He reports that the standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: June 13- The fishing on Lake Taneycomo over the last couple of week can only be described as fabulous! Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. July 1- At 0340 there is zero generators on, Table Rock is at 915.8 and Taneycomo at 702.0.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Report by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- June 27- Wednesday fished real well. They ran only one generator until about noon. I fished with a friend for about three hours and we boated 30 fish or better and almost all of them on the red tunghead midge, size 16. With one generator going, the deep side of the river below the lookout was our best area. Thursday was a little tougher day. We started our trips with two generators on. The red midge was about the only thing we were getting hits on. One nice 17 inch Rainbow and several 12-14 inchers. Later in the day, one of the boats put on the sink tip line and fished olive woolly buggers. This worked well and picked up some 18-19 inch fish. Friday fished good. Three boats out and they all caught 25 fish/person or better. Rust zebra, size 18, olive woolly bugger on sink tip, holographic green crackle back (fished with #6 shot and drifted cross current), and red midge. Saturday was great. Dark olive or insect green soft hackles, size 16, olive zebra midge, size 18 and when the water came on at 2:00 p.m., we fished the rise with red midge or red San Juan worm and the fish got much bigger. Caught several 17-18 inchers. Sunday and Monday were both slower days. Sunday it was what we call a “two fish/fly” day. Catch a couple of fish on each fly and nothing. Change flies and catch a couple more. We did go out Sunday evening around 7:00 p.m. and throw some dries. Did not catch a lot but caught a few nice fish on size 14 Elk Hair Caddis and a Royal Wulff.

Gary‘s Current Report: July 1- Have fished just about every day for over a week between 0600 and the latest 0845.fishing has been excellent. Averaging 10 fish per hour boated with plenty of strikes and misses inbetween to make things exciting. From Lookout Hole down to Fall Creek the 128th ounce White Thread Jig set at about 4 feet seems to be working real well, with the Peach Furbug close behind. Have been playing around with the size 18 Rust Midge casted into rising fish going after midge emergers. With the indicator set at about 3 feet it has been working well. On the 29th of June I fished with my next door neighbor and good friend, Howard Couch, in about two hours her caught 20 fish of which 2 were in the 16 to 19 inch range.

Gary’s Special Note: It appears that they are finally getting into the summer generation cycle. Generally you can expect the water to come on sometimes between 0800 and 1000 and stay on all day into the hours of darkness when they turn it off. I like to to fish water off conditions. That’s why I am on the water fishing by 0600.

Guide Bob Klein: Bob Klein, the not pretty half of the former owners of Main Street Marina, Bob and Jackie Klein, is still guiding as “Bob’s Guide Service.” On June 30, 2004 Bob reported Fishing on Lake Taneycomo has been excellent afrom Fall Creek to Rockaway Beach. He reports that the standard default techniques are producing fish.

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Editors General Comments: June 13- The fishing on Lake Taneycomo over the last couple of week can only be described as fabulous! Very little affects the fishing on LakeTaneycomo like the generation of power at the Table Rock Dam. Call 417-336-5083 for up to the moment information on generation and lake levels or click here. June 13- At 0645 there is zero generators on, Table Rock is at 916.3 and Taneycomo at 7016.

Trophy Trout Area: Special Regulations apply to the Trophy Trout Area running from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Click here for an overview of these regulations.

Fly Fishing Report by River Run Outfitters (Dam to Fall Creek)- Had boats on the water every day. Each boat, has boated at least 35 fish per person on the trips. Had a great father/son (11 years old)team out Saturday. What a great bonding day for both of them. First time fly fishing for the son anbd second time for Dad. Son hooked into an 17 incher first thing in the a.m. on an olive, size 18 zebra midge. His second fish was at least 20 inches. But, as with first timers, he locked down on the line as the fish took off and broke off. They caught nice fish all day and many times had on doubles. Best flies were the olive, size 18 zebra midge and the size 14, orange flashback tan scud. What a team! Think Dad has a new fly fishing partner. I fished for a little while Monday while Stan had a trip. Trip out today caught 50 or better. Their best flies were the sulphur, size 14 crackleback fished with the ADP (accelerated downstream presentation) with a size 6 slit slot. amd the dark olive soft hackles, size 16 and 18, and while drifting, the size 16 red tunghead red midge. Sunday I caught fish on almost any thing I threw….larger fish were on the olive size 18 midge…18-1/2 inches and a 20 incher. Caught several on the size 20 BWO biot midge and the insect green, size 16 hackle. But, for the most part, probably anything would have worked! Better get out now….this can’t last much longer. Conditions are at optimum right now. Early in the a.m., olive woolly buggers have been working real good.

