Merry Christmas Everyone!   

                                              Caddis

Water has not been running since 10:00 a.m. on the 23rd, Tuesday.  They followed the schedule yesterday and kept it off.  Today’s schedule says it will be off all day.  Don’t know yet what they are planning for tomorrow.  Weather is windy, but in the 50s this morning.  Supposed to be warm tomorrow and Friday.  Better go fishing!

FROM EVERYONE HERE AT RIVER RUN OUTFITTERS – MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOU FAMILY!  We’ll see you on the water after Christmas. 

Several of us plan to be on the water New Year’s Day.  Hope you will join us.  Shop is closed for Christmas but will be open on Friday with our regular hours through the end of the year, including New Year’s Day!  We will be open.  Stop by, warm up and have a cup of coffee on us!

Don’t know why, but they ran generators all weekend.  Projection for both days was 40 MW or 2000 to 6000 cfs.  This morning they had three generators going, but the level was 706.  Yesterday they had two generators going and the level was in the upper 704’s most of the time.  We are definitely below power pool as is Beaver.  Both Beaver and Bull Shoals are not generating today.  Maybe we will be off tomorrow.

On the water yesterday with a real tough little lady.  Cierra, who is 7 going on 25, and her father Brian.  We did not start until about 10:30 hoping it would warm up a little and the wind would die down a bit.  Had a few brief periods of time when the wind layed down a bit, but for the most part it was a windy day!  Cierra managed to get a couple fish to the boat, and all on her own.  She has a wicked roll cast.  She caught one beautiful 16 incher which gave her a real fight.  It kept going into the fast water and pulling out her line.  She stuck with it and got it in!  She had lots of hits during the outing, but just could not consistently get a good hook set.  Know she is not alone with this problem, lots of us still have trouble some days with getting a good hook set.  Dad brought several fish to the boat but seemed to be having the most fun watching Cierra.  Hot pink and red San Juans were the ticket yesterday.  Caught a few on the lightening bug and red midge.  By the last hour of the day, we were all looking for hand warmers and more stuff to put on…..but it was a good day!

Ladies:

Orvis is trying to make certain they provide women fly fishers with the best equipment.  In order to do this, they need our help.  If you would click on the link below and complete the survey, they will have a better idea of our needs.  This is in no way an endorsement for Orvis, nor will Orvis place you on a mailing list.  The only reason they might get back in contact with you is if they have a questions regarding your answers on the survey.

Thank you for your assistance.  Please help Orvis help us with good equipment. 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DcWdfzKkfUU8m4kI9EJ0Sg_3d_3d

Carolyn Parker

Dissolved oxygen level is UP!!  Water temperature is dropping, AND fishing is UP!  What more could we ask for for Christmas?  Talked to the folks at the Hatchery today after checking the information on the Real Time Data site, and they confirmed conditions started improving with our water shortly after Thanksgiving.  Lake started turning over, and the cold nights have been cooling it off.  That accounts for one of our guides, Darrell, calling me from the water a couple days ago to report he caught 30 fish in about 30 minutes.  Gray and tan scuds. 

Generation schedule shows the water turning off today at 10:00 a.m and staying off until 5:00 p.m.  Remainds to be seen if they follow their projection.  Weather is going to be a little misty, but temperatures in the 40s.  Sounds like it is time to hit the water!

There is still time to take advantage of the Orvis Free Reel program with any T3, TLC, or Superfine rod purchase.  Right now, buy any T3, TLC or Superfine fly rod, and you’ll receive a Battenkill Mid-Arbor or Battenkill Bar-Stock Reel for FREE!  We have lots of reels in stock as well as a good selection of rods.  If we don’t have it in stock, we can have it dropped shipped from Orvis.  Give us a call or place the order on line.  If you order one of the listed rods and reel, we will deduct the price of the reel.

Check out the on-line store for SALES.  Still have a good selection of waders and boots on sale.

Even with two units going, one could be blown upstream this weekend.  Ran two generators all weekend even though the projection was for them to be off yesterday.  Must have needed heat somewhere.  However, they did run a low two so the tailwater level stayed between 704 and 705.6.  At this level there are places where one can safely wade and catch fish.  Running a higher two generators today and the level is at 706.4 plus or minus. 

