A drift rig with a 1/4-ounce weight and a small bait hook works best for drifting or tight lining the bait.Īlthough we usually rent a boat to fish the lower lake, a family staying at one of the many resorts on the lake can catch plenty of rainbows fishing off of the resort’s dock. I have used pieces of nightcrawlers, Berkley Power Bait Eggs and Berkley Gulp worms in pink or chartreuse to catch plenty of trout from Cooper Creek to downtown Branson. Tie the micro jigs on 4- to 6-pound line and set a float about 2 to 3 feet above the lure or fish the larger jigs without a float.Ī wide array of live or scented baits produce best for anglers of all ages down lake. Rainbows and browns can also be taken on spinning tackle with 2- to 3-inch jerk baits, micro jigs or marabou jigs (ranging in size from 1/100 to 1/8 ounce) in brown or olive hues. When flow is light, small streamers, soft hackles and dry flies work best. Water flow from the dam is usually low during the summer so anglers have plenty of opportunities to wade in the trophy area. The most popular technique among the locals is to drift an olive scud below a strike indicator with the current. The trophy area below Table Rock dam offers fly fishermen of all skill levels a chance to catch plenty of rainbows and brown trout. Although the state “pole and line” record rainbow trout was caught elsewhere, Taneycomo holds the state record for a rainbow trout taken on alternative methods with a 15-pound, 6-ounce fish and produced the state record brown trout weighing 28 pounds, 12 ounces. Since the water flowing from the dam was too cold for most of the White River’s fish, those populations declined and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) compensated for the loss of the native fishery by stocking rainbow trout into the 22-mile lake.ĭuring the early 1990s, the MDC enhanced the lake’s fishery by stocking brown trout that have grown to trophy size.

The lake sustained a popular warm-water fishery for more than 40 years, but that changed when Table Rock Dam was constructed in 1958. Lake Taneycomo fishing began in 1913 with the construction of Ozark Beach Dam at Powersite on the White River. The water in Taneycomo stays cold year-round since it comes from Table Rock Dam about 160 feet below the surface of Table Rock Lake. These streams will provide good catch-and-release fishing and a chance to harvest quality-size trout.The lake’s constant water temperature keeps trout in a stable environment, unlike bass in other reservoirs where the seasons cool or warm the waters and cause the fish to move shallow or deep. Gigging of non-game fish will be permitted. Red Ribbon Trout Area (Patrick Bridge to Norfork Lake) There is a 15-inch minimum length limit on trout from these streams, and a daily limit of two trout. All rainbow trout are naturally reproducing wild fish. The North Fork is stocked below Blair Bridge in the fall with brown trout. These restrictive regulations are designed to sustain the maximum density of adult trout and offer the chance to harvest a trophy-sized trout. Gigging of non-game fish will not be permitted.

Fishing will be restricted to flies and artificial lures only. If you are not keeping trout you do not need the additional trout stamp.īlue Ribbon Trout Area (Rainbow Spring to Patrick Bridge) Fishing regulations include an 18-inch minimum length limit on all trout, and a daily limit of one trout.

Permits: A trout permit, in addition to the prescribed fishing permit, is required to possess and transport trout. Fishing regulations on the North Fork of the White River: Call Sunburst if you wish to be set up with a guide, or if you have any questions about fishing the North Fork. While the trout on the North Fork can be fickle at times, they can be caught year round at all water levels. If you prefer to just wade we have over a mile of prime trout water here at Sunburst Ranch. Probably the most effective way to fish the river is to float it yourself, in either a canoe or by hiring a guide here at the ranch. With an 18 inch length limit and only one fish per day allowed, fishermen have a great opportunity for catching a trophy wild rainbow trout. The stretch of river from Rainbow Spring to Patrick Bridge has been designated a Blue Ribbon Trout Area which is the rating given to only the highest quality streams in the state. It is fed by a multitude of natural springs, and comes as close to a western trout stream as can be found in this part of the country. The North Fork of the White River is one of the most beautiful free-flowing trophy trout streams in the Ozarks.

Trout fishing in missouri