For the past six days, they have kept the water level in Taneycomo at 710.5 plus or minus.  With this stability in the water level, the fish had settled into predictible locations.  Yesterday, at noon, they dropped the water level to 707.6 and actually shut it off for about two hours from 11:00 p.m. to midnight last night.  Bugs we are fishing well with are the Bug Eyed Bugger both with a black marabou tail and the sculpin olive marabou tail.  We will have these recipes on our web site shortly.  We are fishing these under an intermediate up to a level III sink tip line.  Also the hot orange and hot pink San Juans dropped from either a #16 red tunghead midge or the peach egg pattern.  We are working seams and edges.

Jim had Bob from Penneylvania out yesterday.  The worked the Bug Eyed Buggers and caught lots of nice fish.  Stan had Brian (swan dive) from Florida out.  He had a wonderful day!  First time for Brian to strip buggers and he liked this technique.  We call him swan dive as he did this graceful slide into the river yesterday when he stepped onto the slick boat ramp when getting out of the drift boat.  Gina had Jim from Texas out Monday.  It was Jim’s first time with a fly rod and he caught on real fast.  By the time the day was over, he was fishing well under an indicator as well as throwing a sink tip.      

Jim – May 23, 2008

I was out with a friend, John, Monday afternoon.  We had a wonderful day.  The weather was perfect, good company and the fish cooperated.   All we could say all afternoon was how fiesty the trout were.  We only fished the Bug Eyed Bugger.  John tried a few of his favorite and normally good flies, but the Bugger under a sink tip was the fly for us that afternoon. 

Driving on Fall Creek Road this morning on my way to work.  Saw a young turkey along side the road up a ways in front of me.  I slowed down, not wanting to spook the turkey.  He waited for me to stop, about 15 feet from him.  When I came to a complete stop, he slowly trotted across the road and went into the field on the other side of the road.  Sooooo…watch for turkey crossings on Fall Creek Road!!!

Stan had a half day float with Mike from Indiana.  Don’t know who enjoyed the day most, Stan or Mike.  Mike has fished all over the world and had many great fishing stories from Tarpon to white bass which he shared with Stan during the trip.  Mike caught enough fish that he called his wife to tell her he was going to fish a little longer than originally planned.  Good thing there were snacks in the cooler!  Their best flies were the bug eyed bugger using a sink tip, an egg pattern and the red midge.  Mike was happy and surprised to learn there is fly fishing in this area.

Wish I could report something different for those of you who want to come and wade fish, but they are still running water 24/7.  Today we are at 927.5 in Table Rock Lake.

Boats on the water over the weekend and this week.  Have two boats out today.   Everyone is catching fish.  No great numbers, but we are pleased considering the high water conditions.  Peach egg pattern, Pink San Juan, red Midge are all stil working as well as the olive brown Bug eyed bugger. 

Just keep telling yourself how great the fishing will be when we are finally able to wade!  This too shall pass.

We are still seeing lots of generation.  Table Rock Lake level is now down to 928.7 and three to four generators are going every day, all day.

Boats on the water every day except yesterday.  Monday was a pretty good day.  Jim, Stan, Darrell and I were all out.  We had to look for them, but managed to bring quite a few fish to the boats.  My ladies, Wanda and Joanna, actually had a double and hooked up with quite a few more during the half day.  Fat, fat fish!  We found most of our fish right at the drop offs along the submerged banks.  Caught them on the peach egg pattern and hot pink San Juan worms.  Jim had Scott working the bug eyed bugger and caught several nice fish on these.  Not sure what Darrell was working. 

Tuesday and Wednesday were another story.  Tough days.  A few fish to every boat, but nothing to write home about.

Sounds like a broken record, but they are still running water 24/7.  Maybe someday we will wade again!

Boats on the water every day.  Saturday, Dana was out with Erick from Kansas and they had a good, fun day on the filoplume with a sink tip.  I was on the water with Mike and Jan from Oklahoma.  We caught a few fish on the black wooly bugger, hot pink and flaming orange San Juan worms, and maybe a couple on a holographic crackleback.  Jim helped Mike celebrate his 59th birthday.  They were taking fish on the bugged eyed bugger with a sink tip. 

Sunday Gina had a brand new couple Curtis and Judy from Oklahoma.  Judy caught her first fish on a fly rod!  Stan and I also had  new couples.  Stan took the guys and I took the gals (of course).  Things were going pretty good until they turned on the fourth generator and the water really turned dirty and took off as well.  The gals missed a few fish, one of them had on a really nice fish that she played for a couple minutes,….but alas, it was an auto release!   Everyone had to work at catching a few fish today. 

