Lake Taneycomo Fishing Report
June 25, 2010

Guiding and Fishing
on Lake Taneycomo

First of all, I want to apologize for the lapse in reports. I guess it’s safe to assume that when my Lake Taneycomoreporting is limited, I’m either busy guiding or fishing or both. Remember: never hesitate to give me a call or drop me an email if you need to know current conditions. I’m always more that eager to help fellow anglers have a fun [and safe] time when they fish any of the tailwaters in the White River System.

Because of ideal water conditions, I spent the majority of June fishing on Lake Taneycomo. This once beleaguered fishery is back in prime shape, and 20-inch rainbows are common again. The general pattern was that the water would be low until one or two pm and then they would run light water the rest of the afternoon. The fishing on low water was amazing, and it often got better once a little flow kicked in. All sorts of flies did the trick, and there was a very special terrestrial bite that we were able to take advantage of.

One day, out of boredom, I was climbing a tree, and I could not believe the number of Japanese beetles in the trees along the banks of Taneycomo. Knowing that the trout must be seeing the buggers when they fall into the water, I went home and tied some of my best beetle imitations. The “experiment” worked better than expected, and I think big fish at Taney will take a large beetle pattern when conditions are right.

Phil Lilley
of Lillye’s Landing Resort

Phil Lilley, of Lilley’s Landing Resort thinks that the scud population near Table Rock Dam is on a definite rebound, and this is why the rainbows are so fat and colorful. It’s been nice to have such great fishing for a month close to home, but change is inevitable, and two days ago the dam started releasing four full units because Beaver Lake is drawing down. Although really high water is tough on everyone (I won’t fish Taneycomo on anything more than 3 units), barring any heavy rains, this will be a short period of constant releases. Hopefully, by the fourth of July Beaver and Table Rock Lakes will be at normal levels and we can get back to seeing some lower water – in the mornings, at least.

I still love fishing the White and Norfork, but I am thrilled to see that Taneycomo is in the best shape it’s been in a long time. Fishing the Ozarks is all about knowing your options on each individual day. It’s nice to see that Taney is finally a viable option again, but still, if you want a chance at a really big brown, Arkansas is the place to be.

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