Lake Taneycomo (Southern Missouri)

       Location: The lake is near Branson, Missouri, in the southern part of the state. It is a 3½-hour drive from either Kansas City or St. Louis. There are commercial flights directly into Branson, or Springfield, about a 45-minute drive.

      Lake Taneycomo is a 22-mile impounded section of the White River formed in 1913 by the construction of Powersite Dam at the lower end. In 1958, Table Rock Dam was completed at the upper end. Table Rock Dam’s primary functions are flood control and power generation. It is one dam in a grid of more than 20 others, which provide electricity to several states. This makes the generation schedule for releasing water interesting, to say the least. The side effect from this dam was the creation of a coldwater lake and ideal conditions to support trout. Water temperature stays around 48 degrees, with year-round access and fishing.

      Spring fishing seems to provide the greatest numbers of fish caught in a day, but fall is the best time to catch larger fish when they are moving up for the spawn.

      The best accesses and best conditions for wade fishers are located in the upper portion of the lake just below the dam. This section probably has the highest concentrations of trout on any given day. The land just below and on either side of the dam belongs to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). In this area MDC operates a hatchery to raise trout for local stocking and for relocation to other fisheries in Missouri and a few neighboring states. There are paved parking areas, walking trails, and stairs for easy access to some of the wading areas. On March 1, 1997, in an effort to improve the quality of fish in Taneycomo, MDC designated this area from 750 feet below the dam down to the mouth of Fall Creek as a Special Management Area, with regulations specific to this portion of the lake. All rainbow trout between 12 and 20 inches must be immediately released unharmed, and only flies and

      artificial lures can be used. On the remainder of the 22-mile lake, there is no length limit, except on browns—20 inches—and no bait or lure restrictions.

      We often joke that fishing Taneycomo is like fishing 365 different rivers in one year. The generation flows can be