100+ Fish Days - You Can Do It , Too Bill Cooper 4/15 www.southerntrout.com The opportunity to catch 100+ trout a day does not come along often. However, I enjoyed such a day recently on a trip to Taneycomo Lake in southwest Missouri. Twenty outdoor writers gathered at Lilleys’ Landing for a media event organized by the Conservation Federation of Missouri. One of the goals of the event was for writers to experience the world class trout fishery at Taneycomo and relay the message to readers that the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery and the Taneycomo trout fishery could be lost if legislators are successful at destroying funding for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Area guides gathered at Lilleys to take writers out on the lake. I fished half days with Captains Buster Loving and Steve Dickey. Both are full time, professional guides with fully equipped boats. The fishing proved superb as we drifted down stream and worked jigs under strike indicators. This method is both relaxing and productive and is the perfect way for families and kids to catch lots of trout. I visited with Lillleys Landing Resort owner Phil Lilley to get the lowdown on flyfishing below Table Rock dam. I had heard about the fabulous fishery for decades and was anxious to give it a try on my own. Water is drawn from the bottom of Table Rock Lake and released through flood gates. Cold water from 46-to-54 degrees is released, perfect for rainbow and brown trout. Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery produces about 350,000 pounds of trout each year for Lake Taneycomo. That equates to about 700,000 trout being released in the lake. Water below the dam is quite shallow when the gates are closed. Anglers can wade and fish easily. A siren blows when the flood gates are going to be opened. Fishermen leave the stream immediately to avoid the swift, deep flows that follow in a matter of minutes. A no fishing zone is in place for the first 760 from the base wall of Table Rock Dam downstream, marked by a cable stretched across the lake. Trout fishing awe captured my gray matter as I walked down to the lake side. Taneycomo is more like a river in its upper reaches, moving steadily amidst beautiful surroundings of forested hillsides. Regulations vary on different parts of the lake, but the first 3 1/2 miles below the dam is where most fly fishermen congregate. From Table Rock Dam down to the mouth of Fall Creek, you may use feather or hair jigs, spinners, spoons, hard-plastic crank baits and lures. Live bait, prepared or scented baits are not allowed. This stretch of Lake Taneycomo has a slot limit on rainbow trout. Fish measuring 12 inches or greater, and smaller than 20 inches must be released back into the water immediately and unharmed. The length limit is the same all over the lake for brown trout, 20-inches. Anyone one fishing above highway 65 in Branson must have in their possession a Missouri Trout Stamp, regardless of what the angler is fishing for. 
An angler possessing a Missouri Trout Stamp can catch and keep four trout per day, one of which may be a brown over 20 inches in length. I selected one of three water flows, which poured from the hatchery into the lake, to begin flyfishing. Unbelievably, I had a long stretch of river all to myself. The closest anglers were a hundred yards to either side of me. Hundreds of colorful rainbow trout finned in the shallow water where the outlet flow fanned out across a gravel bar. Ten feet out, the four inch water depth dropped off to three feet. I gingerly cast an olive sculpin pattern to the awaiting fish. They fed actively on food coming down the flow. My flyrod arched and a minute later I had a scrappy 1-pound rainbow in hand. I picked up a couple more fish on the sculpin pattern before the bite slowed. I switched to a small peach colored, yarn, salmon egg pattern. Strikes came about every other cast. I caught dozens of fish on the egg pattern before the action slowed once again. My next fly choice is one of the most popular on Taneycomo, a #16 tan scud pattern. They imitate a fresh water shrimp. Fish fell for the buggy looking fly repeatedly. I caught dozens more rainbow trout up to 2 1/2 pounds. Conservatively, I caught well over 100 rainbow trout in three hours. You can do it, too. Contact Phil Lilley at www.lilleyslanding.com to make arrangements for lodging. Cpt. Steve Dickey may be reached at www.anglersadvantage.com; Cpt. Buster Loving at 417-335-0357, or at Facebook/busterloving. Note: Several pieces of legislation are currently being considered which would end the 1/8 of one percent conservation sales tax whcih supports the Missouri Department of Conservation. Decades of diligent work could be destroyed at the cost of millions to the annual Missouri economy. Contact your congressmen and ask them to continue support of the conservation sales tax.