Winter Trout Fishing

We're at the end of a very unusual year here in the Ozarks, one that hopefully won't repeat itself any time soon. Spring flood waters made our fishing season a tough one, continuing into the fall months and disrupting our fall brown trout spawning run.

Warm water plus low dissolved oxygen issues put alot of stress on our trout, especially up close to the dam but all that is now behind us and we have winter to look forward to. Cold water heals alot of wounds.

Our trout are in good shape though. We've seen healthy rainbows caught and released here in the last couple of weeks all over the lake. Some good stringers of trout have come into the dock for the supper table too. Most anglers have had good fishing trips here of late.

Our midge population looks to be in great shape. We've had some awfully good hatches almost every evening and our trout are responding in a big way. From Fall Creek to the dam on most days, all you can see are trout dimpling the surface of the water, picking off tiny midge flies as the hatch in the film. Scuds or freshwater shrimp are doing well too. We observe alot of trout up in the shallows nosing around in the gravel for a bit to eat.

December marks the beginning of great winter trout fishing here on Taneycomo. Cold yes but fishing is great. Whether it's a fly rod or spin rod, anglers of all skills can come out and enjoy a day on Taney's water and catch some trout.