Monday, October 28, 2024

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



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!








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