Even up at the hatchery area, the guys are saying one day there are lots of fish near the outlets and the next day or later in the day you can’t find one.

Boats out all week.  Stan had Jason on the water Tuesday for his 30th birthday (nice birthday gift from Mother).  He had a good time.  Learned a lot and caught some fish.  Jim was on the water Wednesday with Frank and Shirley from Arkansas.  They worked a lot of bugs, hooked a few fish, but all in all it was a tough day.  Thursday, Jim had a couple of new fly fishers from Nebraska, Doug and Darrell.  Got the casting down pretty good, but a bit behind on takes.  Caught fish on the red midge, orange San Juan and black thorax midge.  Carolyn had Wanda and Joanna on the water.  We hit a lot of fish on the red midge with tne red San Juan dropper.  Spotted some fish rising and tried a few dries.  Caught a few on the parachute Adams, but pretty slow so we moved on and Joanna got the chance to catch some on the sink tip with a holographic green crackleback.  Decided she really liked that technique and hooked up with quite a few fish.  In the meantime, Wanda was picking a few fish with the Big Ugly dry and a rusty zebra midge dropper. 

Friday Stan had two new fishers, Bob and Dale from Kimberling City, and Carolyn had Phil and Meri from Kansas on the water.  Again, some areas fished well, especially with the red midge and red San Juan worm dropper.  Carolyn’s boat spotted the rising fish again and tried to catch some.  Picked a few on variious dries and emerger patterns but no great numbers and no consistent pattern.  Went back to the red midge and in the afternoon, Meri hooked several fish on the blondie crackleback and when they shut off this color, the holographic green crackleback.

Since they shut back the generation over the weekend to one generator, we have noticed a change in the generation pattern.  They have been backing it down around midnight to a tailwater elevation of 704 to 705, then turning it back up around 8:00 a.m. to an elevation of 707 to 708. 

With the water low over the weekend, it fished very well in some places and very poorly in others.  Stan and I were both out on Monday and caught fish on almost everything.  Stan and friend, Bob from Kansas, caught fish on WD40s, Parachute Adams, cracklebacks and a variety of other flies.  No one pattern consistently but  pretty steady in getting hits and fish.  I was wandering around on my own checking out the river to see how much it had changed.  I did not go about the Rockin Chair area.  With one generator running, it was difficult to see much, but it appears that the area has filled in quite a bit.  The rock shelf on the north bank (boat ramp side) looks pretty much the same.  The deep hole below the boat ramp is gone and it appears the KOA narrows are now the KOA flats.  I fished some and did my best on a blondie crackle back using a sink tip.

Jim was out with Frank and Shirley from Arkansas yesterday.  They had a tough day.  Not too many hits.  He fished the black midge, blood worm and soft hackle.  They could see lots of fish, but, for the most part they were not interested in what they were throwing.  Probably full of dead scud.  When then dropped the water, the banks were alive with scud wiggling in the rocks.  

They shut the generation off at midnight!  It was off until probably 7:00 a.m. today.  They are presently running 3 generators with a level of 706.8.  According to the projections (we haven’t had to look at those for a while!) that is about what they will run today until 6:00 p.m. when they will shut them down again.  Can we hope this will be the pattern today?!?!? 

As best we know, they still plan to lower Taneycomo Sunday with some minimal flow so they can get the lake at the lower end low enough to install the boards at Powersite Dam.  We are looking forward to wading again!!

Over the weekend and so far this week, in addition to the regular flies, we have been getting some good action of dries.  Yeah!!  Mainly small bugs, such as a Parachute Adams, sizes 18-24; extended body BWO, size 24; and a cream midge, size 22. 

Jim, Stan and Carolyn had a group of six brand new fly fishers out Saturday.  They all had a great time and are no longer brand new fly fishers.  This was an annual family get together and think they plan on fishing again next year. 

Ellen tried out her new fly rod Monday and hooked her first trout on a dry fly.  Unfortunately, it headed for the weeds and she didn’t get it to the boat.  She did land several fish on the red tunghead midge earlier in the morning and finished up the afternoon landing more on the holographic green crackleback (her favorite fly).  

Tuesday, Stan was out with Larry and Don from the Overland Park, KS area.  Larry caught his first trout on a dry fly in Taneycomo, a size 22 BWO.  Couldn’t get them away from the dry fly fishing, lots of hits, lots of misses and some fish to the boat.  Good day.

 Jim had a young man, Ty, and his father Roger on the water.  Ty is nine and, although he loves fishing, this was his first time with a fly rod.   As they are beginners, Jim worked with them on casting and presentation.  Hook sets a little slow, but once they caught on they boated some fish.  Red midge and size 18 black midge.

