Great weather we have been having for the past few days, and expect a couple more days of nice weather before it turns north!  Thursday is the beginning of a definite drop in temperatures.  Probably low 30s Thursday and dropping to the upper 20s Saturday.  Even a chance for a few show showers on Friday!  Not ready for this!  Staying in the 30s until maybe Wednesday of next week…then low 40s.  Definitely better!

Non-stop generation for Table Rock for the past week.  3-4 days of flow which had the tailwater in the mid 703 range, but other than those days, a little more water than is easy wading.  Looking for 3-4 units tomorrow.

Fishing has definitely picked up.  All indications are that Table Rock Lake has turned and the dissolved oxygen levels are certainly looking good.  An annual tradition for the past several years.  Brandon and Brenda spend the day after Thanksgiving on the water with Stan.  It has been cold almost every time, but Brandon’s mother, Brenda, is a real trooper.  Warm hat, warm neck wrap, heavy jacket, and she is ready for the day.  They had another good day on the water this year on the big ruby and peach fur bug.  Topped off the day with hot soup for lunch!  Jim took Al and his friend Mike, from Arkansas out for half a day.  Both pretty new to fly fishing and they had a good day on the ruby midge, a brown San Juan worm and a peach egg. 

Kyle – 11/29/13

Saturday, Jim and Stan took a father and his two sons out for their initiation into fly fishing.  Stan had Dad, Gerrall and son, Kyle.   They did well on the pink egg.  Jim took the other son, Bryan.  Bryan fished a ruby midge, a CQ streamer and a gray scud.  Everyone had a fun day!

Gerrall – 11/29/13

Looks like a little more seasonal weather on the horizon.  50s well into next week.  Very slight chances of rain through Tuesday with a little increase in chances both Wednesday and Thursday.  Otherwise, mostly sunny or partly cloudy…your choice.

Pretty much non-stop generation since early last Saturday morning.  However, there has been a window late in the morning into early afternoon where the level has been okay for wade fishing in certain areas.  Levels in the 703 to 704 range.  Otherwise, it has been 705 to 706 and even a bit high on Monday afternoon.

Pretty good day on the water Tuesday when Stan took Dave and his son Bo out for the day.  Best pattern was the big ruby as they generated all day.  Worst problem this day was the wind.  Lots of hits and a good number of fish to the boat.  Carolyn had Ron and Kathy out for the day.  Our best patterns were the big ruby, with a lightning bug or egg dropper, and for a while a size 16 black midge with the copperhead black zebra midge dropper.  WINDY!  Tough to keep a good drift, but it was worth it.

Definitely a Fall day today with the overcast skies and rain.  Thanks to all the wind we had last week, most of the leaves are off the trees!  Upper 30s tomorrow, mid 40s Saturday and back into upper 30s or low 40s to start next week.  Maybe mid to upper 40s by mid week into the weekend.  Kind of think we will see low 50s for the weekend.

Generation continues to be pretty much 1-2 units for 2-3 hours in the morning and then again in the afternoon.   Otherwise, perfectly good wading water.  Projection for tomorrow is no generation until 5:00 p.m. then we will see a couple units for a few hours.

Terry – 11/17/13

Couple good days on the water last week.  Tuesday, Gina took Terry, from Harrisonville, out for half a day.  Terry had been with us before for the Orvis Fly Fishing clinic we had here in July.  It was more instruction and definitely more catching for Terry this time.  Despite the heavy wind, they worked scuds, and lots of streamers.   They pulled the CQ streamerand the size 16 holographic green crackleback.  Best scud was the tan with orange flashback. 

Stan had Guy, from Minnesota, out half a day on Wednesday.  Guy was a beginner and now says he is an “ex-beginner”.  He picked up casting very well and once he got past the hook set, he was landing fish.  Best patterns were the P&P and little ruby midges. 

A couple of REALLY windy days the past two days.  Looks like it is blowing in some cooler weather.  Temperature this morning was in the low 70s.  By the end of the week, the prediction is for low 50s during the day and low to mid 30s in the early morning.  Increased chances for rain by the end of the week too.

