Updated Report for 8-3-10

Fishing has been Remarkably Steady

Consistent fishing when the water levels are perfect!

My apologies for the lapse in providing a detailed report – I have been fishing out on Taneycomo almost every day for the past few weeks. Water levels have been virtually the same for pretty much the last month with low water at night and during the mornings, followed by high water in the afternoon. Because temperatures are always really hot in August, I have been offering my clients the option of doing half-day, low water trips on Taneycomo, and this scenario allows people to avoid fishing during the extreme heat of the day. It’s been two years since we’ve had steady low water periods during the summer, and as this trend continues, the fish we encounter are getting nicer and nicer.

Getting out on Lake Taneycomo early in the morning is a great time for fishing.

Fly Fishing Taneycomo

We have been getting on the river early [around 7am] and I have been focusing my guiding efforts on the water from the boat ramp down to Fall Creek. This stretch is best accessed by boat, as this gets us into areas that see very little pressure. The upper three miles (the trophy area) at Taneycomo basically fishes like two different rivers, and while we are doing really well on guided trips on the middle and lower end of the trophy area, anglers fishing the dam area are finding a much tougher bite. Crowds have been heaviest on the first mile, and most of the water up there is shallow. If you are going to fish this section, look for the deepest spots you can find and use very small midge imitations. Try and give yourself some room, and don’t be afraid to walk a little bit to get away from the masses.

Group guides with Jeremy Hunt for great fishing on Lake Taneycomo.

My strategy for fishing the middle and lower end of the trophy area has been to work deep water first thing in the morning. This gives my clients a chance at hooking something really big before these behemoths stop feeding. Around mid-morning (10am), the best action shifts to shallow water, and midge patterns along with other standard nymphs are producing nice trout until the water comes up around noon. Most of the trips I’ve run over the last two weeks have been a blast, and five hours on the water is more than enough time to catch a bunch of hard-fighting rainbows, with the occasional brown thrown in for variety. We have been primarily fishing out of the boat in order to cover as much water as possible, but when it starts getting really hot, we will often wade, which gives everyone a chance to cool down.

Taneycomo Fishing at Night vs. Day

Jeremy Hunt likes night guides to catch large trophy rainbow.

Although we have been catching some really nice fish on Taneycomo – especially in the mornings – getting out there at night is the way to hook into those huge trout that are easy to see, but hard to catch, during daylight hours. Just the other night I hooked and landed a 26-inch rainbow on my second cast. I try to pay attention to where I’m seeing the biggest fish during the day and then I will work those spots thoroughly after dark. The generators have been shutting off around 10pm, and I like to wait an hour or so for the water to drop out before starting to fish. The strikes at night are HARD, and right now, it really feels like anything is possible with respect to hooking up with some of the biggest fish out there. I have posted some more pictures of the nighttime experience on my blog, along with a detailed article that describes the strategies and techniques that I have been successful with. Please do not hesitate to drop me a line if you are interested in learning more about the night-fishing experience, and there are plenty of openings for middle-of-the-night guided trips throughout August. If you have never been on Taneycomo at night, this is the perfect time to give this intense fishing a try.

Water flows have been steady down in Arkansas while guiding on the White River.

I am guiding on the White and Norfork at the end of this week, so I will be sure to post some pictures and a report once I get back home. Water flows have been steady down in Arkansas, as well, and from what I am gathering, the fishing has been amazing. Release patterns on the Norfork have been basically the same as what’s occurring on Taneycomo; low water up until around noon and then high water in the afternoons. The White has been running water around the clock, but flows are only in the one-unit range up until noon. This means that good drifting water is available all day, as long as you stay ahead of the heavy afternoon flows. Hopper fishing has been exceptional during the hottest part of the day, and the action with big terrestrials patterns will only get better over the next two months. There is nothing quite like watching a trophy brown or rainbow gulp a large fly off the surface, and I am really looking forward to giving this technique a try when I get down there.

If you are interested in a fly fishing guide trip with Jeremy Hunt feel free to contact him.

For anyone interested in a guided trip experience on Taneycomo this August, I am offering a “flexibility package” for anglers wishing to just fish during the cooler morning periods. Just for this month, it will only cost $350 for two half-day trips – this is a savings of $200, and it allows for time to do other activities (and stay cool) during the heat of the day. Please feel free to give me a call for more details on this opportunity.

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