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| 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.
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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.