Had to get these two guys on the site although they were out last week.  Todd must have been having wading withdrawals.  Water dropped enough that there were a few places to wade, so……

The guys had a great day and caught lots of fish.  burgundy and black midges and the red San Juan worm.   

If all things remain the stable (weather, etc), they are scheduled to turn the water off sometime Saturday night, August 16 so they can replace the boards downstream at Powersite Dam.  The plan is to have it off  until possibly Monday night, August 18. 

Ed Story the founder of Feather-Craft in St. Louis, Missouri, noted for his creation of the crackleback, passed away Sunday morning.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.   We know he will be missed by many, but never forgotten.

It is hot out there on the water!  If you’re going to be out, make certain you drink lots of water and/or electrolite replacement beverages.  This is the time of year we see heat exhaustion!  Heat exhaustion can turn into heat stroke and that’s not good.  KEEP HYDRATED!!! 

Darrell had Richard from Clinton, MO out Thursday.  Jim was out with Sean from Columbia, MO, and Dana had Dwight and Bob from Parkville, MO.  It was Missouri day.  All were half day trips and everyone caught fish.  Flies were the red, pink and burgundy midges, pink worm, holographic green crackleback, #6 bug eye and peach egg.

Friday Jim had Howard from Ft. Leonard Wood.  They work on indicator fishing and small flies.  Blood worm dropper under the copper dun and #8 bug eye.  Darrell had Rhonda and her son, Wilson out for half day.   They boated several fish on the burgundy #18 midge. 

Saturday, almost everyone was on the water.  Jim out with Paul from Texas.  Bugs were the black zebra, blood midge and #8 bug eye.  Darrell, Gina and Carolyn had a group from Oklahoma and Kansas City – Lewis, Terry, Ed, Gary and Kent.  They went to school together and try to on a regular basis like a reunion.  Decided an attempt at fly fishing might be fun for this gathering.  Think we had one in the group who had fly fished before.  Good day, they all learned how to get the line in the water, mend, and catch fish.  The black, burgundy and red midges were working well.  Also used the Big Ugly (mainly as an indicator) but the fish also took that dry.  Gina had one of her guys working a sink tip and catching them on the olive wooly bugger.  Stan had Lou from here and his son, Tony from CO.  They did well on the black midge.

Sunday was HOT.  Jim was out with David from Kansas City.  He fishes a lot for various species of bass and does some saltwater fishing.  Little experience with trout.  David now knows a lot more about trout fishing and is ready to come back.  Worked midges and pulled some streamers.  Darrell had our regulars from Louisiana, Al and Dawn on the water.  They had a good day on the burgundy midge and holographic green crackleback.  Stan also had some regulars from Missouri, Kristi and Rick.  Wonderful day, also on the burgundy midge and the black midge.  Carolyn had a new little guy Eric and his father, Keith, on the water.  First time for Dad but Eric had been doing a little fly fishing already.  Both of them pick up the roll cast and pick up and lay down cast pretty fast.  After a little work on hook setting, we started bring fish to the boat on the red and black midges.  Think they are going to be fly fishers!

August 3, 2008 – Eric

Don’t forget to check out Fly Fishing Schools/Fly Tying Classes.  We have three Fly Fishing Clinics scheduled for the balance of this year.  August and October will be the Women’s Clinics and September is the Co-Ed Clinic.  Give us a call and reserve your place!

Taneycomo has fished good all week.  Talked to several guys fishing up around the outlet area and they are seeing and catching some nice fish.  Water level is now at 921.8 and dropping. 

Stan was on the water Monday and yesterday with Rocky from Kansas.  They had a great couple of days fishing.  Rocky was introduced to dry fly fishing on Taneycomo, which he really liked.   Had an especially good day yesterday on size 18 parachute Adams and a size 18 parachute black dry.  Water is clear enough that 7X was a must on dries.  Their other good flies were the size 18 burgundy midge and the holographic green crackleback or bug eyed bugger on a sink tip. 

Darrell was out Tuesday with Bonnie and Gary from Kansas.  They are both beginners and were celebrating their 30th anniversary.  Happy Anniversary Gary and really hope you like your anniversary present!  The learned a lot and caught lots of fish on the pink San Juan and the burgundy midge.   

Jim was out Monday with Jim and Jim from North Carolina.  Can you imagine the confusion on that boat.  Hey, Jim!  They had a fun day and caught fish on the red midge and black thorax.  Tuesday he had a regular Pat and his nephew (I think), Cody.  They are from Oklahoma.  Jim worked a lot with Cody as he is new to the sport.  They mixed up their techniques between indicators, buggers and cracklebacks, so he could get a feel for different ways to fish.  Yesterday he had two brothers, Dan and John, from St. Louis area.  They fish the red midge, black thorax and bug eye.