Wendy and I Fished Lake Taneycomo: The Professionally-Guided Trip, The Conclusion

Link: https://mozarkfishscapes.com/

Darren rigged Wendy and I up with tandem rigs.  The front/lead fly was a scud that was heavier than the back/trailer fly.  The scud helped get the flies down in the water column and the second fly would get a little closer to the bottom.  The back/trailer fly was a size 24 emerger.  That's right, a size 24!  The fly was so small that it felt like an impossibility that it could land a fish.  I knew that trout would eat a fly that small, but I had doubts that a fish would stay hooked long enough to actually end up in the net.  It seemed to me that one violent head shake or one solid run would simply rip the fly right out of the flesh in a fish's mouth.

It is also important to note that we didn't get started fishing until a little after 10 AM that morning.  Wendy and I had opted to sleep late because we don't get that opportunity very often, and since we were on a little vacation, we took advantage of the chance to recharge our batteries a little.  We knew that this would probably result in some slower fishing activity.  We also knew that the low water and blue skies weren't going to do us any favors either.  On the other hand, we had Darren who knows how to fish any conditions that Lake Taneycomo can throw at him!

We started getting hits right off the bat.  We fished some slower, deeper water and the takes were subtle.  The fish had plenty of time to look our flies over and hooksets had to be lightning quick.  I'm not great at being lightning quick and neither is Wendy so we missed quite a few bites.  I ended up hooking and landing one fish before we went to some faster water in the tailout of the pool.  The fishing improved dramatically when we started fishing the end of the run.  The takes were more aggressive and more fish were landed as a result.

Every fish that I landed was a marvel to me!  Most of the fish were caught on the size #24 emerger and every single fish that made it to the net seemed like a miracle.  Not only had I hooked the fish with such a small hook but I played it and landed it without it coming loose.  The biggest takeaway for me on this outing was the small hooks really can put trout in the net which caused me to slightly change the way I look at fly fishing.  

I never want to stop learning.  The day I stop learning will be the day that my heart stops beating.  There are so many things in this world that fascinate me because I don't understand them.  While I will never be able to tell you how black holes work or the meaning of life, I can tell you that I will always try to learn more about fly fishing.  There is beauty to be found in knowing that you will never master a craft but can pursue it your entire life without the fear of running out of things to learn.  Thank you Darren for being an outstanding teacher and for having patience with my learning curve.  If you too would like to acquire some fly fishing skills, please click on the link below and consider booking a trip with Captain Darren Sadler of Mozark Fishscapes.  Aside from being a great teacher, his upbeat attitude and positive outlook on life will make for a memorable experience on the water that you just might cherish for a lifetime.

Link: https://mozarkfishscapes.com/

Wendy and I Fished Lake Taneycomo: The Professionally-Guided Trip, Part 1

Link: https://mozarkfishscapes.com/

I love fishing with guides!  There are multiple reasons that I love to fish with guides.  They know the water better than I do.  They understand the past and current fishing conditions.  They know how the seasons impact fish behavior and and insect life cycles.  Most importantly, I love fishing with guides because there is so much that I can learn from them.  In particular, Darren Sadler of Mozark Fishscapes, has taught me a lot about fishing with midges over the last year.  When I contacted him and told him that Wendy and I were going to be in Branson and would love to spend a couple of hours with him, thankfully he had a small window to accommodate us.  During that time, I learned ever more about fly fishing.

Darren is sometimes referred to as the "Midge Guru" or "Midge Whisperer".  He knows how to throw them and catch fish on them in high, fast water.  I experienced this first hand last February when we fished in the snow on Lake Taneycomo while water was being released by Table Rock Dam.  On this trip however, it was fall, it was warm, and the water was low.  It could not have been more of a contrast.  It didn't seem to phase Darren though as he had a method for slinging midges and scuds in swift, fast water.  

