Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report
March 15, 2010

Fishing cools off in Arkansas, while the action is just now heating up on Lake Taneycomo

A couple of days ago (Saturday) I took Darren and his father Dennis out for a guide trip. We decided to start out below Bull Shoals Dam, but I had a feeling that the White may be slowing down after so many weeks of great fishing. Experienced guides have struggled to produce fish on very good water conditions over the last week. Why would this happen? Well, fishing cannot be incredible every day of the year, especially when you consider all of the flow changes on our rivers along with constant angler and boat pressure. This tough bite will not last forever, and more than likely, the action will get back to normal this week. There is a good chance that there will be some low water on the White very soon, as Bull Shoals Lake is now six-inches below power pool and the lake level is dropping a little bit each day.

The action was pretty slow for us below the dam, but we did manage to catch a few here and there. It is amazing how spoiled we get when the bite is on. I mean, we probably landed somewhere in the ballpark of 20 fish in three hours, but the brutal wind made everything tougher – especially running the boat. There was only one other boat on the water, and I can see why – the trout have not been active in several days according to reports, so most anglers are fishing downstream of the dam or heading over to the Norfork. After some discussion, the three of us decided to head back to Branson and see what was happening on Lake Taneycomo. This ended up being one of those lucky situations where the water conditions played out in our favor.

Using Wind to Your Favor on Taneycomo

The water was off when we got to Taneycomo, and the guys immediately got to work catching one nice trout after another. Instead of fighting the wind in the boat, we were able to use the chop to our advantage, and beaded midge pupa patterns were the ticket. If you have not read the TaneycomoTrout.com article about using the wind to your favor, check it out as this is critical information. There have been plenty of days in the past where I would have been more than happy with the twenty fish we landed on the upper White, but we lucked out and were able to turn a good trip into an epic outing.

This day on the water with Darren and Dennis reaffirmed just how much it pays to be versatile when fishing the White River Basin trout fisheries. Many area guides only fish water they are comfortable with, which is fine, but it never hurts to have as many options as possible at one’s disposal. Right now, the fishing is tough on both the White and Norfork. By having Lake Taneycomo as an option, I am able to get in on hot fishing that most of the folks in Arkansas do not even know is happening. I do spend more on gasoline and logistical expenses but covering a large area, but it is all worth it when my clients have the fly fishing experience of their lives.

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