Gary‘s Current Report: Fished a number of times this week, with great fishing each time. My fishing was under under water off conditions, between 0600 and 0845 from Lookout Hole down the channel (east) side. Had three 30 plus fish days. Used a peach fur bug, size 12 about 128th ounce fished under fished under an indicator at 3 1/2 to 4 feet, with Orvis Mirage 6X tippet. Last week I said, “Fishing this past week can only be described excellent. It will be a hard week to beat.” This week beat it by a long shot. On Saturday, June 12 out of the first 41 casts, I had 36 hits. Of those 36 hits I boated 20 fish, with 4 or 5 in the 15″ plus range, and broke off two more. Why did I stop at 41? Was having a contest with myself and was going to stop keeping track when I made the 5th cast that I caught no fish on. That happened on the 41st cast. Why did I miss 16 out of the 36 hits? Getting old isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

Water Off Conditions (not generating power from Table Rock Dam) – Air injected night crawlers or Orange and Chartreuse Power Eggs, with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip. Fish them off the bottom with no heavier than 4 pound leader, size 8 or smaller hooks, and just enough split shot to cast. Place the shot so that the bait floats 12-18 inches off the bottom. Spin-A-Lures and Little Cleos have been working well.

Water On Conditions – Orange and Chartreuse Power eggs with the Chartreuse on shank of hook and the Orange on tip, white Power Eggs, or inflated night crawlers bounced off the bottom using the standard “Lake Taneycomo Drift Rig.” which is readily available at all Marinas and most resorts on the Lake.

Get Your Lake Taneycomo Questions Answered:Bob, Gary, and Stan will be monitoring the Outdoor Activities Forum on the Branson.Com Message Board . If you have any fishing questions on LakeTaneycomo just ask.Use the word “Taneycomo” in the Search Function and enter it in all your posts so they’ll show up.

Size 18 Burgundy Midge was the fly of the day!

People flying out west to trout fish probably fly over one of the best, trout fisheries in the country, Branson’s “Lake Taneycomo. A recent article entitled, “Are Branson’s Tri-Lakes the fresh water fishing capital of the world,” published on line in the Branson Courier, highlighted the excellent quality of fishing available for both “warm” water species such as Crappie and Bass on Table Rock Lake and Bull Shoals Lake and “cold water” species” such as Rainbow and Brown Trout in Lake Taneycomo.

At about 8:30 a.m. on a crisp March 4 morning, Orvis endorsed fly fishing guide, and one of the owners of River Run Outfitters in Branson, Stan Parker met, with his “clients” for the for the day, both friends, Bob Walden from Iola, Kansas and me. Parker informed us that even though they were currently running four generators, about 12,000 cfs, he expected the day to warm up rapidly and the water to be shut down by midmorning.

With that said, we went to breakfast at Sheri’s Café just south of the Table Rock Dam. By the time we returned to the shop the temperature was rising and the water generation had ceased. Things were good.

By the time everyone had their gear regrouped and Parker had launched his Clacker Craft McKenzie style drift boat at the public boat ramp by the Shepherd of the Hill Hatchery it was about 11:00 a.m. Things were really getting good, the water was still dropping, the temperature was still raising and it was a beautiful bright sunny day, with just a tad too much wind. Strangely, probably because it was a weekday, there were not many people wade fishing and only one other boat in the area.

Parker rowed about 200 yards upstream from where the boat had been launched and, so to speak, things really got good. For the next 4 plus hours we intensely fished from that point to an area about 200 yards either direction of the boat launching ramp, using a variety of fly fishing techniques. The result was over 70 Rainbow Trout to the boat and released, using barbless hooks, and easily another 50 missed strikes, break offs, etc.

Parker and Walden, being the finely honed and skillful fly fishermen that they are, used a variety of techniques. These included the standard midge strike indicator set up, size 16 Dark Olive Soft Hackles, size 14 Burgundy Crackle Backs and size 8 Bug Eyed Buggers and Gold Variant Sculpins fished using intermediate sink tip line. Every technique used produced trout, but only one type of fly fishing developed into a discernable pattern.

That was the standard midge strike indicator set up. One of the constant sources of food for Lake Taneycomo’s trout is the almost constant midge hatches taking place on the lake. Because the life cycle of the midge takes them from the very bottom of the lake to the surface, trout will hit the emerging midges anywhere in the water column.

Proving once again that luck can be as important as skill, the least skilled fisherman in the boat, yours truly, based on Parker’s advice, started with the standard midge strike indicator set up. The size 18 “Lightning Bug” fished on 6x Orvis Mirage Fluorocarbon tippet about three feet below the smallest strike indicator that would that would support it immediately started producing fish.

Adding the size 18 Burgundy Midge to the mix virtually guaranteed it would be hard for things to get much better. That combination, eventually used by all the fishermen in the boat, produced 90 percent of the fish caught, during the day.

It seemed like one of us was constantly either getting a hit or bringing in a fish. “Oh sure” with the wind, three of us fishing out of the boat, and yours truly being one of them, we had our share of tangles etc., but that’s fishing. What we also had was a day of trout fishing that would be hard to beat anywhere.

The numbers of trout caught testify as to the quality of the trout fishing experience that Lake Taneycomo offers Yet, the experience transcends mere numbers of fish and will be remembered more for the shared experience of being on the water with friends, fellowship, and the beauty of the day and upper Lake Taneycomo. It just doesn’t get a better than that.