Generation schedule has been pretty much 2-4 hours of low generation some time during the day.  Yesterday it was supposed to have been in the morning and today it is supposed to be in the afternoon.  As they didn’t run anything until noon yesterday, we’ll wait and see what the actual it for today.  Tomorrow’s projection is generation from 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning and again around 5:00 p.m.

Dana out last Saturday (yes, I’m behind again) with Mike and his son Ian from Kansas.  Not a great day, but not a bad day on the tan b-bug, and the P&P midge.   

Ron – 11/11/13

Bruce and Ron from Oklahoma attended our two-day school Monday and Tuesday.  Since Tuesday was going to be such as bad day, we took to the water Monday afternoon for casting, rigging and fishing work.  Back to the books Tuesday morning then a little more streamside work that afternoon. 

Wednesday, Chuck spent a half day with Stan.  Best pattern that day was the copperhead black zebra midge.  they had a pretty good day…considering.

Bob had been out last week with Stan and decided he needed another fix on Friday…..so.  Good day for Bob on the ruby and copperhead black midges.  Doug and Pam were on the water with Carolyn.  We worked for our fish, but overall, it was a pretty good day.  Caught fish stripping the holographic green crackleback and the CQ streamer.  Best midges were the ruby and the copperhead black zebra.

So far, weather has been pretty good.  Only negative has been the wind, and we have had some wind the past few days.  Temperatures have been in the mid 60s the past few days, but we are expecting upper 30s? on Tuesday.  Burrrrr!  Not a whole lot better Wednesday, when it is predicted to be in the mid 40s.  Low 50s Thursday, creeeing into the mid to upper 50s by the weekend. 

Once we got through the draw down, we have only seen a low one unit come on for maybe one hour some time in the morning.  Projection for tomorrow is more of the same.  Low one unit on for an hour at 10:00 a.m.  Monday currently shows two units on for two hours at 7:00 a.m. and a little over one unit on for two hours at 7:00 p.m.

Jim and Brenda, from Oklahoma, spent the morning on the water with Stan last Saturday.  Not a great day, but certainly not a bad day for these two on the copper dun midge.  Super windy and no generation going.

Sunday, Jim took Ward and his father, Ken, from Kansas out for half a day.  They had a fun day on the P&P  and copper dun midges.  Also landed some on a gray scud.  Stan had Mike, from Iowa out.  They had a good day on the P&P and the black midge with a copper head.

 Bob, from Michigan, spend most of the day on the water with Stan Monday.  Pretty good day for Bob on the copper dun and copper head black midge.  Had some fun catching on the big ugly in the shallows.  This was one of the days when the generation was very low, so flow was certainly minimal that day.

Sandy – 110713

New fly fishing lady, Sandy and her husband, Bryan, spent half a day on the water with Carolyn Thursday.  Lots of stuff to learn, but she is taking to it like a fish to water.  Caught a few fish on the ruby midge, but probably the best pattern for both Sandy and Bryan was the CQ streamer on the 1.5 ips sinking line.  Sandy liked fishing this way.  Stan had Wayne and Coleen, from Hawaii on the water for the morning.  Good, fun day for these two on the P&P and ruby midges.  Ralph, one of Jim’s regulars, spent all day on the water Thursday with him.  Good day for Ralph on the ruby and P&P midges, and a gray scud.Friday, another good day for Ralph, who when out with Jim again, on pretty much the same patterns, the ruby and P&P mdiges and a gray scud.  Wayne and Coleen didn’t get enough on Thursday, so they spent another morning on the water with Stan.  Another good day for them on the P&P & ruby midges.  Possibly another new woman fly fisher in the making.  Betty and her friend, Debbie spent the morning with Carolyn. 

Debbie’s 1st on fly rod – 11/8/13

Although Debbie was more focused on learning technique, she did manage to catch a few fish on a ruby midge.  Betty is not new to Taneycomo and she was down stream a little distance catching at least one fish on almost every midge she tried.