We had three boats on the water Saturday.  Whew!  The wind was a real challenge.  It would calm down for a little so you got a good drift then a major gust would come along and take you to the other side of the river.  Jim and Darrell had a two boat group out.  Darrell had Roger and Don and Jim had Rick and Ryan.  One was from Missouri and the rest of the guys were from Kansas.  They worked hard for their fish but did boat some on the red and orange San Juan worms and the red midge.  Carolyn was out with Christy and Eric who live just a little ways north of us.  Christy has been trying to use last year’s Christmas present all year; a half day float trip.  Due to bad weather and high water, we had scheduled this trip five times!  Finally we made it.  Turned out to be worth the wait.  We had a good day on the hot pink San Juan dropped from either a red tunghead midge or the tunghead lightening bug.

Had a sprinkling of snow on the ground this morning when we woke up.  Seems are area got the least of it as there were school closing both north and south of us, but none in Branson. 

Water has been off during the day every day this week.  They turned it off this morning at 10:00 a.m. and will probably leave it off until 5:00 p.m.  That’s when they turned it on yesterday.  Reports from the folks out wading is that fishing is pretty darn good.  Still a bit spotty.  If you aren’t catching fish where you are and you have tried all your normal patterns, move!

Darrell was down by the boat ramp this morning and they were taking his copper dun midge dropped below a Big Ugly.  Takes were very soft.  If he had been using a regular indicator, he said he probably would not have noticed several of the hits.  Just had another customer leave the shop.  He and his 15 year old son are down there having a wonderful morning on the size 16 tan scud.  We got him set up so he could try the Big Ugly too!  One of our good customers, John, was in yesterday.  He said Monday was one of "those days".  He only strips streamer patterns of some type and had a very good day.  Yesterday was a bit tougher. 

Forecast is for warmer weather toward the weekend!

Ran a low two generators almost all day both Saturday and Sunday.  Shut it down last night at 8:00 and turned it back on this morning at 5:00.  Level has been somewhere between 704.5 and 706.2.  Select areas are wadeable.

Jim was on the water Friday afternoon and all day Saturday with a couple of guys from Nebraska, Danny and Tim.  Saturday was a challenge with the fierce winds we had all day.  Their flies of the day were the red midge, orange San Juan and a baby sculpin. 

Carolyn was out for a half day with a lovely young lady, Victoria and her father Chal.  Guys you better get in line for this young lady.  She has not only taken a liking to fly fishing, but has been tying her own flies for almost a year now.  One of the fish she boated yesterday was just shy of 19" by 1/4".  Although Dad boated more fish, Victoria was definitely the top dog on size!   She caught this beauty on a hot pink San Juan dropped from a red tunghead midge.

These cool nights are cooling down Table Rock.  Should see the lake turn over soon which will take the temperature in Taneycomo down and dissolved oxygen level up.  All good conditions for Taneycomo.  Last week we had no more than two hours of water running during any 24 hour period.  This Monday they started dumping Beaver so we are seeing two to four generators every morning for four hours (6:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.) and again in the early evening (5:00 p.m.). 

Stan was on the water with Bob from Texas yesterday.  After they found what and where the fish were, they had a pretty good half day on the water.  Picked up a few on two to three different midges, but the fish just were not taking midges real well.  The best patterns were the black wooly bugger and the golden variant sculpin.  Of the two, the scuplin worked the best.  They were fishing water 3-4 feet deep from below the boat ramp down to the KOA narrows. 

Darrell was out helping a couple guys up by the hatchery area.  They finally started catching fish around the outlets with size 16 gray or tan scuds. 

Better check our site for the balance of 2008 and early 2009 free fly tying clinic schedule.  We will again offer basic as well as tying patterns which work most of the time on Taneycomo.  We have also added a couple dates for basic casting clinics in the spring, just in time to sharpen up for the spring fly fishing season. 

AND, don’t forget to check out the 1-day fly fishing Clinics which start in April with a Women’s Clinic, May with a Co-ed Clinic and another Women’s Clinic in June.