Lake Taneycomo, MO

Lake Taneycomo is a man-made lake or reservoir on the White River in the Ozark Mountains of Taney County, Missouri. The completion of Table Rock Dam in 1958 changed the source of water to Taneycomo from that of the White River's flowing waters to the bottom tailwater of Table Rock Lake from the dam spillway and made it into a cold water lake. The clear cold waters from the deep tailwaters of Table Rock Lake pour out of the dam into Lake Taneycomo. These cold waters of Lake Taneycomo created some of the finest trout fishing anywhere in the world. To take advantage of this change the Missouri Department of Conservation constructed the Shepherd of the Hills Trout Hatchery. All methods of trout fishing — fly fishing, artificial bait, and live bait fishing — may be used year-round to pursue trout that inhabit the waters of Lake Taneycomo, however special regulations apply in the upper section. 'In order to improve the quality of the fishery, the Missouri Department of conservation established lure regulations and slot limits in 1997. From Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek, only artificial flies and lures may be used, soft plastics are specifically prohibited. Rainbow trout must be less than 12" or greater than 20" to be harvested, and brown trout must be greater than 20" to be harvested. A daily limit of 4 trout applies, only one of which may be a brown trout. This upper section is generally regarded as a "trophy area" and catch and release fishing is widely practiced. ' Lake Taneycomo has the characteristics of both a river and a lake. The shallow colder water, located near the Table Rock Dam, averages 48 degrees F, resembles a river and permits wading and bank fishing for trout. The average temperature of the water gets warmer and the depth of the lake deepens to more than 50 feet (15 m) near the Powersite Dam in Forsyth. When Table Rock Dam is generating power its current is very strong throughout its whole length, its water temperature drops, and for all practical purposes it becomes a very deep, cold, fast running river.