Reports from the river say folks are seeing numerous dead brown trout in the water, especially upstream by the dam. Stan counted 30 dead trout on his trip this past Sunday, and in one spot fifteen fish, one rainbow and the rest brown. We know the dissolved oxygen is typically low this time of year and wondered if this was the cause or what the heck was happening. Rather than speculate, Carolyn gave the hatchery a call this morning. The manager  is well aware of the fish dying and looking into it.  According to him, the problem is a result of stress.  He says the strain of brown trout stocked in Taneycomo is particularly susceptible to stress, and the increased numbers of browns concentrated upstream for the fall run is part of the reason. They are assessing the situation and are not aware of any disease that would be causing a kill. That is the news for now. The fall is a stressful time for all Taneycomo trout because of the low oxygen and the heavy fishing pressure, so please remember to land your catch quickly, keep the fish in the water when removing the hook, and revive it before releasing.

FYI – Still drawing down the lake level.  Appears they started drawing down yesterday and are continuing today.  Plan was to do the work today.  Not certain what, if any, affect the rain will have on the work.  Hopefully, we will see the lake back to normal soon.  At 9:00 a.m., the tailwater level was 701.2 feet.  Looks mighty low out there!

Looks like we have peaked out in our fall colors.  However, it is still very pretty and sometimes difficult to focus on fishing since everything around is to beautiful right now.  We had a couple warm days last week and some rain.  Today is supposed to be sunny and mid 60s.  Little color through the weekend and a chance of showers starts creeping back in last monday into Tuesdy and Wednesday of next week.  High 50s to lower 60s into the weekend and mostly sunny.

No generation scheduled for today except for a couple hours late in the day and then only the equivalent of less than one unit.  With the draw down scheduled for November 3, we will be surprised if they run much, if any water tomorrow.  Sunday will start the draw down and they want low water Monday for the work to be done on the generator.  Probably, if the work is completed on Monday, Tuesday will see generation to fill Taneycomo. 

Lots of trips over the past week.  Last Thursday and Friday, Stan took Gary and his friend Bob, out for half days each day.  Good day for these guys, when they were fishing and not telling jokes, on the big ruby and lightning bug.  I think their largest was a beautiful 17″ rainbow.   Friday, Dana had Mitch and his father Phil on the water all day.  both are beginners and they had a great time, learned a lot and caught fish on the little ruby, the red midge and the big ruby. 

Sam, from Texas, wanted to get two of his sons introduced to fly fishing, so Stan and Carolyn took them out Saturday and Sunday for a couple half days.  Good couple outings for these guys.  Quick learners and Dad had done some homework with them on casting.  Fish were cooperative too. 

Nick and 18″ rainbow – 10/27/13

Nick hooked a nice 17 incher on the first day and this 18 incher on the second day.  Justin brought in a beautiful 17 incher on the second day.  Big ruby and the lightning bug were probably the best patterns for both days.

Justin and 17″ rainbow – 10/27/13

David, from Oklahoma spent the morning on the water Monday with Stan.  They had a good day, again on the big ruby and the lightning bug.  Jim was on the water with Mark, from Rogersville.  There best patterns were the ruby, the lightning bug, and the hot hare nymph.  Last, but definitely, not Carolyn took Jerry and his wife out all day Monday.  This was part of Jerry’s birthday gift from his wife.  (How about this for a sweet wife?)  Lots of fish day, but nothing of any size.  I think the largestfish we landed was 15 inches.  At least, we kept busy bringing in fish.  It was the big ruby, lightning bug, black size 16 midge in the a.m. and then again late in the day.  The egg pattern dropped from the big ruby worked well on the high bank down from Pointe Lookout.  And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jerry!!