This is not a style that I feel comfortable with.  I'm more of a "dredge the long, slow pools" kind of guy.  Fast, shallow water makes my brain hurt.  While I know fish will hold there, it just seems, to me, like they shouldn't.  It seems like it is counterintuitive for them to work their tails off (see what I did there) in fast current when they could find slower current and save energy.  I've rarely fish faster water, shallow water and have have a very small amount of success when I have.  With Darren's knowledge that he shared with me, I feel more confident that I ever have.

Part 2, coming soon!

Link: https://mozarkfishscapes.com/

Wendy and I Fished Lake Taneycomo: The Self-Guided Trip

Last weekend, my wife Wendy and I headed down to Lake Taneycomo in Branson, Missouri, to fly fishing for rainbow and brown trout.  This was our third fall trip down to Taneycomo.  We went once for a small honeymoon and again last year for our anniversary.  On the first trip, I caught a really nice 23 inch, 6-7 pound brown.  On the second trip, Wendy caught a really nice 22 inch, 4 pound brown.  We were hoping to replicate these results.  We caught both fish without a guide and were hoping that our do-it-yourself method would continue to produce nice fish for us.

To make a long post short, we did not replicate our prior results.  Don't get me wrong, we caught some fish but the numbers were small, as well as most of the fish.  We caught exclusively rainbows as opposed to almost exclusively browns last year.  Through conversations with other folks (some being guides that know the lake extremely well) we found out that the water was low and hand been low for quite some time.  We also found out that the brown trout spawn happened earlier than usual this year.  When those two conditions combine, it can be a recipe for some tough fishing but not impossible.

We caught most of our fish on small jigs under strike indicators.  We caught them on white thread jigs, standards (black bodies and tails with a chartreuse head) and mega worms.  We caught them in deeper parts of runs as well as near the bank around boulders.  I wish that I would have swung some soft hackles through some faster water, but I came up with that idea on the way home, unfortunately.

Regardless, it was still a fun time on the water with my wife.  The weather was perfect, we didn't get skunked, and responsibilities of the world faded away for awhile.  It has been said that trout live in pretty places.  To me, Lake Taneycomo is a beautiful place with beautiful fish as well.  While we didn't bring home any stories or pictures of trophy fish, we brought home some good memories and minds that were more relaxed than when we left Kansas City.

Never Hand a Guide a Fly Rod

If you want to find out why a fly fishing guide is a fly fishing guide, go ahead and hand them a rod on a fishing trip. You will be reminded really quickly why he/she is a guide!  This is Darren Sadler showing off his street cred!

Link: https://mozarkfishscapes.com/

Excited to Hit the Water with Captain Darren Sadler

Link: https://mozarkfishscapes.com/

Thanks to my wife and my buddy Darren Sadler, my fishing drought is about to come to an end!  Let me first say thank you to my wife.  Our anniversary was on Wednesday and we had planned a little trip to Branson, Missouri, to celebrate.  There are a few attractions that we want to visit and a couple restaurants we want to patronize.  Being the wife of a fisherman, she also understands that this trip coincides with the annual migration of brown trout moving toward the dam on Lake Taneycomo.  While we aren't going to fish the entire time, she knows that we are going to hit the water some.  I am eternally grateful for her thoughtfulness and generosity.

My buddy Darren also deserves a healthy amount of thanks.  On short notice, he has agreed to meet up with us on Sunday morning to guide us a little bit.  Darren is a great guide.  He has the perfect balance of a positive attitude, a good sense of humor, and knowledge about the lake.  I've gotten to fish with him on more than one occasion and can't wait to share the water with him again.  If you ever find yourself in need of a fly fishing guide on Lake Taneycomo, I highly recommend Captain Darren's services.  I have posted a link to his website below and will post a follow up post next week to let you know how things go! 

Link: https://mozarkfishscapes.com/

These are pictures from the last time Darren and I hit the water.  These were taken in February of 2024!

If You're Too Busy to Go Fishing, Then You are Too Busy!