Monday and yesterday fished pretty decent.  Gina took Mitch and Barbara from Arkansas out after the rain settled down a little.  They had a good day and Mitch got to work with a sink tip for the first time.  Barbara mastered the roll cast and was roll casting the sink tip out to hook up with some fish.  They were fishing the black wooly on the sink tip or drifting the red midge.  These were their best patterns.   Not sure what Stan has his guys fishing Monday, but know they had a good day.  Yesterday Stan put Clint from Texas on a holographic green crackleback in fast skinny water with a #4 split shot about 12 inches above it, and had an real good day considering the conditions (30 plus fish).   Most of the hits were just before it started the bow or when he started stripping it back.  Clint had not fished this way and really enjoyed it.  They also caught fish on the red midge with the pink San Juan worm dropper.

Boats on the water all week and they have been generating every day all day since Tuesday. 

Tuesday, Stan had Steve and his son Josh, who had flown in from Washington DC, on a half day float.  They had a good half day on the water with the red midge and pink San Juan dropper. 

Jim was out with Frank and Bubba from Belton, MO.  They were out the day before with Jim and had had a good first half of a day on a size 22 midge, the red midge and pink San Juan.  The wind picked up and they decided to cut off at a half day.  Tuesday did not fish as well for them.  They boated a few fish on the worm and bug eyed bugger, but nothing as good as the morning before.  

Carolyn had Bill from Minnesota (he loved our sunshine and warm weather) and Warren from Kansas.  We worked hard all day Tuesday but caught several fish.  Wednesday morning was wonderful.  Our first fish to the boat was 15 inches and they kept going up from that to our eventual 17 incher with an 11 inch girth.  Fat little sucker…..it was really a trout.  We kept our standard at 15 inches and pretty well maintained that standard until they turned on the third generator.  After that picking was slim and the some of them were definitely below our 15 inch standard!  Pulled a few more fish out on various things, but mainly it was the pink San Juan or pink egg pattern.  Caught a few on the red midge, black wooly bugger and maybe a couple on the holographic green crackleback.  Warren is a brand new fly fisher and by the end of the second day he is throwing a pretty good line; good line management and a great hook set and playing the fish. 

Stan had Gene from Kansas out Wednesday and he had a great time catching fish for the first time on a sink-tip line with a black wooly bugger.  Never had fished this way before and he really liked it.  Jim had Bill from Kansas out.  The black midge and pink San Juan were their bugs.

Darrell had the only boat out yesterday.  Brothers, Frank and Jim from Texas did a half day.  Boated some fish on the pink…you guessed it….San Juan.  Nice 17 incher was their good catch of the day. 

Saturday, Sunday and again today, we have had some off generation time to get out and wade.  Almost forgot what it was like!  Even saw folks we had not seen for a while!  Generation has shut down around midnight the past three nights and has not come back on until 10:00 a.m.  Yesterday they started one at 10:00 a.m. and the second one as 11:00 a.m.  The projection today is that the water will come on at 11:00 a.m.  We will see….

Fishing was wonderful yesterday morning with the water off.  Two boats on the water yesterday.  Catching fish on size 16 and 18 soft hackles, Red Ass, Dark Olive and Light Olive.  Also, the intermediate sink tip with the filoplume.  Of course, the red midge and the lightning bug were working.  Once the first generator came on, we deepened up, weighted up and dropped the pink or hot orange micro San Juans off the midges.  Used these to fish the various seams on the way to the Lookout Island.  At the island, we fished soft hackles again (found some nice seams), the red midge with the hot orange dropper and a 7 ips sink tip with a holographic green crackleback.  Did great on all these different methods.  We had Scott and his son, Mike, from Illinois on the second day of their 2-day school.  They were learning as many various methods to use fly fishing that we could cram into the day and conditions.  Had a wonderful day and caught lots of nice fish.   

Just got a fishing report from one of our guides, Darrell,  who was out playing on his days off.  Both yesterday morning and today, he was wading west of outlet two and worn the fish out on the gray scud or burgundy midge with the pink micro San Juan dropper.  He also did great on a bright green sculpin today. 

Great day on the water yesterday.  Water was off until 10:00 a.m.  The river has definitely changed.  Gravel bars where there were none, some channels are completely filled in, quite interesting. 

Darrell and his two folks from Louisiana had a wonder ful day.  Lots of fish and lots of fun.  Red midge and pink San Juan were their hot flies. 

Water is off again this morning.  Think I better go check things out. 

Tough day yesterday.  Had five boats on the water and all the guides were moaning when they came off the water.  Every boat caught a few fish but it was far and few, and they tried everything.  They had three generators going, water pretty dirty, but it was a bright, beautiful day.  There was no best fly.

Tuesday through Thursday, fishing was very good. At least two boats out every day and they all caught lots of fish.  Several in the 15 inch range, one 16 incher and a 17 inch brown.  Flies were the red midge and with a hot pink or hot orange micro San Juan dropper.  Picking a few with the Bug Eyed Bugger too.

Water turned off at midnight last night.  At 7:30 a.m. today, it is still off.  Doubt that it will be off very long.  We will just have to wait and see.  The guys that checked out the river this morning said there are lots of changes to the river.  Trees down in places where there were none, no water in some places, new riffles.   Going to be fun and interesting working a new river!