Just for everyone’s information, according to representatives from the Corp of Engineers and Empire District Electric, there is a plan to draw down Taneycomo starting November 3.  The plan is to have Taneycomo down 4-1/2 feet by November 4 when they will do some needed generator repairs.  Hopefully, the work can be completed on November 4 and they can start bringing Taneycomoe back up late on November 4 or at least on November 5.

Starting to feel and look a lot more like Fall.  Temperatures today in the mid 50s. Forecast for tomorrow is more of the same.  We were predicted to have a freeze warming by morning, but I think we might escape that one!  Maybe a low in the 30s with mid to upper 50s.  Saturday through mid week temperatures are forecast in the mid 60s with chances of showers creeping in Tuesday and increasing Wednesday and Thursday.  Weekend looks dry with temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s

The generation schedule continues to look spastic.  On pretty high in the mornings, about  707.0 levels, then dropping down, then back up, or today, off!  tomorrow should be about the same as projected today, but it is off right now and they say they will be running it until 10:00 p.m. tomorrow.  We will see!

Had one of the toughest days I have spent on Taneycomo last Thursday.  I took Rich and his son, James out for half a day.  James is eleven and this was his first fly fishing trip.  Fortunately, he had a good time, but certainly did not catch his first trout on this trip.  We boated a few fish, lost a few fish, and had very few hits that were missed.  Generation was, of course, spastic, but not any worse than we can see on any given day.  The water was off colored, and the strangest thing we all noticed was that we did not see fish!  We even had an opportunity to get into the water and move around…..no fish at our feet, no fish in the normal spots where we see them.  Anyway, glad that day is over, happy James had fun and he said he will come back and see me.

Now for better days.  Stan, Bob and Jim were scheduled for an instructional wade trip with Jim last Saturday.  Looked like a “go” but, turned out to be a “no go”.  Water was on.  Anyway, they improvised and managed to get into the water (which did go back to zero units a little later) and work on skills and even catching.  Landed fish on the ruby midge and hot hare nymph.  Stan on the water that day with Gary and Dave from Texas for half a day.  Good day for these buys on the big ruby, little ruby and P&P midges.  Ed and Rick from Kansas spent the morning out with Dana.  They caught on the little ruby, a red San Juan worm, and an orange egg pattern.   Gine had a couple of her regulars

Dale – 10/19/13

out all day, Dale and Glenn.  Dale brought in this nice 19-1/2″ rainbow.  They had a good afternoon on the P&P midge, a size 14 crackleback and the CQ streamer.  Didn’t get enough on Saturday, so they went out again Sunday morning.  Another good outting for these guys on the P&P and little ruby midges. 

Gelnn – 10/20/13

Monday, Carolyn took Jim from Rolla, out for half a day.  His wife, Diane, rode along to help coach him and enjoy the beautiful Fall day.  Jim had a good day on the big ruby midge with a size 16 black midge dropper to start the morning.  As we progressed down the river, we switched to an egg dropper along the high bank below Lookout Island. 

Jim’s first rainbow on fly rod – 10/21/13

Steady hits all morning.  Guess who’s coming back to learn how to fly fish!  Diane!!

On the river again Tuesday.  Bryan, from the St. Louis area, floated with Carolyn.  Really good day for Bryan.  He’s only been fly fishing for a few years, but has come a long ways.  Even in the heavy wind we experienced Tuesday, he usually put his line where it had to be.  Best patterns were the lightening bug, big ruby and the CQ streamer. 

Wednesday, Jim took Jerron and his wife, Ty, out for a half-day instructional trip.  This couple from Louisiana wanted to learn everything they could cram into a half day about fly fishing.  Jim did his best and they even landed from fish on the red midge the hot hare nymph and pulling the CQ streamer.   Carolyn had Cheryl and her husband, Gary out for half a day.  Good day for these two, especially Cheryl.  They boated fish on the big ruby, the lightening

Cheryl – 10/23/13

bug, and stripping a CQ streamer with the 2.6 ips sinking leader.  Cheryl is fairly new to this sport, but is already throwing a pretty nice line.

Gary – 10/23/13