I have indeed been too busy!  I haven't hit the water a lot lately so I haven't had a lot of content to post about.  To give you a small taste of how busy I have been, here is a small list of things that have kept me from fishing.  I'm sure you will be able to relate to a few items.

1. Work
2. Sick kid
3. Piano lessons (youngest child)
4. Soccer practice (oldest  (oldest child)child)
5. Soccer game
6. Soccer practice (youngest child)
7. Soccer game (youngest child)
8. Part time jobs to compensate for inflation
9. A truck that broke down
10. Lawn care 
11. Lawn care machinery that broke down
12. Boat maintenance
13. A lack of sleep
14. Shorter days which mean less time to fish

I could continue, but you get the idea.  Please don't take that list as me complaining...actually, you can take it that way if you want...but that's life, right?  Things happen.  Life gets busy and sometimes to a degree that is out of your control.  Life is like a yin yang.  There is good mixed with bad.  There is way too busy mixed with too much time on your hands.  I've leaned on a few sayings lately and they are:

Tough times don't last, but tough people do.

and

It is always darkest right before the dawn.

I have a few outings that I have been fortunate enough to plan and I will have more fishing content soon.  Until then, I hope you are able to hit the water and make some solid memories.  When I get the chance to do the same, I will be sure to share some stories with you. 

I was Reminded Recently: Vary How You Retrieve a Streamer!

Recently, I fished a couple of farm ponds for some largemouth bass.  With the water temperatures cooling, I figured that the healthy population (or overpopulation in some cases) of bass would be ready to feed up due to increased metabolism.  There wasn't much wind on this particular day and I dedicated myself to only throwing a fly rod.  I also dedicated myself to throwing a white game changer as I had not yet fished this color in farm ponds for bass yet.  What I was expecting was to catch 100 bass on this fly.  What I got was a lesson in humility and problem solving.

The first pond that I went to didn't produce a single fish.  I had one take but missed it.  I decided that maybe the fish in this pond were...less than motivated to strike.  Rather than changing flies, I decided to change ponds.  I seriously considered changing flies but I really wanted to see if it was the pond or the fly so rather than changing two variables (changing flies and ponds), I just picked one.  I fully appreciate the luxury that is afforded to me by having multiple fishing locations to fish.  I also wanted to take advantage of the situation as well.

At the first pond, I almost exclusively used an hand over hand retrieve.  I cast out the fly, let it sink as I adjusted my hands, and began my hand over hand retrieve which gave the game changer an outstanding swimming motion.  When I arrived at the second pond, there was one spot that looked like it had everything that a bass needed.  There was structure, cover, a change in depth, and shade.  I decided to use the exact same retrieve as I had previously used.  This did not produce a single strike.  That's when I decided that it was not the location to blame.  It dawned on me that it could have been the fly itself that was to blame for not inducing a strike, or it could have been the retrieve.  The minute I switched to a retrieve that was erratic and with some pauses, that's when I started to catch fish!

I caught 6-7 fish while standing in one spot.  I missed about 4 more that I should have caught.  I then visited another nearby pond.  I caught two more fish there by using an erratic retrieve rather than one where the fly was in constant motion.  The moral of this story is if you are fishing a streamer, switch things up and let the fish communicate to you what they are wanting on that particular day.  I wish I would have been more flexible at the start of the day but sometimes you just have to learn or be reminded "the hard way".  Hopefully you can learn from my experience and have some good days on the water with a streamer as a result.

New Trail Cam Pictures and More Fishy Prints from my 3D Printer

Things have been busy around my house and around the farm.  The 3D printer has been cranking out toys and tools.  Three trail cameras have been capturing some amazing images as well.  Fall is always a fun time and I transition from a lot of fly fishing to more indoor-related activities.  I also tend to fish less and hunt more as well.  While these changes do affect my time on the water, I will keep up the posts with most of them still being centered around fly fishing.  In fact, there will be a fun post later this week about stripping streamers for largemouth bass.  Until then, these images will have to suffice but I hope you dig them!